EPISODE 8 THOUGHTS [WITH MAJOR SPOILERS]

This show is really unpredictable, and EP 8 really showed that. For the longest time, certain characters have gotten on our nerves and all we wished was for screen time to be lessened. We want more screen time with our leads, right? 

Well, guess what EP 8 did. It dedicated ONE WHOLE EPISODE with a lot of screen time for these characters; the characters that annoyed us and made us angry for 7 episodes. And you know what? Instead of being annoyed and resisting the urge to skip scenes, my eyes were glued to the screen.

The show made these characters feel human; even though they’ve made a lot of mistakes that are too much to be easily forgiven, they too have stories and backgrounds that could explain why they did what they did. At the same time, it also showed how they are also capable of seeing situations for what it is, and are willing to change their minds if they are met with the truth. So I’m going to put Taiga and Manami in the backseat, and focus on these characters. 

Tsubasa and Akina

“The prince who wanted to climb to the top, and the lonely princess who built the steps for him”

For the longest time, Tsubasa and Akina were portrayed straightforwardly: Tsubasa was a host who provided company in exchange for money, and Akina HAS that money and availed it. However, after Akina had attempted to kill Tsubasa, much of their relationship came to light. And honestly, I think the writers did well in choosing both Tsubasa and Akina to explain the dilemma between host-customer relationships. 

On Tsubasa’s side, he believes that he’s made it very clear that what he provides are services; he knows that women seek something from him, and he’d give it in exchange for money. With this, he thinks that “what is wrong with what I’m doing?” For the longest time he’s heard about how much of a scum he was to enter an industry that exploited on women with unmet needs. He’s heard about so much, and yet he ignores it. At the end of the day, his goal is clear: he wants to become number one. He needs the money to forge his own path. Was he wrong to think that way? Maybe he isn’t wrong. At the end of the day, his role as a host has always been clear. It’s not his responsibility to cater to needs that extend beyond his services at the club. But is it morally right… that’s where the true question starts. If you offer the promise of “paid love” to humans that long for it, you can’t have the expectation that the line between illusion and reality would stay crystal clear. Those who feel the addicting nature of love will continuously seek it. They would cling to it; and that itself would blur the line. 

And with that, Akina came. 

In this episode, it was revealed that Akina didn’t have an endless amount of money at all. And yet, because of her fondness for the hosts she has encountered, she gave it all for them. Spent it all for them. Even went as far as to use her company’s money for them. In retrospect, you’d think that “that’s so stupid, why would you think that paid love would amount to anything?” But that is how complex human loneliness is. Whether we like it or not, humans long for companionship. Humans long for love. You’d give in to the illusion of love, and you’d mask the pretense just to feel the attention that you were once deprived of. Because the truth is, only those who have ever been lonely would know deeply the sorrow that came with it, and it would mean the world to them to have that void filled. 

Because just like Tsubasa, Akina also wanted to be number one. 

She just wanted to be someone’s number one. 

She just wanted to be someone that another person couldn't live without. 

Kawahara (Manami’s fiance) 

“The one who questioned what is truly good and what is truly bad.”

From the earliest episodes, Kawahara was such an unbearable character to watch. He’s pushy, annoying, and hypocritical. He conforms to the idea of patriarchy and essentially follows through the orders of Manami’s dad with no questions asked. However, as he begins to receive more pressure from Manami's dad to push through with the marriage, he begins to wonder: why is he so impatient? Or better yet, why is he trying to take control of a wedding that even Manami is unsure of? Although Kawahara hasn’t been patient with Manami’s decision to hold off the wedding, he too was taken aback over her father’s persistence. 

And so he decided to seek answers on his own. From there, he learned that Manami's dad is at risk of losing his job due to a power harassment case. Manami's dad--who easily towers everyone--would now be inferior to him. Honestly, I thought that Kawahara would use this information to his advantage. I thought that he'd take it against Manami, or even her dad. And yet, in an unprecedented moment, he showed sympathy. 

"Have a proper talk with your dad." He said to Manami. "Because those at the top would know how hard it is to fall from grace." 

And it's true. Being in the same industry, Kawahara knew that their image is everything; that's even the whole point of him wanting to marry Manami in the first place. To improve his image. To make him look trustworthy in a field where marriage is seen as a measure of commitment. And so, he understood most why Manami's dad would want the wedding to happen as soon as possible. Kawahara knew that Manami's dad would want to attend the wedding while his power is still with him. He wanted people to watch him while his title still belonged to him. And so, despite being the one in power now, Kawahara chose to give Manami the chance to fix what she could using the information that was given to her. At least, from how I see it. 

On the other hand, another thing I disliked about Kawahara was him looking down on Taiga for being a host. Despite knowing of his inability to read and write, he didn’t understand Manami’s motivation to teach him. And so, I never really saw him as a redeemable character; more so when he punched Taiga. 

However, after punching Taiga, things had changed. 

He expected a police report. He expected calls. He expected to hear from Taiga. And yet, nothing came. Day after day he was anxious, and yet the days passed calmly. For a host that he has thought to be evil and scum, he wondered his actions were just…ignored. He wondered why the consequences hasn’t caught up with him yet, as if nothing ever happened. And with every second that he was unscathed, his guilt worsens.

And that’s when he started looking for answers to his questions. 

He sought out Taiga, apologizing for punching him. From there, he asked Taiga all the questions that bothered him: “Why didn’t you report me to the police? Why didn’t you tell Manami?” To which Taiga replied, that Kawahara has a good job that would allow him to live nicely; a scandal like that wouldn’t end well for him. For Kawahara, that must’ve been surprising. Even though Taiga got injured because of what he did, Taiga still ended up thinking about how it could affect his life. 

But for Taiga, that response was only natural. Even at that very point, all he ever thought of was Manami. He knew that Kawahara had a noble job, a good name, and a respectable image. With this, Taiga knew that everything that Kawahara has would provide Manami a good, stable, and normal life. He knew that with Kawahara there, Manami would never experience hardship; he doesn't want Manami to experience the hard life that he's lived. 

And so Taiga protected him to protect her future. 

And I guess Kawahara realized that. 

As they spoke more, Kawahara's eyes showed that his image of Taiga was changing little by little. Before, he was SO CERTAIN that all hosts prey on women for their money. And yet, Taiga was showing his love by forfeiting justice in exchange for Manami to have a "good" husband. Taiga's love was never explicitly said but it was shown so freely that even a guy like Kawahara could see it clearly. And so, before they parted ways, Taiga asked him: 

"Could you make Sensei happy?" 

"Maybe..." Kawahara replied. 

"That's not what you should say." Taiga corrected. "You should say certainly." 

(Now, do I think that Kawahara's character would completely change? I'm still not sure honestly. The next ep preview showed that he might show support for Manami and Taiga. But then again, given how amazing the writer is in swerving the story to a completely unexpected direction, I'm still on the edge.)

Manami’s dad

“The one who has been at the top, and knows how hard it is to fall from grace.”

There has been numerous character analyses in this page, and one of the most analyzed characters is Manami's dad. Honestly, I agree with all the analyses that have been posted so far. Manami's father is a typical alpha male that thrives in having control. There's a lot of commenters that have pointed out about his hobby, and I think that sums up what he's doing to Manami. Just like his hobby, he wants to keep Manami's image beautiful. He wanted her to be ladylike, to be prude, to be obedient. And so, he exercises his control over her by keeping her mentally caged; just like all the objects he's forced into glass bottles. For the longest time, Manami was unable to break free. 

And yet, despite how twisted and abhorrent it is, I think that it was his form of love. For him, that was his way to protect her. If Manami was kept in her own glass bottle... if Manami would only stay within his walls... then he's certain that no one could hurt her. However, he was not aware of how suffocating it was for her. And so, throughout it all, he maintained that control and tightened his grip over it.

That is, until he lost his position. 

Upon being confronted by Manami about it, that was when is grip started loosening. And the more that Manami probed him about it, the more he grew anxious. To him, it must have felt like Manami is slipping away from her glass bottle and he didn't like it. And so, before she even got the chance to break free, he blocked the door. Literally. He must've thought to himself: I am in control. I am still in control. No one can take that away from me. 

Well... except for Manami's mother and her steel ladle. 

As Manami's mother attacked her husband with a steel ladle, it almost symbolized how Manami's mother had broken the glass for Manami. She broke the glass bottle and set her daughter free. From then on, Manami's father realized that the system he's carefully protected is no longer there. 

And so, with her bottle broken, Manami ran. Manami ran as fast as she could. For once, she had finally changed from her heels to her sneakers, and let her hair be as frizzy as it could be. 

And with that, I remembered Taiga and Manami from episode 6. 

Taiga: Want to run away with me? 

Manami: You want to escape?

And now, she had managed to do it. To run away. To escape. 

Even without Taiga. 

Taiga and Manami 

"It's uncool to care for someone." 

Of course, I'd have to end my thoughts with Manami and Taiga. 

Since their encounter at the beach, it was the first time that they've met again. And yet, Manami was sick and Taiga was forced to take care of her. I guess the sudden proximity took a toll on both of them, as they gave their all to resist coming closer. Their hands were near to each other, and yet they pulled them out. They're at the same room, and yet Manami was on the bed and Taiga was on the floor. 

But... could you really resist it? Could you really resist being that far from the person you love? At that moment, I guess Taiga figured out that he couldn't. Because even though they've promised to live their lives separately, he couldn't seem to shake him off of her system. He even went as far to (jokingly) suggest for them to live together, and even had a short moment of thinking of quitting as a host for her. Of course, he probably never meant for it to be serious; and yet, he never meant it as a lie either. He wanted to be with her. He still wanted her near him. 

And so he told her, "it's so uncool to care for someone."

Because she now had a spot in the heart of the man who once only lived for himself. 

And yet, Manami dealt with her love differently. For her, their love was enough to drive her to move forward with her life. To grow. She made him an inspiration to take control over her life and to enjoy it freely; just like Taiga did. Did she ever find contentment in living life without him? I guess not... she's done a lot of uncool things too. She rushed to the hospital to see him and never even got to go inside the hospital. She exclaimed that she wasn't so worried about Taiga's welfare, and yet fainted when she learned he was alright. 

They still are in the middle of figuring how to keep their own promise of never meeting again, but all I'm hoping is for them to realize how much they needed each other. Because even without saying "I love you," it's all that they're saying with their actions. 

Manami is using their love to become a better person. 

Taiga is keeping his love for Manami to himself so she could have a better life. 

A love expressed so differently and yet the magnitude is the same.