Amachan: Week 17 (Episode Guide)

[earth_colors]

Week 17: "I can't stop the sadness/loneliness"

"If it wasn't for your song, I wouldn't have been born, right?"


Episode Summaries:

Ep. 97. Aki is having dinner with her father at their place in Setagaya. Masamune is thrilled to have his daughter around for a change and encourages her to stay longer. Actually, Aki is only there to listen more to the story on how her parents managed to hook up. Masamune continues Haruko's story...

In 1990, a young Masamune is startled to see Amano Haruko again. Without saying anything about their previous encounter, he does what he was told - to drive her to Ueno Station. He tries to strike a little conversation with her until he drops her off at her destination... However, as he was turning back, he sees her again, hailing a cab. He gives her a ride one more time, back to Setagaya. Curious, as to why she changed her mind, Masamune still could not say anything.

But along the way, a "miracle" happened. The song, "Shiosai no Memory" starts playing on the radio, and he starts singing along with it, and praising the song and its singer. Haruko looks irritated, and orders him again to "take me back to Ueno. I'm going home." Then, Masamune finally admits he knew her, that she was the real singer of the song...

The two talk about it at Kai's coffee shop. They both feel relieved that finally there's someone they could talk to about this secret. Haruko, still wants to return to Tohoku but Masamune says he is a fan of hers and implores her to stay. "Your songs encouraged me that it made me work hard up to now... There are many people in Tokyo who need your songs!"

Masamune tells Aki that's how their relationship started. After that incident, he and Haruko dated for two years, got married, and after one year, had Aki. Aki is so impressed with her Dad.
Later she calls up Haruko to tell her about how she finds how cool it was that her mom is the real singer. She also asks Haruko the reason why she changed her mind about returning to Kitasanriku that day in 1990. But Haruko could not remember why. Aki also tells her mom she wants to become like her. "If it wasn't for your song, I wouldn't have been born, right? That's why I wanna sing songs that will reach a person's heart. Even just one song, even if doesn't sell, as long as I can reach one person, then I would have become like you." A teary-eyed Haruko smiles, touched by her daughter's loving words.

Ep. 98. In Kitasanriku, Daikichi's marriage prospects seem to be looking up as he spends more time in the Amano house. He is having his "second breakfast" with Haruko and her parents. Haruko, whose mind is still on Aki's question, asks Natsu if she remembered what happened some 20 years ago when Haruko called Natsu from a pay phone in Ueno on that day she was supposed to go home. "You seemed to have said something that made me change my mind." However, Natsu could not remember either.

Aki continues to work as Suzuka's assistant. After a TV interview promoting a new movie, Suzuka is in a light drunken mood at Burai Sushi, complaining about the lack of varied roles for her. She says she only gets the usual types of mother roles. And speaking of mothers, Suzuka asks Aki what her mother is like. Aki, caught by surprise by the sudden inquiry, stammers while explaining that Haruko is a good singer, who had dreamt to be an Idol once in Tokyo. Suzuka surmises that since her mother's dream did not come true, then she wishes her daughter to fulfill it for her. Somehow, that thought bothered Aki. "If my Mom who is a great singer and was really pretty, couldn't make it in this industry, how can I...?" Afterwards, Taneichi talks to Aki for the first time since she got back. He asks how Yui is, and learns what she looked like after he sees her pic dressed up as a Yankii on Aki's cell phone. He is appalled by her looks and finds it "lame" but Aki scolds him. "She already went back to her old self, you know. Just learn to deal with it!"

Aki gets home, and finds the girls in the living room, having a meeting. Anbe is also in the kitchen, making mamebu. She tells the girls that she is tasked to participate in an Iwate Food Exhibition soon, and the girls agree to help her out. They also talk about Arima Megu who has not come home lately (Earlier, Megu had told Aki that she is moving to her boyfriend's apartment and that Aki can have her old bunk bed back). As Shiori contemplates on how they could utilize Megu's "fall" to GMT's advantage, Masamune arrives to tell them some big news...

Ep. 99. Mizuguchi announces that Futomaki is finally making a song for GMT. However, the catch is, Megu will be the singer while GMT will be her back-up. The girls are a bit disappointed that it wasn't a "real debut." But at least, they get to finally have a song of their own. The "debut" single seems to be a rock/techno song called "Jimoto ni Kaerou (Let's Go Back to the Hometown). The girls begin rehearsing the dance moves for the half-finished song. Futomaki, who insists on making the dance moves first before finishing the song, rehearse with the GMT girls and Megu. Aki learns that Megu had lied about "staying with her boyfriend." Megu who is determined to get out of the Hole, had pretended to be lax, and had apparently been staying at a company-owned condo, and rehearsing at the Hole the whole time. The girls continue their dance "rehearsals" for the song (and while they're at it, Aki, Eren, Shiori, and Mana have finished high school). One day, after one of their rehearsals, Aki sees Hiroshi who had come to Tokyo for the Iwate Food Exhibition. She introduces him to Shiori and Mana who find him handsome if were not for his accent and gloomy demeanor. Hiroshi also finds out Taneichi is working near Aki's workplace and is disturbed by it.

Aki goes to her usual nightly session with Suzuka at Burai Sushi. Suzuka, a bit drunk as usual, is kinda talkative than normal. She begins to talk about the time when she was dating guys, and reveals that Futomaki was one of them. Aki who feels queasy about this personal revelation, forces herself to listen...

Suzuka says she secretly dated Futomaki at the time when she decided to become independent. She also told Aki that around that time (1990), there was a wanna be Idol that he was trying to help. This woman wanted to sing Suzuka's song "Shiosai no memory" and got turned down. "That woman sure had a lot of guts," Suzuka says, still annoyed by the memory. "There was no way I would approve of such a thing!" Suzuka speculates that his personal feelings for her (Suzuka) led to this woman's dream to be crushed. "That is why I think he imposed the Love Ban rule among his talents." Aki feels an overwhelming sadness as she realizes that the woman Suzuka was referring to was Aki's mother.

A somber Aki comes home to the dorm. Hiroshi, Mizuguchi and the girls are eating sample unidon that Anbe had made for the Exhibition. Still remembering her mom's sad and unlucky fate, Aki starts crying as she eats her favorite unidon.

"No matter how many times you rise up, you'll fall back down to the Hole."

Ep. 100. Aki and the girls dress up as Ama-sans while helping out in promoting the Iwate Food Exhibition. During her break, she and Hiroshi go to Harajuku to visit the coffee shop where her Mom used to work. They find it and meet a much older Kai, who had trouble paying attention to Aki's introduction, at first. He is surprised nevertheless to learn that Aki is Haruko's daughter. Learning that Aki is a member of GMT (of which he is a fan of), he naturally assumes that Aki is trying to achieve her mother's unfulfilled wish. This again makes Aki feel sad.

After the Exhibition event is over, Aki bids goodbye to Hiroshi at Ueno station. However, before leaving, Aki tells him the truth: that she had seen his mom in Ueno with a man. "I'm sorry for not telling you sooner!" Hiroshi is surprised and hurt but manages to smile and says he'll pretend he did not hear it.

Eventually, the song "Let's Go Back to the Hometown" is finally finished. The final song arrangement turns out to be a ballad. The girls eagerly listen to the copy of the song as Mizuguchi gets called by Futomaki in his office. Apparently, some bad news has come up. Megu had been caught by a paparazzi getting in a hotel with her boyfriend. Her scandalous pix are now all over the tabloids. A very disappointed Futomaki says he's letting go of Arima Megu since this was her third offense. But it also means, GMT's debut will also be cancelled. A frustrated Mizuguchi tries to reason with him, and asks him to not let the girls suffer because of Megu's doing. However, Futomaki says he has already made his decision and that is all.

Just then, an upset Aki comes to confront Futomaki. She has learned of the cancellation, and just like Mizuguchi, finds the decision unfair. Futomaki tells her in front of everyone that, without Arima Megu, GMT will not sell and that he will not waste money on promoting such an unpromising venture. But Aki does not believe this is the reason why he keeps GMT from debuting.
"Is it because I'm the daughter of Amano Haruko?" she asks him, boldly. Futomaki seems infuriated that she would dare mention such an accusation in front of him. He looks at her straight in the eye and coldly replies, "That's right."

Ep. 101. Futomaki confirms Aki's worst suspicion. "As long as you are in the group, GMT cannot debut." He lets Aki and Mizuguchi inside his office so he could talk to them alone. The girls and Kawashima, who are curious about this strange exchange, could only watch them through the glass doors outside the office.

Inside, Futomaki tells Mizuguchi the secret regarding Haruko being the real singer behind "Shiosai no Memory". He even let him listen to the cassette tape of Suzuka's original, off-key singing. Mizuguchi who says he has perfect pitch, grimaces in pain as he listens to Suzuka's song (Futomaki however, seems delighted in torturing him by increasing the volume of the "music"). Futomaki declares that he will do anything to keep this secret safe to protect Suzuka. He also tells Aki it would be better if she'd go work for another company. "As long as you're in here, I will kill your chances. No matter how many times you rise up, you'll fall back down to the Hole."

With that, Aki decides to quit. The girls are not even allowed to know why, and they vent their frustration and anger at Mizuguchi. That night, Aki has a strange dream wherein a Young Haruko came and visited her in the dorm. Suzuka as Shizuka Gozen also came to her dream. She and Young Haruko bicker about the song, waking Aki up, drenched in sweat. Then her phone rings. It is Haruko, asking how she is. Aki, upset, goes downstairs, and cries on the phone. She tells her mom she has been fired. "I wanna go home," Aki tells her, in between sobs. "I can come home, right?" Haruko may be worried about her, but for some reason, says "No."

Ep. 102. Haruko tells Aki to try hanging in there. "You'll regret it if you come home. If you won't (regret it), then I will!" Haruko reminds Aki that this was the reason why she opposed Aki's plan to go to Tokyo in the beginning, and that she was acting so naive about it. "If you felt half-hearted about it to begin with, then you shouldn't have pushed through with it! ...(If you come home) The past that you wanted to erase will follow you as long as you live! Are you okay with that?!" Aki is too upset to hear her mother out, she hangs up on her.

Haruko puts down the phone, and feels troubled. Natsu who got awakened by Haruko's scoldings, gets up and asks Haruko what happened. Haruko says nothing but in her mind, she is finally reliving a similar phone conversation she had with Natsu some 20 years ago...

1990. After five years of trying unsuccessfully to become an Idol, Young Haruko is ready to come home to Kitasanriku. For some reason, she decides to call Natsu first to let her know of her intention to come home. "Thought I'd come home and look for an office job there," Haruko says to Natsu via a pay phone. "Or maybe find a husband." However, Natsu is cold to her, and gave her the Amano brand of "rough motherly love treatment" by rejecting her outright. "You're neither my daughter nor an idol. So who are you then? If you give up after trying just for 5 short years, you shouldn't have tried in the first place. What? Work in an office and get married? Don't you feel ashamed!? We are not mother and daughter anymore." Young Haruko shouts back in tears, "Enough!" and hangs up the phone...

The next day, Haruko's mind is still on Aki. She worriedly asks Hiroshi at Cafe Rias how Aki is really doing. Hiroshi answers that even though Aki is living in an old dorm compound, she is doing well. But Haruko informs him and the others that Aki had been fired, and was crying on the phone last night. The guys tell her it'll be all right since Aki can come back home and be an Idol again in Kitasanriku. But Haruko hates the idea, and decides to go to Tokyo herself. She says a hasty goodbye to Natsu who seem fine with letting her go this time. But Daikichi is panicking, of course and attempts futilely to stop her from leaving.

Hours later, Haruko arrives in Tokyo, and goes straight to Burai Sushi where Aki is getting treated to a farewell dinner by Suzuka, along with Mizuguchi. Aki has formally told Suzuka she is quitting showbiz and will be going back to Kitasanriku. However, Suzuka is also not told the reason why. Then, their conversation gets interrupted by the surprise arrival of Haruko.

Next: Week 18

Previous: Week 16

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Character Guide: Link