Last week we were treated to an adorably drama-free episode. This time I’d say the episode was like that again, but was also the build-up for something huge to happen. Well, for two huge things to happen. One, the dreaded “moving away” trope rears its ugly head around. I hate how overused this trope is in romance but this show has done a great job when it was confronted with possible tropes, so I kind of have hope? But this hope is shattered when another piece of drama will arise probably in the next episode: Chinatsu, and now Hira’s, determination for love. Well, fuck.
I always forget how Japanese schools work. Middle school students already have to start thinking about their futures, which involves making the important decision in which high school they go to, which will effect which university they get into, which also effects them getting employed. That’s a lot of pressure. Here in the West you just go to the high school that’s in your district, though of course you can choose which one you want to go to but universities don’t care about that. Either way, the kids have to start thinking about which high school they want to go to. Kotarou has a tough time not knowing where to go while also having to deal with his mother’s scolding about “not taking his future seriously”. He’s been studying less and focusing more on his writing, but even then he’s still not sure what to do concerning his writing. He’s got a lot of stress on his shoulders but has some much needed comfort and fun watching Akane at her last track meet. But even with all the stress, his father comes to the rescue. I’m really glad this his father is so supportive. What’s most important to him is his son’s happiness and letting him do whatever makes him happy, even if it’s not a great school. As long as it puts him on the path to the kind of future he wants, and that’s so important! Obviously Kota’s mother thinks the opposite but it’s nice to know that Kota has some genuine support from his father, and what he said may contribute to the possibility of Akane’s move to Chiba.
Akane has her own stresses to worry about, one of which was doing her best in her final track meet. I thought it was adorable that Kotarou went to the meet anyway without telling her. This part made me worried because I thought Akane would notice him in the stands and freak out, thus ruining her last meet. But nope, she actually achieved her newest personal best and had a bittersweet farewell to her running mates. But the biggest stress is the possibility of her father’s job making them all move to Chiba. This means Akane’s choice of high school is even more uncertain, but the biggest is her relationship with Kotarou. Which by the way, I still can’t get over how adorable they are. You’d think watching them text each other would be boring but it’s the opposite, I love the LINE scenes. Anyway, the two in the beginning muse over going to the same high school and it makes them both smile. But with her possibility of moving, it could ruin everything. We still don’t know what’s going to happen, but thankfully she broke the news to Kotarou at the end of the episode instead of hiding it to increase the drama. There’s also the fact that Akane is serious about pursuing track in high school, and Komei Academy gets mentioned multiple times. If Akane moves, she moves. But if she doesn’t, she has to consider the schools that would benefit her, which may not coincide with Kotarou. But! What his father told him was interesting. His father said that he could go to whatever school that would make him happy. So if Akane moves to Chiba, will Kotarou actually go to the same school in Chiba? Hmm…
The last thing that makes me kind of hang my head is the outing to the Kawagoe Festival Hira proposed. I…I really don’t want this to be Dome City Part 2. But what Hira and Chinatsu said in the train worried me. I had defended Hira multiple times. It’s not his fault that he fell for Akane, there’s nothing wrong with that. What happened at the amusement park date wasn’t his fault either. But now, while fully knowing that Akane is in a relationship and shows zero interest in him as a love interest, it looks like he hasn’t given up, and neither has Chinatsu. Because Kota is going to perform in the hayashi, Hira has the perfect chance to confront Akane alone. It’ll be annoying, but with how serious she is with Kotarou, I hope Akane finally builds up the assertiveness in herself and makes herself clear. Kotarou kind of has been the only one taking initiative and being assertive, so I hope Akane does the same if she’s put in an awkward situation.
Finally have a chance to comment on this now. Hope I’m not too late.
This episode really feels like a Makoto Shinkai film, doesn’t it? In a way, this was hinted at in Episode 3, so perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised by it. Really makes the previous episode (and their wishes) feel like cherry blossom petals if you get the idea.
Yeah, Japanese students really have a lot of pressure on them given their academic structure. For better or worse. I don’t really know much about the nuances about writing novels, especially if you’re aiming to be one of the greats (Dickens, etc.), but Kotarou’s goal is quite high. I get where his mother’s coming from, given how he is as a student, so it’s hard to say what’s right here. I mean, he’s good at writing, so perhaps encourage him to try something related to that and be a bit more realistic.
It was nice how he came to Akane’s final meet and not greet her. I mean, seeing her surrounded by her fellow peers makes him seem like an outsider, and I think she said to not come, so this might not have been the best surprise? It might have put her in an awkward situation, so I think it might have been right that he sit it out and congratulated her later.
As a writer myself, I’ve been thinking about writing novels and it’s definitely daunting. To be one of the greats, that makes it even harder and I think that’s what Kotarou wants to do since he looks up to Dazai Osamu so much. My parents were always accepting of my choice, but my mom did sometimes show some concern so I also know his mother’s position. You’re right, there just has to be some encouragement.
Yes, I’m really glad he didn’t come up to them. It would have made things a little awkward since it wasn’t his place to butt in. This was Akane’s last time with her team so it was best to leave it be. It also would have made her really embarrassed. And yeah, she didn’t want him to come so it also probably would have made her a little mad. The text later was adorable.
Also…those bonuses at the end. Nice to see a chat between the sisters.