Journal with Witch Ep 6

HOT DAMN, IT’S GETTING SPICY!!!!!

I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who was screaming from start to finish of Makio’s and Shingo’s dinner outing. Oh my gosh, I was going insane. These two got the freaking chemistry and Makio could NOT stop noticing how attracted she is to Shingo. I freaking lost it at the part when she said, “Has he always been this hot?” I could not stop laughing and squealing. It was so good!

It goes without saying that Emiri asking Makio if likes anyone is directly responsible for removing the tightly clasped lid that bottled up her yearning feelings towards Shingo since their breakup. The whole topic of love and relationship just set her head abuzz in a way she couldn’t shake it off. Best of all, the tension didn’t just die off, it EXPLODED and the episode ended right when it sure looked like they were about to have a steamy make-out in the park! I’m actually mad they cut it off right when they were about to kiss! LET US SEE IT, GIVE US THE SPICY GOODS. YOU’RE TEASING US SO HARD RIGHT NOW! God that was so hot when he’s like, “Other men don’t smell like this, do they?” and she replies, “They don’t.”THEIR FREAKING CHEMISTRY MAN. [FLIES OFF INTO THE SUN]

It’s abundantly clear how much Shingo genuinely loves and cares about Makio. When they had a rough patch that eventually led to their breakup, it was Shingo who gave Makio a way out. He told her in that moment that if being her boyfriend makes her hate him, he’d rather go back to being friends. That was no way an easy thing to say and do, and it speaks volumes of just how precious she is to him. He wants to be there for her when she’s struggling. He’s patient enough to learn and understand that some things just are harder to process for her.

And the same goes for Makio. Shingo is very important to her, she cherishes their friendship, and doesn’t want to ruin it in the heat of the moment. That’s why today when the tension between them was going absolutely haywire, she had to stop herself despite wanting to kiss him so badly. She needed to catch herself to make sure she thinks things through properly so she doesn’t feel remorse for her decision later— especially because she doesn’t feel like she has any right to fall for him again.

And that’s something that we learned Makio struggles with in general. The root cause of her trauma comes from the fact she knows she’s not like most people. Since she was born, she struggled with understandings things that comes easily for others, she has trouble focusing because her minds wanders, or once she locks onto something she’s unable to register what she’s been doing or what she’s doing so as long she she achieves whatever she was set out to do. Such was the case when Asa returned home only to find the house was in a complete disaster.

It was this moment when Asa came to realize what Makio meant when she said she can’t understand her loneliness, just as she can’t understand why some things make her feel like she’ suffocating. She had hit a sore spot when she said, “why can’t you do something so simple,” because Makio’s constantly battling with this flaw of hers. It puts her in situations she’d rather not be in, and as result it makes her feel small and ashamed of something she has no control over.

That’s why it’s really sad that because of this problem she has, Makio doesn’t feel like she deserves help from anyone, but Shingo (and I’m sure Nana too) knows that’s not true. That’s why he had assured her that they don’t need to date again, he can stay friends, and still tap into their desire for each other, and lean on each other in times of need. Makio thought would be more unfair to him, but on the contrary, he thinks it’d be more unfair to her and it is admittedly more of his own selfish wish because he wants to be by her side one way or another when she needs it. It really speaks volumes of how he wants to be able to give Makio as much breathing room as he can so that she doesn’t feel suffocated, or feel like she’s failing to conform to what’s considered “the standards” for maintaining a successful and healthy relationship. This is his way of trying to strike that balance that can make it work for both of them.

What had actually set all of this into motion was the conversation Makio had with Emiri while they were waiting for Asa to return from the convenience store. Emiri has taken notice that Makio’s not like her parents or most people in general, and she found comfort in that. For the past few episodes, we’ve been given hints how Emiri struggling with coming terms with parts of herself that she knows would probably not fly with her parents. That’s why she wanted to ask Makio about why she’s not married, and if there’s anyone she likes. She wanted to hear Makio’s thoughts on these things because she was clearly seeking for perspective that may align closer to her than her own to know she’s not weird for feeling or thinking a certain way. In this case, things like it’s not strange to be unmarried, nor is it really “normal” to be married, and the same applies for those who don’t want to get married. For Emiri’s case though, based on the hints we’ve seen, it’s not that she doesn’t want to get married, but who she gets married to (ie: woman instead of a man) is something she’s afraid to share with her parents. Heck, it’s something she hasn’t quite delved into the topic with Asa yet either.

But what probably prompted Emiri to feel comfortable enough to ask these questions was when Makio gave her the power of choice. She could pick any of the tea selection she had set out for her, or she could just opt out having a drink altogether. Emiri took her time choosing which tea she wanted to try, and Makio made the one she noticed clicked with her (fittingly called Marriage). Makio’s not one to be nosy, having this discussion gave Emiri a chance to hear from someone who’s not just living more freely to accommodate themselves, but also isn’t so nosy to tell someone how they are expected to live per “traditional standard’s”.

And while Makio didn’t realize she had probably just become something akin to a safe confidant for Emiri, she did notice that she and Emiri are quite similar to each other to a degree. Makio quickly understood what Emiri meant when she described how embroidery is very calming for her. She locks in and it helps her just forget about the problems plaguing her mind. Such was and still is the case with books for Makio. She gets lost in the ‘foreign land of fiction’, calming her mind and became ‘a friend who gives you refuge’. But  more importantly, Makio was able to connect the dots to get an inkling as to what Emiri’s struggling with, lending her a movie that she thinks may help her refuge in it.

Notably, all of this is something Asa hasn’t quite picked up on yet (though can’t really blame her, she got enough on her mind at it is). But I suspect she will come to notice the hints herself sooner or later, especially if she notices Emiri is seeking more advice from Makio. Hopefully Asa will be patient with her, as this is something that will hopefully come out on Emiri’s term and not in any other way.