This review may contain spoilers
This story is about more than just an affair
Why do people have affairs? Because something in them wants to escape the system of control, ego, manipulation, fake performance, and imprisonment that their current relationship or situation poses. That was the case with all the relationships in this show that involved affairs. Rikako’s husband was a crazy tyrant who looked down on Rikako and only saw her as a pretty face and nothing more than someone who should smile and play a role. Meanwhile, Kato the artist actually SAW her, deeply and loved her. But he didn’t have the status, the looks, the money, the fame- all the things that the world calls security.
Then there was Sawa- her husband was a weirdo, avoiding any sort of passion or love in the relationship and acting like they were gay best friends. Meanwhile, Yuichir’s wife was a psycho narcissist and acted more like a prison warden than a wife. The love that blossomed with Kato and Rikako was pure. And the love that grew between Sawa and Yuichiro was even purer (see the Hirugao move 2017). The series explores how the whole world can be against true love, but only rewards performance- marriage is a performance, simply acting and selling a fake image that you’re happy to create the facade of an enviable lifestyle. Meanwhile all the married couples are dying on the inside. Yuichiro looks like a hollowed out shell as Noriko bosses him around and drags him by a short leash. She literally tries to control everyone around her. Marriage is revealed as a system of control and performance to sell a particular image, and not about love. That’s what the affair is about. An affair is an awakening out of the fake curated life from hell. The marriage is the actual fantasy, and the affair that is usually called an escape or fantasy is actually the portal into something real, true love without performing for others. But the system cannot allow such love- it always uses control, manipulation, and domination to keep true love separated. And that was how the series ended. It was disappointing to see how the Rikako-Kato story ended- with him paralyzed and homeless, and Rikako going back to her fake curated life once again. Fortunately the movie had more to show on the story between Sawa and Yuichiro. That ended on a tragic note, but love prevails in the end.
Then there was Sawa- her husband was a weirdo, avoiding any sort of passion or love in the relationship and acting like they were gay best friends. Meanwhile, Yuichir’s wife was a psycho narcissist and acted more like a prison warden than a wife. The love that blossomed with Kato and Rikako was pure. And the love that grew between Sawa and Yuichiro was even purer (see the Hirugao move 2017). The series explores how the whole world can be against true love, but only rewards performance- marriage is a performance, simply acting and selling a fake image that you’re happy to create the facade of an enviable lifestyle. Meanwhile all the married couples are dying on the inside. Yuichiro looks like a hollowed out shell as Noriko bosses him around and drags him by a short leash. She literally tries to control everyone around her. Marriage is revealed as a system of control and performance to sell a particular image, and not about love. That’s what the affair is about. An affair is an awakening out of the fake curated life from hell. The marriage is the actual fantasy, and the affair that is usually called an escape or fantasy is actually the portal into something real, true love without performing for others. But the system cannot allow such love- it always uses control, manipulation, and domination to keep true love separated. And that was how the series ended. It was disappointing to see how the Rikako-Kato story ended- with him paralyzed and homeless, and Rikako going back to her fake curated life once again. Fortunately the movie had more to show on the story between Sawa and Yuichiro. That ended on a tragic note, but love prevails in the end.
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