English Title: Love That Makes You Cry
Today's theme is Dreams. As for the plot, there are confessions and un-confessions.
Ren does his normal morning routine of watering the flowers
at Shizue-san’s place except Shizue-san is out of town and he’s to look after
her place. While he’s tending to the flowers, he lingers on them for a while
letting his mind wander elsewhere. He’s thinking about Oto.
That morning Ren goes to help Kihoko pack because she's
released from the hospital. When Ren stares at her for too long Kihoko is
instantly aware of her bruised complexion and cutely hides behind Ren’s back,
avoiding his scrutiny.
Right behind him, Kihoko’s
voice shrinks as she says: Who was honestly put off by receiving such a long message?
She raises Ren’s arm. (Ren was.)
Kihoko: Who got
angry thinking all this woman does is lie?
She raises Ren’s arm again. (Ren was.)
Kihoko: Who
wanted to break up because she’s so needy?
Ren stops her from raising his arm. (Not Ren.)
Ren faces her and tells her: Kiho-chan is Kiho-chan.
Ren raises is own arm. This guy just made me smile.
And so these two are officially dating.
Meanwhile Oto cleans the bath at work.
Its payday today and Oto sends her money to someone(?). Before
getting on the bus, she had caved into her inner desires, treating herself to
takoyaki, albeit reluctantly. Her mood is dampened when Ren gets on the bus
because he avoided her. Normally he sits in the back, but seeing Oto there, he
sat in the front. Ugh. Oto tries to make her way to him but her box of takoyaki
falls out of her lap and is accidentally kicked out of the bus. Oto’s mood
cannot be worse but then she catches Ren’s gaze turning away from her, meaning he's seen everything but chose to ignore her THAT IS NOT
MY REN.
When they get off the bus, Ren walks off curtly. Oto calls
out to “Mr. Mover” and apologizes for her actions (the kiss) the other night
but Ren just walks off. Wait,
has she ever called him by his name? He’s close to home when he slows
down to check over his shoulder. She’s not there; you shooed her away. Then he takes out his
phone to stare at the picture of the flower he showed to Oto the other night. I thought he was feeling bad but This
Idiotic Guy deletes the picture for good.
The next day is Ren’s
payday and never have I seen him so happy at work until today. However, Sabiki
is angry his pay was deducted; he desperately needs money to provide child
support (which might be optional in Japan because Boss calls him a doting
father despite being divorced). Sabiki threatens both Ren and the other co-worker
for money but it’s the other co-worker that takes the violent blow. Ren manages
to stop him with a look of genuine pity which annoys Sabiki, making him back
off.
Oto is walking back home
from work and comes across a heater at a really cheap price. Her place doesn’t
have one which is why she curls under her futon and tapes the miniscule gap
between her window and wall to keep warm. The boss of the store welcomes
another man that seems to be interested in the heater too but he walks away. We
don’t get to see who it was but instinctively, Oto looks up thinking its Ren. She doesn’t
see him either though.
At Shizue-san’s place, Ren
feeds the dog who now has a name: Sasuke. From my very limited Japanese, the name of the dog
sounds similar to Ren’s motto that his grandfather would always recite: “Chin
up!” “Chin up!” Check beginning of Episode 2.
Haruta and Konatsu barge into Shizue-san’s
place too. They’re here to take the sewing machine that Konatsu intends to give
away despite that being her grandmother’s present to her. Ren is worried about
her but Konatsu chides him that she’s achieving her dream unlike Ren.
Apparently she was offered a modeling job and it promises her an apartment of
her own. However, when Haruta takes a peek at the agency’s business card,
its one he doesn’t recognize. When Konatsu leaves with her belongings, Ren
holds back Haruta telling him his worries for Konatsu’s safety but Haruta
distracts Ren telling him he’s got a bald spot. It’s a lie. But is Haruta pointing out to Ren that he’s
got a blind spot?
Both Oto and Ren have an
early morning shift and both of them miss their bus. While waiting for another
bus, Ren stands as far away from Oto as possible. Gr. Even on the bus, he sits far away from her.
A crying baby disturbs the entire bus and a fuss is made out of it between the
passengers. Oto wants to stand up for the mother who continuously apologizes
for her crying child but Oto doesn’t know how. She catches Ren’s gaze who
quickly diverts his attention elsewhere.
However, Oto collapsing on her seat has to make Ren care, right? The next thing we know is
that the unconscious Oto was safely sent to her work place.
Ibuki carries her to the
doctor but the staff that received the unconscious Oto note that the man that
carried her in had left. When Oto wakes up, she assumed the man that saved her
was Ibuki-san.
That day Ibuki met his
father and his brother. He’s trying to convince his father to reconsider the
layoffs at the nursing home (Shunju no Mori Institution). However, Dad cares more about
Ibuki’s shabby appearance (particularly his shoes), calling him a reminder of his
own failure. Darn. Are all
parents terrible in this drama?
For once, Ren and Oto are
not on the same bus. He
actually sat in Oto’s usual seat! Wiping the vapour off the window, he
looks out at the store selling that cheap (but authentic) heater that Oto was
staring at yesterday. So that
man was him. Oto’s instincts were right.
However, it’s Ibuki who we
see buying a heater and humidifier from that same store. He’s buying them for
Oto who fainted because she had a fever (her room was just way too cold). A special note though, the heater that
Oto and Ren were looking at was just recently bought. I wonder by who~~~
When Ibuki arrives at Oto’s
place he tells her a man had given him directions to her hidden place. The
mention of a “man” piques Oto’s interest. Man, I wonder who that man could possibly be!
After he’s done installing the machines he sees her sketchbook of the patients
from the residence and he compliments her talent in drawing. He asks her
whether she has a dream.
Ibuki: Dreams are challenging. They’re troublesome and depressing.
Even if you want to get rid of them, you can’t. It’s as if your heart gets
entangled in an intricate web and you can’t shake it off. That is a dream.
Oto steals a glance at her
peaches and/or her letter.
Oto: If I did have a dream, it already came true. I wanted my own
room. I wanted to have my own job, to use my own money to buy the things I feel
like eating and sleep in my own futon in my own room. This is the life I’ve
always wanted. She’s living her dream. So simple. So beautiful. It’s a skill to be able to appreciate
something so simple without being greedy.
I think her words have
ignited something within him. Ibuki tells her as he leaves: I think my dream is still alive; to
be able to properly talk to that man.
Notice he’s wearing nice
shoes now.
The next day Konatsu is walking
to her new modeling job while avoiding a member of her past theatre troupe. Instead
she bumps into Haruta who straight up tells her she’s no model material. According
to him, she should just go to the onsen with him. Casually, Konatsu asks him if
he likes her but it catches her off guard when Haruta easily admits to it. He
likes her.
Ren and his coworkers are
heading to their job site when Sabiki-san stops the truck at his son’s elementary
school. He’s hopping up and down to catch a glimpse of his son over the gate.
Ren hops with him. It’s cute. When school is over, there’s another man that’s
with his ex-wife and son. We learn that his (ex-)family no longer needs or
wants his support anymore. His son. Ryuuta, even casually waves bye to him. That hurts.
It the middle of work Sabiki
is about to steal again. Ren had seen him attempt to steal before but this is
the first time he calls out to Sabiki, exposing him of his crime. Already in a
bad mood, his anger escalates to violence: he grabs Ren by the collar and
almost throws in off the balcony. Thank god Ren manages to hold on to his dear
life. Frustrated, Sabiki tells Ren to give up on his dream and be like him: a
broken man. Their brawl ends with an embrace because another
co-worker walks in on them; Sabiki wanted to hide the fact that he attempted
to steal.
It’s not surprising but
Konatsu is scammed once again. The modeling agency just wanted her to sign a
lease to an apartment so she’ll be in debt to them. Luckily Haruta comes to
save her. It’s not a
coincidence; he saw the business card.
It’s the end of another day
and Oto is taking the bus home. She bumps into the mother with the crying child
from the other day waiting for the same bus but when it does come the mom
doesn’t get on. She’s afraid her child will cry again because there’s too many
people but Oto convinces her to board it because the weather is too cold. Ren
happens to be on this bus too. It’s déjà vu: Mom apologizes to the annoyed
passenger for the wailing baby and Ren does nothing. On the other hand, this
time Oto apologizes with the mother.
A sudden red light makes
Oto falter and trip, scattering all her things on the floor, including her
clothes (she changes into at work). Pathetic men start picking up her lingerie
(i.e. bra) and make lewd comments. Initially Oto laughed it off but soon it
became unbearable.
Finally (FINALLY) Ren saves her. He
hurriedly picks up her clothes and comforts Oto that nothing special happened,
a person fell, that’s all. After they get off the bus, Ren tells Oto to stop by
at grandma’s place to do laundry because he has something to tell her.
Meanwhile Kihoko, who
returned from her parents’ home, is visiting Ren. Instead of waiting for him
outside his door, Ren gave her a key to his flat so she can wait
inside. When Kihoko went to retrieve the key he left for her in the mailbox,
she smiled sweetly at her happiness. Oh dear. How can Ren leave her? Upon entering the dark room,
Kihoko accidentally knocks over a box. It's the heater!
At Shizue-san’s place, Ren
is making takoyaki for Oto. He
saw! Now that’s the Ren I know and love! He knows how to make takoyaki
because it was his part-time job in high school; he wanted to buy a massager
for his grandpa. With Oto, Ren really is quite a talker. He tells her his
grandpa can eat 20 pieces of takoyaki and Oto chimes in that she can too
because she can’t possibly lose to a grandpa. Ren laughs at her competitive
nature because it’s the exact same as her grandfather’s. Ren’s admiration for
his grandfather makes Oto want to “meet” him but Ren corrects her, saying she
should say she wants to “see” him because he’s a rare species made for
sightseeing.
Then Ren talks about Lake Inawashiro that is near his hometown. He loved the
reflections the lake made of Mt. Bandai and the sky. During sunsets, the
colours the lake reflects mirrors his emotion whether he’s sad or happy. He
called it his home. Oto wants to see his home too. Automatically Ren lights up
and offer to go together but his words stop at “together”. Ah. The inevitable moment is
coming.
Ren kneels to Oto and
apologizes.
Ren: Tokyo life doesn’t suit me. Even when I come home I don’t feel
at home. Even when I’m in my room I want to go home. That’s how I’ve spent
these past five years living in Tokyo. That’s how, Sugihara-san, I fell in love
with you. More and more. And became helplessly in love with you. I was not expecting a confession.
There’s tears in her eyes.
Ren: I am always thinking about you. Having to give up that up
hurts. DON’T GIVE UP THEN. Sugihara-san
I’m sorry for being cold to you until today.
Oto’s voice is stuck in her
throat.
Ren: Starting tomorrow, I’ll do the same again. WHAT.
She nods.
Ren:I’m sorry.
She nods again.
Ren: I’m sorry. I loved you.
The past tense hurts.
It's as if Oto wanted to treasure this moment forever, she holds onto his hand. They stay like that for a while until
Ren lightly removes her hand from his. Then, as if nothing happened, they enjoy
their takoyaki dinner. This is not
good. After dinner, while Ren does the dishes, he hears the door slide. Oto
has left. Is this farewell?
Walking back home, Oto
bumps into Kihoko and they exchange their friendly greetings, both complimenting
the beautiful night sky. For the rest of the way back home, Oto’s shoulders
shudder as she cries.
Konatsu and Haruta are on a
rooftop after escaping from the scammers. She’s grateful for Haruta, who’s all
bruised up because of her, but she reminds him she doesn’t love him.
Konatsu: The one I love is –
Haruta interrupts her. He
still wants her to be with him. In exchange, he’ll help her make Ren hers.
They seal the deal with a
kiss.
Kihoko welcomes Ren back
home with a hug. He looks over her shoulder to the heater and hugs Kihoko
tighter. It’s not working
Ren, you can’t run away from your heart. And is it just me or was Kihoko’s gaze
a little off when Ren hugged her back?
Meanwhile Oto
gets a call from Ibuki that night. He tells her he wants to see her.
- - - Comments - - -
You people
are with the wrong people or with the right people for the wrong reason!
Kihoko is
holding back Ren but I still find her likable. Haruta is becoming likable. Why
he likes Konatsu though, I’ll never understand. Even Sabiki is getting on my
good side. I can’t hate a doting father. And he’s pitiful. He probably hates
himself whenever he sees Ren striving to achieve his dream no matter how small
the hope it. On the other hand, Ibuki is still registering a zero on my
emotional meter, neither positive nor negative. I did pity him when he switched
out to his nicer shoes when he visited Oto right after Dad shamed him for his
shabby shoes. The boy needs to step up and be a man.
And then
there’s Ren. Ren, oh Ren. You were so disappointing in the beginning and then
that confession won me over a bit but then you go and tell her you LOVED her in
past tense? Man, he’s going to hate himself so much in the upcoming episodes
for what he’ll put all these girls through. At least he knows he loves Oto (in
present tense) and for that I can forgive him for his behaviour earlier because he did it
to stop himself from loving Oto. Sigh.
Dream
Both
Oto and Ren are surrounded by people who have lost in the struggle to achieve
their dream. With Oto is Ibuki and with Ren is Sabiki. However, both Oto and
Ren seemed to have ignited a passion in these men to try again. It doesn’t seem
obvious with Sabiki but at least he’s not apathetic in losing out on his
ambitions. The fact that Ren angers him means he still cares about his dream.
As for Konatsu
I genuinely believe that she wants to be in the fashion field especially after that
scene where she avoids her theatre troupe member but all her actions as of
lately just screams “Please look at me Ren.” With that, I find her dream the
shallowest of all the characters. Haruta’s doesn’t filter his words and I love
it, especially when he tells her “there is a sea of girls who say they don’t
want to be like other girls,” pointing out to Konatsu that no matter what, she’ll
just be like other girls. It might be sad but it’s true. It’s once we stop
thinking about wanting to be different, that’s when we can truly enjoy being ourselves.
By the way, these two should just hurry up and get together for the right reasons
and leave Ren alone. He’s already making a mess all on his own without others
sabotaging him.
While
each character has their unique goals, Oto and Ren share very similar
dreams. They want a home for themselves. A very humble dream but it means the
world to them. With the help of Ren, Oto realized her dream (although I'm looking forward to what her drawing talent can bring her). It’s just Ren now.
I
love how Ren confessed by comparing her to his home. Oto feels like home to
him. Now he just needs to be with her for his dream to come true!
Credits to Sanashi (for subbing) and Cubical Noses (for timing)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------