Fight/Week 8
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< FightFight - Week 8 Synopsis
| About Week 8 |
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"Trust" |
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Yuu - Heroine |
- Episodes 43 thru 48 (ep 47 - 16.6)
- Episode 43
In order to protect herself, Yuu had hurt Rika. But it weighed on her conscience. She kept blaming herself until she couldn't bring herself to go to school anymore. Seeing Yuu standing at the front gate to the school, her homeroom teacher, Kataoka-sensei, comes out to see what's wrong. Yuu says she isn't feeling well, and asks for her permission to go home.
Yuu immediately walks to the horse stables to see Saigo Jonko. Jonko had become the star of the Gunma Racetracks, and he was set to race in the Chuo Race in Tokyo on Sunday, which was just two days away. The top two finishers of the race will win an entry in the G1 Race. Even the Kodama family in Shima is looking forward to the race. Kodama-san is an avid horse race fan, and has been a Jonko fan ever since he met him during his visit in Takasaki (week 7).
At the Shima Hot Springs, Kotoko is getting ready for her first marriage meeting - set up by her father. However, at the last minute, the potential groom pospones the meeting. Kotoko is somewhat disappointed. Right afterwards, Kotoko receives a phone call from Yuu. She tells Kotoko she didn't go to school. Getting a vibe that something's wrong with Yuu, she invites Yuu to come with her to Tokyo so she can see Jonko race. Yuu accepts the invitation. Kotoko asks her mother, Asako, for permission, but doesn't tell her Yuu didn't go to school. Also, recall that Asako and Keita don't know about Yuu's relationship with Jonko, horse racing, or the horse stables.
Yuu stayed at the stables the whole school day, so that she returns to the spring factory at the usual time, with her father, Keita, waiting. She doesn't tell him she didn't go to school. The next day, she arrives at Tokyo with Kotoko. It is her first visit to Kotoko's apartment. During food preparation, Yuu consoles with Kotoko. She tells her Rika is being isolated from the other classmates, and that she can't trust Rika - or anyone else for that matter - because she's afraid of being hurt again. So she's afraid of going back to school.
The next morning, Yuu decides to cut the visit short a day and return to her home in Takasaki because of her guilty conscience of not going to school. Kotoko changes Yuu's mind. Visiting Jonko at the racetrack, Taro and Murakami-san notice that Jonko isn't eating his fodder, probably because he was worked up in the trailor on his way to Tokyo. Yuu is about to walk away when Murakami-san calls out to her, telling her Jonko needs her. Taro hands her the fodder. Jonko immediately eats the blades of grass from her hands.
- Episode 44
Back at the Shima Hot Springs, the Kodama clan, along with Dan, huddle around the tiny TV set to see Saigo Jonko compete in the Chuo Race. Asako pops in to bring Dan back home for lunch, but instead sticks around with the rest of them to watch the race, Asako not even knowing who Saigo Jonko is. Kinuko suddenly stands up and sings a song she wrote for the occasion:
The hope of Gunma... Saigo Jonko!
She runs carrying a dream... Saigo Jonko!
Run... Run... Run today... Run toward the future.
Jonko! Jonko! Saigo Jonko!
Back at the Tokyo racetrack, Yuu and Kotoko is in attendance to watch the race. The race starts - and Jonko cleanly comes out of the gates. Number 12 takes the lead early on, with Ame Cherry close behind. Jonko is currently in 16th place. Camelot is moving up to the front. Ame Cherry is lining up with the leaders. Jonko comes up from behind... Ame Cherry is in the lead... Jonko is moving up... Ame Cherry is at the head. Jonko is coming up from the outside... Saigo Jonko is closing in on Ame Cherry... It's Ame Cherry and Saigo Jonko... Jonko pulls ahead, takes the lead, and cross the finishing line FIRST!!!!! Everyone's jumping around in celebration! Yuu is amazed at the event that just occured, bursting out in tears.
At Shima Hot Springs, the Kodama clan is still wondering if Saigo-san (he visited the inn before going to the race) is indeed the owner of Saigo Jonko, purely based on name association. Asako recalls seeing Saigo-san writing with a "RUN JONKO" pen, the same one Dan has in his pencil holder. With the TV coverage still running, Dan sees Yuu, but doesn't say anything (Jonko is a secret between Yuu and Dan, covered in week 4.)
Back at Takasaki, Kayo calls Keita, telling him she saw someone that looked like Yuu at the horse race on TV. The next morning, with Yuu back home, she takes off for school all dressed up in her uniform. But, she doesn't show up for school. Kataoka-sensei calls Keita to ask why Yuu didn't come to school. She also tells him Yuu didn't go to school last Friday. In a panic, he immediately calls Asako. Brainstorming where Yuu could have run off to, Asako and Keita put two and two together - Dan's Saigo Jonko pen given by Yuu (week 4), and the possibility that she's at the horse stables seeing Kayo saw her at the race.
At the stables, Yuu consoles with Taro. Taro asks why she can't just go out and tell her father her problems. She says she can't because he'll feel that it's all his fault, and she doesn't want to hurt her dad. Walking out of Taro's room, she sees Keita standing next to Jonko. The both of them rush back home, with Keita asking her repeatedly why she doesn't want to go to school. She repeatedly says she's sorry, to avoid telling him the truth. She rushes upstairs to her room, and has a long cry.
- Episode 45
Because of Yuu's problems (and her parents being clueless as to what they are), Asako and Dan returns to Takasaki for about two to three days. Within minutes after their arrival, Kayo also shows up, without Asako knowing ahead of time. Asako tells Kayo that Yuu hasn't been going to school, and Kayo immediately thinks it's because the family is broken in half.
Asako confronts Yuu. Yuu won't tell Asako her problems. So Keita and Asako visits the stables to see if they can find the root of her problems. At the stables, Asako runs into Saigo-san, who immediately recognized her as the maid back at Shima Hot Springs. Asako finds out not only does Saigo-san know Yuu, but that Yuu named his horse Saigo Jonko. Next, the parents meet with Murakami-san and Taro. Murakami-san said Yuu has been coming to the stables for several years, just to say "Good morning!" to the horses.
Returning back to the spring factory, Asako and Keita brainstorms a little. Asako remembers one time where after Yuu and Keita had an argument, she ran out of the house and didn't return until the next morning. Also the fact that only men hang out at the stables. So Yuu must've stayed at the stables. But what did she do there? Without further speculation, they decide that it isn't good for Yuu to spend time at the stables. Yuu said there isn't anything going on between her and the men, although she doesn't explain the real reason why she goes there.
Kayo and Keita explains why a high school education is so important, and that she must go back to school so she can go to college afterwards. Yuu wonders what good going to college is - especially when Keita and Asako both went to college, but ended up not making the best of it. Next, Keita says the most important thing about school is to make friends. Yuu then wonders why Keita and Shuuji, friends since college, are no longer friends? This is where things get complicated... Keita and Asako don't realize that Yuu's problems ARE her classmates. So Yuu tells them she doesn't need many friends, and that she only needs one (that being Saigo Jonko, which she doesn't mention), because she can't trust anyone else.
- Episode 46
The next morning, Keita tries to force Yuu to go to school, literally by pulling her by her arm. Asako storms in to put a stop to it. Yuu screams out that she's not going to school, and storms off for the stables. Because the situation looks even worse, Kayo volunteers to take Dan back to Shima. As Kayo and Dan walk away from the spring factory, Dan suddenly stops, faces Asako, and tells her not to take Jonko away from his sister. That's when Asako discovers that Jonko is that one friend Yuu talked about. Asako then asks Dan if he ever met Jonko. So that he doesn't break his secret with Yuu, he runs away.
Returning to Shima Hot Springs, Kayo volunteers to clean up the inn while she takes care of Dan. Kayo immediately puts Toshimi to work, teaching her the proper methods of cleaning.
Back at Takasaki, Asako stops Keita from going to the stables to bring Yuu back, saying she's do it.
At the stables, there's concern for Jonko because he seems tired. Murakami-san is concerned that the heavy increase in Jonko's training, in preparation for the G1, will have a negative effect on his health. So Yuu begs not to let Jonko race. Taro disagrees, saying that Jonko was born to race, and taking him out of the G1 wouldn't be fair to him and his legacy. To be fair to Jonko's fans all over Japan, Saigo-san decides to go foward and let Jonko race.
Later, Yuu begs Taro not to let Jonko race. Taro says a race is a real test of strength, and that Jonko was born to run faster than any other horse. Because of the intense training involved in the coming months, Taro suggests to Yuu that she stops visiting the stables. Standing next to Jonko's coral, she tries to convince herself that winning is what makes Jonko happy. With Yuu watching Jonko, Asako quietly stands far back behind Yuu, observing what's going on. Yuu crawls into Jonko's coral and gives him a hug that seems to last an eternity. Tears run down her face as she stares hopelessly into space, as if all of a sudden the world is crumbling down around her. At this moment, Asako just doesn't have the heart to interject.
- Episode 47 (TV Rating = 16.6)
Asako returns to the spring factory without Yuu. She says she couldn't - not after seeing Yuu so emotional and all. Keita doesn't understand. Understanding the emotional agony Yuu is being put through, Asako begs Keita not to give Yuu a hard time when she returns home.
Yuu finally returns home on her own later that day. While the three of them eat dinner, Keita just stares at Yuu with deep puzzlement and a strong sense of disappointment. Yuu says she understands that she must return to school, but she doesn't know what to do.
The next day, Asako visits Kataoka-sensei at school. Asako senses that Yuu's problems are with her classmates. Kataoka-sensei says school girls are afraid of being disliked if they do things differently, which is why they never show their true selves. If that's the way they are, then they can't be real friends. Pretending to be real friends only wears a person out. Asako learns that Yuu was isolated from the group of girls, and now one of the other girls is going through the same thing (groink's note: it's Rika.) Kataoka-sensei says she can't do a thing about it. As she walks around the classroom, she erases a message on the blackboard, written by a girl that says "You're all traitors!!" She says she's happy to learn that Yuu has a life outside of the classroom (groink's note: probably a comment about the other girls having no life, or a fake life of their own.)
On her way back home, Asako stops by the stables where she runs into Katoko, who's there visiting her horse, Taro (same name as the stable boy). Asako realizes that Yuu's been confiding in Kotoko for some time. Asako asks Katoko what Yuu's been telling her. Katoko said she can't say because she promised Yuu she wouldn't tell anyone. This puts a kink into Katoko and Asako's friendship. Katoko runs away. While watching Jonko, Murakami-san approaches the coral, showing some concern for Jonko. Apparently Murakami-san sees signs of Jonko being agitated. Asako asks how he knows. He says he don't know, but he does how Jonko is feeling. At this point, Asako realizes that Murakami-san knows more about Jonko than she does about Yuu. (groink's note: It appears now that it is far more important for Asako to understand that Yuu is in emotional pain than to know the exact reasons why.)
Asako returns home in time to see Yuu prepare dinner. Asako stands in the distance speechless while she watches Yuu. Suddenly, Yuu touches a hot lid and slightly burns her fingers. Asako immediately runs to her attention, wrapping one arm around Yuu while sticking Yuu's hand under cold running water with the other hand. At this moment, you can see that everything suddenly clicks in Asako's head, so she starts to cry a bit. She embrasses Yuu even more, letting her know that she understands how much emotional pain she's been suffering. Keita stands back in the distance observing everything with great concern and confusion. Yuu suddenly breaks down and has a long cry with her mother.
(groink's note: This scene, along with the end of episode 46, are by far the most emotional I have ever watched on television. I've watched these scenes dozens of times now, and even as I write this synopsis, streams of tears are coming out of my eyes. This, my readers, is what Japanese dramas are all about!)
- Episode 48
Taking the advice of Kataoka-sensei, Asako tells Keita if Yuu wants to stay home from school, then we should let her. And, they should trust Yuu. Keita feels somewhat responsible for Yuu's problems at school. And that's why he's so firm on having Yuu return to school. Because Keita wholeheartedly disagrees with Asako, she decides to protect Yuu by taking her out of Takasaki and bringing her to Shima Hot Springs to live. Keita is firmly against Yuu moving to Shima.
Yuu prepares for the move. First, she writes a text message to Rika telling her she's moving. Rika seems somewhat releaved. Next, Yuu stops by the horse stables, where she runs into Saigo-san, along with Taro and Murakami-san. Before she can give the news, Saigo-san gives her some even greater news. Because he's been worrying so much about Jonko's health, his own health has also dropped. So he's decided to pull Jonko out of the G1. Yuu is so happy to hear that. She tells the three men she'll be moving away to Shima. Murakami-san and Saigo-san are happy for her, but Taro seems somewhat saddened by the news.
Walking back to the spring factory, Yuu receives a text message from Rika, saying she's glad things are okay. Yuu turns around and sees Rika in the distance. They tell each other they're sorry for everything that has happened.
Just before Keita leaves for work, he reitterates to Asako his total disagreement with Yuu moving away. He then runs into Yuu. Once again, she says she's sorry. She'll try really hard to get back to school some day, and that she currently doesn't have a goal to replace softball. She's not sure if what she's about to do is the right thing. And above all, what has happened isn't his fault.
The next morning, Keita still hasn't returned home from work. Leaving just her school uniform behind, she and Asako make one final trip to the horse stables before making their journey back to Shima. Yuu bids goodbye to Jonko. On their way out, they see Keita in the far distance with his truck. He asks if they want a ride. Hopping into the truck, Asako and Yuu finds out he won't be taking them to the train station. Instead, he'll be driving them directly to Shima Hot Springs. Driving away, Yuu looks back at Jonko for one final time.
What is Yuu going to find at Shima Hot Springs? Right now, she has no confidence in herself. She hopes to find something she could be proud of, just like her dad with his mastery of making springs.
Week 8 Notes
- Please obtain permission from groink before using the synopsis above for other uses.