This is an episode that affirms Oto and Ren are meant for each other but there's still a few obstacles left.
Kihoko shares her philosophy about love and life necessities
with Oto: first, love is clothes; then, love is food; lastly, love is your
home. Ahhhh, her last stage
of love is just like Oto’s Mom’s definition of love. Kihoko advises her
to marry soon, not knowing she was already proposed to. However, Oto doesn’t
seem too happy at the mention of proposals.
That night Oto dreams about the day of her mother’s crematorium.
Instead of waiting inside, she’s outside drawing flowers on the pavement. Oto’s really obsessed with flowers,
even her blanket is covered with them. The she stares up at the sky. With
that, she wakes up from her dream and prepares her meal for the week, or I’d
assume that’s the case because she cooks a heck lot of rice and wraps it up
individually. They’re called mochi (rice cakes). She needs more nutrition… Please don’t get sick like
you’re mother. ):
Ren is working at the moving company again and I’m so happy they’re
all so welcoming! The Boss Lady is especially cute when she hands him an
envelope full of money. Apparently it was the money she had saved up for him
when she deducted his pay. So
Ren wasn’t gullible, omg.
Oto and Ren bump into each other on the bus again. They both
start talking at the same time and it’s both about pointless things. She tells
him a giraffe only sleeps 20 minutes and he tells her the voice actor for a three-year-old
character of an anime had changed. Clueless to how pointless their conversation
is, they both enjoy it for the entire bus ride.
At Shizue-san’s place, they talk about her boyfriend
(Ijuuin-san) and how classy he looks. Oto had wanted to leave earlier but Ren
makes tea for her, forcing her to stay longer. It’s not like she minds, anyways. On the topic
of Konatsu, he tells Oto he’s helping her achieve her dream but he’s quick to clarify
that Konatsu is only a childhood friend. Oto understands. When she’s about to
leave again, Ren’s reluctance in her leaving makes her stay for a while longer.
Is this my active Ren :O
Ren wanted to talk to her more and he tells her he’s been to
the Ferris wheel place and was looking for the club they had “attended” to but
he couldn’t find it. When he invites her to find the place with him, she’s reluctant
to accept. She explains she’s been proposed to. According to Oto, it’s not that
big of a news but Ren tells her it’s grandiose-huge. She adds that she hasn’t
agreed yet.
 |
| What's with the star? |
When Ren comments on how she found someone she loves, Oto
doesn’t answer. Instead she goes on telling him how she grew to respect Ibuki.
It all goes back to Sonoda-san’s dementia and how Ibuki cared for her.
Eventually, Sonoda-san was cured and the three of them made many memories
together such as visiting the gorillas. All the while she was explaining, she
was making a star out of the pens. She’s thankful to Ibuki for making her
career worthwhile. Ren just nods. He congratulates her sincerely.
Kontasu makes fun of her classmates’ clothing designs which
makes Haruta scold her for not doing anything with her life and thus not having
the right to make fun of other people trying to achieve their dreams. He tells
him matter-of-factly to stop depending on Ren and she abruptly throws her
laptop.
Ren comes home and finds Haruta sulking outside Konatsu’s
room. How can I be a spoiled
brat and still have a guy waiting for me relentlessly? He tells Ren
Konatsu isn’t seriously trying to be a designer; she’s got an ulterior motive
and that’s Ren. Does Ren
really not know?
Konatsu wakes up to reality and tells Ren she’ll give up on
being a designer (which is really her way of saying she’ll give up on latching
onto Ren) She admits that her life is a failure. With that last confession, she
walks out, claiming she’s going bowling. Haruta follows. When they’re alone, Konatsu asks (herself) “Why am I not
good enough?” Haruta asks the exact same question. Aw. He goes on saying he’s not that different
from Ren. Closing the gap between them, Haruta
speaks into her ear: “I’m the man who loves you.” Why is this news to Konatsu?
Oto’s having her night shift and Ibuki visits her. Her
expression isn’t that of a happy girlfriend who sees her boyfriend going out of
his way to visit her. She tells him one of the patients (Kiguchi-san) is
showing signs of dementia. She asks him what were the early symptoms of
dementia for Sonoda-san (so she can help Kiguchi-san) but Ibuki has forgotten
everything about her. Wow.
Not picking up on her emotions at all, Ibuki tries to
convince her how great marrying him would be but she tells him to stop
persuading her. Ouch. But
Ibuki deserved that. The boy’s heart is shattered and he makes her choose
between a marriage and a break-up. Oto doesn’t answer. A non-answer is an obvious answer, no?
Its morning and Oto is coming home from her night shift
while Ren is heading to work. They greet each other across the street. These across the street things
make me smile because it’s one of the quirks of a couple Oto likes (back in
Episode 1). Ren holds her back from leaving without an actual topic so
he just tells her to visit Sasuke again. She agrees but there’s something else
to wants to talk to Ren about. However, the bus has taken him away. I think she wanted to talk to him
about Ibuki.
Later that evening Oto has a dinner meeting with Ibuki and
his dad. Ibuki lies to Dad about her education and career but when dad sends
Ibuki away, Oto tells Dad the entire truth. Instead of looking down on her, Dad
respects her. Really?
He makes reference to the movie “Pretty Woman” where a girl falls for the rich
and rises in society. When he offers his hand for a handshake, Oto had no
intention of taking it.
Immediately after dinner, Oto disappears from Ibuki.
Literally. He goes looking for her at Shizue-san’s place but comes across Ren
instead. In spite of anger and desperation, Ibuki accuses Ren of being the
problem in their relationship.
If Ibuki had paid attention to Oto, he may have realized she’s
with Kiguchi-san, the lady with dementia. The lady asks her if she’s in love
and what kind of boy she likes. She can’t answer but she’s thinking about it. Kiguchi-san
tells her: “It’s the first person coming to mind.” Oto may have realized
something as she cries and confesses: “I don’t know.” It has to be Ren.
Its pitch dark when she gets home and Ren is right there
waiting for her. She’s speechless but she’s also not ready for his appearance
as she dodges him.
Ren: I congratulated
you earlier, but was I wrong?
Unable to answer him Oto retreats into her apartment. Before
he leaves though, Oto calls out from her balcony.
Oto: Stalker.
Ren: I’m not a
stalker. “I’m a mover.
Oto finally smiles.
Oto welcomes him into her room and when he’s inside he’s
looking around because it’s the first time he’s been at her place. Ren takes
out the cake that Sabiki-san had given him and offers to share it with Oto. Before that, Oto
wants to change into something more comfortable and Ren automatically covers
his eyes. Oh, Ren! What to do with the innocent you! Oto
smacks him for his silliness. She goes to change in the washroom but quickly
comes back out suddenly realizing the cake could have been a birthday cake. She’s
not only right on the money but it’s actually Ren’s birthday today.
While she’s changing, Ren finds her canned peaches, or his
canned peaches. Even though
she hid it securely, he found it anyways, eh?
When they’re eating the strawberry cake, Ren asks what her favourite
cake is and it happens to be strawberry cake; Ren shares the same taste. Ren
continues to initiate all the questions about her favourite things. Everything
they like are all very simple: for Oto it ranges from mochi to musical
instruments coming from a school building to the squeaking sound sneakers make
to the smell just before the rain; as for Ren it ranges from daigaku imo and
watermelons to the sound of walking on snow to the smell of bonfire to getting
several draws in Rock-Paper-Scissors. These two oddballs proceed to play Rock-Paper-Scissors.
In the process, Ren accidentally drops his fork and their hands momentarily
grazes past each other. Then things go awkward.
Oto fills in the silence and apologizes for not preparing
for a present, instead she’ll draw a portrait for him. She tells him he has a
face that’s easy to draw. He takes it as a compliment but she laughs, saying it’s
not. Seeing her well, Ren tells her he’s relieved. Then things go silent again.
Oto, the filler of silence, tells Ren she won first place at
a draw once and it was a video game. Oto didn’t have a TV so she exchanged it
for the 2nd prize but it was a TV stand. So she exchanged it again
and got the hanger. Everyone had asked her why she didn’t take the game and just
sell it to make money. But Ren assures her she made the right choice because
that hanger is useful. And Oto is relieved by his answer. She had wondered
whether she was the only one thinking that and she’s happy there’s someone else
who thinks like her.
Ren: I’ll be
there until the end. No matter how many decisions you make, I’ll be by your
side.
I swear
Oto’s trying her best to control her voice from breaking by not saying actual words to reply Ren.
Ren assures her
again: I’ll be there. Lately I’m always thinking about you. No matter what I
do, I’m always thinking about you.
But Oto changes the topic.
She tells him the year she was six, when her mother had died, she went to the
crematorium but when others were waiting, she was drawing on the pavement
alone. It had gotten late and the colour of the sky had become scary. It was
both high and low and it looked orange and it looked pink. The sky was gentle
and lonely. With all that contrasting detail, Oto found the sky stunning. She
wanted to talk about the sky to someone but she was afraid no one would understand
her. And so she’s never told anyone, until now. Ren nods, understanding her.
Oto replies to his previous confession: Me too. I’m always thinking
about you. We’re the same.
Without much hesitation, Ren confesses: I love you.
Looking down at his portrait
she’s drawn, she’s about to reply but Ibuki-san barges in and his eyes are
scary.
- - - Comments - - -
Anyways, Sabiki was so cute when he gave Ren his birthday cake.
He pays attention to Ren eh, I mean he even got his strawberry favourite cake.
I think he wanted to say happy birthday to him but he couldn’t say something so
cheesy. Lol. Instead he swings the cake at him and leaves without a word. So
cute.
(Oh by the way, his birthday is on February 17th.
And yes, I had kept a close eye at every scene to catch it. I went back to
Episode 1 and 3 to check out the dates but I think we skipped his birthday that
time because we went from January 30th to February 21st.)
In reality, Oto and Ren are very dull people. Very dull. Regardless, this drama makes them shine in their own special light. Their
conversations are below societal standards yet it’s these pointless conversations
that makes their relationship special because only these two can have fun
talking about anything. It makes me really want to find someone that I can talk
about nothing with.
I think it was dumb of her to switch out her first placed prize
but Ren completely understands her and I guess that's all that matters. Their ability to appreciate the simple
things add so much to their compatibility. But their love is
star-crossed (duh). They’ve both
mutually confessed their feelings but both times one of them is committed to
the wrong person. In Episode 4, he had described his favourite scenery at Lake
Inawashiro and then confessed. This episode she described the most beautiful
sky she saw and then admitted she’s still in love with him too. My only comfort in their untimely confessions is that at least their feelings are profound and mutual.
I really like Kihoko’s philosophy about love and how it applies
to Oto’s relationship with the two men so well. Her love with Ibuki is at the
clothing stage. I’m just taking it literally from scenes where he’s always
buying her clothes to formal gatherings. Maybe what I’m trying to get to is
that their relationship is still superficial? Although I do believe Ibuki is
sincere but they’re just not connecting. On the other hand, Ren and Oto are way
past the stage of clothes. This episode makes it obvious when Oto wanted to
change out of her dress into something more comfortable in front of Ren. Maybe
they were at that stage when she and Ren were at the family restaurant in
Episode 1 talking about scarves. For the most part of the drama, I’d say they
were at the food and home stage. She’d offer him strawberry candies since they
first met. Then he made her takoyaki when he confessed and now they’re having
strawberry cake as they reconfirm their feelings. Since their first confession,
Ren had already been at the “home” stage of love because along with the
confession he told her that she made Tokyo feel like home to him. As for Oto,
Ren had become “home” to her even before that. Ren had brought her to Tokyo,
her new home. Even though he wasn’t there that year, his presence was always
there; the canned peaches at her home represented him.
Despite knowing Oto is dating, Ren cherishes all the opportunities
he’s given to talk to her even if he can’t think of something smart to say. He’s
always holding her back until she has to leave. But now that she’s dating, she
has to hold back which was just like Ren when he was dating Kihoko. Oto does
her best in rejecting Ren but when Ibuki is that disappointing (about
Sonoda-san), I can’t blame her for finding encouragement from Ren. To be more
objective though, it’s not right for Ren to be taking advantage when there’s a
problem between her and Ibuki. Actually, Konatsu had singled out Oto for doing
the same when Ren and Kihoko were dating (that dinner table fiasco). If ibuki
had been the main character and if Ren had been less perfect for Oto, I don’t
think I would have liked Ren but the reality is Ren is the perfect main lead
for Oto.
Oto doesn’t want a Prince Charming. And Ibuki is another
version of one; he’s the younger version of Shirai-san (the man from Episode 1):
a rich man with nice shoes. Poor Ibuki for having to take on the role of the nasty Shirai-san. After Ibuki’s Dad had made a reference to the movie, “Pretty Woman”, Oto didn't respond to his handshake and I think it's because she realizes she's in the exact same detriment as she was in Episode 1: she's forced to marry a man she doesn't love regardless of how capable he is. I had completely forgotten this was her second attempt at
marriage. It makes more sense to me why she was so
sensitive about Ibuki switching out her old flower vase for a new one because
Shirai-san had done something similar too; he had gone about his own will to
throw out all her flowers without asking her. Oto likes to be independent. And Ren lets her be independent, or at least I assume so. I'm glad he's here again to hear her out and possibly get her out.
When Oto describes her reasons for dating Ibuki, it was more
of admiration than love. I literally said (to the screen), “That’s not
love", which happened to be the exact same thing Oto had said to Ren in Episode 3 when he was describing why he’s dating Kihoko: “She’s kind. She works hard and I admire
her.” Now, it's Oto's turn to mix love with admiration (or maybe she knows it's not love but she can't refuse Ibuki's kindness). Ren should have shouted "That's now love" back at her instead of nodding in agreement.
Extra stuff. As I was browsing through my past screencaps, I came across this:
At a young age, Oto had already appreciated the strength of plants/flowers... Maaaaan, this drama is too detailed.
Credits to Sanashi (for subbing) and Cubical Noses (for timing).
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