This was a fantastic way to end the Yamato drama and I’m so glad they were able to wrap it up with this episode since I feel like if it went any longer, I could have lost interest and just be tired of everything that’s been going on. So the drama didn’t overstay its welcome and felt like it had just the right amount of time to really fester and then get resolved in a satisfactory way. And I appreciate that since I do feel like last season the drama in i7 got dragged out for a little too long and didn’t feel like it got as satisfactory of a resolution as the Yamato drama did here.
And just as I said, Yuki was bound to find out about Momo conspiring with Ryo. Well, at least that’s what he WANTED Ryo to think. Thankfully Momo was only pretending to be on Ryo’s side so he could unravel his plans from the inside. Even though I read this part of the game, I legit forgot what Momo was doing lol. Same could be said about Momo’s conversation with Yamato in the last episode. I legit forgot about that too. ANYWAYS, I’m sorry I ever doubted you Momo. It completely went over my head how Momo probably has as much loyalty to Yuki as well as to Banri so of course he wouldn’t put the kids Banri is watching over in any danger. I was but a fool to have doubted you… Though they did put on quite the convincing performance in front of Ryo. For some reason the fact that Yuki just slaps Momo instead of hitting him tickles me a little. And I did have a good laugh when Ryo suddenly came back into the room and the two pretending to still be fighting.
And while it SEEMED like Momo was selling Yamato out to Gaku’s dad, he somehow was able to get his help with trying to convince certain people to back down from exposing the scandal. To which, I’m unsure as to how Mom even got Yaotome Sr to do such a thing. It must have benefited him somehow but I’m not sure what. Maybe they’ll explain later, but I guess I won’t get my hopes too high on that.
Yamato finally came back to the dorms and I laughed so hard at Nagi greeting him as soon immediately as Yamato poked his head in. But poor Yamato lol. It took A LOT for him to come back and willingly confess to everything and then Nagi goes and invites EVERYONE. The notion was really funny… but I do feel really bad for him since the guy was given a larger audience to confess to than expected. And honestly, I felt like Trigger didn’t really need to be there since they literally had nothing to do with all of the drama. Even reading this part of the game, it did feel a little weird to include them. Re:vale made sense since both of them were connected to the drama in one way or another. Though seeing Yamato get so flustered over the “event” was rather amusing to watch since we don’t get to see that side of him very often if not the first time we get to see it lol.
I would normally be annoyed that Yamato was about to backtrack on his character development if not for Yuki’s intervention. I was cracking up so hard at how he became an anonymous witness and basically just outed Yamato on what he did when he was younger. And unlike what happened last time, this was definitely the appropriate time to make jokes since Yamato wasn’t in a terrible mental state and I was living for it. But thanks to that comedic intervention, it was a good transition into Yamato’s story. We finally get some light shed on what exactly the Chiba Salon was and that it was a place where a bunch of industry people gathered as just an unofficial business union. But then it slowly turned into a place where some shady dealings were done within the industry. And man, I love that transition of Yamato closing his hands to end the flashback.
Unlike many of the parents in i7, Yamato’s dad is actually not a bad guy. Yes he made some pretty bad decisions like cheating and then lying to the public about being a loving and wonderful husband. However, from what we can tell, Yamato’s dad seems like someone who has made many blunders, but it still a decent person overall. And just like Yamato, his dad also seemed to fall into the trap of wanting to be loved, but didn’t particularly know how to put the effort into it. He also seems like someone who wants to be a good dad but isn’t sure how to show it but is actually making a genuine effort to be a family with him.
However, I definitely would fault him for how Yamato came to be. Especially since he was lied to for a lot of his life and was basically being kept a secret. When Yamato needed him most, he kept quiet and wasn’t there for him. Yamato just wanted his dad to come clean to him. And just as Riku said, despite his anger, Yamato still loved his dad and saw it as a betrayal that he didn’t say anything to him first. I feel like this how Yamato felt towards his dad paralleled Yamato’s confrontation with Mitsuki. Both Yamato and Mitsuki found out about their respective persons through the media and were frustrated that they didn’t tell them themselves. Yamato probably felt so guilty when Mitsuki yelled at him for being frustrated about hearing about him from other people and must have realized he was doing the same thing his dad did. Both of them loved their respective persons and just wanted them to be honest, which made their refusals to say anything hurt all the more.
And man, Riku just talking about his feelings about Tenn leaving in front of him was pretty freaking awkward. Which is why it felt weird having everyone else there. But at least Tenn took it pretty well and I do think it was good that he was able to hear out how Riku felt about the whole thing. Which is something they SHOULD HAVE DONE EARLIER. I feel like the brothers need to be able to talk about that time of separation and properly communicate how they felt or were thinking. They need to be more upfront with how they actually feel with each other and not beat around the bush, go on assumptions and actually try and listen to the other. Basically the opposite of what happened back in season 2.
When Tenn was reassuring Yamato that his dad would listen to him and most likely wanted to be a family with him again, he most definitely was also talking about himself and Riku. Tenn is hardly straight forward with his feelings and will often hide them under the pretense of something else. From these lines of dialogue, there is no question that he WANTS to be a family with Riku again and he is unable to ignore him when his illness acts up. And his final line of “he’ll definitely humble himself to protect you” essentially tells us why he left in the first place. I don’t want to go too much into detail about it in case of spoilers, but I feel like what he displayed there paints us a clearer picture as to why he left with Kujo in the first place.
It’s honestly no wonder how Yamato became so twisted and it’s sad. Especially considering what we perceive things is formed by how we were raised. So it makes sense how Yamato believed that everyone wasn’t genuine at heart. As I’ve said in an earlier post, while Yamato had an air of maturity around him at times, he seems to not have completely mentally or emotionally matured. His way of thinking still felt reminiscent to a child’s in certain ways, especially in how he initially just wanted to make a scene just to spite his dad. However, when he came across the guys in Idolish7, he most likely got a wake up call to reality or at least finally being exposed to actual genuine and passionate people. It was a selfish wish when he first auditioned and I feel like he may have ended up really regretting his actions with his dad if he actually went through with them.
Being a part of Idolish7 most likely help him grow up a little despite him becoming increasingly fearful of him ruining their dreams due to his past. He found people who he can try his hardest for and wanted to protect their dreams. And I’m really glad that he properly apologized to the group for how he acted. We don’t see Yamato get emotional like this, so you know it’s completely genuine. And if I’m not mistaken, this is the first time that Yamato has actually cried and if I’m remembering correctly, Mitsuki stated in either season 1 or 2 that he wanted to see Yamato genuinely cry with emotion one day. Finally telling the guys about his history must have felt like a giant weight was lifted from his shoulders. He had been keeping it all in for so long and to confess to everything while being rewarded with understanding and acceptance must have been such a relief to him.
I absolutely love how Mitsuki corrected Yamato’s thinking by not thinking of Idolish7 as “their” dream but “our” dream. He changed it to be more personal and that must have hit Yamato right in the heart. He finally found a place he was comfortable in and people he could trust and depend on. And most importantly a place where he can actually come to like himself. Yamato has some pretty intense self loathing for a long time and for him to say something like that is incredibly powerful and moving. He has moved on from just an average relationship with everyone and now he’s basically made life long friends with these guys and nothing is going to stop them from loving him.
It must have been extremely difficult for Yamato to call his dad after not talking to him for so long. I can definitely understand Yamato’s reluctance to call initially, believing his dad wouldn’t listen to what he had to say. I feel like it’s hard for a lot of people to speak up against their parents, especially when trying to convey how they hurt them. However, I must applaud him for wanting to continue moving forward and not running away as he has been this entire season. And I’m glad that Yuki was there to encourage him as well because he’s probably the one who is… well, WAS closest to Chiba out of everyone there. But DANG, Yuki really is BOLD enough to tell Yamato’s dad to his face to do something despite claiming it was scary. Though it does seem like Yuki really wanted to help Yamato, even if it meant severing his ties with Yamato’s dad and he seemed genuinely proud and happy for Yamato overcome his emotional hurdles. I’m really starting to brotp Yuki and Yamato after all of their interactions now lol.
I was a bit disappointed that we didn’t get to actually see Yamato’s conversation with his dad. Especially since they also didn’t show it in the game so I was hoping the anime would expand on it. But I can kind of see why they chose not to show it since it most likely would have been a rehash as to what Yamato told the others. Though I do wish we got to see A LITTLE bit of it. Not to mention I was a bit disappointed with how we never got to see how he ended up saying the “Dad, this is all your fault…” line in the movie. Especially since we were told that Yamato ended up putting his own charm into the line and not his dad. Which probably meant so much to him because he was able to finally make something his own rather than just borrowing from his dad. It’s honestly so heartwarming to see Yamato just genuinely happy about his accomplishments. That smile after thanking the director for the compliment had to be the most wholesome smile he’s every sported and it warmed my heart seeing him like that. And I also couldn’t help but go HAH at Minami when Yamato told him he’d laugh in his face rather than just hurling insults at him. Good on you Yamato.
It is funny how the name Idolish7 literally binds all seven of them together since each of them have numbers in their names. And if one were to leave, the group just wouldn’t work. I’m glad to see Yamato be proud to be a part of the group, the group that he helped build and wasn’t just a bystander watching. He even says something similar to what Iori said about not letting Idolish7 end, showing just how much he came to care for the group and is genuinely happy to be a part of them. And honestly, it was so good to finally see all of them on good terms again and no passive aggressive remarks hidden underneath their words this time. All is well with the world… for now at least.
Day 42: My fear for Ryo Tsukumo continues to grow each day with no signs of stopping.
Ryo continues to scare the living daylights out of me with just how bipolar the guy can be. The way he just aggressively started cutting his steak during what it looked to be a mental breakdown. This guy needs help if I’m going to be honest… Though Yuki seems to be able to handle Ryo a lot better than Momo can. Which is probably why Yuki came in Momo’s stead. Ryo seems to be able to get under Momo’s skin pretty easily while Yuki is able to throw back his fake cheerfulness to a professional degree. Even saying to his face that he hates him and doesn’t even bat an eye at Ryo’s mood whiplashes.
Ryo’s plan to expose the Chiba Salon fell through due to Chiba retiring in order to save Yamato. To which, this shows how Yamato’s dad isn’t like a lot of the other parents such as Gaku or Sogo’s dads. Unlike those two so far, he actually listened to his son and did what he asked of him. Even going as far as to put aside his own career to help his son. He is far from perfect, but at least he’s trying to be a good dad to Yamato and I have to give credit where credit is due. And while Ryo’s initial plan was thwarted, he’s got yet another plan up his sleeve and I can’t help but speculate if it means Zool will be brought to the forefront. Judging from the preview for the next episode, it looks like we’ll be seeing them again after being absent for a couple episodes.
After so many painful episodes, we finally reach a satisfying conclusion to Yamato’s troubles. Troyca really went above and beyond for the first half of this cour with the symbolism and the storytelling. Yamato is such an interesting character and probably one of the best written in the series. Initially, I didn’t really think much of him. He was just the dad of the group but this season really expanded on him and showed us WHY he’s the way that he is and how he’s changing. While he’s not in my top favorites, he’s still moved up in my i7 ranks. He’s also incredibly relatable in his internal struggles with how he views himself and others. And while I was incredibly frustrated with him, I came out of it appreciating his growth and being able to open up to the others. It’s also really good to see him be more confident about himself and seemingly enjoying himself now. It did seem like he was always kind of looking in from the outside at times, but now, he can be completely part of the group now and I’m really happy for him.
