Title: 陸上防衛隊まおちゃん (Mao-chan) Vol. 4
Artist/Author: RAN
Original Creator: 赤松健 (Ken Akamatsu)
Book Size/Pages: Small B-6, 200pp., w/furigana
Volume: 4/4
Original Serialization: Monthly Shonen Magazine Special 4/04-9/04
First Printing: 10/15/04
Rating: 4/4

Keinosuke Urashima has another debut when the girls go to Nanasegawa's Hinata Hot Springs. Same situation as what happened in the anime, but different story. So this is the last volume of the series. It feels a bit contrived, but I like how it ended. Don't remember much from the ending to the anime, but I don't think it had a conclusion like this one.

Included in this manga are two one-shot manga. One of them is a Mao-chan one that was in Shonen Magazine last year (I must have read it, but don't remember). The second one is completely unrelated, but the main character looks almost identical to Kinomoto Sakura.

24. すてきな記憶を防衛です (Protect the Wonderful Memory): After visiting the grave of his wife, General Onigawara lights his cigarette in a place where gas has been leaking and causes an explosion that sends him to the hospital. Kagome sits at his bedside and when he awakes, he thinks he's back in his 20s and Kagome is his wife, Kunie. They go out to the ocean cliff and the General starts being romantic with her. Kagome would love to play along, but can't so she tries to tell him that he's actually an old general. This revelation makes him want to kill himself by jumping off the cliff. Kagome tries to grab him, but they both fall down the shallow ledge. In the water, he sees her underwear and Kagome punches him, causing him to regain his memory.

25. 温泉旅館を防衛です (Protect the Hot Springs Resort): The kids and generals go to Hinata Hot Springs for some rest and relaxation. However, they go and find that the hot springs is in shambles. Nanasegawa tells them that a previous guest and wrecked the place. That guest comes back, a large white blob surrounded by a bunch of guards and is called the Hot Springs King (it's actually the king of the aliens, but they don't know that yet). Mao and the kids try to convince this Hot Springs King to let them enjoy the place and Mao ends up in a ping pong competition with it. The King loses and starts pouting. He jolts the place up and causes cracks in the ground which start spurting water. Mao and the King promise to be friends and only then, when they leave in a spacecraft that the adults realize something isn't right. The king now wants Mao to himself.

26. 作戦部長の逆襲です (The Commander's Counter Attack): The commander of the aliens wants to catch Yuriko and Chinami for failing their duties and both of them get caught. He then sends out an alien, small dinosaur, to spy on the 3 girls but it eventually gets caught by the citizens. When they call for the alien's death, Mao protects it and lets it go home. Mao is now concealed so that she can't be found, but the alien commander sends a dog that can sniff her out. They eventually find her, but Kagome has already prepared and unleashes her 101 Mao look-a-likes to confuse the aliens. Meanwhile, the real Mao rescues Yuriko and Chinami with the help of the dinosaur that she previously saved. However, they then realize that the sky is starting to rain alien capsules.

27. エイリアンは１０００体です (1000 Aliens): The aliens come by the numbers and steal all of Japan's treasures, including Mt. Fuji. The alien commander says that the only thing to save them is to hand over Mao and they have one hour to decide. During the hour, Mao thinks about her past when her dad told her that when she reached a certain height, should who know what her duty would be. She's not at that height yet...unless she stands on her tip-toes. She accepts and allows herself to be taken away. However, right before she gets snatched, the dinosaur grabs her. It turns out that the dinosaur was a double-agent and in fact, is Mao's father.

28. 日本奪還作戦です (The Plan to Recover Japan): Mao has a dream about Mii-kun, not the tank, but the cat that the tank was named after. When she wakes, she says goodbye to the tank just in case she doesn't come back. The three girls then travel to the alien's spaceship. There, they find the king with all of Japan's treasures. The king recognizes Mao from the hot springs and says they're best friends. However, Mao disagrees because he broke the promise to not be alone. So the king and the three girls make another promise and spend the time playing. Meanwhile, the other aliens are getting restless and finally, after the king hasn't come out for a long time, the elder in the group decides to call the final attack on earth.

29. いつもカワイク防衛です (Always Protecting Cutely): The final attack involves summoning the Omega, a super-sized cat. It easily stomps the king in the spaceship and starts attacking the people inside the ship, causing a hold in the ship's hull. It then recognizes Mao and it turns out that Omega is Mii-kun from Mao's past. However, the damage has been done and the ship crashes to earth, but Mao and the others have a soft landing thanks to Omega. Mao pleads for his grandpa and others to allow the aliens to co-exists, but the prime minster sees this and won't allow it. He orders his troops to kill them all, but they're too cute. 3 years later, everyone's doing well.

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