[Takes out megaphone] KYOKO IS THE BEST MOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND PROTECT RINTARO AT ALL COST!
Gosh dang it. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Rarely, do we get to see parents shine in these type of series– and the little time they do, often time they are already freaking dead. So yeah that says a lot to why I absolutely love how Kyoko has a well deserved place in this story. She is the prime example of the kind of parent who will go above and beyond to support their kid, especially when their child finally finds the courage to pursue something that interest them. She knew Rintaro would feel self-conscious and concerned about causing problems for their shop if he dyed his hair and pierced his ears. At the time, he was already being bullied by his peers for simply being himself. So she made it her mission to be the first to take that step and lead the way, both dyeing her hair blond and piercing her ears too. What a champion she is!
It was apparent in the flashback that both Rintaro’s elder brother and brother were also supportive of the idea, and even his father had hoped that Rintaro would recognize some day of how much she cares about him. (And he can be greatly comforted by the fact, yes, Rintaro absolutely noticed, and thanked her for it). For that reason, I did find it actually a shame that we didn’t even get to see their faces, or ever heard of them mentioned until now. Heck, I was convinced it was only him and his mom up until now. But since he mentioned both of his parents when asking permission, I’m assuming his father is still around, meanwhile his brother may have moved out by now if he’s decently older than him. If they are still (positively) present in their lives, I’d hope we’d get the chance to actually meet them rather than leaving them faceless as they were today.
It was great to get the full back story of what prompted Rintaro to dye his hair blond and get piercings. A lot of times, one might be quick to assume he did it out of spite to fit the mould people had painted him as. But we know that Rintaro loathes that image, and rather than embrace it he decided to just silently endure it. So instead of that, we got a far more profound and wholesome reason for it, and that was inspiration from another baker. His family had taken him to a bakery run by a foreigner, and he quickly became enamoured by not just the delicious cakes, but was inspired by how happy the baker, with blond hair and piercings looked at doing his job. That’s why he wanted to look that way too, then perhaps maybe he too can be happy.
But considering the context of what pushed him to that point, it’s also sad, because Rintaro was truly depressed at such a young age. It was so bad, that it pushed him to just give up trying to make friends because it hurt too much to do so. That’s why it’s so great that Rintaro has finally found some great people to be with. Shohei may be a goofball, but he always seems to know exactly the kind of comforting words one needs to hear. And after hearing about Rintaro’s past, the first thing he said was: ‘Those people must’ve been blind.’ because he and the others know just how cool and amazing Rintaro is. This guy is spitting FACTS.
So it’s no wonder his mom was so emotional overhearing this. How could she not? Not only did Rintaro finally bring his friends over for the first time, it gives her great comfort to know he has the absolute best kind of friends anyone could ask for. And the icing on the cake? Her boy fell in love! All of these things, the little Rintaro who cried to her that he couldn’t do it anymore, is finally experiencing happiness.
That said, it was a true delight to see as fate had it, everyone ended up visiting Rintaro’s place for the first time. It’s funny because I was just thinking about the fact Rintaro has never told his friends about his family’s bakery when Subaru had gifted them those luxurious deserts. As expected, the boys were over the moon about the fact! It was nice to see though them taking the initiative to ask if they could come over, but Shohei worrying that it might’ve been asking too much was quick to apologize and insist they could just go to his place.
As for Kaoruko and Subaru, they just happened to pop by at just the right moment for Kyoko to invite them in to join the rest of the gang. It ended up being quite a house party, which was awesome to say the least. I wonder how obvious it was to the others though (at the very least, Subaru’s plenty aware), as both Rintaro and Kaoruko can’t help but be a blushing mess around each other now that they each respectfully are conscious of their own feelings towards the others. Since we didn’t see it in this episode, I’m sure we’re bound to see it in the next!
Needless to say, it was a nice opportunity for everyone to continue getting more comfortable with each other. Kaoruko has proven to be quite good at gaming hahaha! Thanks to that, they’ll making a group plans for the summer, but before that– EXAMS! Since Saku is too burdened to do on his own all over again, Kaoruko has suggested they should do a group study session! That should be fun!
