Ep 8. The Truant Is a Grand Master

In Ultimate Otaku Teacher season 1 episode 8, titled "The Truant Is a Grand Master," we see a new student joining the class, and his name is Koutaro Araki. Koutaro is a chess prodigy who has been skipping school to participate in several national and international chess tournaments. Once he arrives in class, he immediately falls asleep, which gets the attention of Junichirou. He wakes him up, and Koutaro seems quite annoyed until he sees that Junichirou is a famous writer who has written several books on chess strategy.

The rest of the episode follows Koutaro's struggles with keeping up with both his passion for chess and his schoolwork. Junichirou tries to help him balance both but soon realizes that Koutaro has issues far deeper than just being an excellent chess player. He finds out that Koutaro has been living alone for quite a while, and his parents are always busy with work, which is why he has no supervision.

With this newfound information, Junichirou takes it upon himself to mentor Koutaro and help him become a better student and chess player. He organizes a chess tournament at the school to give Koutaro something to work towards while also keeping up with his schoolwork. Junichirou also invites Koutaro's parents to watch him play, which makes Koutaro incredibly happy.

The tournament goes well, and Koutaro ends up winning, but Junichirou also notices that Koutaro is still struggling with balancing school and chess. He decides to make a deal with Koutaro, telling him that he will buy him the newest chess book on the market, but only if he shows him his report card at the end of the semester. Koutaro agrees, and we see him working harder than ever to keep up with his studies.

In the end, Koutaro's hard work pays off, and he manages to get good grades while also excelling in chess. Junichirou is proud of him and feels like he has accomplished something by helping Koutaro find his way. The episode ends with Koutaro thanking Junichirou and promising to work even harder in the future.

"The Truant Is a Grand Master" is an excellent episode that highlights the importance of having someone to guide you and help you discover your strengths. It also shows that you don't have to give up your passion to be successful in other areas of your life. Ultimate Otaku Teacher season 1 episode 8 is a heartwarming and inspiring story that is perfect for fans of both chess and anime.