Bhavna

Yes. This isn’t a story about divorce. It’s the parable of the prodigal son disguised as political satire. This wasn’t about Yui, her story or the love story of her marriage with Taishi. When you watch the full first season, it shows that it is actually about redemption. It’s about coming into you own presence, power, and purpose, and not performing for validation, but getting in touch with the true fire of purpose that burns within the heart. At first I thought this story was about Yui and her marital struggles. But at the end, I realized it was more about Taishi’s wake up call- starting as a spoiled politician’s son, having affairs and ruining his own image, not realizing the gravity of the power that was given to him. And only when he lost it for the first time in his life and became truly humbled in every way, including his divorce, was he able to earn it back by getting in touch with the true fire and passion within his own heart and bringing it into being. He could have never survived as just the generational nepotism based politician whose position was handed down by his father. Instead, he had to be humbled by life and take on new roles and responsibilities that awakened his own soul.

In the beginning of the series, it was more about Yui’s struggles and Taishi and his story looked cartoonish. But then as the series came to the close of season 1, Taishi and Kyoji (Yui’s lover) both came to life and found the spark within.

Taishi’s reckoning was stunning and it was incredible to see his last speech at the National Diet forum. His presence was totally different. What a series. I was devastated at the loss of the first election, but went through the whole last episode thinking “omg I’ve never seen anything like this..” the journey this series took me on… the lessons taking me through the wheel of karma- rise > hubris > collapse > void > return. Taishi circles back to the Diet wearing the same sash, yet nothing about him is the same. The public sees a comeback, but I see a resurrection.