It is almost a shame that Tamako had to leave. The time we got to see them together was a short, but it was nice to see Tamahiko and Tamako get on the same page of understanding that they genuinely care for each other. Tamahiko has always felt the two of them were two peas of a pod, and he wanted to do his best to support her dreams. It was a very sweet moment to see him verbalize that to her, even though he had thought she was asleep. But thankfully she was actually awake and heard every word he said, which is important because for the first time, Tamako was actually able to hear his earnest feelings he has been keeping to himself all this time. I loved how she told him to make sure he looks at her directly in the eye next time he gives her a head-pat. She doesn’t want him to be shy about it. After-all, while their father’s and other siblings don’t care for them, at least they now know that they have each other.
Tamako’s dreams to become a doctor came out of her newfound desire to help others. For her whole life, she never really cared much about doing something of the sake of others, which doesn’t come as a surprise when she felt nobody cared about her. But that closed-off mind-set was shaken when she was finally able to experience what it’s like to receive warmth and care from another through Yuzuki. Although she doesn’t mention it, I think it’s fair to believe this is the biggest reason why she responded to Yuzuki’s crisis the way she did. If she hadn’t experienced that, then there would be no catalyst for her to understand what Yuzuki meant when her body naturally moves on its own to help others, which helped her learn a new side to herself.
Although Tamako is only twelve, she is a pretty smart kid. While they both know their father is likely to be against her becoming a doctor, she already came up with a counter-argument that it would in fact be good for the family name. After-all, their family’s reputation is all that their father cares about-albeit its one that is scorned by others. Heck, even Tamako herself described the Shima family to be rather diabolic, and honestly she’s not wrong about it. Luckily their uncle is a doctor, so Tamako already called him up and received permission to drop by his clinic any time. So instead of going back to school, that’s where she’ll be heading next.
And honestly that’s probably for the best considering she couldn’t quite fit in, and not to mention, there is certainly more to gain by being mentored by her uncle. It’s good that she found a dream of such, as now she has something she can pursue for her own self-fulfillment, rather than trying to meet the expectations of others (ie: her father). And thanks to Tamako’s aspirations, Tamahiko have also steeled his resolve to be more proactive with himself, starting with resuming his self-studies. It’s a small step in the right direction of finding out exactly what he wishes to do.
This week we also got to see Tamahiko doing what he can to support Yuzuki. He was anxious about the way the doctors had lashed out at him, and sure enough he and Yuzuki have become the town’s latest gossip. He didn’t want her to go alone to the market so although he was a bit late, he did manage to catch up to her on time so they can do the shopping together. As expected, the reception was rather suffocating, but that soon became an afterthought when the two of them were able to just focus on each other and enjoy being out together. Yuzuki in particular was quite happy about it, since the last time they done so was when they went to Tokyo.
But it turns out, September 1st is actually Tamahiko’s birthday, and Yuzuki had prepared a special feast and gift for him. Considering how he has been neglected all this time, it was an understatement why Yuzuki’s celebration of his birthday and her simple gift of a pressed blue-belled flower bookmark ended up being his salvation. He was completely overwhelmed by his emotions to the point that he just babbled his truest feelings he felt in that moment, of how much he treasures Yuzuki, and his vow to do so forever and always. My heart! It was such a precious moment.
Unfortunately the sweet moment between our two cinnamon-rolls was interrupted by a cocky thief who brazenly broke into his bedroom. The girl had been trailing them since she spotted him earlier in town with Yuzuki. She is certainly a brazen one, considering when he arrived to investigate the noises, she was just chilling on his desk while eating his candy, just waiting for him to arrive. Her confidence to wait and confront him paid off as she successfully pick-pocketed him. But unfortunately for Tamahiko, Yuzuki’s gift was snatched alongside his wallet. Sheesh! He was so distressed about the bookmark being stolen, he went out to pursue her. It’s something that he wouldn’t do under normal circumstances, but since it was his irreplaceable gift made from Yuzuki’s heart was stolen, he intends to do whatever it takes to get it back, and is more than willing to give up his wallet for it.
However much to my dismay, Tamahiko ended up needlessly creating a brewing grounds for misunderstanding when he failed to tell Yuzuki someone had just broken into his room. He covered it up by saying it was just the cat, but Yuzuki already caught him in his lie as she picked up a woman’s scent. It doesn’t help that the girl is going to show up up their door again to taunt her with the bookmark she stole. Seriously, just leave them be, please! Hopefully it’ll be resolved within an episode…
