Noriko

Literally just watched the 8th ep...

This drama has SUCH good writing. I've said this before but the 8th episode solidified it. The 8th episode isn't even focused on the leads that much; instead, it focused on fleshing out the show's "antagonists" (Akina, Tsubasa, Kawahara, Manami's dad, and even the club president) and YET it was still so engaging and thought provoking. They really made the antagonists feel more human (YES, I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M SAYING IT ABOUT KAWAHARA). Will be posting a discussion thread soon bec I have a lot to say about episode 8. T.T

I agree with you so much on this one 🥹 the series was never meant to have a really elaborate storyline, it was meant to portray everyday life. It was intentionally mundane, so it’s disheartening that people would rate it lower because of it.

Yess, the woman asked if Manami was "with a younger boyfriend." Manami said no, and Taiga said something along the lines of "yes, I'm her boyfriend. But today's our last day together." 😭

By any chance, are you watching through TVer? If you're using a laptop, there's an option to translate the jp captions to english. That's what I'm doing for the eps (it's not the best, but that's what I'm doing so far 🥹)

He said suddenly that I almost missed it too T.T You could check their scene on the pachinko machines, while Manami was playing and he was on the side. He said "Sukiidayo. Kaeritakunai yo." meaning "I love you. I don't want to go home." IM CRYING

THEY BROKE OUR HEARTS TONIGHT (AND MERCILESSLY SO!!!). And the fact that Taiga just SUDDENLY said "I love you, I don't want to go home" while the pachinko machines were so loud and Manami DIDNT EVEN HEAR IT was so cruel 😭

LITERALLY RAN HERE AFTER WATCHING EP 6... IT WAS SUCH A ROLLERCOASTER RIDE OF EMOTIONS AND I AM UNWELL (WHOEVER WROTE THIS DRAMA DESERVES ALL THE AWARDS BUT ALSO REQUIRED TO GIVE ME COMPENSATION BECAUSE I AM AN EMOTIONAL WRECK RN)

I AGREE WITH YOU!! There are so many metaphors and it makes the drama all the more deeper.

At first, I found it rather odd that Manami was a Catholic high school teacher. I don't think Catholicism is as practiced in Japan compared to other countries so I wondered why she teaches there. As the show progressed, it became perfectly clear. The school had so many images of the Virgin Mary. In Catholicism, the Virgin Mary is the image of purity and obedience, but also compassion; she does not condemn those who sin, which is why she intercedes for those who pray. And yet, many people simply see Her as the image of an ideal woman simply because of her purity and obedience. For many, a woman is a "good woman" if she is "pure," and if she is simply "obedient." But where is compassion to those who sin? That is what I see from Manami's school. The students are encouraged to be pure and obedient, but the administration turns a blind eye to how the students were very rude to the teachers. Even the teachers; upon seeing Kaworu's childlike handwriting, they were the first to cast a stone on him.

Tagging this as a spoiler if in case you're following the Netflix release, but I found the whole "confession scene" during EP 5 to be VERY symbolic. Both Manami and Taiga were separated by a big gate. On Manami's end, she was inside of the school with the Virgin Mary glowing behind her. Whereas Taiga was outside of the gate in the dark streets. It was so symbolic for me, since it somewhat showed how Manami was contained in a side that reflected purity, whereas Taiga's side reflected darkness. They were shown to be trapped on society's expectations of them; however, the moment they held hands from the gate, it shows the extent of their connection and how much they wished to cross these boundaries. To destroy the wall.

Oh I could go on and on about this, this show is so good!

Omg, it was announced that 42 out of the 45 minutes of EP 6 would only show Taiga and Manami 😭😭😭 I’m excited to see them having fun!

I agree, I remember that you once commented that he seemed "drawn" to Manami because of her history of being obsessive, but ended up being the one obsessive towards Manami.

But the comic relief part is too real 😂 I remember him watching Kaworu's video in his signature red suit and shouted "what is with this red suit? Are you Santa-san?!" I had to pause the video because I was laughing too much. 😂

I agree! The fiance gives me the maximum ick and I hate how he's forces himself on Manami, but seeing him so inferior to Manami's father makes me feel a bit angry for him. And I agree, I love how this show presents flawed characters but you're shown with enough context to know why they are the way that they are.

He's still very much involved (all the more actually 😅). But weirdly enough--and I might be alone in this--I'm kind of curious to see how his character would develop? As another commenter has said below, he seems to exhibit the core of patriarchy while also being a victim of it, so I'm anticipating to see how the writers would go on about his character.

(He's still overbearing and annoying, but I'm finding him to be at least 5% more tolerable than he was at the first three eps 😅)

Thank you so much for the recommendations! I might check these out when I have the time. But I agree, some really good jdramas often have the more controversial storylines, and it could only be really appreciated when morality is left behind 😅

On TVer, the eps are removed a week after broadcast in jp :)

I agree, it has so much weight to it! And I guess Manami understood immediately that Kaworu meant something else from his “I hate you.” Maybe even Natsuki felt it when she overheard them.

TONIGHT’S EP 😭😭😭 Kaworu reached the point where he felt like it was impossible to let Manami go 😭 even when he was offered a huge sum of money, he couldn’t accept it if it meant letting her go. He couldn’t even be honest about his feelings for her, because Manami would “expel him from school” if he does. So instead of saying “I love you” to her, he says “I hate you” (even though his eyes and hands betrayed him). He’s willing to not say it even though he badly wants to, just to stay by Manami’s side. I have so many thoughts about this ep but I need to sleep 😭

Omg, I am going to need a list of this screenwriter's projects! Could you kindly recommend some? I swear, I hope I'm not saying this too early but this is one of the most polished storylines that I've seen in jdramas so far.

A very comprehensive analysis as always! I look forward to reading them everytime.

I agree, there are so many childlike elements between Manami and Kaworu! And it was so interesting on how you compared both their childhoods: Kaworu was a neglected child, Manami was a child who was used to repressing her true self and just became a "good girl" for the sake of her father. With this, Kaworu had to let go of his childlike self to grow up relatively early, Manami's childlike self remains within her; caged, but present nonetheless. But when they are together, Taiga can just be his normal train-loving self, while Manami could unapologetically be her "chihuahua" self without having to constantly maintain a calm and polished demeanor despite of what she really feels. She laughs when she's happy, she screams when she's annoyed. Both of them just look so free.

And yes, they really do look like playmates! 😭 The fact that the chair is even a hippo and how the refreshments have milk in them. And even the barbeque sign on the rooftop has colors that is similar to that of what is used in playpens. But the show presents it so subtly. It was not as if they were infantilizing Taiga and Manami. Instead, they show how these two adults meet in their safe space; but, unlike little Taiga and little Manami, they no longer had to pretend. Taiga no longer had to pretend he was okay with being called "stupid," and Manami no longer had to pretend that she was okay with being unheard. They are healing each other in ways they were not even aware of.

Which is why the angst of this drama is going to HURT me. The way that others would see their love as forbidden and controversial, without knowing that they were what each other has needed for a very long time.

On my end I think that the guilt he felt when his boss reprimanded him was more on how he realized the extent of how much he used Manami just to get the Top 1 position. Particularly since the principle of his boss is to "let the princesses spend a lot of money, but give them the best service possible so that the money was worth it." Which was the opposite of what Kaworu had done, where he intentionally spent a lot on Manami's tab. He didn't really give her any "service," because it seemed more as a common agreement between them that Manami would only help but she wouldn't really demand anything from him because she is "not that kind of woman."

For me as well, I think that his struggle during that scene was more from the fact that he was saying goodbye to Manami even though he doesn't want to (again I might be biased)? 😭 I think that with his boss' scolding + after seeing Manami's efforts in providing colored directions in the kanji, I guess he was overwhelmed with the guilt. Which he doesn't normally feel with his job I guess, since his intentions was always to make sure that the princesses spend more.

But I agree, I think that they'll address it in tonight's episode! I'm so excited I couldn't even sit still. 😭

ML is 23 and FL is 35, based on their character charts.

Rewatching the released eps and I realized something...

It seems like the show is subtly trying to show the concept of "inner child."

It's evident that Manami and Kaworu/Taiga are very layered characters. They can do good, but they've done unconventional things during their adulthood too. But with their current state, it's obvious that they are two adults trying to put up a front to comply to what society expects from them. Kaworu accepts how people view him as a "scum of society" due to his line of work. Manami is stern and principled as a teacher at a Catholic high school. But outside of it all, they'd return to the "innocent" things that bring them comfort. For Kaworu/Taiga, he finds comfort in trains. For Manami, she finds comfort in her stuffed toys. They're both the most gentle when they enjoy them, but they only do so when they are alone. I can imagine that their rooftop school sessions would eventually reach that same level where they see it as a way to show their "true self;" a space where they could be honest, without prejudice.

I'm really loving this show so far; it's quite thought-provoking. I said before that it's up and running to becoming my fave for this year, but with how much I enjoy it this may be added to my Top 10 dramas of all time!