Jun. 15th, 2013 01:39 am
Amachan: Week 11 Episode Guide (Part 2)
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earth_colorsWeek 11."I want to be an idol!" Part 2
"I'm telling you to think of your future more seriously!"
Episode Summaries:
Ep. 64. Rehearsals for the Ama-Sonic show have started. Hiroshi calls out each of the performers, in their show costumes, according to their order of appearance. "First is Aki-chan to give the welcoming speech." She is followed by Shiori (btw what is SHE even doing there?) who will perform as Lady Gaga. The third act are the rookie Amas who will perform a 'Morning Musume' medley. They will be followed by Misuzu who also wants to perform as Lady Gaga. Shiori tells her, "Instead of Gaga, you look more like a 'ga' (moth)," irritating Misuzu. Hiroshi asks the two to settle the problem among themselves later on. But he reads that the next act is Tamako, also doing "Lady Gaga." "Please be reasonable!" he says, exasperatedly. But Tamako corrects him and says, "It's Queen, okay?" meaning she will perform "Radio Gaga" dressed up as Freddie Mercury. Yayoi is next who will sing a medley of Showa hits. Hiroshi asks her how long will her song be, and she answers, "Two and a half hours with breaks." Hiroshi: "By the time we get to 'Shiosai no Memory,' everybody would have had enough!!"
Later, Yui choreographs the Ama-sans' back up dancing to their 'Shiosai no Memory' final act. Katsue has a hard time determining left from right while the rookie Amas complain about Yayoi's tendency to move towards the front stage. "When you're in front you stand out too much!" Yayoi: "Shut up!" Hiroshi: "Yayoi-san, please move to the back." Yayoi: "They're just imagining things. It's because I'm big that's why it seems I'm in front." Hiroshi: "Please move to the back." Yayoi: "Fine~." One night, Congressman Adachi Isao comes in Bar Rias muttering something about "campsite curry". He says for someone who had traveled a long way to a campsite, the curry he brought for his camping trip will taste even better. "I think it's the same with Yui-chan!" Yoshida: "What is he talking about?" Sugawara interprets it correctly. "A person who comes all the way to Kitasanriku via train just to pay to see a high school girl, makes it even more exciting?" Isao says: "That's right! That is why it's no good to go to Tokyo. Campsite curry is no good if it's not eaten in the campsite (Meaning: a local idol is not appreciated if she's NOT based in her own hometown)". Daikichi asks Haruko what she thinks. "Should Yui-chan go to Tokyo or should she be stopped?" Haruko: "You really wanna hear what I think? (She suddenly raises her voice) Who cares! Stay out of it!" Isao: "Amano!" Haruko: "Because Aki and I have finally arrived here and decided to stay and yet she's all "Tokyo! Tokyo!" dragging around her rolling luggage. While you guys go nuts trying to stop her! Will you be relying on Yui-chan forever? If she wants to go, then go and knock herself out!" She smiles sweetly and says, "Well, that's what I think. Sorry." The others laugh uncomfortably. Isao: "'Those who leave will not be pursued'." Haruko: "Eh?" The elderly statesman had quoted Natsu's favorite line. Haruko had not expect such a similar sentiment would unconsciously come out of her mouth. 'Could it be I am not so far off from my own mother?' She feels confused again. Meanwhile, for several nights, when she thinks Natsu and Haruko are asleep, Aki had been watching "Shiosai no Memory" again and again. With her headphones on, she doesn't hear her mother calling her name. Haruko sees her daughter crying while watching but says nothing. At the Rias, the next day, Haruko thanks Yoshida for letting her borrow the VHS tape, saying "it's been lying around the house" so she thought of returning it. Daikichi wants to borrow it too but Yoshida teases him saying "all you have at home is a Betamax player." Daikichi: "Don't be stupid! I bought a VHS player 20 years ago!" Sugawara: "20 years ago? It was only this year I got to buy a Hard Disc Recorder." And speaking of technology, they notice Ben has a new phone. The others are impressed because it was a smartphone which during the summer of 2009, was considered rare. Ben is the first person in Kitansanriku to have bought a smartphone, so from then on, they have acknowledged him as "Smart Ben." Then, Haruko mentions that she hasn't seen Hiroshi lately, and wonders if Yui is still holed up in her room. The guys tell her that Yui has been going in and out of her house for a week already. "You really didn't know? Aki-chan has invited Yui-chan to sing with her for 'Ama-sonic'...something like a revival of 'Shiosai no Memory'." "What?" Haruko asks, stabbing the chopping board with her knife, "She didn't tell me anything!" At the Ama Cafe, the show is about to start, and Ikeda and his crew are setting up as well. Aki has called Takuma to tell him all about it (Matsuda Ryuhei is rocking that suit! just sayin). Takuma, in his Tokyo office says: "What? You should have told me earlier, I could have gone to see it." Aki: "Sorry for the noise. Ikeda-san is also here. They're gonna broadcast it live." Takuma: "Send me a copy of the show. How's Yui-chan?" Aki: "She's really doing well! She also directed and choreographed the show." Takuma: "Really? That's great! Be sure to send me a copy of the show's highlights." The live broadcast has started. The TV reporter announces that Yui has finally returned and along with her "Shiosai no Memory" partner, Aki. The camera follows her inside the dark Cafe where the audience, made up of mostly wotas, excitedly wait for the show to start. At the Rias, Haruko watches the live event on TV with a scary grim look on her face. Later, Yui and Aki wait for their turn 'backstage' in their respective costumes. Aki: "I'm so nervous, how long has it been?" Yui: "The parlor train was in March so this is the first time in 5 months... Thank you, Aki-chan. You were the one who encouraged me before. I owe you again for today." Aki: "No, this is not about owing anything. It's about being friends. I really feel that I too have gotten something." Yui: "Really?" Aki: "This excitement before our act? I'm kinda liking it." Yui: "Me too." Aki: "I envy you, Yui-chan." Yui: "Why?" Aki: "Once you get to debut, you'll be able to experience this feeling every time." Then, Tamako, panting heavily in her costume - mustache and all, pops in and says she already warmed up the audience for them. Aki: "Thank you, Freddie!" The two girls wish each other good luck. The TV reporter introduces the much awaited finale. "Thank you for waiting! Here is the pride of Kitasanriku or shall we say Iwate Prefecture, the legendary idol unit, a revival of "Shiosai no Memory"! Today, let's listen to this special version, backed up by the Ama Club." Yui and Aki start singing their song with the Ama-sans dancing behind them. Hibiki, Isono-sensei and the rest of the audience are in ecstasy, dancing and singing along with the girls, while brandishing glow sticks and uchiwas. The wotas even added their own cheer to the song (srsly, it gave me the queasy kind of goosebumps (_ _,)/~~). Their cheer, which sounds like something Hibiki had thought up, goes like this: "Y! U! I! Love you! North Coast wonderland! Cute Yui, Jejejejeh~!... Yui, love you! Mamebu! Yamase*! Yui! Love! Aki is kinda cute too (lol)! Jejejejejeh~!" Meanwhile, Natsu who is manning the entrance senses a guest arriving. "Sorry, all tickets are sold out... Oh, Haruko!" Haruko says, sarcastically, "It's okay for me to go in right? Since I'm a parent and all." She goes in and watches the show from the back with arms crossed. The song ends and Aki is shocked to see her mother. There is a look of dread on her face as she watches Haruko slowly approach the stage.
(*Yamase = northeasterly winds from the Pacific Ocean)
Ep. 65. 'Oh no, isn't she supposed to be at the Rias?' Aki thinks as she sees her mom in the audience. The song ends and the live broadcast has wrapped up as well. Haruko finally gets on stage to confront Aki. She slaps her hard across the cheek right in front of the audience. Aki falls down as everyone gasps in shock. "What's going on, Aki!" Yui: "No, you got it wrong!" Haruko: "No, I didn't! (To Aki) A promise is a promise. You said the parlor train will be the last. Why are you here prancing around?" Daikichi and Ikeda tries to calm Haruko down. "Please wait until the audience leaves for now." Haruko: "I don't want to! My own precious daughter being ogled by glaring eyes of men like them!" Hibiki: "We don't look at her like that!" Haruko: "Shut up! Four-eyes!" Hibiki: "I am not Four-eyes if I take off my glasses!" The audience start protesting. Daikichi again pleads with Haruko but she refuses. Haruko to Aki: "You said you had thought seriously about your future when you become a senior... Right, Sensei?" Embarrassed, Isono hesitated to answer being that he was caught watching in the audience. Then Aki speaks, "Why did you have to hit me? Why did you have to hit me out of the blue? In front of all these people... I have my own plan. What did you have to hit me for?" Natsu comes in Aki's defense, "That was certainly too much! This is Aki's workplace. Getting up on stage without even hearing her out and striking her, it's too much even for a parent!" Haruko, still unapologetic, pulls up Aki and addresses the fans: "Excuse me. Can you please not make such a fuss over her anymore? She is just a normal girl. Why is it? Can't Aki spend a normal high school life here any more?" Some people in the audience boos her. "Shut up, hag!" "Get outta here!" Haruko (looking like she could murder someone): "Did somebody call me a hag!? Who said that." Aki could only look on as the fans in the audience continue to hiss and shout. Mother and daughter finally take the matter at home. Everyone is also there to help settle the issue. Aki is placing a cold compress on her cheek while Haruko tells her to quit exaggerating. "I just hit you a little." But Haruko finally admits that what she did was bad and says sorry.
Haruko: "But I will never forgive you for going flighty on me."
Aki: "I’m not just going flighty without thinking. I have my own reason for being flighty."
Haruko: "Then what was it for?"
Yui says it for Aki, "It was to make me get out of the house... Because of the thing with Mizuguchi-san, I was depressed..."
Haruko tells Yui to keep quiet. "I'm asking Aki." Aki tells her what happened, that she indeed did it so Yui could feel better soon, and to help her practice and prepare til she gets to debut. Haruko says it's fine if it's for Yui but "you did not have to sing with her."
Aki: "It wasn't only that... I like singing, too... At first I didn't understand and felt uneasy wearing Ama clothes and selling unidonburi on board the train. They'd take pictures of me even when I wasn't doing anything... But when I got to sing with Yui-chan in the parlor train, I had fun. At that time, the audience was cheering and smiling, I couldn't forget it... It's like what I do as an Ama, I get to please a customer. That's right. It's a service industry! I realize that both Ama and an Idol work hard in making the guests happy."
Haruko: "And so? You haven't answered my question. For what purpose did you go flighty for?"
Aki stands up and declares: "I want to be an idol! I wanna sing, dance and dive to get the sea urchins and come back up to feed them!"
Haruko slaps Aki again, making her cry. Others are shocked: "Haruko-san!" Yui: "Auntie!"
Haruko (to Yui): "I'm not your Auntie! I am nobody's Auntie. (To Aki) Stop crying!"
Aki: "You slapped me, of course I will cry! Two slaps in a day, too!"
Haruko: "Of course I slapped you for saying such things."
Aki: "What about it?"
Haruko: "Because... it's stupid! You're going to be an idol who can sing, dance, dive and get the sea urchin to feed the fans!?"
Aki: "What I said was I will sing, dance and dive to get the sea urchin and THEN come back up to feed them!"
Haruko: "It's the same thing!"
Aki: "No it's not! If I don't come back up, I'll run out of the breath, right? It will be stupid to just dive and stay down there!"
Haruko grabs Aki's face with one hand, making her cry again. "Don't cry! (To the others) This daughter of mine is such a fool, isn't she? I'm telling you to think of your future more seriously!"
Aki: "I HAVE thought about it."
Haruko: "And THIS is the result of your thinking? How stupid... Isn't she, Sensei?
Isono: "Well, I uh, as a teacher in the Engineering Diving Department, I try to incorporate it... I mean, diving and singing... Ah!"
Aki rushes past Isono and out the door. "Aki, wait!" shouts Haruko.
Aki (to her mother): "YOU'RE stupid for saying I'm stupid! Stupid!... (Haruko and the rest are startled) I hate you! I REALLY hate you!" She runs off to the sea, leaving Haruko with her mouth agape.
Ironically, Aki goes to the former secret base of her mom, the beacon where Haruko would go, after fighting with her own mother when she was young. Aki sees the words that her Mom wrote many years ago, and angrily stomps on them. At home, Haruko attributes Aki's behavior to her fascination with the movie "Shiosai no Memory." "Somehow I had a bad feeling about it. She would watch it every night after I go to sleep. From 12 midnight to 2 or 3 am, rewinding it sometimes while repeating the lines..." Natsu: "I've also seen it. She said, 'I wanna be like Suzuka Hiromi.'" Katsue: "Also at the Ama Cafe, she would talk about how cool Suzuka Hiromi is." Haruko: "Seriously?" Rokuro: "Suzuka Hiromi? The one in the railway poster?" Katsue: "Yes, she's doing a historical drama at a BS channel, portraying Shizuka Gozen*." Haruko: "I always thought one day she will say she wants to become an actress or something but I never thought she'd be that stupid...."
At the Ama shop, Yui asks Aki if she really was serious. "Yes!" Yui: "When you said you 'want to become an idol,' the truth is you have really been thinking about it?" Aki: "I dunno... In a way, I was like trying to get back for what she said to me... Actually, I've also been thinking about it for a long time now." Yui: "Can't believe it, I wonder if it was my doing..." Aki: "I dunno. The parlor train and Ama Cafe were really fun... I just wanted to sing and dance and dive where people gathered and wanted to cheer everyone up. That's all I wanted. Yes. If that's what you call an idol, then so be it. If that's what an Ama is, then that's fine, too. (Laughs) Well, I don't think I can be an idol anyway." Yui: "That's not true... You can become one. Besides you already are one. Isn't the definition of 'idol' ambiguous? There are lots of self-styled idols out there. But I think we're different. Even today's event gathered 200 people, right? You're good enough for Tokyo." Aki: "Sorry. I can't go to Tokyo. I don't even have one good memory there, I also hated the schools there, I didn't have friends... My legs tremble just hearing the word Tokyo." Yui: "Even if I go with you?" Aki does not say anything. Then her phone rings...
It was Takuma, calling from the Tokyo office. "Aki-chan? I saw today's event. 'Ama-sonic.'" Aki: "Jeh! H-How?" Takuma: "Someone had uploaded it in a streaming site... The recording of the sound is not so good but you were able to convey your energy... I mean that was the only thing that was conveyed well but... the energy is all that matters, right? Futomaki-san is looking at it right now." Aki is speechless... Takuma: "Eh? What's the matter? Are you 'zekku'(2)? Jeh... Jehku?" Takuma laughs at his own pun. Aki asks to be excused for a bit, and tells Yui it's Takuma on the phone. "Eh? What did he say?" Aki tells her to wait and gets back on the phone. But this time she hears a different voice from the other end of the line. "Hello? Good day, this is Futomaki. Is this Yui-chan?" Aki: "Oh... it's Aki." Aramaki: "You're now on your summer vacation over there, right? Can you come to Tokyo?" Aki again is speechless. "Hello? Can you come over here?" Yui, realizing what is happening grabs the phone from Aki to talk to Aramaki herself. Natsu the Narrator: "The first time that Aki had rebelled against her mother, she received a phonecall inviting her to go to Tokyo."
(1. Shizuka Gozen = 12th century court dancer and one of the most famous women in Japanese history and literature)
(2. "Zekku" = loss for words)
Ep. 66. The next morning, there is a cold atmosphere at the dining room of the Amano home. Aki is aloofly avoiding her mother as they eat breakfast. Haruko tells her to quit acting up. "I already said sorry for striking you, didn't I?" Aki: "Then after you apologized, you hit me again." Haruko: "Only because you said something ridiculous." Natsu has had enough. "Stop it! Starting the day with an awkward mood... it's bad!" Haruko finishes up and goes to the kitchen. Aki mutters, "How childish... Shouldn't she just entrust her dream to her daughter?" Haruko overhears her and says, "What did you just say?... MY dream? Entrust it to YOU? Fool~! You're like a poor hunchbacked female monkey!" Natsu: "Haruko! (Aki starts crying) Don't cry!" Later, at the Ama Cafe, Aki is lost in thought as Yui tries to explain to her about the plan to go to Tokyo. "That time (with Takuma), we were supposed to go south via Miyako by car through National Highway Route 45. But this time, we don't have a car, so we'll go through another route..." But Aki still has trouble following. Yui: "Aki-chan! This is important. Please listen properly. Futomaki-san said he wants to see us, right?" Meanwhile, the guys are still on alert, watching out for possible areas where the girls may 'escape.' They use the diorama to plan out a strategy to prevent the girls from leaving. Yoshida suggests placing CCTV cameras in several areas. Hiroshi: "Wait, isn't that a bit too much..." Yoshida: "Don't be slack about it!" Shiori: "Do you think it's possible they could outwit us and use the KitaTetsu?" "We can't use the KitaTetsu!" Yui tells Aki. "The final train leaves at 7:30." Aki: "What about the first train?" Yui says there will be many people at the train station who can catch them leaving at anytime - the trainstation master and his men, Aki's mom at the Rias, the regular customers and their acquaintances. Aki: "It's not possible." Yui: "It sure is. Those people always use the train." Aki is quiet, probably feeling a bit uneasy. Yui: "What's the matter?" Aki: "No nothing." At the train station, Aki tells Hiroshi that Yui still wants to go to Tokyo. Hiroshi apologizes for his sister. He asks what kind of producer Futomaki is like. Aki: "He's like Akimoto what's-his-name, and also Tsu..." Hiroshi: "Tsu...?" Aki: "Tsu... Tsunku♂?" Hiroshi: "I think he's more higher-up than that Tsunku something guy. Maybe I know more than you do lol!" Aki: "But we've managed fine with the KitaTetsu and the Tourism Office even without any producers." Hiroshi: "Well, if you can work here, then it's good. But if you can do it in Tokyo... (Aki gives a disagreeable look) Don't you wanna go?" Aki nods her head, "But Yui-chan wants to go. For her sake, I should give in... I think I can make it there somehow if I'm with Yui-chan. But I'm not gonna run away forever. Eventually, mom will probably no longer oppose it. I was so uncool in my hometown." Hiroshi: "Hometown?" Aki: "For me, Tokyo is my hometown. When everyone cheers for me and I feel so proud about myself... I can hear the voice at the back of my mind that say 'You were so uncool in your hometown...' Stop it! I didn't come to this rural town to run away from it! I can do it in my hometown, too... Yes, I shall overcome. Oh no! Somehow I unknowingly admitted that we ARE planning on going to Tokyo..." Hiroshi: "I think you're cool." Aki: "I am? I feel guilty telling it to you. You also lost out and came back from Tokyo, right, Stove-san? You were a defeated man." Hiroshi: "Man? Yeah, I came back after two months. As a dejected loser, I've been working hard to heal the emotional scars.... So when are you leaving?" But Aki decides to clam up: "I can't just tell you that!" Hiroshi tells Daikichi and Sugawara about his talk with Aki. Daikichi: "Yui's not leaving yet?" Hiroshi: "Yes, but as we thought, she HAS been planning about it." Daikichi: "What about Aki-chan?" Hiroshi: "She's still wondering about a few stuff." Sugawara: "Well, most likely they won't be leaving tonight." Aki meets up with Yui at the Ama Cafe. Yui informs her that they'll be taking the late night bus for Tokyo tonight, and she has already bought tickets for them. She also tells her they mustn't bring any luggage with them or else, they'll be found out. "Instead this is the most that we could bring." She shows her hand bag. "We will take the last train to the Kitasanriku Main Station. That'll be from 7:30 until the bus leaves at 9. If no one sees us in that span of time (one and half hour), then we win." Aki: "Eh? We're leaving today already?... Can I stop by my home once? It's not for anything but I can't just leave empty-handed." Yui: "I have extra money." Aki: "I wanna see Obaa-chan's face, at least." Yui: "Okay. I'll wait for you at the station." At the Rias, Yayoi, her husband Atsushi, Daikichi and Haruko recall the day Haruko left 25 years ago. Yayoi: "I was really surprised to see you inside the train lol!" Daikichi: "Was Natsu at the station at that time?" Yayoi says she wasn't there. "She was out at the beach getting seaweed for her miso soup." Daikichi asks Haruko if Natsu had talked about that day. Haruko: "Who knows, it's a wonder." Yayoi: "Hasn't she forgotten it? After all, it's already 25 years ago." Haruko: "I still remember it though. I'll try to ask Natsu-san next time."
Aki arrives home seeing her Grandma already sleeping.
Natsu wakes up. "I fell asleep..."
Aki: "Go ahead and sleep."
Natsu: I'm fine, do you want me to fix you something?"
Aki: "I'm okay with this unidonburi." Points at the left-over ones on the table.
Natsu: "Aren't you tired from eating that?"
Aki: "No, unidonburi tastes good."
Natsu: "You really ARE a good kid, Aki." She lies back on her futon.
Aki: "Are you tired?"
Natsu: "I'm okay. Misuzu, Katsue and I did a lot of diving today. My calves are so tight! Three groups will be arriving tomorrow."
Aki: "Must be hard."
Natsu: "Why say that? lol You make it sound like it has nothing to do with you."
Aki (very softly): "Sorry." She sadly begins eating, her back to Natsu.
Natsu: "Thanks to you. We're a big success every day. I could just shout for joy." (TT______TT)
Hearing that, Aki starts crying as she eats her unidonburi. Memories of the year and a month of her stay in Kitansanriku come flooding back into her mind. After she finishes her bowl, she asks Natsu if she could have another one. But Natsu has already fallen asleep. Aki looks at her sleeping Grandma for a moment, gets one bowl and leaves. Next, she's on her way to meet Yui, riding the last train to the main station, sobbing while eating her Obaa-chan's beloved unidonburi.
Next: Week 12 (Part 1)
Previous: Week 11 (Part 1)
Episode Index: Link
Character Guide: Link
"I'm telling you to think of your future more seriously!"
Episode Summaries:
Ep. 64. Rehearsals for the Ama-Sonic show have started. Hiroshi calls out each of the performers, in their show costumes, according to their order of appearance. "First is Aki-chan to give the welcoming speech." She is followed by Shiori (btw what is SHE even doing there?) who will perform as Lady Gaga. The third act are the rookie Amas who will perform a 'Morning Musume' medley. They will be followed by Misuzu who also wants to perform as Lady Gaga. Shiori tells her, "Instead of Gaga, you look more like a 'ga' (moth)," irritating Misuzu. Hiroshi asks the two to settle the problem among themselves later on. But he reads that the next act is Tamako, also doing "Lady Gaga." "Please be reasonable!" he says, exasperatedly. But Tamako corrects him and says, "It's Queen, okay?" meaning she will perform "Radio Gaga" dressed up as Freddie Mercury. Yayoi is next who will sing a medley of Showa hits. Hiroshi asks her how long will her song be, and she answers, "Two and a half hours with breaks." Hiroshi: "By the time we get to 'Shiosai no Memory,' everybody would have had enough!!"
Later, Yui choreographs the Ama-sans' back up dancing to their 'Shiosai no Memory' final act. Katsue has a hard time determining left from right while the rookie Amas complain about Yayoi's tendency to move towards the front stage. "When you're in front you stand out too much!" Yayoi: "Shut up!" Hiroshi: "Yayoi-san, please move to the back." Yayoi: "They're just imagining things. It's because I'm big that's why it seems I'm in front." Hiroshi: "Please move to the back." Yayoi: "Fine~." One night, Congressman Adachi Isao comes in Bar Rias muttering something about "campsite curry". He says for someone who had traveled a long way to a campsite, the curry he brought for his camping trip will taste even better. "I think it's the same with Yui-chan!" Yoshida: "What is he talking about?" Sugawara interprets it correctly. "A person who comes all the way to Kitasanriku via train just to pay to see a high school girl, makes it even more exciting?" Isao says: "That's right! That is why it's no good to go to Tokyo. Campsite curry is no good if it's not eaten in the campsite (Meaning: a local idol is not appreciated if she's NOT based in her own hometown)". Daikichi asks Haruko what she thinks. "Should Yui-chan go to Tokyo or should she be stopped?" Haruko: "You really wanna hear what I think? (She suddenly raises her voice) Who cares! Stay out of it!" Isao: "Amano!" Haruko: "Because Aki and I have finally arrived here and decided to stay and yet she's all "Tokyo! Tokyo!" dragging around her rolling luggage. While you guys go nuts trying to stop her! Will you be relying on Yui-chan forever? If she wants to go, then go and knock herself out!" She smiles sweetly and says, "Well, that's what I think. Sorry." The others laugh uncomfortably. Isao: "'Those who leave will not be pursued'." Haruko: "Eh?" The elderly statesman had quoted Natsu's favorite line. Haruko had not expect such a similar sentiment would unconsciously come out of her mouth. 'Could it be I am not so far off from my own mother?' She feels confused again. Meanwhile, for several nights, when she thinks Natsu and Haruko are asleep, Aki had been watching "Shiosai no Memory" again and again. With her headphones on, she doesn't hear her mother calling her name. Haruko sees her daughter crying while watching but says nothing. At the Rias, the next day, Haruko thanks Yoshida for letting her borrow the VHS tape, saying "it's been lying around the house" so she thought of returning it. Daikichi wants to borrow it too but Yoshida teases him saying "all you have at home is a Betamax player." Daikichi: "Don't be stupid! I bought a VHS player 20 years ago!" Sugawara: "20 years ago? It was only this year I got to buy a Hard Disc Recorder." And speaking of technology, they notice Ben has a new phone. The others are impressed because it was a smartphone which during the summer of 2009, was considered rare. Ben is the first person in Kitansanriku to have bought a smartphone, so from then on, they have acknowledged him as "Smart Ben." Then, Haruko mentions that she hasn't seen Hiroshi lately, and wonders if Yui is still holed up in her room. The guys tell her that Yui has been going in and out of her house for a week already. "You really didn't know? Aki-chan has invited Yui-chan to sing with her for 'Ama-sonic'...something like a revival of 'Shiosai no Memory'." "What?" Haruko asks, stabbing the chopping board with her knife, "She didn't tell me anything!" At the Ama Cafe, the show is about to start, and Ikeda and his crew are setting up as well. Aki has called Takuma to tell him all about it (Matsuda Ryuhei is rocking that suit! just sayin). Takuma, in his Tokyo office says: "What? You should have told me earlier, I could have gone to see it." Aki: "Sorry for the noise. Ikeda-san is also here. They're gonna broadcast it live." Takuma: "Send me a copy of the show. How's Yui-chan?" Aki: "She's really doing well! She also directed and choreographed the show." Takuma: "Really? That's great! Be sure to send me a copy of the show's highlights." The live broadcast has started. The TV reporter announces that Yui has finally returned and along with her "Shiosai no Memory" partner, Aki. The camera follows her inside the dark Cafe where the audience, made up of mostly wotas, excitedly wait for the show to start. At the Rias, Haruko watches the live event on TV with a scary grim look on her face. Later, Yui and Aki wait for their turn 'backstage' in their respective costumes. Aki: "I'm so nervous, how long has it been?" Yui: "The parlor train was in March so this is the first time in 5 months... Thank you, Aki-chan. You were the one who encouraged me before. I owe you again for today." Aki: "No, this is not about owing anything. It's about being friends. I really feel that I too have gotten something." Yui: "Really?" Aki: "This excitement before our act? I'm kinda liking it." Yui: "Me too." Aki: "I envy you, Yui-chan." Yui: "Why?" Aki: "Once you get to debut, you'll be able to experience this feeling every time." Then, Tamako, panting heavily in her costume - mustache and all, pops in and says she already warmed up the audience for them. Aki: "Thank you, Freddie!" The two girls wish each other good luck. The TV reporter introduces the much awaited finale. "Thank you for waiting! Here is the pride of Kitasanriku or shall we say Iwate Prefecture, the legendary idol unit, a revival of "Shiosai no Memory"! Today, let's listen to this special version, backed up by the Ama Club." Yui and Aki start singing their song with the Ama-sans dancing behind them. Hibiki, Isono-sensei and the rest of the audience are in ecstasy, dancing and singing along with the girls, while brandishing glow sticks and uchiwas. The wotas even added their own cheer to the song (srsly, it gave me the queasy kind of goosebumps (_ _,)/~~). Their cheer, which sounds like something Hibiki had thought up, goes like this: "Y! U! I! Love you! North Coast wonderland! Cute Yui, Jejejejeh~!... Yui, love you! Mamebu! Yamase*! Yui! Love! Aki is kinda cute too (lol)! Jejejejejeh~!" Meanwhile, Natsu who is manning the entrance senses a guest arriving. "Sorry, all tickets are sold out... Oh, Haruko!" Haruko says, sarcastically, "It's okay for me to go in right? Since I'm a parent and all." She goes in and watches the show from the back with arms crossed. The song ends and Aki is shocked to see her mother. There is a look of dread on her face as she watches Haruko slowly approach the stage.(*Yamase = northeasterly winds from the Pacific Ocean)
Ep. 65. 'Oh no, isn't she supposed to be at the Rias?' Aki thinks as she sees her mom in the audience. The song ends and the live broadcast has wrapped up as well. Haruko finally gets on stage to confront Aki. She slaps her hard across the cheek right in front of the audience. Aki falls down as everyone gasps in shock. "What's going on, Aki!" Yui: "No, you got it wrong!" Haruko: "No, I didn't! (To Aki) A promise is a promise. You said the parlor train will be the last. Why are you here prancing around?" Daikichi and Ikeda tries to calm Haruko down. "Please wait until the audience leaves for now." Haruko: "I don't want to! My own precious daughter being ogled by glaring eyes of men like them!" Hibiki: "We don't look at her like that!" Haruko: "Shut up! Four-eyes!" Hibiki: "I am not Four-eyes if I take off my glasses!" The audience start protesting. Daikichi again pleads with Haruko but she refuses. Haruko to Aki: "You said you had thought seriously about your future when you become a senior... Right, Sensei?" Embarrassed, Isono hesitated to answer being that he was caught watching in the audience. Then Aki speaks, "Why did you have to hit me? Why did you have to hit me out of the blue? In front of all these people... I have my own plan. What did you have to hit me for?" Natsu comes in Aki's defense, "That was certainly too much! This is Aki's workplace. Getting up on stage without even hearing her out and striking her, it's too much even for a parent!" Haruko, still unapologetic, pulls up Aki and addresses the fans: "Excuse me. Can you please not make such a fuss over her anymore? She is just a normal girl. Why is it? Can't Aki spend a normal high school life here any more?" Some people in the audience boos her. "Shut up, hag!" "Get outta here!" Haruko (looking like she could murder someone): "Did somebody call me a hag!? Who said that." Aki could only look on as the fans in the audience continue to hiss and shout.
Mother and daughter finally take the matter at home. Everyone is also there to help settle the issue. Aki is placing a cold compress on her cheek while Haruko tells her to quit exaggerating. "I just hit you a little." But Haruko finally admits that what she did was bad and says sorry.Haruko: "But I will never forgive you for going flighty on me."
Aki: "I’m not just going flighty without thinking. I have my own reason for being flighty."
Haruko: "Then what was it for?"
Yui says it for Aki, "It was to make me get out of the house... Because of the thing with Mizuguchi-san, I was depressed..."
Haruko tells Yui to keep quiet. "I'm asking Aki." Aki tells her what happened, that she indeed did it so Yui could feel better soon, and to help her practice and prepare til she gets to debut. Haruko says it's fine if it's for Yui but "you did not have to sing with her."
Aki: "It wasn't only that... I like singing, too... At first I didn't understand and felt uneasy wearing Ama clothes and selling unidonburi on board the train. They'd take pictures of me even when I wasn't doing anything... But when I got to sing with Yui-chan in the parlor train, I had fun. At that time, the audience was cheering and smiling, I couldn't forget it... It's like what I do as an Ama, I get to please a customer. That's right. It's a service industry! I realize that both Ama and an Idol work hard in making the guests happy."
Haruko: "And so? You haven't answered my question. For what purpose did you go flighty for?"
Aki stands up and declares: "I want to be an idol! I wanna sing, dance and dive to get the sea urchins and come back up to feed them!"
Haruko slaps Aki again, making her cry. Others are shocked: "Haruko-san!" Yui: "Auntie!"
Haruko (to Yui): "I'm not your Auntie! I am nobody's Auntie. (To Aki) Stop crying!"
Aki: "You slapped me, of course I will cry! Two slaps in a day, too!"
Haruko: "Of course I slapped you for saying such things."
Aki: "What about it?"
Haruko: "Because... it's stupid! You're going to be an idol who can sing, dance, dive and get the sea urchin to feed the fans!?"
Aki: "What I said was I will sing, dance and dive to get the sea urchin and THEN come back up to feed them!"
Haruko: "It's the same thing!"
Aki: "No it's not! If I don't come back up, I'll run out of the breath, right? It will be stupid to just dive and stay down there!"
Haruko grabs Aki's face with one hand, making her cry again. "Don't cry! (To the others) This daughter of mine is such a fool, isn't she? I'm telling you to think of your future more seriously!"
Aki: "I HAVE thought about it."
Haruko: "And THIS is the result of your thinking? How stupid... Isn't she, Sensei?
Isono: "Well, I uh, as a teacher in the Engineering Diving Department, I try to incorporate it... I mean, diving and singing... Ah!"
Aki rushes past Isono and out the door. "Aki, wait!" shouts Haruko.
Aki (to her mother): "YOU'RE stupid for saying I'm stupid! Stupid!... (Haruko and the rest are startled) I hate you! I REALLY hate you!" She runs off to the sea, leaving Haruko with her mouth agape.
Ironically, Aki goes to the former secret base of her mom, the beacon where Haruko would go, after fighting with her own mother when she was young. Aki sees the words that her Mom wrote many years ago, and angrily stomps on them.
At home, Haruko attributes Aki's behavior to her fascination with the movie "Shiosai no Memory." "Somehow I had a bad feeling about it. She would watch it every night after I go to sleep. From 12 midnight to 2 or 3 am, rewinding it sometimes while repeating the lines..." Natsu: "I've also seen it. She said, 'I wanna be like Suzuka Hiromi.'" Katsue: "Also at the Ama Cafe, she would talk about how cool Suzuka Hiromi is." Haruko: "Seriously?" Rokuro: "Suzuka Hiromi? The one in the railway poster?" Katsue: "Yes, she's doing a historical drama at a BS channel, portraying Shizuka Gozen*." Haruko: "I always thought one day she will say she wants to become an actress or something but I never thought she'd be that stupid...." At the Ama shop, Yui asks Aki if she really was serious. "Yes!" Yui: "When you said you 'want to become an idol,' the truth is you have really been thinking about it?" Aki: "I dunno... In a way, I was like trying to get back for what she said to me... Actually, I've also been thinking about it for a long time now." Yui: "Can't believe it, I wonder if it was my doing..." Aki: "I dunno. The parlor train and Ama Cafe were really fun... I just wanted to sing and dance and dive where people gathered and wanted to cheer everyone up. That's all I wanted. Yes. If that's what you call an idol, then so be it. If that's what an Ama is, then that's fine, too. (Laughs) Well, I don't think I can be an idol anyway." Yui: "That's not true... You can become one. Besides you already are one. Isn't the definition of 'idol' ambiguous? There are lots of self-styled idols out there. But I think we're different. Even today's event gathered 200 people, right? You're good enough for Tokyo." Aki: "Sorry. I can't go to Tokyo. I don't even have one good memory there, I also hated the schools there, I didn't have friends... My legs tremble just hearing the word Tokyo." Yui: "Even if I go with you?" Aki does not say anything. Then her phone rings...
It was Takuma, calling from the Tokyo office. "Aki-chan? I saw today's event. 'Ama-sonic.'" Aki: "Jeh! H-How?" Takuma: "Someone had uploaded it in a streaming site... The recording of the sound is not so good but you were able to convey your energy... I mean that was the only thing that was conveyed well but... the energy is all that matters, right? Futomaki-san is looking at it right now." Aki is speechless... Takuma: "Eh? What's the matter? Are you 'zekku'(2)? Jeh... Jehku?" Takuma laughs at his own pun. Aki asks to be excused for a bit, and tells Yui it's Takuma on the phone. "Eh? What did he say?" Aki tells her to wait and gets back on the phone. But this time she hears a different voice from the other end of the line. "Hello? Good day, this is Futomaki. Is this Yui-chan?" Aki: "Oh... it's Aki." Aramaki: "You're now on your summer vacation over there, right? Can you come to Tokyo?" Aki again is speechless. "Hello? Can you come over here?" Yui, realizing what is happening grabs the phone from Aki to talk to Aramaki herself. Natsu the Narrator: "The first time that Aki had rebelled against her mother, she received a phonecall inviting her to go to Tokyo."
(1. Shizuka Gozen = 12th century court dancer and one of the most famous women in Japanese history and literature)
(2. "Zekku" = loss for words)
Ep. 66. The next morning, there is a cold atmosphere at the dining room of the Amano home. Aki is aloofly avoiding her mother as they eat breakfast. Haruko tells her to quit acting up. "I already said sorry for striking you, didn't I?" Aki: "Then after you apologized, you hit me again." Haruko: "Only because you said something ridiculous." Natsu has had enough. "Stop it! Starting the day with an awkward mood... it's bad!" Haruko finishes up and goes to the kitchen. Aki mutters, "How childish... Shouldn't she just entrust her dream to her daughter?" Haruko overhears her and says, "What did you just say?... MY dream? Entrust it to YOU? Fool~! You're like a poor hunchbacked female monkey!" Natsu: "Haruko! (Aki starts crying) Don't cry!"
Later, at the Ama Cafe, Aki is lost in thought as Yui tries to explain to her about the plan to go to Tokyo. "That time (with Takuma), we were supposed to go south via Miyako by car through National Highway Route 45. But this time, we don't have a car, so we'll go through another route..." But Aki still has trouble following. Yui: "Aki-chan! This is important. Please listen properly. Futomaki-san said he wants to see us, right?" Meanwhile, the guys are still on alert, watching out for possible areas where the girls may 'escape.' They use the diorama to plan out a strategy to prevent the girls from leaving. Yoshida suggests placing CCTV cameras in several areas. Hiroshi: "Wait, isn't that a bit too much..." Yoshida: "Don't be slack about it!" Shiori: "Do you think it's possible they could outwit us and use the KitaTetsu?" "We can't use the KitaTetsu!" Yui tells Aki. "The final train leaves at 7:30." Aki: "What about the first train?" Yui says there will be many people at the train station who can catch them leaving at anytime - the trainstation master and his men, Aki's mom at the Rias, the regular customers and their acquaintances. Aki: "It's not possible." Yui: "It sure is. Those people always use the train." Aki is quiet, probably feeling a bit uneasy. Yui: "What's the matter?" Aki: "No nothing." At the train station, Aki tells Hiroshi that Yui still wants to go to Tokyo. Hiroshi apologizes for his sister. He asks what kind of producer Futomaki is like. Aki: "He's like Akimoto what's-his-name, and also Tsu..." Hiroshi: "Tsu...?" Aki: "Tsu... Tsunku♂?" Hiroshi: "I think he's more higher-up than that Tsunku something guy. Maybe I know more than you do lol!" Aki: "But we've managed fine with the KitaTetsu and the Tourism Office even without any producers." Hiroshi: "Well, if you can work here, then it's good. But if you can do it in Tokyo... (Aki gives a disagreeable look) Don't you wanna go?" Aki nods her head, "But Yui-chan wants to go. For her sake, I should give in... I think I can make it there somehow if I'm with Yui-chan. But I'm not gonna run away forever. Eventually, mom will probably no longer oppose it. I was so uncool in my hometown." Hiroshi: "Hometown?" Aki: "For me, Tokyo is my hometown. When everyone cheers for me and I feel so proud about myself... I can hear the voice at the back of my mind that say 'You were so uncool in your hometown...' Stop it! I didn't come to this rural town to run away from it! I can do it in my hometown, too... Yes, I shall overcome. Oh no! Somehow I unknowingly admitted that we ARE planning on going to Tokyo..." Hiroshi: "I think you're cool." Aki: "I am? I feel guilty telling it to you. You also lost out and came back from Tokyo, right, Stove-san? You were a defeated man." Hiroshi: "Man? Yeah, I came back after two months. As a dejected loser, I've been working hard to heal the emotional scars.... So when are you leaving?" But Aki decides to clam up: "I can't just tell you that!" Hiroshi tells Daikichi and Sugawara about his talk with Aki. Daikichi: "Yui's not leaving yet?" Hiroshi: "Yes, but as we thought, she HAS been planning about it." Daikichi: "What about Aki-chan?" Hiroshi: "She's still wondering about a few stuff." Sugawara: "Well, most likely they won't be leaving tonight." Aki meets up with Yui at the Ama Cafe. Yui informs her that they'll be taking the late night bus for Tokyo tonight, and she has already bought tickets for them. She also tells her they mustn't bring any luggage with them or else, they'll be found out. "Instead this is the most that we could bring." She shows her hand bag. "We will take the last train to the Kitasanriku Main Station. That'll be from 7:30 until the bus leaves at 9. If no one sees us in that span of time (one and half hour), then we win." Aki: "Eh? We're leaving today already?... Can I stop by my home once? It's not for anything but I can't just leave empty-handed." Yui: "I have extra money." Aki: "I wanna see Obaa-chan's face, at least." Yui: "Okay. I'll wait for you at the station." At the Rias, Yayoi, her husband Atsushi, Daikichi and Haruko recall the day Haruko left 25 years ago. Yayoi: "I was really surprised to see you inside the train lol!" Daikichi: "Was Natsu at the station at that time?" Yayoi says she wasn't there. "She was out at the beach getting seaweed for her miso soup." Daikichi asks Haruko if Natsu had talked about that day. Haruko: "Who knows, it's a wonder." Yayoi: "Hasn't she forgotten it? After all, it's already 25 years ago." Haruko: "I still remember it though. I'll try to ask Natsu-san next time." Aki arrives home seeing her Grandma already sleeping.
Natsu wakes up. "I fell asleep..."
Aki: "Go ahead and sleep."
Natsu: I'm fine, do you want me to fix you something?"
Aki: "I'm okay with this unidonburi." Points at the left-over ones on the table.
Natsu: "Aren't you tired from eating that?"
Aki: "No, unidonburi tastes good."
Natsu: "You really ARE a good kid, Aki." She lies back on her futon.
Aki: "Are you tired?"
Natsu: "I'm okay. Misuzu, Katsue and I did a lot of diving today. My calves are so tight! Three groups will be arriving tomorrow."
Aki: "Must be hard."
Natsu: "Why say that? lol You make it sound like it has nothing to do with you."
Aki (very softly): "Sorry." She sadly begins eating, her back to Natsu.
Natsu: "Thanks to you. We're a big success every day. I could just shout for joy." (TT______TT)
Hearing that, Aki starts crying as she eats her unidonburi. Memories of the year and a month of her stay in Kitansanriku come flooding back into her mind. After she finishes her bowl, she asks Natsu if she could have another one. But Natsu has already fallen asleep. Aki looks at her sleeping Grandma for a moment, gets one bowl and leaves. Next, she's on her way to meet Yui, riding the last train to the main station, sobbing while eating her Obaa-chan's beloved unidonburi.
Next: Week 12 (Part 1)
Previous: Week 11 (Part 1)
Episode Index: Link
Character Guide: Link
