Plastic Bottle Rocket

Plastic Bottle Rocket
The Plastic Bottle Rocket as depicted in the manga.
Kanji	ペット・ボトル・ロケット
Romaji	Petto Botoru Roketto
English	Plastic Bottle Rocket
Aliases	PBR Hachimitsu by boys Lady PBR by boys Garbage by ASC
Object Profile
Type	Model sculpture
Creator	Gakuto; Jo; Shingo
Designer	Gakuto
Material	Composite plastic
Personal Status
Gender	Females
Height	~4m
Creation	June 29, 2011
Status	Destroyed
Media Debut
Manga	Chapter 131

The Plastic Bottle Rocket (ペット・ボトル・ロケット, Petto Botoru Roketto^⃝ℹ), codenamed the PBR, is a large plastic model rocket sculpture constructed by Gakuto, Jo and Shingo. The scuplture becomes the object of their devotion, until a single fragment survives its destruction and disposal by the Aboveground Student Council. The PBR fragment, nicknamed the Lady PBR (PBR様, PBR-sama^⃝ℹ), leaves the altar of its anointment to become the jockey of the Underground Student Council's schoolboy cavalry team in the Cavalry Battle.

Appearance

The Plastic Bottle Rocket is a large plastic model sculpture, versatile enough to both support a human and float within shallow water unaided. The original PBR's artistic design visually references a robotic rocket-powered figure, complete with cardboard wings and fake mechanical appendages. However, the PBR is unable to fly due to its cumbersome design and lack of technical functionality. The main body of the PBR is constructed from PET bottles, plastic bottle tops, duct tape and other household items.

Plot

The Plastic Bottle Rocket was initially intended to aid the Underground Student Council's breakout plan. The use of a plastic bottle diversion was devised by Mari with Kiyoshi before she contacted the latter by signalling rocketry in the sports ground. Though the boys carefully construct the PBR as a model sculpture in the school courtyard, the original intention Kiyoshi and Mari had was of a simplistic yet functional plastic bottle rocket that could actually fly. Though the boys seem engrossed in playing with the PBR in the swimming pool, Gakuto has a deep suspicion of their mistake - until he enters the pool and misses Kiyoshi's phone call. This misidentification by Gakuto inadvertently causes a severe disruption to the USC's plans when the three boys gradually become overly obsessed with the PBR's workmanship. Their humourous argument on whether to name the sculpture the misspelt initialism OU for Our Youth (Oretachi no Yume) or the PBR misnomer is a decisive victory for Gakuto when the PBR keeps its name.

The other schoolboys' neglect of the USC's breakout plan for the PBR is the cause of much worry from Mari and Kiyoshi, with the boys planning to use the PBR bouyancy to garner female attention in the annual summer camp. When Chiyo sees the boys working on the PBR in secret, she misassociates it with her birthday. The boys decide to make further modification to the PBR, adding gargantuan legs to convert it from a rocket ship to a giant robot. However, the Aboveground Student Council discover the PBR obstructing the path of a corridor in the school courtyard, and dismantle it as a waste of resources. This incident provokes the three boys and Chiyo's collective revolt against the ASC and the imprisonment of Chiyo in retribution for her attack on Kate. However, Joe collects the head fragment of the PBR and the boys construct an altar in the boys' dorm before swearing vengeance on the ASC. This results in their dorm arrest by Risa and her attempt to attack them with a metal pipe for verbally insulting her, which is foiled by the PBR landing on her head and concussing her.

The boys name the fragment the Lady PBR and it becomes the object of religious fascination from the schoolboys. Though Jo and Gakuto need to relieve themselves during their house arrest, Shingo prevents him from urinating in the PBR after Jo fails to bring Shingo's water bottle back. The next day during the Sports Festival, Hana and Kiyoshi use the PBR fragment to cover his nudity when in the ouroboros scene under the futons. The PBR is the unanimous winner of the all-female USC male cavalry jockey audition after its nomination by Gakuto, when Anzu is harrased by Jo and Satou fares better against similar treatment from Shingo. The PBR is then worn by Chiyo and by Mitsuko. The Lady PBR is then strapped to Gakuto's chin above his head for the Cavalry Battle.

Trivia

• The Plastic Bottle Rocket's visual design references a Gundam robotic figure.
• The successor to the now-destroyed PBR, codenamed PBR Mark II, is proposed by Shingo to be built after the Cavalry Battle in chapter 156.

Gallery

The altar of the PBR fragment.