I’m really surprised that we got a good ending out of this episode because I! WAS! SO! STRESSED! But on that note, I’m also really surprised by how quickly, and almost unnoticeable to resolution came. But hey, that’s what we get when we only get a 12 episode series – things tend to move a lot quicker. (But on that note! I absolutely plan on picking up the manga once the anime finishes airing. I’m hesitant to pick it up beforehand because I don’t want to spoil myself & also realize what arcs we’ve ultimately missed. I’m sorry manga readers! I’ll catch up to you soon!)
In simple terms, this episode can be described as the episode in which things come crashing down for Ikuto and we’re made very aware of his financial situation. Also, that people with money will absolutely try to use vulnerability to their advantage. I can’t believe Ikuto’s only in high school, there is some pretty scummy stuff that people are pulling on him and his family. Am I surprised by any of the actions people took in this episode? No, not really, but I’m still upset that they actually happened. Especially Toh’s tactic! How rude! For a moment, I honestly thought that Toh was just the rich asshole who actually had a heart, but no. How could someone who, after being told that his high school employee needed to quit to pay for his mother’s medical bill, decide that would be the most opportune moment to tell the kid that he has no skill as a fashion designer. The one thing the kid has been actively pursuing throughout the whole episode? I knew it, Toh only wanted Ikuto for his skills and to stifle his creativity. It’s probably going to take a while for Toh to gain favor with me again… if he can manage that at all.
But on top of Toh! Kokoro’s manager is also super scummy! But maybe mine and Ikuto’s emotions are building off of what Toh had just done.Don’t get me wrong, if the mangaer had done all of what she did without us having the previous interaction, I would still say that she’s a pretty bad person. But, in this moment of weakness, where Ikuto was just told to basically give up on his dream – something that he has worked so hard to do and to continue help other people continue to pursue their passion – now has to tell someone to give up on their dream. Man… I wouldn’t want to be in his situation at all. Ultimately, Ikuto doesn’t take the money from either Toh or the manager, but it doesn’t really sit right with me. I don’t actually think that we’ve hit a resolution between them yet. Ikuto still has the manager’s card and it’s not like he can just ignore Toh and his powers. I mean, we still have 4 episodes left and anything could happen at this point. Who’s going to have the next breakdown? Probably me.
I’ll set aside how I feel about the terrible actions that some characters took this episode to just focus on a couple moment that seemed really impactful. First of all, when Ikuto showed up in the very beginning of the episode and had to comfort and calmed down Honoka. My first reaction was just “wow! he’s grown up!” but the moment she left and he broke down? That hurt. And naturally, they had to rub salt on the wound by reading out the letter. Gah, I don’t know what I would have done if the moment didn’t make it out of surgery. But we also have the full little side story of Yanagida, Kokoro, and Mr. Fujito. I don’t think I’ve talked about how much I love Yanagida. He’s a tough love kind of person and he’s never outright with his feelings. All his words are cruel, but his actions really make me like him a lot more. Without him, we wouldn’t have gotten that positive ending to the episode! Ikuto would have never made made the money without Yanagida’s call and in turn Ikuto would have never asked Chiyuki to model for the festival. So thank you Mr. Yanagida!
I don’t really have too much to say going into next week. I don’t know what to expect or what drama might come about. But like I said a before, we still have 4 episodes and they can pull all sorts of dramatic nonsense. I’m looking forward to what next week has in store!
