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ローゼンメイデン 
Wow at the ending of this episode. I never expected that one although it'll be weird if it turns out to be true. I just don't see how the series will end if the main antagonist is already gone before the end of the series. Apart from that, however, I think that this is probably the most disappointing episode thus far. I just don't like the mood of the episode in general and there doesn't seem to be much plot left. With only 4 more episodes left, I really hope that the writers will speed up the pace a little bit and finally reveal some backstories. They really need to stop teasing us (or creeping us) with Takeru's backstory and just get straight to the point. I also think they need to tone down the use of Prisoner of Love as a theme song. I personally love the song but after hearing it for the umpteenth time, it does get a bit repetitive. Plus, I don't like the slow version that they use in the series in comparison to the normal one used in the opening.
In response to Takeru's confession, Ruka apologizes because she can't respond to his feelings. Takeru immediately guesses that Ruka has someone else that she likes and assures her it's okay because he already knew. Ruka then leaves the place, deciding not to tell Takeru her real problem. When Takeru reminds her that she was going to say something, she just asks him to be nice to Michiru on her behalf since she gets irritated at Michiru easily these days. Before the two enter the house, Ruka asks Takeru if they'll stay the way they used to and she can still him as usual. Takeru confirms this. Once they get inside, they find Ogurin and Eri playing Wii Kart that Ogurin purchased in Akihabara earlier. Eri also tell them that she won a lottery and the prize is 6 tickets to go to the zoo. They wonder who they'll give the extra ticket to though. Meanwhile, Takeru thinks to himself that if he were by Ruka's side, he'd just become her burden since he'd have to show his painful expression. He, however, believed that Ruka felt the same way. The next day, Ruka approaches Hayashida, asking him for a favor. As it turns out, the favor is to pretend to be her date on the day when the 5 housemates go out for picnic.
The housemates are surprised especially after Ruka claims that this is the guy that she likes for a long time. During the trip, Takeru looks really miserable but he gets a bigger shock when he sees his sister along with her husband and child. Takeru immediately turns away and tries to calm himself at a quiet location. Michiru who sees this follows him and asks him if he's okay. When Eri and the others notice that Ruka and Michiru are not with them anymore, Ruka think it's okay since things might have gone well between the two of them. Later on, Eri and Ogurin are seen lining up for roller coaster. Ogurin admits that he hasn't been into one of these things ever since he became an adult. In his excitement, he tries to take a picture of himself and Eri but Eri remind him that the picture could be use as a proof of his affair during his trial. Meanwhile, Takeru and Michiru are already back home, wondering if the others are having dinner together. Michiru tells Takeru if he has any problem, she'd be willing to listen since he helped her before. Takeru thanks her but claims that he was just tired before since he's been overworked. The rest of the housemates then come back to the house bringing an Omiyage for Michiru.
The Omiyage turns out to be a cake to celebrate Michiru returning to the shared house. Michiru is touched and tells them that she's always afraid of being alone and wanted someone close to her that it's okay to be 'here'. Hayashida then comes to the house, bringing 6 western style bentou from Kitchen Macaroni, upsetting Takeru in the process. He becomes even more disappointed when Ruka decides to use his mug to serve a coffee for Hayashida. That night, Takeru can be seen looking upset in his room while Michiru goes to Ruka's room to tell her that she's going to break up with Sousuke. When Ruka suggests that she or Eri should tell the guy, Michiru tells her that she wants to do it herself since it's not good to rely on other people. The next day, Michiru goes to Sousuke house but instead of coming in, she cleverly calls him through her mobile, telling the guy he wants to break up. Sousuke is upset to hear this and wonders if she's been brainwashed by those in the shared house. He claims they'll leave Michiru alone later on. In response Michiru tells Sousuke that she loses herself when she's with him. Sousuke thinks that's a good thing (!) and that he too thinks of nothing but Michiru.
Michiru tells Sousuke that she doesn't want this. She wants to think for herself and live on her own. When Sousuke claims that he doesn't understand what she's talking about, Michiru points out that Sousuke hits her when she does something that she wants. To her, this means Sousuke cares more about him than about her. Sousuke tries to deny this but Michiru thinks it's over and she wants to break up with him. She then ends the conversation and leave the area. At the motorcross area, the racers have gathered in front of the change area. As it turns out, Sousuke has posted the same message about Ruka being a monster that likes other girls in her workplace. Ruka is shocked to see this and rips off the message. She claims that it's just something that Michiru's ex-boyfriend posted and there's no truth to it. Meanwhile, Michiru is just on her way from Sousuke's apartment when she meets her bitchy, ex-coworker. Her co-worker thinks she lives with Sousuke and remarks how nice it must be for Michiru to have her life set. Meanwhile, Eri asks Ogurin if he'd like to go see a concert with her tomorrow but Ogurin refuses, claiming that he has to work overtime tomorrow.
Sousuke is at his workplace, watching over the kid whose mother never comes home. When the kid tells him that he's hungry, he decides to inspect the house and finds the place filthy and filled with rubbish. Because the kid claims that he already eaten all foods in the house, Sousuke decides to take him back to his house and gives him a meal. During meal, the kid wonders if Sousuke's mother is around but he tells the boy that she's not. As for his girlfriend, Sousuke admits that she's not around anymore but he believes she'll come back. Meanwhile, Takeru is at his work, thinking about how the night before Ruka was going to tell him something else but she never get to do it. When he comes home, he sees her going straight to her room so he asks her if something happened. He assures her that she can tell him since they're friends. Unfortunately for him, Ruka throws her bag to the door, telling him that he's noisy. She claims there are things that people don't want to tell even until they die. Takeru is clearly upset to hear this so he retreats to his room and remembers how when he was a kid, his sister promised to give him something good but he must not tell their father. *shudder*
Takeru decides to go downstairs since he can't sleep but he finds Michiru crying in the kitchen so he decides to give her a space and goes back to his own room. The next day, the mood during breakfast is awkward so Eri and Michiru asks Ruka if there's something wrong but Ruka denies this, claiming that she hasn't been able to get good record in her race. When Michiru mentions that she broke up with Sousuke, she pretends not to care and decides to go to work. After Ruka left, Takeru asks Michiru if she cried last night because she remembers Sousuke. Michiru admits that when she thinks that she can't no longer go back to Sousuke she feels sad even though in reality, her time with him was hellish. Takeru admits he understands because he's had similar experience. He had a person that he used to like but then he started to hate that person. He assures her it'll be okay and things will change slowly. She'll find someone else, make new friends, and slowly her wounds will become smaller. Upon hearing this, Michiru leans her head on Takeru, wondering if it's okay for her to like him. Takeru doesn't give an answer but he gently puts his hand on Michiru's shoulder, offering assurance.
Unknown to them, Ruka has observed this since she has gone back to retrieve her mobile phone. Ruka tries to get out quietly but accidentally hit a pot of flowers on her way out, alerting Michiru and Takeru. Upon seeing her mobile not in the chair anymore, Takeru understands that Ruka saw them. The episode ends with Michiru narrating how the bonds between people are truly fragile. Love is broken easily just like a light snowfall. On a reflection, she realized that back then the time she spent with Ruka and the amount of happy time she had left, was a lot less than she had expected. Meanwhile, Eri is passing by the airport lobby when she spots Ogurin talking happily with his wife. Eri seems disappointed with this but decides to shoulder on and pretends that she didn't see them. Elsewhere, Sousuke is walking with the kid that he took care of the other day when the kid spots his mother across the train track. Although the train is coming, the kid decides to cross the road. Sousuke immediately drops his groceries and goes after the kid, trying to get him off the train tracks. When he manages to grab the kid, however, the train is already speeding his way.
Impression
This is the reason why it's not a good the idea to share house/apartment with someone that a person know he/she will like romantically. The minute a person does this, he/she will mess up the dynamic of the shared house, making things weird and uncomfortable for everyone. The only exception to this is when the two people were already a couple before they share the place. Having said that, unless Takeru did this, he would have no way of getting closer to Ruka. Moreover, I guess he didn't know that his attempt would be shot down immediately. It was rather flippant of Ruka to ask Hayashida to be her date not long after she told Takeru that she likes someone else but I guess Ruka felt the need to cover up her tracks. However, for her to actually use Takeru's cup to provide coffee for Hayashida was just needlessly cruel, especially after she said that she wants things to be the way it used to be between them. What Ruka did in this episode will just drive Takeru away from her. Anyway, this is not the development that I want for Takeru. I just want to know what actually happened between Takeru and his sister although I wonder if that'll just creep me out even more.
As for Michiru and Sousuke, it turns out what Michiru said about her losing sight of herself when she's with Sousuke was true after all. I just didn't expect Sousuke to feel the same. It's been said that when two people are in a relationship, they're suppose to let go some part of themselves and think more of the others. However, I'm sure when someone said that, they don't mean it to the extent that Michiru and Sousuke have done in their relationship. It's good to see Michiru starting to realized this. In a lot of ways, the pregnant Michiru at the start of this series is really grown up version of her old self. She lives on her own at a coastal town with no one to rely on and despite her fear of being lonely, she seems to cope well with it. Although technically, she's not lonely since she has a baby on her way. In some way, the baby will later provided the assurance that Michiru needs in her life. At the moment, however, she seems pretty happy to latch on to the nicest person in the house, this being Takeru. I think neither of them actually love one another. They're just feeling lost and vulnerable at the moment that they end up feeling closer to one another.
As for Sousuke, I'm surprised that he's been nothing but kind towards that kid. I really didn't expect him to run out of nowhere to save that kid from the train. Let's hope he die in peace. :P What? At least this way he'll die honorably instead of in a pathetic manner. If he dies here, people would at least remember that he's done one good thing in his life in saving that kid. If he dies in an attempt to kill one of the housemates, I don't think anyone will care to remember him at all. Unfortunately, I don't think he actually died in this episode since I think I saw him evading the train in a narrow gap between the train and the no-crossing bar. As for Eri, I feel sorry to see her upset when she finds out that Ogurin is probably back with his wife. At the same time, I'm also impressed with her ability to shrug things off and move on with her life as if nothing major had happened. What Michiru said about how relationship is really fragile is very true. The thing about relationship is that sometimes we assume the worst about the relationship even though that's probably not the case. In Eri's situation, it's possible that Ogurin probably just amicably chatting to his wife but has no intention on going back to her.
Poll
What's your policy on house sharing? Would you share a house with someone that you have a crush on? Would you share with friends and risk the friendship in the process because you get to see each other's unpleasant sides even more than usual? Or do you prefer to share house with strangers/family just to avoid the complications?
Preview
Next week's episode: Uh-oh. It looks like Eri'll find out Ruka's secret website.
To answer the poll: I used to think it would be nice to share a place with my best friend or something, but I'm glad I never had the opportunity to, because there are just some things I would rather not know or deal with. Sometimes when sharing a place with somebody close can turn into a nightmare and best friends can become enemies =_= So then to answer if I would share a place with someone I like... unless it's an actual relationship, I don't think it would be a good idea to live with them.
For this episode, I do agree about it being really disappointing. I was not exactly impressed by the dynamics of this particular episode and felt that the series went from good to a bit too soap-like cliche... (not exactly sure how to explain it, but I think the episode could have been better if the creators changed some things).
And yes, the writers do need to stop teasing/creeping us out about Takeru's past. We know something's up and it's just about time we find out exactly what. I think the fact that we still don't know the exact details from this episode kind of increased the disappointment I felt from watching it.
Also about the ending...
I hope the next episode picks up the pace and gets better...
I don't understand how Sosuke can be nice to the kid but completely psycho to Michiru. I kept covering my eyes while watching, thinking he'd hit that kid as well but it never happpened.
About house-sharing, I actually prefer to live on my own and thankfully I do have the budget to afford it. I shared a dormitory with a bunch of people when I was at uni and didn't find that to be that fun. Maybe different stroke for different people?
I wish I could live on my own. I'm an introvert/recluse and am incredibly OCD about keeping the place clean. I am sick of my roommate who leaves sh*t everywhere, promises to clean and doesn't, eats my food, has loud sex, etc. etc. All that, despite trying to talk to her! I think if I HAD to live with someone I would prefer to live with someone I didn't really know who was super clean and respectful rather than some hottie who can't take care of themselves (but I wouldn't like that type of person anyway).
I would never share a place with friends. Like Hisaya said it can quickly turn into a battle ground, even with a bf or gf. Unless its family or recently married, you're forced to accommodate but when its friends/strangers its like 'screw you I don't need to put up with this sh*t!'.
This is why I hated the whole dorm experience @_@
It might be tempting to share a house with somebody that you're attracted to - especially if you become fixated on the image of evolving domestic bliss - but it's a bad idea and not for me...
Even with friends, it really depends upon the character of the friendship - if one or both persons hold idealised views of the other - then living together will lead to strife, and disproportionate damage even over seemingly trivial things... there is no such thing as co-habiting without conflict - so being with people that you can comfortably and happily squabble with (family or not) is safest!
Yeah, the mood of this ep was really awkward than usual. And I hate what Ruka did to Takeru. She totally didn't have to make an even bigger rift between them. And couldn't she have just brought along her little bro to the theme park? sigh...
And I'll admit this now, but I think I can kinda understand why he's so nice to the little boy and hurt Michiru. Little boy reminds him of himself, so he can obviously sympathize with him. Michiru is someone he loves, and when something doesn't happen the way one wants, we all have different ways of dealing with it. Obviously the way Sosuke handles anger and controlling Michiru is wrong, but I think it's just that he really loves her too much, and we all know that love either makes or breaks you.
lol sorry if that made no sense. But I think that's what I...think.
For your questionaire, my answer is: I can barely share a house with family, it'll be impossible to share with total strangers/friends XD Crush isn't even something to think about, because he's just that, a Crush. I can't even say that I like him, how could we live under one roof? ^^;; So hopefully someday very soon, I can move out and live on my own...
hmmm i felt irritated to see what ruka did to takeru. i was yelling at the computer "y should u do this to takeru!!"
i dont agree with ruka act, because she said, just be like before. but she annoyed takeru. perhaps she dont want takeru to like her anymore. but the treat is truly cruel.
hm....sousuke? no comment.
michiru? im glad she's growing up. hehe
to answer to your question.
i would like to share house with people that im comfortable with. not all my family members behave like me..so its hard also. i prefer to stay with friends that know my life style and is ok with that. im lucky for the time being, my housemates are all good =D. keep the house and refrigerator clean
After graduating I shared house with a couple of my friends and now I'm sharing house with strangers. I can safely say I'd rather share house with friends.
Perhaps it's because right now my housemates aren't the type of people I normally hang out with. I don't have interest in the things they like and vice versa, so conversations die easily, especially since I'm not really a talkative or extrovert person. As a result I end up spending most of my time in my room, clicking away on the net, or out with friends.
When living with friends, we can relax together. Going home feels really like going home. And since we've known each other for years, we know our unpleasant sides already to be able to put up with it.
I think the most important thing about sharing house is really hygiene. Once you have a slob for a housemate, that's usually where the feud starts.
But I will not share house with someone I have a one-sided crush on. Not that masochistic. Used to have a crush on a friend who lives a block away (and therefore we hang out a lot like going to dinner/convenience store together, or borrowing each other's stuffs, or just visit each other's house). Fun at times, agonizing at times.
I don't think Sousuke is going to die yet since we still haven't seen his back story. And I personally wouldn't want him to die yet either simply because I want to see what it is that makes him snap with Michiru. As for Takeru, i think you're right and the producers should give us the low down on his relationship with his sister. It's got to be somewhere along the lines of child abuse or something as strange as your theory. I wonder who's going to die in the end? Could it also be Michiru? I mean it's not impossible for the scenes at the start of the show to be scenes of a dead but peaceful Michiru remembering her past..
As for your poll, I think it would be better to stay with your friends. It beats the paranoia of living with someone you hardly know. But the ideal for me is really living alone.
@pohdo
I so agree with you on the Sousuke thing. My theory is also that he mirrors himself with the little boy, and possibly mirrors Michiru to his mother. Not to say that he's got a mother complex, but it's more of a close female relationship thing. As a child, Sousuke was powerless to keep his mother from leaving him for another man, so now that he is an adult, he has more power to keep Michiru from leaving him in a way.
I also think Sousuke will never hit Naoya, the little boy, because the two are very alike. If anything, Naoya might grow up to be another Sousuke, because their backgrounds seem fairly similar. Not to say that every child who suffers neglect and abuse growing up will become a DV abuser, but there is a possibility that Naoya may grow up to be like another Sousuke someday. Also, I think Sousuke chose to become a social worker because of the life he had growing up and he wants to help children who are similar to him when he was young, just like the little boy.
As much as Sousuke loves Michiru -- though some can argue otherwise -- he may also view women as the enemy, because they will leave at any moment, because other men will take them away, etc. Therefore he turns to violence to take control of his relationship with women, so there will not be a repeat of what happened in the past. Unfortunately, if you hit and hurt people, people are going to leave =_=; I do feel sorry for Sousuke, because he is pretty messed up in the head. It's not like he came package-wrapped that way, he did go through quite a bit growing up -- getting tossed around by relatives when you're young can make anyone feel like they're unwanted and become angry with whoever put them through so much-- but the way he chose to deal with things really cannot be accepted because it's just wrong. I think his latest harassment of Ruka is especially despicable.
In response to your poll, i generally make it a rule to not become romantically involved with roommates. If i develop feelings for someone i live with, i keep it to myself. That's only happened once, luckily, and there were never any problems. I did once share a house with strangers and although i became friends with one of them, the other two people made the experience rather unpleasant.
People always say that you shouldn't share a house with friends because it might ruin your friendship, but i've found that i'm happiest when i move in with friends. In fact, i even enjoyed living with one particular friend more than living with my own family; it was much more comfortable and fun.
I just found this blog, because I was looking for further information about Last Friends. About the poll, I don't think I could live with my friends, let alone a crush or a crusher, for more than a month at a time. Or maybe that's just me.
At first, I expected Sousuke to blow up at the kid, but I suppose the kid reminds him of himself, and I doubt Sousuke would abuse him. He really has abandonment issues, so his relationship with Michiru is very different from his relationship with the boy, because the child cannot abandon him the same way Sousuke's mother abandoned him. (gragh, does my reasoning even make sense?)
I watched this episode Raw, and then with a document with subs, and either way, I felt the episode was extremely slow. I probably watched the first four with morbid enthusiasm, but gradually, it has gotten a little repetitive. (If she goes back to Sousuke again, I think I might throw my laptop off a 20 story building in frustration).
But everyone's right about the acting ability. I am so convinced...it's almost scary. Eita is adorable, and I heard somewhere that it's sexual abuse? From his sister? O.o That really creeps me out. But if you look at the flashback scene with that in the back of your mind, it seems plausible. *shiver*
Good job with the summaries, by the way. They actually really help to keep all the facts and drama straight.
About Takeru's past... yea, it's pretty obvious his sister violated him. This episode is kind of anti-climatic in a way. The build-up from the last episode of Ruka's resolve to confess was blown off so easily and quickly. I was kind of dreading that too from Takeru's confession that Ruka will crawl back into her shell. But Michiru officially broke up with Sousuke, so it's not a total waste of an episode. They do seem to drag out the Eri/Ogurin on and off relationship. Other than that, I don't find it too repetitive. I think the great acting really helped make it less noticeable at least. Maybe people find this one disappointing because the mood was constantly depressing with no 'happy' break in between.
I agree that PoL was used way too much, they need another insert song badly. And yea... my tiny sliver of Takeru/Ruka hope was shattered completely, I think if Ruka can tell Takeru about herself, it would've been less burdening for both of them. Instead she chose to lie to the boy and outright hurt his feelings >_<
I get a really good honey and clover vibe from this cast...... i could totally see eita as takemoto, michiru as hagu, eri as yamada etc. etc.
just seeing ferris wheels gives me that feeling lol.
for the poll: i would very much like to live in a house-sharing situation. i'd rather live with friends than with complete strangers. i have been in a situation where i stayed in an apartment with a crush, it was only for a short period of time, but it was bitter-sweet. she didn't know that i has a crush on her of course, and it didn't help that she had her bf over every other day. but if ever it does get too complicated, i'd probably move out too.
anyway, Ruka should just tell her friends her big secret. she fears that they'll reject her, but what she's doing now, is pushing them away. neither of which is better than the other.
Takeru has possibly the worst timing ever last episode. Ruka's there trying to tell him this big secret that she's never told anyone, and there he was interrupting everything. *sigh*
Michiru's just trying to look for someone to distract her from Sousuke. and seeing as Takeru has been the one who's been there for her the most, it's almost expected that she'll turn to him.
As for the "beloved" Sousuke. I was just wishing that he'd save the kid and get hit by the train and die or something. seriously.
i think staying together would require alot of compromise and closing one eye, especially when it comes to bad habits.. i've never stayed together with a friend, but me and my friend ended up in the same school, and got into the same class. . . just that was disastrous enough. we're not even talking to each other now, i think it has been one year?.. sometimes it's better for friends to not work or be in too close proximity with one another, cause all of a sudden, that person's faults are magnified, and you'll find that there's just one to many reasons to fight or get into a row over.
Hey Memento guru. what happen to the regular installment of last friends.....I missed reading your expert analysis. My girlfriend is Japanese and I am Aussie we so hope Ruka is queer and not Gender whatever. This could be such a progressive program and a huge support for the young Japanese gay or lesbian. As I know their are many of you.
Kato-chan, sorry about the lack of reviews this week (and next week) but my father has just passed away and now I'm back in my hometown and there's limited internet access here. I can't watch series until I come back to my apartment next week. Gomen!
Oh I am so sorry, hontoni gomennasai.
I have just read the reason why and your Thank you message. What can one say at a time like this that hasn't already been said. Take care of your needs and keep yourself safe. ごしゅうしょうさまです。
hey, thanks for this blog - am watching last friends myself but my japanese isn't good enough yet to catch all the the details so your summaries are really useful!
in response to the poll, i actually met my boyfriend through living with him! i wanted to move out of my parents' house so i moved into a houseshare with some students at the local uni - i didn't know any of them before but i met them when i looked round the house and they seemed nice! i started going out with the bf soon after - i was worried it would be awkward if we broke up but we're still together 3 years later!
in england, where i'm from, it's normal for students and young professionals to house-share or flatshare, as rent is so high. there are down sides of course, and it can cause problems, but i think i prefer it! i know a lot of my japanese friends find 一人暮らし pretty lonely. i would rather live with friends than strangers though - i think it's much safer!
i just read the above post and am so sorry to hear about your father - my sympathies are with you
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