taitao

In case anyone is interested, there is a soundtrack released on both Spotify and Apple Music with the instrumentals. While I do love the intro song, I think there's just something about the instrumentals, too.

https://open.spotify.com/album/5Bv6SQ4KAWl6eI7lVyBJyP?si=1EWD_R_xRDKoO4Fy7qn9fg

Finally finished it. I definitely think that they could've shortened this whole thing at the end and given us more cute moments, but overall, it isn't a terrible series.

Surprisingly, I was okay with how they connected everything and I liked how they gave background to Hajime and his feelings for Mao.

I do think that this series definitely has its cute moments, but I wish they just gave us more. I would've been okay with them wrapping up the whole ending plotline one episode early and then giving us their cute married life afterwards.

Oh of course they would wait until the last episode

First scene: Mao tells the other individual that they broke up. And I believe she says that she hoped they could have a normal kind of happiness, but they ultimately couldn’t.

Second: Yagi asks Hajime to save Mao

Third: Kota tells Hajime that he met Mao earlier in the day (maybe he was the one she was speaking to)

Fourth: Hajime tells Mao he wants to be with her and Mao tells him not to come again.

Fifth: Hajime’s father is saying that he announces the engagement of Hajime and Azuma

Hajime: What do you mean you quit your job? Mao. Why did you move out?

Mao: Let’s get a divorce. This past week, while we were separated from one another, I came to a realization. If you calmly think about it, this marriage is definitely strange. The reason I quit my job is because I thought it was the best way to separate myself from the overbearing you. It’s tiring. Everything is too different between us. I’m asking you to please break up.

Hajime: Are you serious? You’re lying, right? Mao.

Mao: When we met here, I was dumped by the man that I really loved and was at rock bottom. Then you just happened to show up. I mistakenly thought I liked you.

Hajime: Mistakenly.

Mao: Honestly, I think anyone would’ve been fine. I didn’t love you. Let’s get a divorce.

Hajime: Why are you shaking? Mao.

Mao: Goodbye.

If anyone is curious as to what was said during the bar scene:

I was not expecting ep 10 to be that sad.

I knew Hajime's father was going to be a difficult obstacle for them, but man, he really is difficult. He threatened Mao, basically said he could imply she was cheating with those pictures of her and Ikezaki and Kota, said that Hajime would lose everything if the pictures were released and he chose her, didn't give her family a contract renewal yet, and fired her all within the same day. Although, I guess she wouldn't think of it in the moment, but Hajime's father would know who Ikezaki is, he's married to his daughter after all.

Anyway, and of course Kota was working with him, but it seems like he didn't know about Mao getting fired and he also asked Hajime's father why he would go that far which makes me think that he also doesn't know about Mao and Hajime being married, so I wonder what his father told Kota he needed.

And poor Hajime. The reason he couldn't contact Mao was because his phone got stolen when he got there. Why he didn't try to contact her another way, who knows. But for Mao to tell him that she's leaving the company because of him and that she wants to get a divorce because they have too many differences and it's tiring being with someone forceful like him.

I do wonder how angry Hajime is going to be at his father when he finds out he's behind all of this and I do think that Mao has to have some sort of plan. She told Hajime's sister and Ikezaki to leave it up to her since she might have something she could still do and I feel like there has to be something else in that email she sent.

Based on the preview I would say that I think she might have gone home? I wonder who she's talking to in the beginning of the preview.

I actually watched the part on TikTok, so I don’t have the link

Have you seen the spin-off episode? It seems like when Hajime said he was late to the farewell party of the other director, it was because his dad called to have a meeting with him where Hajime ultimately told him he’d chose who he wanted to marry. And then he called his sister who said that it’s okay for him to choose himself.

And right after that was when he saw Mao leaving the party and followed her into the bar deciding that he was going to make their meeting one of fate.

Hajime’s sister said that their father wanted to announce his engagement at the 50th anniversary party of the company, which was said to be a month away. I assume when his father met with Azuma and her mother, he mentioned that. It was said that his father is close friends with Azuma’s mother, which is why the engagement.

A part of me thinks his father might have known about the marriage somehow and is using Azuma to frame Mao and get her fired and away from the company, aka send her far away from Hajime.

Possibly. I don't think she's gone back to her apartment, though, since she sold everything as they were talking about her appliances once and how she didn't know what to do with them and thought disposing of them would be a waste. If she's looking for time alone, it's possible she could've gone to Ikezaki and his sister's house or they could've asked her over knowing that their father had asked for a meeting with her.

You do have to make an account on there, but I believe they have registration periods when registration is open now. My account on there is a couple of years old, so I honestly don't remember the entire process or even know if it's changed since then

They also said that it would be bad if his dad found out about the marriage and then now living together so I’m assuming meeting him somewhere else also benefitted Hajime. But that is why I’m assuming that he’s angry at Ikezaki or his sister in the preview because he didn’t know his dad met with Mao.

My assumption is that she’ll ask for a divorce and then he finds out about the meeting with his dad.

I got the raw off of Drama Otaku

I unfortunately haven’t watched it with English subtitles yet, I watched it with Japanese ones

It's not Azuma's father who is the president of their company, but Hajime's! I guess I assumed when he said he was raised by his grandmother, that his father wouldn't be in the picture. His father is the one who arranged the marriage for him and he said he didn't agree with it from the start. Based on his conversation, he might have known before Azuma even found out, which could be why he was so cold to her in the beginning and why he avoided them being alone together.

I think it's safe to assume that someone set Mao up with that money and I wonder if it was Azuma because the way she told Mao she was going to be quitting work next month seemed a little suspicious because like, why tell her that unless she knows that she and Hajime are dating but also, this was in the preview, what would Takada be going to the president about?

But now they're bringing in I'm assuming Mao's younger brother and her family because she once mentioned that her family is contracted by the company and an angry Hajime, although I think he's probably angry at Ikezaki and his sister not telling him about their father talking with Mao or about her being found with the money.

The stakes definitely feel like they're getting raised a little bit.

I just watched episode 9 with Japanese subtitles and wow

My guess is Azuma’s mother

Possibly. Who knows, she might not even be referenced again, but I was thinking about how a lot of what is said in the drama gets referenced or is shown in some other capacity.

A part of me wants to say that maybe he didn't know he had a fiancée? But I'm starting to think that maybe he did and he figured he'd just be able to reject the matchmaking when it came up? I remember Ikezaki asked Hajime if he explained everything to Mao yet and he said he would in his own time. After episode 7, we're led to believe that it was about Ikezaki being his brother-in-law, but what if it's more about him being set up with someone? Could that also be what his sister was referencing when she said that they should talk at the end of that episode as well?