FuteHodo Ep7: Drama Notes

Ep. 7: "Can't You Do Away With the Payoff?"

 
Example of "foreshadowing": little Kanakuri (left) in Ep2;
and "the payoff": older Kanakuri in the final scene of the final episode (right)

Foreshadowing and the Payoff. Also known as Setup/Reveal, Plant/Reveal. In Japanese, it's "fukusen-kaishu" [伏線-回収]. KudoKan is fond of these literary plot devices, and fans expect it as well, that is why they are on the lookout for it, while watching this drama. I have read some foreshadowing theories from viewers regarding this drama, and find them interesting. I have my own theories as well. What are yours?
Anyway, one example of this by Kudo is from "Ida10". When Kanakuri Shiso as a boy went through a tunnel in Ep 2, crying, it was the foreshadowing. Then in the final episode, an old but happy Shiso is seen going through the tunnel/passageway entering Stockholm Stadium to reach the "finish line" matches EmoKen's description perfectly: "The final piece falls PERFECTLY into place in the last scene, and then, THE END!"

 

"You are Bando Eiji". No song inspiration for this episode's musical number. But for those who don't understand Sakae's analogy: Sakae is a fan of "KinTsuma", and she imagines herself as the character of Ogawa Tomoko (see notes of Ep 6), who found positive traits that Bando Eiji has, that was enough to marry him. Bando doesn't have the looks BUT has the cool history of being the former member of Chunichi Dragons. So she applies that with Yasumori-sensei whose good looks are a plus but his conservative views are a minus, and so she decides to find what else is good about him.

Mutchy-Senpai's Eyebrows. There doesn't seem to be any legit explanation about the eyebrows. So I searched for viewers' opinions. Some have noticed that it resembles Kenshiro's eyebrows from "Fist of the North Star". One blogger said his theory is that Mutchy has no idea what the future is like, and probably expects it to look like a dystopian, post-apocalyptic "Mad Max" type of world he sees in manga and movies. So he draws Kenshiro-like eyebrows on himself to look intimidating and so that future people won't mess with him lol.
 

 
Eating ice cream on the steps

 
Visiting a "Wall of Wishes"

 
Getting violent at a restaurant lol

 

Roman Holiday. I'm sure you are familiar with the movie, so there's no need for me to explain. But for those who haven't seen it, here are the similarities between the episode and the movie:
Junko gets a haircut, just like the Princess (Audrey). Both have a scene of eating ice cream on steps/stairs. In the movie, they visited the Wall of Wishes while in the drama they visited a shrine where Junko made her wish using a votive plaque. Junko getting violent with a waiter is the equivalent of the Princess smashing a guitar over someone's head in the movie's brawl scene.
Then, Junko's digital photos got erased as if her little holiday never happened. This is in reference to the journalist (Peck) handing over the Princess' "incriminating" photos over to her, as a promise not to publish them, and that this little Roman holiday "never happened", but to live on as a happy little secret, to be kept in her heart.
And as for the ending, Audrey said that "Rome" is the place she enjoyed the most. While Junko said, "Jail". This works better in Japanese though. In the Japanese dubbing of the movie, Audrey said "Roma", while Junko said, "Rouya (jail)." So Junko's is "A Rouya Holiday" haha.

 

 

Some other jokes that are (more likely only) funny to Japanese viewers:
"Will you meet and merge in 5 seconds?". Ogawa said this via remote when his daughter dashed off to her date. Viewers laughed at this since the p0rn-loving Ogawa's question (having sex after 5 seconds of meeting each other) sounded like a title of an AV movie (or maybe it is?). That's why Nagisa slammed her laptop fast.
"Even if I looked at her with my crystal clear eyes...". "Sunda me [澄んだ目] or "clear eyes" are pure like a baby's. These are "in which the whites of the eyes are clear and healthy and no cloudiness or veins, therefore the shape of black eyes stands out clearly and the white contrasting with the blackness of the eyes is emphasized." Viewers laugh, trying to imagine Furuta Arata with such eyes...
"You only dropped your smartphone, right?". The way Furuta's character said it twice, felt like he's trying to drive the point across, in case you didn't catch it lol. It's in reference to the novel turned 2018 movie "Sumaho o Otoshita Dake Nanoni (To think I only dropped my smartphone)" which had the English title, "Stolen Identity".

 

"It's clear I made you feel uptight just now." When Sakae asked Yasumori-sensei if he's married, he immediately crossed his arms. Sakae, being a sociologist sees it as a defensive reaction, and assumed that marriage is a touchy subject for Yasumori (just like the way that attending school is a touchy subject for Sako-kun).

 

Toyoko. It means "next to TOHO cinemas", or more precisely, at Kabukicho Square, known as a place where homeless people and runaway kids gather and hang out. You can read more HERE.

The 1000 yen. Naoki used his remaining cash worth 1000 yen at the shrine. One viewer remembers "Amachan", particularly the song, "Shiosai no Memory"'s lyrics: "Tell Johnny, he owes me 1,000 yen". And also: "A 17-year old is as fierce as the ocean waves", "Are you leaving me, without saying goodbye? Without making promises to meet again".

 

"Akai Clover" or "Red Clover". The name of the drama from another channel that EBS staff were monitoring. It is obviously a reference to Yamaguchi Momoe's 1976 TBS drama  "Akai Unmei (Red Fate)" which has a complex plot that involves a girl whose identity got switched with another person at an orphanage.
 

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