Miss King Episode 1

Family

I rewatched this with better understanding now that I’ve watched through episode 6. Young Asuka wanted to be like her father and play shogi. Her goal was to play better than dad. He was rising through the ranks and just got a title. But after that huge win, he spiraled with several losses. During this time Asuka was showing promise as a young player. One day while waiting for him to get home, she finished a game on his board. While she was all smiley at the door with her shogi certificate, he was pissed off she had the game finished that he couldn’t solve. He threw her bodily out of the room and told her not to touch his board. Later he told her to stop playing. He then served his wife divorce papers. After they separated Asuka still tried to play, but her sick mother could not deal with the slapping of the pieces, so Asuka tossed her game in the trash and determined to take care of her mother. The ass of a dad married the family that would stay in his shadow, forsaking the one with the promising player that would surpass him. He wanted to squash her ability rather than be in her shadow. This is the man that thanked his family for playing so well. It was not the family that loved him, it was his family of choice to stay lesser than him in the shogi environment. His book about family, praises his second wife and son and has no mention at all of his first family that supported him through the ranks. The production team did an excellent job mirroring mother and daughter pouring through his book looking for mention. They were non existent. Her mother is denied an audience with her father because of step mother. So after her mom passed, Asuka had intentions of stabbing her father and letting him die on the board at the competition. She is stopped and told that the knife she had would do no damage and simply make him a bigger star. That the only way to kill him was with shogi. Asuka goes to a board by observers and slaps down the pieces before the actual players do and leaves. Here she shows she has the potential her father wanted to have. She is in the zone and beats him with his moves. It isn’t noted til the actual match is over. She has met her shogi mentor but hasn’t realized it yet. After a second time watching, the dad’s actions are even more appalling. To refuse to recognize talent because it might overshadow your own is criminal when it’s your own child. He wanted her hidden not celebrated, and he came damn near close to doing it.😝This is truly an excellent drama that deserves more attention.

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