This seemed like a preparation episode to me, in the sense that it’s preparing you for bigger things (the ending?). But it does give you a delightful insight into the minds of Takemoto, Morita (Shinobu) and Hagu. Bittersweet

Lying in a grassfield, we get a Shinobu flashback. Shinobu’s father is president of a company called Morita’s Synthesis Technology Research Centre. A worker is looking for him, but can’t find him. He can’t understand why Morita is missing, since morita insisted that he finish a job by 8, or face horrible punishment. Another worker proclaims that morita has gone home. The worker then ask what will happen to the company presentation set for the next morning. Yet another worker says he overheard morita going home saying they’re eating curry tonight.

Back at Morita’s house, Morita the father is showing shinobu and kaoru a cute little robot his company designed, which shinobu proceeds to proclaim as lame. But shinobu agrees with his father that the robot is cute, and together, they enjoy a lovely dinner of curry, with little shinobu acting like he always has.

Meanwhile, Takemoto is back at his gigantic sculpture project. This time round, he understands that a large sculture requires an even larger scaffolding. Everyone seems amazed at Takemoto’s bicycle trip, but to Takemoto, it was simply an endless exercise of peddaling. Left. Right. Left. Right.

Hagu is in the library looking at a book of a marble sculpture. She admires it’s smoothness, and also wonders about the marble required to make the sculpture. We then get a peep into Hagu’s mind. Inside Hagu’s mind, are many boxes of ideas. When she opens one, she has to chase down what’s inside, and struggle with it. She wants to open every single box, but that would take too much time. However… if there was someone she could work together with…

Shuuji comes to Hagu’s side, and points out that the sculpture is Rodin’s Gates of Hell, which is based on Dante’s work, Inferno, where people abandon their hopes beforee entering Hell. Similarly, Hagu’s favorite artist Gustave Dore also did a piece based on the same work. To Shuuji, something must have been troubling these artists.

Hagu wanted to ask shuuji something, but decides against it. Later in private, Hagu reflects that she has not right to take away Shuuji’s life.

At Fujiwara design, mayama is here to visit, bearing a letter. Everyone is surprised that in the magazine is a photo of Rika bear-hugged by Mac Carlos (a spanish architec) And rika didn’t look very well. Apparently Mac Carlos is stalking Rika, hence a SOS msg to Mayama. To Miwako though, she doesn’t know if Mac Carlos would be more dangerous, or Mayama himself.

Thus everybody is worried about what will happen to Rika, and miwako points out that Rika looks horribly thinner. But mayama says he is well prepared, and brings out a rice cooker… and many other ingridients. When mayama mentions that he is bringing soumen, the rest mentions the lack of spices. Miwako even suggests adding Mint Leaf or Lemon Balm.

This causes mayama to mention that those things sound like they are from Yamada’s special menu, and would NEVER feed Rika those things. All this while everybody is trying to warn mayama that Yamada is just behind him. Yamada proceeds to hammer him with a gigantic bento. But she ends up offering the advice of bringing radish as a spice.

yamada leaves, but once again, nomiya follows, with the excuse of bringing leader on a walk. Nomiya asks Yamada to admit that she actually wanted him to chase after her. Yamada denies, and asks Nomiya to stop looking at her like that. But Nomiya understands what Yamada is thinking, and tells her that she did well while at fujiwara design, remaining calm.

Meanwhile, Morita watches Hagu work, but leaves without saying anything. Shuuji arrives and asks him to talk to her. And if they don’t talk now, their paths will simply seperate. Morita replies that he can’t help it. In fact, they were never close to start with. This totally puzzles shuuji, and he wonders what morita is thinking.

*insert song* + reflection of all the characters

At the end of the episode, the normal group is together again, minus Mayama and Morita. Yamada suggests a trip to the beach, and paints a glorious picture of what it would be like. But through Takemoto, we learn that they never did go to the beach, nor was there any photos. But that very imagination of being at the beach together, remains with everyone of them.

Thoughts

Ha! What irony. I was just reflecting of how as I grow older, so many of my friends seem to be drifint away, and I seem so helpless to stop it. And here comes takemoto, talking about how it seems to be the end of the group. I REALLY DON’T WANT THE END TO COME!

I’m most comfortable with the stories revolving around Yamada, because I don’t really understand what Takemoto, Morita and Hagu are thinking.

I was quite surprised that Hagu’s first thought was Shuuji, and not one of the other two guys. But her priority of the art works, does shine through.

We also get more explaination of what Morita is doing. Quite unfortunate. And Takemoto is getting stronger too, able to stand on his own. maybe because I’m a sucker for love stories, I find it quite painful that Hagu, Takemoto and Morita will possibly end up apart, because of persuing the things that are more important to them.

Very bittersweet.