nhii

Yes, the paper had always been there every time she opened that Spice magazine. When I first saw it I just simply thought that they used the paper to cover the other manga on the right page to let the audience focus on “Don’t chase the rabbit” instead. There were times I thought that paper was probably her sketch for “Pancakes in Hell” or something. It never crossed my mind that it was actually the divorce paper lol And the fact that she kept it close to the “Don’t chase the rabbit” manga, it was like the paper was an escape for her but she had to swallow that wish down.

And yes, you got Yuta’s words right. He said he wanted Shinobu to do what she liked. I also think that was the reason why she really considered the divorce, not because she wanted to be with Chiaki or because Yohei cheated, but because she wanted to be herself again.

The coffee has been one of the most excellent details throughout the drama so far (along with the tangerines) it has been the key to so many good scenes. And the canned coffee scene in Ep6 was like a cherry on top, I love it so much xD

I’m actually planning to rewatch the whole 6 episodes today (probably my 16~20th time rewatch for each episode lol) to get ready for the 2nd arc tonight. From what I’ve gathered around, it seems that they still keep the drama suspenseful and mysterious hahaha. I can’t wait for them to surprise me again xD

you can find them here: https://justpaste.it/u/hikariraiders
and also on jraws.com

i LOVE all the metaphors too. There are so many I can't even list them all in one post. I also love the contrast of images and details they put in Ep6. Like that scene when she sat down on the sofa with the Spice magazine on her hands, the drama immediately threw us back to their happy time when they just moved in a new house with "Tadaima~". Little did we know, the paper she had always hid in that magazine was the divorce paper and the phrase "Tadaima" was to tell us that her divorce intention had returned. So that scene was like: The Watanuki's happy beginning VS. The Watanuki's tragic (almost) ending. An excellent contrast that was so well put together.

And I agreed with you about their growth in this episode, it was heartbreaking to see the parting scene but I was glad that they'd finally decided to move on from their past and that Shinobu had decided to go through with the divorce this time. Sadly, old man Yohei had to collapse at the best timing ugh, I mean with all that beer drinking at his age... I wouldn't be surprised. But it was indeed a very clean end for the first arc.

Aaah, I loveeee the metaphorical hugs so much. That scene was so emotional and beautiful. This might be the romanticist in me talking, but I think from this episode they've already formed a bond that is deeply connected to each other no matter where they are. Like, they don't even need to be "ended up together" at this point because they've already won. Only them can save each other.

I really like your interpretation of the canned coffee scene hehe xD I think we all understand what that scene actually meant but you've put it beautifully.

The big aquarium shot has become my twitter header ever since I first watched Ep6 lol It's one of my favorite shots from this drama, although our 2 leads were a bit off-centered in the frame (I wonder if that was intentional? Maybe a metaphor of their off-balanced relationship?). That aquarium scene broke me so bad. From the moment they met up outside to the escalator tunnel, it was so beautifully shot, so well written and well acted T_T Even the ED theme song was so perfectly timed, they deliberately chose the last verse of the song and it really deepened the dialogues:
Chiaki: Are you going to go on living while lying to yourself like that?
Shinobu: I can't see you anymore.
ED song: Aah... this night has gotten a little longer again. The selfish yesterday and the bluffing words, I'm leaving them all behind.
------
Shinobu: Keep drawing your manga, okay?
Chiaki: Sensei...
ED song: Regret, good night, baby. I remembered and sang it many times. A liar silhouette came falling down on my true self...
oh man... the pain... :(((

And yes, Yuta deserves a fanclub of his own at this point lol He's also a complete contrast of Chiaki. The way he tried to stay away from adult affairs was very smart of him and we can't deny that Shinobu was the biggest factor for how he's such a good kid.

English subs are available at d-addicts forum.

The second half of the movie hit really different. Loved it.

A lovely mixture of Japanese traditional and modern culture featuring a very endearing performance by Komai Ren. I didn't read the synopsis before I started watching this and I would never have guessed the matters it addressed. An enjoyable watch. 8.5/10

The opening surprised me too lmao. Every time I open Ep6 to check some details I get distracted by that scene hahaha. A good 8 seconds to ease the pain.

You're right about Chiaki never getting a hug. The only hugs he's got so far are from his nagging mother lol. I wonder if his mother also has some kind of dark past related to his father or something. It's just unimaginable to have a twisted mother like that.

Yep, I also thought that tingling sound was an odd choice. I wonder if it's a part of the soundtrack or they deliberately added it. Anyway, it's up to our interpretation. Personally, I think of it as a sound indicates Chiaki has now grown up like a magic.

Yuta really is a good kid. His behavior is no doubt a teenager but his mindset is very mature and thoughtful. It was inevitable that he would be angry after knowing the truth, but his anger didn't cloud his judgement. He takes after his mother. Yuta and Shinobu's editor are probably the only lights in this drama lol

(̶t̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶s̶t̶e̶a̶m̶y̶ ̶o̶p̶e̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶s̶c̶e̶n̶e̶ ̶i̶s̶ ̶a̶c̶t̶u̶a̶l̶l̶y̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶p̶a̶r̶t̶ ̶I̶ ̶r̶e̶p̶l̶a̶y̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶m̶o̶s̶t̶ ̶b̶u̶t̶ ̶l̶e̶t̶'̶s̶ ̶t̶r̶y̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶i̶g̶n̶o̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶t̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶n̶o̶w̶)̶

Firstly, when Shinobu and Chiaki visited the temple, I did a little research and it was a place called Jourakuzan Mantoku Temple (常楽山萬徳寺) in Tateyama (more info here: https://maruchiba.jp/sys/data/index/page/id/6094) It is said that if you take off your shoes, put your hands together in the center, go around the pedestal 3 times clockwise, touch the upper foot print of the Buddha and pray, your wish will be fulfilled. Back to the drama, (ignore that they were still wearing shoes) if you count the stairsteps you’ll notice that Shinobu had already walked around the pedestal more than 3 times and she still kept on walking, meaning her mind was not there with Chiaki but somewhere else. Chiaki also noticed this, that was why he stopped walking and just looked at her.

On to the scene where Toko asked Chiaki about his “job”, the dialogues here made me want to throw up, it turned out she knew all along and she not only did NOTHING about it, she also USED the money he made. Yes, it was disgusting, but the scene after that was brilliant. Do you remember the scene in Ep3 where Shinobu followed Chiaki home and found out the truth? The way they edited and built up that scene with Shinobu in Ep3 was the same as this scene with Chiaki in Ep6: the use of bizzare sound effects (raining sound for Shinobu, belt buckling sound for Chiaki), the intertwined images of the past and the present. For Shinobu, it was a shock to learn that Chiaki’s mother was her husband’s lover years ago. For Chiaki, it was to learn that his mother was the same as those women and didn't do anything to save him. The experience was as traumatic and painful for Chiaki as it was for Shinobu and eventually it motivated them to draw the manga that would change their lives forever. Shinobu and Chiaki are the same, kindred souls.

The camerawork in the scene where Yohei and Shinobu quarreled at the dinner table was spectacular. Initially the table was in the middle of the frame. As soon as Shinobu started to be at a disadvantage in the conversation, the camera angle changed immediately, the table slowly strayed away from the frame’s center, the shot started to skew to Yohei and slowly pushed Shinobu to the corner to the point you could barely see her, showing Yohei’s dominance over Shinobu. Their acting in this scene was also amazing, the differences in how they were sitting and eating, how her hand was trembling and his hand was so firm.

The shoes: If you’re familiar with Ohku Akiko’s works, you’ll know she’s very particular about how much shoes can tell about the characters (Chiaki’s shoes for example). And in Ep6, after the conversation between Yohei and Yuta, the drama cut to their doorstep, focused on the shoes. And you could see that Shinobu’s slippers stayed close to Yuta’s sneakers, neatly. Right above was Yohei’s slippers looking deformed and messily placed. This shot pretty much summed up the relationship of the whole Watanuki family (and even their health condition lol)
[Edit: I checked again and apparently the sneakers were Shinobu's, not Yuta's. I'm still trying to figure out what that shot meant. The best I can come up with is that it's still about the family relationship, but Yuta was not in the picture because he was trying to stay away from his parents' affairs]

Shinobu reading Chiaki’s storyboard: His letter to her was heartbreaking, I know. But what broke me even deeper was that Shinobu was sitting on Chiaki’s assistant desk to read it, and then she reached her hands to hug the chair she was sitting on :(((( I get it, Shinobu, I want to hug him too.
[Side note: so far Shinobu is the only one that has cried for Chiaki as himself (Seira only cried bc she was rejected) and most of the times Shinobu has cried so far were all for Chiaki (except for the time at the beginning of Ep6 she was crying for Yuta)]

The canned coffee: Yeah, at this point I think we all know what the coffee means. Going from not being able to drink it → adding milk → black coffee. It can be Chiaki’s progress to adulthood or Chiaki’s love for Shinobu or Shinobu herself. As Ohku Akiko tweeted “Canned coffee is the one that turned Chiaki from a boy to a man”. Welcome to adulthood, Chiaki!

The farewell at the aquarium: Needless to say, everyone can see the throwback to Ep2 and the reversed positions in this scene, from where they met up to the escalator tunnel. This was to show the one that was in control of their relationship, and it’s now changed from Chiaki to Shinobu. And right after she bid her farewell, she walked straight ahead leaving him standing there in the tunnel. The drama immediately cut to her closing and locking the door as if she locked him in that aquarium forever. (Just like how she locked that divorce paper away 15 years ago)

Speaking of the divorce paper, Sayaka’s acting was breathtaking. And the way they slowly opened up that scene from Ep1 to Ep3 to Ep4 and now in Ep6, it’s now all connected and completed. It’s much easier to be an outsider and tell her to get a divorce, of course she wanted to do it but she couldn’t.

Above are some of my favorite details, of course there are more. I also love how the tangerines kept popping up here and there throughout the drama (as we know ‘tangerine’ can stand for both Shinobu (Mikan) and Chiaki (Tachibana)) and how the beers were the strong ally of Yohei till the very last scene of Ep6 lol

I’m really sorry that it’s got this long. If you’ve read to this point, thank you!

Yeah, probably his improvisation or the director's idea. It was a bit strange for that scene but it added up just right for the character, and we couldn't help but notice it lol

I have a bunch of questions about his father. Like if he's out for work then why doesn't he provide the family? Why did Chiaki and his mother have to go that far to earn money for a living? Or is his father running from something? Oh lord, I really hope his father isn't that big of a plot twist or some sorts, my heart can't take any more pain lol

Of courseeee I will wait hahaha xD

Oh? Did you really watch Ep 5 and 6 in one go? That's a lot to take in at once lol Take your time to process it xD

Yes. Shinobu is the first person who actually understands and accepts Chiaki, if not the only one. And she has saved him twice now. Both Shinobu and Chiaki might have used each other to some extent but we still see that they can save each other at the same time.

That last line in Ep 5, I've seen so many interpretations of it haha. But that's exactly what's so brilliant about it. Like it can have so many meanings for both Shinobu and Chiaki, whether that suitcase is a metaphor of Shinobu or Chiaki or their future, those interpretations are all true (and so saddd). That is probably my favorite line from this drama so far.

It's true that his mother is a bit too clingy, that might be one of the reasons too. And it's kinda funny because even Sakai Eri herself (the original manga author) and her editor were also curious about that hand stroking movement hahaha. Her editor also had the same questions as us and they discussed about it on twitter lol. Eventually the author said if this was in the manga, she would explain it with characters' inner thoughts but the best thing about adaptation is that it leaves space for interpretations. Honestly, whoever thought up that hand stroking deserves a round of applause, it was so subtle yet so sensual and thought provoking lol.

Yes, we haven't heard anything about his father except that he's a 'rare character' (and I don't really understand what that actually means? like he's never home or something?) but I expect things will unfold in the future because I feel like they left the questions unanswered on purpose.

Yes, sadly. I just checked their Youtube channel yesterday. And so far I can't seem to find the raws anywhere either.

interesting. somehow i didn’t notice that at first haha.

So that’s why I haven’t heard from you recently xD
Feel free to reply any of my old comments if you want. I’m always ready to discuss about this drama. I’ll do my best to keep the spoilers to myself lol

They have already wrapped up the filming since around mid-January.

Ep7 preview (30 seconds ver): https://youtu.be/v-z6rccfYdk
Synopsis: Time went by and Shinobu has now turned 45 years old. 5 years ago, her husband collapsed (not dead yet) and she missed the chance to divorce him. She's now a successful manga artist but recently she's got idea block. On the other hand, her son Yuta has moved out and her days are empty. Meanwhile, she reunites with Okano, a manga editor who was her ex-boyfriend in highschool. A new story begins as those 2 people who's been keeping something inside, starts to be conscious of each other.
(And yes, the Chiaki you see in the preview video is the 28-year-old Chiaki that comes back 5 year later xD)

EPISODE 6: Ohku Akiko came back to the drama as the director with a bang, as well as the suspenseful elements. So far this is the best episode for me. Just when I thought there was nothing left to be revealed, they just kept raising from this curtain to another; pushing the characters to the corner; building up tension, emotions and character developments. It was heartbreaking and amazing at the same time. And Yamaguchi Sayaka just delivered her best performance so far in this drama.

This episode is packed with so many great details but rn I'm emotionally drained so I won't do details breakdown here for now. I'm just gonna put Episode 7 preview in the spoiler below.

EDIT: I love Ep6 so much so I've listed down some of my favorite points and details in the 2nd comment below. I apologize in advance for its length. Only read if you're interested ^^

Okay sure 😂 But maybe later. Let me rewatch Ep 6 first and then I'll leave another comment here to explain it.

Yes, it is different, very different. The synopsis here only tells like 15 mins of the 1st episode. Definitely worthy if you love age-gap romance.