Sekaiichi Hatsukoi 2: Episode 6 Summary and Review
Episode six! I LOVE YOU, JUNJOU MISTAKE!
Warnings:The usual wall of text..?
Sekaiichi Hatsukoi 2:Episode 6
Love is without reason.
A Not-So-Brief Summary
Episode six features the couple Isaka Ryuuichirou, whom we know in Sekaiichi Hatsukoi as the Senior Managing Director, and Asahina Kaoru, his childhood friend and assistant. In one Junjou Romantica translation, he was introduced as an Executive Director, while Asahina was his secretary. Basically the same thing I guess. This couple was coined Junjou Mistake, and they had their own separate story in the Junjou Romantica manga, from which this Sekaiichi episode was adapted.
The episode starts with Isaka making the statement that he believed that he would never get the things he wanted, along with a flashback to his childhood. We are brought abruptly back into the present, where Isaka wakes up in a bathtub. Asahina has just pulled the plug on the drain, waking him up, and persuading him to go to work. Isaka however, is both hung over and too lazy to go to work, and asks Asahina what the best excuse would be.
"How about, 'I want to skip out on working today'?"
Isaka then asks Asahina to dry him off, to which Asahina responds by throwing the towel at him, telling him to dry himself. He adds, for good measure, that if Isaka wants to be coddled, he should either get a maid or get married. Isaka tells him he'll only get married when Asahina gets married, to which Asahina replies that he'll only marry if Isaka does it first. Isaka asks him why, but Asahina avoids answering the question, telling him to go to work because he has a meeting that day.
Isaka then reveals that he hates his job as an editor, and would rather be a writer. He just didn't want to look bad after college by being unemployed, so he joined his dad's company. However, he has serious skills in editing, and can tell if a book will sell or not.
While all this is happening, Asahina gets a call from Isaka's father, and is being asked to be the driver for the day. Asahina looks pleased, while Isaka looks irritated. He believes Asahina is in love with his father, and knows the love is fruitless; not just for Asahina, but also for Isaka himself. Isaka has been in love with Asahina for years.
While at work, Isaka discovers a group of senior employees badmouthing him over the fact that one of his authors became the bestseller for last month. They believe he has it easy, getting high-profile authors because his father runs the company, while they get stuck with editing crap. Isaka boldly approches them and tells them cheerfully that the month's number one author wasn't a high-profile author at all, but one of the lowest rannked ones.
"If you've the time to trash others, why don't you use your 'experience' to go create a bestseller?"
He's not pleased with having made new enemies, but he grows more impatient than ever to leave the company and become an author. He knows he has great editing skills; if he applied those skills to writing, he would be a hit himself. His problem though, is that he has never been able to think up a good, original story.
As he contemplates this, he picks up a book, remembering that Akihiko, their seventeen-year-old next door neighbor, wanted it. (Useless note: YES, IT'S SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD USAGI-SAN~) He decides to make a present of it, visiting the Usami household. While he waits for Akihiko to come home from school, he discovers a notebook where Akihiko has written a story. He finds himself unable to put it down, till Akihiko walks in and discovers him reading it. Despite Akihiko's reluctance, and anger that his story has been read, Isaka insists that Akihiko send the story to Marukawa publishing, saying that he has to do it no matter what.
After reading what Akihiko has written, Isaka finally understands that he really has no writing talent; he could never have written anything like what Akihiko had done. He was basically confronted with his inadequacy, and it makes him feel a little depressed. As he ponders what to do next, his mind wanders to Asahina. He decides that seeing him would make him feel better, although he wonders why.
Once he enters his home, Asahina asks him what is wrong, checking him for a fever. Isaka feels that being around Asahina is an odd comfort, and realizes how much he wants Asahina. He pulls Asahina down, kissing him, but Asahina pushes him away, telling him to stop doing such troublesome things. Isaka doesn't understand, and tries to straighten things out, but Asahina gets a call from Isaka's father again, bringing back to his face the smile that irritates Isaka so much. He makes the outburst that it annoys him how devoted Asahina is to his father; if Asahina likes him so much, he should just go and be his secretary. After all, if he hates being Isaka's babysitter so much, he should just quit.
Asahina then corners Isaka against the wall, saying, "When have I ever said that I hated it?" In addition, if he quit, Isaka would be the one inconvenienced, since he serves him so much and so well. Isaka denies it, telling him it would be better if Asahina left him alone. Of course, Asahina, being serious about it, obeys his order.
Asahina quits the editing department and is taken in as an assistant by Isaka's father. Isaka forces himself to be content with what he has done; after all, Asahina is with his father, "whom he loves so much". Isaka mulls the whole thing over one night, debating whether to apologize, or wait to be apologized to. Asahina comes home right then and there, telling him he's moving out, and returning to him a potted plant. Isaka has no idea where the plant came from, or why it's being "returned" to him.
Their maidservant notices the plant and reminds Isaka that his mother brought it home thinking it was a Silver Lining, but it was actually Scented Solomon's Seal. Isaka then remembers that he gave this plant to Asahina when they were children, upon learning that the meaning of the plant was to "cheer up". Asahina has apparently been taking care of it all this time. He then receives a text just then from a coworker, telling him that Asahina was leaving the company.
Isaka is visibly confused and shaken, since Asahina had spoken of moving out, but not about quitting the company at all. He runs over to Asahina's new place, soaking wet from the rain, and confronts him about it.
"Is that how badly you want to get away from me?!"
Asahina emphasizes that he is no longer Isaka's assistant, and he was free to make that decision on his own. He offers to talk about it later, wanting to find him a towel, but Isaka stops him, saying he won't accept his decision at all.
Asahina then confesses directly that he loves Isaka. If staying by Isaka's side was troublesome, he was willing to remove himself.
Isaka stares up at him in shock, and confusedly asks him whether Asahina is in love with his father. Of course, Asahina is confused; Isaka's father had saved his family after all, so he naturally looks up to Isaka's father with immense respect and gratitude.
Isaka then argues that when he kissed Asahina that night, Asahina had rejected him. Asahina then explains that it was because he was sure that Isaka had known about his feelings, and was only mocking him for them. Isaka gets angry at him for jumping to conclusions like that, and demands to know how long Asahina has been in love with him.
Asahina then tells him that he has loved Isaka ever since he was given that potted plant.
Isaka breaks down, telling him straight, "I feel the same way about you as you feel about me! You don't understand the first thing about me! After all this time together!"
He then orders Asahina to dry him off, which Asahina obeys. Isaka then proceeds to tell him that even though he is capable of doing things himself, Asahina always does everything for him, hence why he is seen as useless. Isaka hates the type of person he really is, and it is all Asahina's fault. Asahina promises to take responsibility, kissing him and pulling him close.
When Isaka tells him he remembered about the potted plant, Asahina confesses that when he had been given the plant, he was so happy that Isaka had thought of him, that he decided to follow him. Isaka then remembers again, that, when he had given Asahina the plant, Asahina had smiled at him for the first time.
The next day, they enter the company together. Asahina has decided that he made a better secretary and assistant than an editor, and tells Isaka to hurry up and be a writer if that's what he really wants. Isaka then tells him that he no longer cares about that, and instead plans to take over the company. Later on in the elevator, a coworker joins them and tells tham about a promising new writer, only seventeen years old--and his name is Usami Akihiko.
Asahina begins to ask Isaka whether it is the same Usami Akihiko who lives next door, but Isaka just gives him a look. Asahina smiles and tells him to rise to the top soon, promising to perfect his secretarial skills for him; but he has to hurry, or else he might become Isaka's father's personal assistant.
"Asahina! Hang a sign from your neck that says, 'Reserved'!"
"Certainly."
Isaka no longer regrets anything. After all, he has finally got what he truly wanted.
Rants and Raves
Ooh, tough call for me really.
I enjoyed the episode, but somehow I still found a lot to nitpick about it. Just going to skip over wondering why Junjou Mistake is taking up a slot in Sekaiichi Hatsukoi, because clearly, that's already a popular debate :/
While it does fit the "first love" theme that Sekaiichi has, it just somehow doesn't mesh into the universe very well. This spot could also easily have been taken by any other couple, even the newest pairing between Yokozawa and Kirishima, so the decision to animate it here and now is very strange.
Moving on, the one word I could find to describe the episode was, well, "average". Somehow there was something either mildly lacking, or overdone, with the voicing of both Isaka and Asahina, which disappointed me a little. I did like how the story flowed, although part of me felt that it seemed a bit rushed.
I was amused at this scene though:
"You two are really close, aren't you? ♥"
Really, are all the girls in an office enviroment yaoi fangirls? lol.
Also, the scene where teenage Usagi is persuaded to publish his work also feels a bit lackluster. This is supposed to be a part where Isaka realizes two things: one, that he can never write like this, and two, talent like this shouldn't be left unnoticed. And, well, a third: "this will sell". Isaka didn't sound as persuasive and forceful as I thought he should be, and whoever voiced Akihiko at that point wasn't able to bring out a teenager's understandable annoyance at their personal things being touched, as well as sincere reluctance to release his work. It sounded entirely too subdued for me.
Also, Isaka should stop pausing in the middle of pedestrian lanes to think. He did it twice in one pedestrian lane and he scene behind him almost looked as though there weren't any pedestrians left, plus the wooshing noise as the camera panned up made me think that the cars had started moving while he was there staring into space. XDD
The music here reminded me a little of Junjou Romantica, but until I make a distinct comparison, I can't tell for sure that they used Junjou Romantica music in this episode. Even then though, I found the music to be slightly disappointing. After how blown away I was by the music in the last episode, I guess my expectations ran a little high. It seemed too plain and simple here, just random solos here and there. It didn't highlight the moments very well, and oftentimes the timing felt very off. I did like the final violin solo where Isaka and Asahina finally tell each other they will perfect their skills and be together as one unit eventally. That, I thought was good.
Overall though, the animation itself tells the story quite well. It clearly highlights Isaka's jealousy and brattiness, and his clear need for attention from Asahina. It also marks Asahina's smiles as something special, something that Isaka wanted directed at him, and not just at his father. The craving for Asahina's happiness to stem from himself was clear, and I liked how they were able to bring that across.
Overall, I really love this couple, but i'm slightly disappointed in the voice acting and the music. However, animation was good, and the atmosphere and feel were good in terms of visuals.
"Love is without reason." Really, this title should be obvious. Isaka and Asahina barely needed a reason to love one another, they just did. XD However, they tended to overanalyze or overthink their positions with regard to one another, and thought too much of one another. Isaka didn't think it was possible to be together with Asahina because he loved him too much, and was jaded enough to think that things like those that he wanted the most would never fall into his grasp. On the other hand, Asahina was so sure that Isaka knew about his feelings, that any form of affection or love coming from Isaka would have felt like teasing or mockery. Because of their overdependence on reasons for love, they didn't realize the extent of the feelings they had for one another. THIS IS ADVICE, GUYS. Love is without reason.
THE NEXT EPISODE IS THE CHRISTMAS PARTY OMG. I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE THE EMERALD EDITING TEAM SPARKLE! ♥ Also, it looks like Ritsu will have plenty of moments to embarrass himself XD Can't wait!
It took me a while to pull together this review XD; I have been busier with work recently, and it had drained me a little. My room has once again transformed itself into Onodera-like chaos and I need to straighten myself out soon XD Oh well. See you guys again next week!
Warnings:The usual wall of text..?
Sekaiichi Hatsukoi 2:Episode 6
Love is without reason.
A Not-So-Brief Summary
Episode six features the couple Isaka Ryuuichirou, whom we know in Sekaiichi Hatsukoi as the Senior Managing Director, and Asahina Kaoru, his childhood friend and assistant. In one Junjou Romantica translation, he was introduced as an Executive Director, while Asahina was his secretary. Basically the same thing I guess. This couple was coined Junjou Mistake, and they had their own separate story in the Junjou Romantica manga, from which this Sekaiichi episode was adapted.
The episode starts with Isaka making the statement that he believed that he would never get the things he wanted, along with a flashback to his childhood. We are brought abruptly back into the present, where Isaka wakes up in a bathtub. Asahina has just pulled the plug on the drain, waking him up, and persuading him to go to work. Isaka however, is both hung over and too lazy to go to work, and asks Asahina what the best excuse would be.
"How about, 'I want to skip out on working today'?"
Isaka then asks Asahina to dry him off, to which Asahina responds by throwing the towel at him, telling him to dry himself. He adds, for good measure, that if Isaka wants to be coddled, he should either get a maid or get married. Isaka tells him he'll only get married when Asahina gets married, to which Asahina replies that he'll only marry if Isaka does it first. Isaka asks him why, but Asahina avoids answering the question, telling him to go to work because he has a meeting that day.
Isaka then reveals that he hates his job as an editor, and would rather be a writer. He just didn't want to look bad after college by being unemployed, so he joined his dad's company. However, he has serious skills in editing, and can tell if a book will sell or not.
While all this is happening, Asahina gets a call from Isaka's father, and is being asked to be the driver for the day. Asahina looks pleased, while Isaka looks irritated. He believes Asahina is in love with his father, and knows the love is fruitless; not just for Asahina, but also for Isaka himself. Isaka has been in love with Asahina for years.
While at work, Isaka discovers a group of senior employees badmouthing him over the fact that one of his authors became the bestseller for last month. They believe he has it easy, getting high-profile authors because his father runs the company, while they get stuck with editing crap. Isaka boldly approches them and tells them cheerfully that the month's number one author wasn't a high-profile author at all, but one of the lowest rannked ones.
"If you've the time to trash others, why don't you use your 'experience' to go create a bestseller?"
He's not pleased with having made new enemies, but he grows more impatient than ever to leave the company and become an author. He knows he has great editing skills; if he applied those skills to writing, he would be a hit himself. His problem though, is that he has never been able to think up a good, original story.
As he contemplates this, he picks up a book, remembering that Akihiko, their seventeen-year-old next door neighbor, wanted it. (Useless note: YES, IT'S SEVENTEEN-YEAR-OLD USAGI-SAN~) He decides to make a present of it, visiting the Usami household. While he waits for Akihiko to come home from school, he discovers a notebook where Akihiko has written a story. He finds himself unable to put it down, till Akihiko walks in and discovers him reading it. Despite Akihiko's reluctance, and anger that his story has been read, Isaka insists that Akihiko send the story to Marukawa publishing, saying that he has to do it no matter what.
After reading what Akihiko has written, Isaka finally understands that he really has no writing talent; he could never have written anything like what Akihiko had done. He was basically confronted with his inadequacy, and it makes him feel a little depressed. As he ponders what to do next, his mind wanders to Asahina. He decides that seeing him would make him feel better, although he wonders why.
Once he enters his home, Asahina asks him what is wrong, checking him for a fever. Isaka feels that being around Asahina is an odd comfort, and realizes how much he wants Asahina. He pulls Asahina down, kissing him, but Asahina pushes him away, telling him to stop doing such troublesome things. Isaka doesn't understand, and tries to straighten things out, but Asahina gets a call from Isaka's father again, bringing back to his face the smile that irritates Isaka so much. He makes the outburst that it annoys him how devoted Asahina is to his father; if Asahina likes him so much, he should just go and be his secretary. After all, if he hates being Isaka's babysitter so much, he should just quit.
Asahina then corners Isaka against the wall, saying, "When have I ever said that I hated it?" In addition, if he quit, Isaka would be the one inconvenienced, since he serves him so much and so well. Isaka denies it, telling him it would be better if Asahina left him alone. Of course, Asahina, being serious about it, obeys his order.
Asahina quits the editing department and is taken in as an assistant by Isaka's father. Isaka forces himself to be content with what he has done; after all, Asahina is with his father, "whom he loves so much". Isaka mulls the whole thing over one night, debating whether to apologize, or wait to be apologized to. Asahina comes home right then and there, telling him he's moving out, and returning to him a potted plant. Isaka has no idea where the plant came from, or why it's being "returned" to him.
Their maidservant notices the plant and reminds Isaka that his mother brought it home thinking it was a Silver Lining, but it was actually Scented Solomon's Seal. Isaka then remembers that he gave this plant to Asahina when they were children, upon learning that the meaning of the plant was to "cheer up". Asahina has apparently been taking care of it all this time. He then receives a text just then from a coworker, telling him that Asahina was leaving the company.
Isaka is visibly confused and shaken, since Asahina had spoken of moving out, but not about quitting the company at all. He runs over to Asahina's new place, soaking wet from the rain, and confronts him about it.
"Is that how badly you want to get away from me?!"
Asahina emphasizes that he is no longer Isaka's assistant, and he was free to make that decision on his own. He offers to talk about it later, wanting to find him a towel, but Isaka stops him, saying he won't accept his decision at all.
Asahina then confesses directly that he loves Isaka. If staying by Isaka's side was troublesome, he was willing to remove himself.
Isaka stares up at him in shock, and confusedly asks him whether Asahina is in love with his father. Of course, Asahina is confused; Isaka's father had saved his family after all, so he naturally looks up to Isaka's father with immense respect and gratitude.
Isaka then argues that when he kissed Asahina that night, Asahina had rejected him. Asahina then explains that it was because he was sure that Isaka had known about his feelings, and was only mocking him for them. Isaka gets angry at him for jumping to conclusions like that, and demands to know how long Asahina has been in love with him.
Asahina then tells him that he has loved Isaka ever since he was given that potted plant.
Isaka breaks down, telling him straight, "I feel the same way about you as you feel about me! You don't understand the first thing about me! After all this time together!"
He then orders Asahina to dry him off, which Asahina obeys. Isaka then proceeds to tell him that even though he is capable of doing things himself, Asahina always does everything for him, hence why he is seen as useless. Isaka hates the type of person he really is, and it is all Asahina's fault. Asahina promises to take responsibility, kissing him and pulling him close.
When Isaka tells him he remembered about the potted plant, Asahina confesses that when he had been given the plant, he was so happy that Isaka had thought of him, that he decided to follow him. Isaka then remembers again, that, when he had given Asahina the plant, Asahina had smiled at him for the first time.
The next day, they enter the company together. Asahina has decided that he made a better secretary and assistant than an editor, and tells Isaka to hurry up and be a writer if that's what he really wants. Isaka then tells him that he no longer cares about that, and instead plans to take over the company. Later on in the elevator, a coworker joins them and tells tham about a promising new writer, only seventeen years old--and his name is Usami Akihiko.
Asahina begins to ask Isaka whether it is the same Usami Akihiko who lives next door, but Isaka just gives him a look. Asahina smiles and tells him to rise to the top soon, promising to perfect his secretarial skills for him; but he has to hurry, or else he might become Isaka's father's personal assistant.
"Asahina! Hang a sign from your neck that says, 'Reserved'!"
"Certainly."
Isaka no longer regrets anything. After all, he has finally got what he truly wanted.
Rants and Raves
Ooh, tough call for me really.
I enjoyed the episode, but somehow I still found a lot to nitpick about it. Just going to skip over wondering why Junjou Mistake is taking up a slot in Sekaiichi Hatsukoi, because clearly, that's already a popular debate :/
While it does fit the "first love" theme that Sekaiichi has, it just somehow doesn't mesh into the universe very well. This spot could also easily have been taken by any other couple, even the newest pairing between Yokozawa and Kirishima, so the decision to animate it here and now is very strange.
Moving on, the one word I could find to describe the episode was, well, "average". Somehow there was something either mildly lacking, or overdone, with the voicing of both Isaka and Asahina, which disappointed me a little. I did like how the story flowed, although part of me felt that it seemed a bit rushed.
I was amused at this scene though:
"You two are really close, aren't you? ♥"
Really, are all the girls in an office enviroment yaoi fangirls? lol.
Also, the scene where teenage Usagi is persuaded to publish his work also feels a bit lackluster. This is supposed to be a part where Isaka realizes two things: one, that he can never write like this, and two, talent like this shouldn't be left unnoticed. And, well, a third: "this will sell". Isaka didn't sound as persuasive and forceful as I thought he should be, and whoever voiced Akihiko at that point wasn't able to bring out a teenager's understandable annoyance at their personal things being touched, as well as sincere reluctance to release his work. It sounded entirely too subdued for me.
Also, Isaka should stop pausing in the middle of pedestrian lanes to think. He did it twice in one pedestrian lane and he scene behind him almost looked as though there weren't any pedestrians left, plus the wooshing noise as the camera panned up made me think that the cars had started moving while he was there staring into space. XDD
The music here reminded me a little of Junjou Romantica, but until I make a distinct comparison, I can't tell for sure that they used Junjou Romantica music in this episode. Even then though, I found the music to be slightly disappointing. After how blown away I was by the music in the last episode, I guess my expectations ran a little high. It seemed too plain and simple here, just random solos here and there. It didn't highlight the moments very well, and oftentimes the timing felt very off. I did like the final violin solo where Isaka and Asahina finally tell each other they will perfect their skills and be together as one unit eventally. That, I thought was good.
Overall though, the animation itself tells the story quite well. It clearly highlights Isaka's jealousy and brattiness, and his clear need for attention from Asahina. It also marks Asahina's smiles as something special, something that Isaka wanted directed at him, and not just at his father. The craving for Asahina's happiness to stem from himself was clear, and I liked how they were able to bring that across.
Overall, I really love this couple, but i'm slightly disappointed in the voice acting and the music. However, animation was good, and the atmosphere and feel were good in terms of visuals.
"Love is without reason." Really, this title should be obvious. Isaka and Asahina barely needed a reason to love one another, they just did. XD However, they tended to overanalyze or overthink their positions with regard to one another, and thought too much of one another. Isaka didn't think it was possible to be together with Asahina because he loved him too much, and was jaded enough to think that things like those that he wanted the most would never fall into his grasp. On the other hand, Asahina was so sure that Isaka knew about his feelings, that any form of affection or love coming from Isaka would have felt like teasing or mockery. Because of their overdependence on reasons for love, they didn't realize the extent of the feelings they had for one another. THIS IS ADVICE, GUYS. Love is without reason.
THE NEXT EPISODE IS THE CHRISTMAS PARTY OMG. I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE THE EMERALD EDITING TEAM SPARKLE! ♥ Also, it looks like Ritsu will have plenty of moments to embarrass himself XD Can't wait!
It took me a while to pull together this review XD; I have been busier with work recently, and it had drained me a little. My room has once again transformed itself into Onodera-like chaos and I need to straighten myself out soon XD Oh well. See you guys again next week!