Fight/Week 7

Fight - Week 7 Synopsis

About Week 7

"Friends" Episodes 37 thru 42 (5/9 Mon thru 5/14 Sat NHK) (7/18 Mon thru 7/23 Sat NGN)

Yuu - Heroine Keita - Yuu's father Asako - Yuu's mother Dan - Yuu's little brother Kayo - Yuu's grandmother (Asako's mother) Rika - Yuu's friend Shuuji - Rika's father Murakami-san - Horse stable supervisor Taro - Stable boy Saigo Goichi - Owner of Jonko Kotoko - Asako's friend Kodama-san - Kotoko's father Kinuko - Kotoko's mother Okabe - Yuu and Rika's friend

Episodes 37 thru 42 (ep 42 - 16.0)

Episode 37

Rika tried to make amends with Yuu. However, Yuu had an issue with Rika's motives, in that Rika still believes her father was not at fault. Yuu turned her down, explaining to Kotoko later that she has her pride.

Jonko was choosen as the representive of the Murakami racing stable to compete in the prestigious Kitakanto Derby, a part of the Chuo race circuit. Chuo races are usually reserved for the best of horses in Tokyo and other parts.

Rika's father, Shuuji, showed up at the spring factory once again, this time to apologize for his behavior earlier and the problems the Kido family has faced up to now. But he was short of admitting that he and Wadakura Shoji were lying to the press. At the end, he thanked Yuu for keeping the relationship with Rika, which surprised Yuu seeing their relationship is actually all but good. Either Rika is lying to her father, or she really wanted to make up with Yuu earlier. At the end, Shuuji gives Yuu a piece of advice, saying you have to hurt someone in order to protect yourself and your family.

Dan called Yuu on the phone, and asked her if she made admends with Rika. To make Dan feel better, she said she did. The next day, she made an effort by sitting with Rika and the other girls during lunch. She feels much better.... for now.

Episode 38

Keita's mother-in-law, Kayo, sent him a home-made cookbook, with easy-to-make recipes. Kayo said she did it so that he doesn't make the same breakfast and lunches everyday. The next day, he gives them a try. Keita found a couple of his former employees working part-time at the recycling plant. Yoshimoto couldn't work at Shino's family business because he doesn't get along with his mother-in-law. Keita made a "You, too?" remark. The two were surprised that Keita has issues with Kayo.

Yuu decided to buy a cellphone so that she can fit in with the rest of the group at school. Later, she calls her mother, Asako, to tell her she bought one. Asako is concerned about why Yuu bought a cellphone, when earlier she said she didn't need one. Yuu then admitted to Asako she had social problems with Rika and her classmates, but those problems are now gone. Asako also asks Yuu to watch over Keita because he has a tendency to overdo things.

The next day during lunch, the girls were talking about a Japanese drama. Yuu doesn't watch television, so she couldn't contribute to the dialog. Next, the subject of Yuu and Rika's fathers was brought up. Later, Rika told Yuu not to care about what others think of their fathers. That made Yuu feel good. She then tells Rika to do her best at softball, to make up for her absense from the team.

However, during math class, the girls were text messaging each other on their cellphones. One of the girls dropped her cellphone right next to Yuu's feet. Yuu picked up the cellphone, and noticed the message on it was about her. Rika said not to talk about Yuu's father because it bothers Yuu that her father lied. At the moment, Yuu felt that Rika betrayed her. Later that night, Yuu called Kotoko, telling her Rika probably said those things to protect her own dad. So that she doesn't find herself alone again, she's going to pretend she didn't see the text message. She's also going to force herself to watch TV so she has something to contribute to the lunch conversation.

Episode 39

During lunch, Yuu takes a bite of some tamago (egg), but the taste seemed somewhat disturbing to her. In the meantime, Shiori invited Yuu to karoake with other classmates, and some guys from Takasaki Minami High School. Rika didn't seem too happy about it. I think it's because she has to go to softball practice instead. Yuu had to run off to count her money, to see if she had enough to go. Rika caught up with her, telling her she's forcing herself to fit in by accepting the invitation. Rika also thinks Yuu won't get along with the them at the karaoke room.

At the karaoke room, Yuu is quite uncomfortable as she chooses not to sing. She escapes by going outside so she can call Keita, telling him she'll be late. After hanging up with him, Yuu runs into Okabe. She tells him trying to fit in with her classmates is wearing her out, but she doesn't admit that her relationship with Rika is still quite a bit rocky. Okabe notices that her karaoke party includes some guys, and he isn't too happy about it. (groink note: That's the first time I've seen a smoke-free karaoke room in Japan!)

During dinner with Keita, he asks Yuu if her classmates know about him. Yuu said (although I don't think she believes it) that whatever they think of him, as long as he's right, it doesn't matter to her. During dinner, Shiori sent Yuu a text message, but she didn't answer back immediately. After dinner, she calls Shiori by voice. Shiori lectures her, first telling her she should answer her messages immediately, and second that she should be upset by the things Keita said in the papers. So that she doesn't lose her friends, Yuu goes along with Shiori, saying she's upset about it, too. She went into some details about it. What she didn't realize was that Keita overheard their conversation. Yuu turned around and saw him, so he quickly ran off. Keita was quite upset about the things she said. Basically, she betrayed him.

Episode 40

The next morning, Yuu had to confront Keita. She said she didn't mean anything about the things she told Shiori. He said it didn't bother him, but you could tell that it did hurt him a lot. On her way to school, she visits Jonko. At the stables, she runs into Murasaki-san. She asks him if a horse would ever betray a person. He said a horse wouldn't, but you can tell how much the horse trusts you by the way he lets you touch him. Murasaki-san asks Yuu if she was the recipient of a betrayal. She said her friends betrayed her, and she betrayed her father.

Keita isn't feel well. He keeps checking his temperature, and it's rising. At the recycling plant, he felt really weak, and collapses. His former employees come to his rescue. Yoshimoto helps Keita return home. He told Yuu that Keita's really been overdoing things at work. He said Keita has been suffering a fever since yesterday.

The next morning, Keita was out of bed making Yuu's lunch. In the process, he burned the tamago he made for her, but placed them in her bento anyway. On her way to school, Yuu runs into Okabe. He told her Rika is saying bad things about Yuu's dad to their former middle school classmates. Yuu told Okabe Rika's pulling the same thing with her high school classmates, too, but tells him it doesn't bother her. During lunch, Yuu pulled out her bento and picks up the tamago with her chopsticks. Trying to walk around Yuu, Rika bumps into her, forcing Yuu to drop the tamago onto the floor. And then, Rika accidentally steps into it. I think the tamago symbolizes Keita's hard work and dedication to Yuu, although she betrayed and hurt Keita, which is why she's depressed about the stepped on tamago. She eats the rest of the bento, although she's quite upset to the point that she really wanted to cry.

So she stands up and tells everyone at the table her father didn't do anything wrong. She tells Rika that Shuuji came to the spring factory drunk, and admitted to his wrongdoings. Rika didn't believe her, so Yuu told her to ask Shuuji herself.

Episode 41

At the Shima Hot Springs, Asako notices the Jonko pencil in Dan's pencil box. He said Yuu gave it to him on their last visit to Takasaki. In the other room, Komada-san reads in the paper that Saigo Jonko is the strongest horse at the Gunma racetrack, and that he's going to compete in the Chuo Race. Noticing that Jonko's owner's name is Saigo Wareichi, they wondered if it's the same Saigo-san that's currently visiting the onsen. Asako is assigned to Saigo-san's room. She goes to the room, and notices that Saigo-san is using the exact same Jonko pencil as Dan's.

At the stables, Yuu asks Taro a hypothetical question. If both his best friend and his father were drowning, which of the two would you save? Taro immediately says his father. He notices Yuu's very upset. She runs off to see Jonko. Looking at her facial expression, I think she's accepted the realization that she should protect her father instead of her relationship with Rika. She think she's going to be all alone once again. However, the next day, she finds her classmates accepting her, and is somewhat shutting out Rika. Rika is quite upset about it. I think Yuu finally came to the realization of what Shuuji told her earlier, about her having to hurt someone in order to protect herself. In this case, she must sacrifice Rika for her father.

Episode 42 (TV Rating = 16.0)

Kotoko brings her fother, Komada-san, to the stables where her horse, Taro, resides. Komada-san notices that Taro the horse has the same name as Taro the stable boy. He thinks this is a sign that Taro and Kotoko are destined for each other.

Komada-san visits Keita at the spring factory. Keita tells Komada-san that he's considering finding a day-time job seeing he's no longer receiving any orders for his springs.

At night, Shuuji pays a visit to the spring factory. He hands over to Keita some information for a job opportunity. Keita is somewhat upset about Shuuji trying to help Keita find a job. Yuu asks Shuuji about what he said on his last visit, about hurting someone in order to protect yourself and your family. She says it's true. groink's note: If you really think about it, Shuuji sacrificed Keita for his company and family. Rika sacrificed Yuu for her father, but that seems to have backfired now. And now, Yuu is sacrificing Rika for her father.

At the Shima Hot Springs, Asako and Kinuko visits Saigo-san's room. Saigo-san asks Kinuko to sing a song for him. It's a song that prays for the happiness of someone precious to you. While she sings the song, you can see Yuu and Keita going through the paces. First, Keita dumps the job information into the trash. Next, Yuu and Rika trade glances at each other at the library. Later, Rika sends Yuu a text message on her cellphone, saying she'll do her best at softball to make up for her, too. She immediately runs out of the classroom to look for Rika, but she already had left. She's quite touched by the gesture, but immediately after she realizes that she's hurt Rika badly. Yuu is so devistated, she couldn't find it in herself to even go to school.

Week 7 Notes

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