Takeshi Kaneshiro in 'Golden Bowl' - episode 5
(I started this last night...)
Mmmm, I'm slurping (well, not really, as I'm fairly incapable of slurping) up brisket & noodle soup from the Hong Kong diner near my apartment and sipping on a delicious red bean ice through a giant fat pink straw. I haven't had a red bean ice in a while and I had a craving. Also, there's this tension pain in my left shoulder and back, so I've made myself quite comfy with lots of pillows and a comforter as I enjoy recapping another episode of the wonderful Takeshi Kaneshiro jdorama Golden Bowl. Dive in with me!
Episode 1 | Episodes 2 & 3 | Episode 4 |
Episode 5
This episode opens with what at first seems just like a recap of the main action (the KISS) from the previous episode, but in reality, Akutagawa is dreaming about kissing Hitomi when his alarm wakes him and he looks so disappointed when he wakes up! He's rushing when he leaves his apartment for work, and Hitomi is outside sweeping her walkway. She cheerily greets him as he rushes off, and she calls out to ask him if "he will be there" and she makes the cutest bowling pose to his back. He merely waves without turning as he races up the steps to run to the commuter train. "Stupid me," he says to himself. "I must have been thinking of her just now." So it seems that Akutagawa wants to avoid her a little bit (he seems a bit stunned when he first emerges from his house and sees her, before he runs to work), meanwhile Hitomi's expression is a little disappointed that he wasn't very friendly. Now the speculating part of me wonders if Hitomi purposefully chose to sweep her path at that particular time of morning so she could chat with Akutagawa before he went to work...
Later (I'm guessing) that evening, when Akutagawa arrives at the bowling alley, there is only one free lane, and it is beside Hitomi, but Akutagawa ask if he can have something farther away. Shibaraha wonders if they've had an argument, which Akutagawa denies, but he looks distinctly uncomfortable at the prospect of having to endure Hitomi's presence. Perhaps he is still troubled by his dream of kissing her? When he gets to his lane, she is all bubbly and chirpy and is bowling well, and he only says "Great." But then, just before he is about to bowl, an eyelash falls into his eye. When Hitomi tries to help him, he pulls away from her abruptly and lines up his aim one-eyed. "Miss," she says in revenge for his spurning her help, and sure enough, he's not able to aim well with only one eye, so his ball heads straight from the gutter.
Shibahara and Katigame are having a little trouble with the alley monitors and this provides one of the really adorable moments in the episode. After Akutagawa stuffs up his throw, he comes back to Hitomi for help getting the eyelash out. "I'll have to trouble you," he says with his face all squinched up. "Not at all adorable," she says, referring to his face. "What's adorable?" he asks. Hitomi curls her hand and places it next to her face with the cutest expression. "That's adorable?" Akutagawa asks. And at that moment, the monitors malfunction rather unfortunately for poor Hitomi because one camera has gotten stuck and frozen on the image of her making the cute face, and somehow it has ended up on every single monitor in the alley; everywhere people are murmuring and chuckling at it. Needless to say, Hitomi is mortified and runs away in embarassment.
Then, after she disappears to hide, Akutagawa squints up at the monitor and says what sounds like "meow" only with an "n" and mimicks Hitomi's cute position on the frozen monitor. It's just so, so cute!
I wonder about these grocery shopping trips. Akutagawa surprises Hitomi at the store - he's still in his suit and carrying his briefcase, and since he doesn't buy anything, I can only imagine that he went to the store looking for her. Hmmm. They talk some more about her determination to divorce her husband, and eventually Akutagwa says, "Willfull woman," which provokes Hitomi. "What did you say about me just now? Repeat it." she asks. He repeats it. She actually looks quite happy to hear this. "I'm the eldest in the family," she says with a smile. "As far as I can remember, I'm giving in to others. He must be thinking I'll put up with it like I always did in the past. He doesn't care about my feelings." "Why won't you put up with it this time?" Akutagawa asks. "Actually, I don't know," she replies, weighing a grapefruit in her hands. She walks off and Akutagawa studies her for a few seconds before following.
As they are walking home together (Akutagawa is carrying Hitomi's groceries for her! What a lovely gentlman...), they talk about the fact that the bowling alley will be closed for the weekend - Hitomi speculates that business must be good despite the fact that they are always talking about being shut down (note: this is the first episode where we see that all the lanes at the alley are filled, too. Clearly they ARE doing better financially, and as will be revealed later, this is largely due to the popularity of the competitions.). The entire staff are going on a retreat for the weekend, and Akutagawa tells Hitomi that he has also been invited to join them, as a long-standing loyal member...and then he tells her that he has been asked to invite her as well. "You're my best partner, who has always accepted challenges with me," he tells her by way of explaining that she is seen to be as much a part of the Golden Bowl "team" as he is - since their compeititve team is what saves the facility at each competition.
And then...
Hitomi thanks Akutagawa for her earring. It's a rather neat trap that she sets for him, because she tells him that Kuroda told her that Akutagawa found the earring. She asks him where he found the earring...in the bathroom, he tells her, flustered. She knows she has him by now - "I went to the men's room?" she challenges him, and he changes his story to the locker room.Hitomi: Be honest. Was it at your place?
Akutagawa: [trapped] You're right. [he tries to be breezy and toss it off]
Hitomi: You could return it to me directly.
Akutagawa: I didn't know whose it was. Akira and Aunt Chiaki came to see me, too.
Hitomi: You're lying [she smiles up at him because she knows she has him]
Akutagawa: I'm not.
Hitomi: You knew it was definitely mine. Akira and Chiaki would have asked you directly if they had dropped it at your place.
Akutagawa: Really?
Hitomi: But I wouldn't ask you because of what happened.
Akutagawa: What happened? [he's really working this waaaay too hard, hmmm?]
Hitomi: Don't pretend not to remember. This is undeniable proof. Confess. [I love how confident she is here]
Akutagawa: [He just looks as her, realizing he is completely trapped. But he tries for bravado anyway] Confess?
Hitomi: That's right. [she gazes at him expectantly...and he can no longer put her off]
Akutagawa: I remember. [he turns away, probably a bit embarassed]
Hitomi: What do you remember? [she follows him around to get a good look at his face]
Akutagawa: That I kissed you.
Hitomi: I knew it!
Akutagawa: [Defeated, but still trying for bravado] I wasn't myself. I had a high fever and was having bad dreams.
Hitomi: You mean anyone would do [uh...she doesn't like the sound of this...]
Akutagawa: I wasn't feeling well.
Hitomi: When you had the flu, you'd kiss anyone?
Akutagawa: That's taking it to extremes.
[and somehow this all goes to pieces]
Hitomi: That's a crime!
Akutagawa: A crime? You just popped into my place! It's illegal entry to a private residence.
Hitomi: I visited you out of kindness! How could you be so ungrateful!
Akutagawa: Suddenly someone undressed me. Of course it'd give me ideas.
Hitomi: You were wet. I took off your clothes out of concern. [She is very upset by now and grabs her grocery bag from his arms]
Akutagawa: Why make a scene? In America, this is a way of saying hello. [uhh, really? That line totally cracks me up!]
Hitomi: This is Japan. I can hand you over to the cops.
Akutagawa: All right, I was wrong. Go tell the cops. [he's getting upset now, also] You're past 30 and married. Who would get any ideas about you? [OUCH!] You're not a young virgin girl. [OW, OW, OW]
Hitomi: [exclaims something that isn't translated; he had turned away, but abruptly stops, as he realizes the horrible thing he just said in the heat of the moment]
Akutagawa: [with a distressed and apologetic expression] Sorry! I was too much. I'm sorry. [he bows slightly in apology]
Hitomi: [raises her hand to strike him and he cringes away, but she doesn't let the blow fall. He looks down at her sorrowfully] I'm not asking for an apology. [she looks very sad] You're right. [she turns away]
Akutagawa: [gazes after her retreating back as she enters her gate and disappears. He looks quite upset with himself, and slaps himself since she wouldn't]
I have to admit, I was surprised that Hitomi DOES go on the retreat with everyone else as we next see everyone on the chartered bus complete with karaoke machine. Akutagawa seems to be extra nice and gentle with her to make up for his terrible insulting words. I love Hitomi here as she pulls rice balls and tea in a thermos out of her bag and offers them to him. The song that Akira, Chiaki and Chiaki's daughter, Yuri, are singing on the karaoke is not translated but I think that it must be significant somehow, because Midori who is sitting next to Kuroda says "I like men much older than me," to him in a sing-song voice, as though she's singing along with their song. And just a couple moments later, Akutagawa says to Hitomi, "Come to think of it, I'm much younger than you."
Akutagawa does the cutest thing, though, just after Akira comes over to sing a line to him. Staring at the rice ball in his hand, he exclaims in English, "Oh my God!" and takes another bite. His delivery is just adorable. One other note on the cute factor is that both Akutagawa and Hitomi have the most adorable dimples. I think I might die from their cuteness. How do I hug an .avi file? ;P
Later, at the retreat, neither Hitomi nor Midori seem interested in joining the group who are being entertained by singing geishas. Midori has brought alcohol and glasses and wants to stay with Hitomi and drink until morning. She's curious about Hitomi and asks her to tell her the truth - that there is something going on between her and Akutagawa. Of course Hitomi denies this...
Meanwhile, a supposedly drunk Akira (but she looks quite alert to me) is carried back to her sleeping pallet by Akutagawa. When she proposes that they kiss, she says "Just a kiss. Americans greet that way." "This is Japan. Don't talk foolishly," Akutagawa replies primly. Hahahaha, this cracks me up.
I LOVE the scene with Akutagawa and Hitomi in the bath. They are both sitting on opposites sides of a partial barrer in a hot spring bath when Akutagawa places a wet washcloth on top of his head (why? I have no idea why he does this and it looks really absurb, but somehow Kaneshiro carries this off) and begins to talk to himself. Hitomi hears him and becomes quite embarassed. She didn't realize that she was in a common bath.
Hitomi confesses to Akutagawa that she is a bit drunk because she drank with Midori - he's surprised, of course he then apologizes for insulting her before, and she agrees that what he said was very mean. But then he wonders that she didn't want him to apologize for kissing her...:) (why does Akutagawa get a nosebleed a few minutes later? Just to make him look funny with cotton stuck up his nose?) Akutagawa and Hitomi find out about the reason for the retreat - another competition! Mr. Tanorae has slyly planned well, and even brought their bowling shoes and balls along on the trip, unbeknownst to them.
This bowling competition is one of the funniest of the entire series, mostly due to Kaneshiro's wonderful performance and the chemistry and dialogue between the two leads. Akutagawa, clad in his customary black competition uniform, has a white bandana tied around his head, and somehow looks hotter than ever. Meanwhile, Hitomi is pretty drunk (I find it amusing that while everyone else is sobering up after their partying, Hitomi gets more drunk as the evening goes on!). The real estate developer (who paid for the retreat in exchange for the bowling competition) offers to cheer the unhappy Golden Bowl staff up by having the challengers, a pair of champion-bowling geishas, take one item of clothing off for every strike scored by Hitomi and Akutagawa. The men are quite cheered by this, but the tradeoff is that the Golden Bowl team has to do something similar. When Hitomi refuses to remove clothing, Akutagawa offers to strip instead, but they relent and for every strike scored by the challengers, he gets his face painted.
While they bowl, Hitomi presses him about why he kissed her (even though they agreed to forget about it in the hot spring pool). He tries to put her off as long as he can, but ultimately, he tells her the truth: that no, she does not look like his late Hitomi, he did know who he was kissing, and he did it because he wanted to. "I regarded you as my lover," he says in a sexy voice, just before turning away to bowl. Hitomi whistles. After he scores a strike, she wonders why he pretended that he didn't remember anything.Akutagawa: I was examining my feelings [by this point, he has broad black eyebrows and a square moustache painted on, so he looks quite absurd as they are having this somewhat serious conversation - I love that combination!]
Hitomi: Huh?
Akutagawa: I was in a stupor and I shouldn't have done it. [No! Don't say that Akutagawa! *cries*]
Hitomi: Because I'm somebody's wife?
Akutagawa: [in English] Bingo. [in Japanese] I have strong morals and can be a role model for other men.
Hitomi: Plus your dead girlfriend.
Akutagawa: Right.
Hitomi: [she leans in close to him before bowling] But I don't think so.
Takeshi Kaneshiro with the painted-on panda eyes has got to be one of most hilarious scenes in this entire dorama! How can you not love a guy who looks this good when so absurdly painted? *dead from cute*
Later, after another strike from the geishas, Akutagawa's entire face is painted black. Hitomi becomes quite distressed at the idea that he might think she is a "frivolous woman" - that she's not a pure faithful woman. She begins to cry, and exclaims, "I'm not in love with you!" "Yes," Akutagawa replies, bowing his head in agreement. "I don't love you at all!" she repeats again tearfully. Uh, ookay, Hitomi. Methinks the lady doth protest too much. ;) He tries tell her that she shouldn't care what he thinks of her since she doesn't like him.
The Final FrameAkutagawa: Frankly, you're an intelligent woman. It's quite difficult for me to ask you this.
Hitomi: I'm right. [I think she thinks that she's right that he has a bad opinion of her]
Akutagawa: But don't get me wrong. I have no bad motive. [I think he means he's not trying to break up her marriage]
Hitomi: What do you mean?
Akutagawa: How should I say it? Though we haven't known each other for long, we've become the best of partners.
Hitomi: Bowling?
Akutagawa: That's right. [which of course it isn't, but he isn't about to admit that he means more than just as bowling partners]
Hitomi: What else?
Akutagawa: Alone, I suddenly feel uneasy.
Hitomi: Your girlfriend turned into a star [because she died] and you turned into a pervert who keeps running to the observatory.
Akutagawa: That's being romantic [he protests]. Loneliness drives you to bowl regularly.
Hitomi: It's to de-stress.
Akutagawa: You play 5 to 6 games each time.
Hitomi: Carry on.
Akutagawa: When we start conversing, we become Pop and Cute. [I don't get this reference, unfortunately.]
Hitomi: Are you saying we have common interests?
Akutagawa: [in French} Oui, madame. [in Japanese} Our friendship is important.
Hitomi: And you don't want it ruined?
Akutagawa: [in French] Oui, madame.
Awwww! I love that he tells her this. Unfortunately, the geishas score another strike, but there's nowhere left to paint on Akutagawa's face! He turns to find Hitomi stripping off her nylon stockings, and he leaps to screen her from the eyes of their audience, which is hilarious. She drapes her stockings around his neck and ties them there. "You're in the special seat," she says with a smile. He's a bit embarassed and says that his face will go red, only no one would ever tell as it's completely black at this point!Akutagawa: Take it as nothing happened. I was feverish.
Hitomi: Yes.
Akutagawa: Happy with the report, Boss?
Hitomi: The story of one's dead lover and the breakup of a couple?
Akutagawa: Yes.
Hitomi: When two friends are apart it can't be considered a breakup.
Akutagawa: What do you think then?
Hitomi: Actually it's right. [she laughs]
Akutagawa: I wish I could be like that. [he goes into position to bowl his last ball of the match and becomes quite serious all of a sudden] Supposing I really...like you very much in my heart? [<---that's me, falling out of my chair. OMGsquee!]
Hitomi: [they both laugh and she gives him a look] Meet their expectations.
Akutagawa: [in French] Oui, madame.
The dramatic speech Akutagawa makes before delivering his last golden bowling ball strike is very cute and funny, but everyone is disappointed because the geishas have to strip after his strike, and they should be down to their last piece of clothing. Cut to the bus the next morning, where everyone exclaims over their trickiness in wearing bathing suits under their kimonos. There is a rather cute last scene with Hitomi and Akutagawa on the bus, and here, the karaoke song that Akira, Chiaki & Yui sing is translated only as saying "I like young men." :)
I adore this episode! It's so adorable, yet slightly angsty as Akutagawa and Hitomi iron out their own issues, and also, what I didn't write about is that Hitomi's husband has another date with his mistress, where he proves what a worthless man he is, even though he wants to go back to his wife. I can't help despising him for the way he treats his mistress as well as his wife. Ugh. (That's why I didn't write about it). The Hitomi/Akutagawa stuff is so much more loveable and entertaining!
Wow, these recaps seem to be getting longer and longer!
To be Continued...[Episode 6]
Mmmm, I'm slurping (well, not really, as I'm fairly incapable of slurping) up brisket & noodle soup from the Hong Kong diner near my apartment and sipping on a delicious red bean ice through a giant fat pink straw. I haven't had a red bean ice in a while and I had a craving. Also, there's this tension pain in my left shoulder and back, so I've made myself quite comfy with lots of pillows and a comforter as I enjoy recapping another episode of the wonderful Takeshi Kaneshiro jdorama Golden Bowl. Dive in with me!
Episode 1 | Episodes 2 & 3 | Episode 4 |
Episode 5
This episode opens with what at first seems just like a recap of the main action (the KISS) from the previous episode, but in reality, Akutagawa is dreaming about kissing Hitomi when his alarm wakes him and he looks so disappointed when he wakes up! He's rushing when he leaves his apartment for work, and Hitomi is outside sweeping her walkway. She cheerily greets him as he rushes off, and she calls out to ask him if "he will be there" and she makes the cutest bowling pose to his back. He merely waves without turning as he races up the steps to run to the commuter train. "Stupid me," he says to himself. "I must have been thinking of her just now." So it seems that Akutagawa wants to avoid her a little bit (he seems a bit stunned when he first emerges from his house and sees her, before he runs to work), meanwhile Hitomi's expression is a little disappointed that he wasn't very friendly. Now the speculating part of me wonders if Hitomi purposefully chose to sweep her path at that particular time of morning so she could chat with Akutagawa before he went to work...
Later (I'm guessing) that evening, when Akutagawa arrives at the bowling alley, there is only one free lane, and it is beside Hitomi, but Akutagawa ask if he can have something farther away. Shibaraha wonders if they've had an argument, which Akutagawa denies, but he looks distinctly uncomfortable at the prospect of having to endure Hitomi's presence. Perhaps he is still troubled by his dream of kissing her? When he gets to his lane, she is all bubbly and chirpy and is bowling well, and he only says "Great." But then, just before he is about to bowl, an eyelash falls into his eye. When Hitomi tries to help him, he pulls away from her abruptly and lines up his aim one-eyed. "Miss," she says in revenge for his spurning her help, and sure enough, he's not able to aim well with only one eye, so his ball heads straight from the gutter.
Shibahara and Katigame are having a little trouble with the alley monitors and this provides one of the really adorable moments in the episode. After Akutagawa stuffs up his throw, he comes back to Hitomi for help getting the eyelash out. "I'll have to trouble you," he says with his face all squinched up. "Not at all adorable," she says, referring to his face. "What's adorable?" he asks. Hitomi curls her hand and places it next to her face with the cutest expression. "That's adorable?" Akutagawa asks. And at that moment, the monitors malfunction rather unfortunately for poor Hitomi because one camera has gotten stuck and frozen on the image of her making the cute face, and somehow it has ended up on every single monitor in the alley; everywhere people are murmuring and chuckling at it. Needless to say, Hitomi is mortified and runs away in embarassment.
Then, after she disappears to hide, Akutagawa squints up at the monitor and says what sounds like "meow" only with an "n" and mimicks Hitomi's cute position on the frozen monitor. It's just so, so cute!
I wonder about these grocery shopping trips. Akutagawa surprises Hitomi at the store - he's still in his suit and carrying his briefcase, and since he doesn't buy anything, I can only imagine that he went to the store looking for her. Hmmm. They talk some more about her determination to divorce her husband, and eventually Akutagwa says, "Willfull woman," which provokes Hitomi. "What did you say about me just now? Repeat it." she asks. He repeats it. She actually looks quite happy to hear this. "I'm the eldest in the family," she says with a smile. "As far as I can remember, I'm giving in to others. He must be thinking I'll put up with it like I always did in the past. He doesn't care about my feelings." "Why won't you put up with it this time?" Akutagawa asks. "Actually, I don't know," she replies, weighing a grapefruit in her hands. She walks off and Akutagawa studies her for a few seconds before following.
As they are walking home together (Akutagawa is carrying Hitomi's groceries for her! What a lovely gentlman...), they talk about the fact that the bowling alley will be closed for the weekend - Hitomi speculates that business must be good despite the fact that they are always talking about being shut down (note: this is the first episode where we see that all the lanes at the alley are filled, too. Clearly they ARE doing better financially, and as will be revealed later, this is largely due to the popularity of the competitions.). The entire staff are going on a retreat for the weekend, and Akutagawa tells Hitomi that he has also been invited to join them, as a long-standing loyal member...and then he tells her that he has been asked to invite her as well. "You're my best partner, who has always accepted challenges with me," he tells her by way of explaining that she is seen to be as much a part of the Golden Bowl "team" as he is - since their compeititve team is what saves the facility at each competition.
And then...
Hitomi thanks Akutagawa for her earring. It's a rather neat trap that she sets for him, because she tells him that Kuroda told her that Akutagawa found the earring. She asks him where he found the earring...in the bathroom, he tells her, flustered. She knows she has him by now - "I went to the men's room?" she challenges him, and he changes his story to the locker room.Hitomi: Be honest. Was it at your place?
Akutagawa: [trapped] You're right. [he tries to be breezy and toss it off]
Hitomi: You could return it to me directly.
Akutagawa: I didn't know whose it was. Akira and Aunt Chiaki came to see me, too.
Hitomi: You're lying [she smiles up at him because she knows she has him]
Akutagawa: I'm not.
Hitomi: You knew it was definitely mine. Akira and Chiaki would have asked you directly if they had dropped it at your place.
Akutagawa: Really?
Hitomi: But I wouldn't ask you because of what happened.
Akutagawa: What happened? [he's really working this waaaay too hard, hmmm?]
Hitomi: Don't pretend not to remember. This is undeniable proof. Confess. [I love how confident she is here]
Akutagawa: [He just looks as her, realizing he is completely trapped. But he tries for bravado anyway] Confess?
Hitomi: That's right. [she gazes at him expectantly...and he can no longer put her off]
Akutagawa: I remember. [he turns away, probably a bit embarassed]
Hitomi: What do you remember? [she follows him around to get a good look at his face]
Akutagawa: That I kissed you.
Hitomi: I knew it!
Akutagawa: [Defeated, but still trying for bravado] I wasn't myself. I had a high fever and was having bad dreams.
Hitomi: You mean anyone would do [uh...she doesn't like the sound of this...]
Akutagawa: I wasn't feeling well.
Hitomi: When you had the flu, you'd kiss anyone?
Akutagawa: That's taking it to extremes.
[and somehow this all goes to pieces]
Hitomi: That's a crime!
Akutagawa: A crime? You just popped into my place! It's illegal entry to a private residence.
Hitomi: I visited you out of kindness! How could you be so ungrateful!
Akutagawa: Suddenly someone undressed me. Of course it'd give me ideas.
Hitomi: You were wet. I took off your clothes out of concern. [She is very upset by now and grabs her grocery bag from his arms]
Akutagawa: Why make a scene? In America, this is a way of saying hello. [uhh, really? That line totally cracks me up!]
Hitomi: This is Japan. I can hand you over to the cops.
Akutagawa: All right, I was wrong. Go tell the cops. [he's getting upset now, also] You're past 30 and married. Who would get any ideas about you? [OUCH!] You're not a young virgin girl. [OW, OW, OW]
Hitomi: [exclaims something that isn't translated; he had turned away, but abruptly stops, as he realizes the horrible thing he just said in the heat of the moment]
Akutagawa: [with a distressed and apologetic expression] Sorry! I was too much. I'm sorry. [he bows slightly in apology]
Hitomi: [raises her hand to strike him and he cringes away, but she doesn't let the blow fall. He looks down at her sorrowfully] I'm not asking for an apology. [she looks very sad] You're right. [she turns away]
Akutagawa: [gazes after her retreating back as she enters her gate and disappears. He looks quite upset with himself, and slaps himself since she wouldn't]
I have to admit, I was surprised that Hitomi DOES go on the retreat with everyone else as we next see everyone on the chartered bus complete with karaoke machine. Akutagawa seems to be extra nice and gentle with her to make up for his terrible insulting words. I love Hitomi here as she pulls rice balls and tea in a thermos out of her bag and offers them to him. The song that Akira, Chiaki and Chiaki's daughter, Yuri, are singing on the karaoke is not translated but I think that it must be significant somehow, because Midori who is sitting next to Kuroda says "I like men much older than me," to him in a sing-song voice, as though she's singing along with their song. And just a couple moments later, Akutagawa says to Hitomi, "Come to think of it, I'm much younger than you."
Akutagawa does the cutest thing, though, just after Akira comes over to sing a line to him. Staring at the rice ball in his hand, he exclaims in English, "Oh my God!" and takes another bite. His delivery is just adorable. One other note on the cute factor is that both Akutagawa and Hitomi have the most adorable dimples. I think I might die from their cuteness. How do I hug an .avi file? ;P
Later, at the retreat, neither Hitomi nor Midori seem interested in joining the group who are being entertained by singing geishas. Midori has brought alcohol and glasses and wants to stay with Hitomi and drink until morning. She's curious about Hitomi and asks her to tell her the truth - that there is something going on between her and Akutagawa. Of course Hitomi denies this...
Meanwhile, a supposedly drunk Akira (but she looks quite alert to me) is carried back to her sleeping pallet by Akutagawa. When she proposes that they kiss, she says "Just a kiss. Americans greet that way." "This is Japan. Don't talk foolishly," Akutagawa replies primly. Hahahaha, this cracks me up.
I LOVE the scene with Akutagawa and Hitomi in the bath. They are both sitting on opposites sides of a partial barrer in a hot spring bath when Akutagawa places a wet washcloth on top of his head (why? I have no idea why he does this and it looks really absurb, but somehow Kaneshiro carries this off) and begins to talk to himself. Hitomi hears him and becomes quite embarassed. She didn't realize that she was in a common bath.
Hitomi confesses to Akutagawa that she is a bit drunk because she drank with Midori - he's surprised, of course he then apologizes for insulting her before, and she agrees that what he said was very mean. But then he wonders that she didn't want him to apologize for kissing her...:) (why does Akutagawa get a nosebleed a few minutes later? Just to make him look funny with cotton stuck up his nose?) Akutagawa and Hitomi find out about the reason for the retreat - another competition! Mr. Tanorae has slyly planned well, and even brought their bowling shoes and balls along on the trip, unbeknownst to them.
This bowling competition is one of the funniest of the entire series, mostly due to Kaneshiro's wonderful performance and the chemistry and dialogue between the two leads. Akutagawa, clad in his customary black competition uniform, has a white bandana tied around his head, and somehow looks hotter than ever. Meanwhile, Hitomi is pretty drunk (I find it amusing that while everyone else is sobering up after their partying, Hitomi gets more drunk as the evening goes on!). The real estate developer (who paid for the retreat in exchange for the bowling competition) offers to cheer the unhappy Golden Bowl staff up by having the challengers, a pair of champion-bowling geishas, take one item of clothing off for every strike scored by Hitomi and Akutagawa. The men are quite cheered by this, but the tradeoff is that the Golden Bowl team has to do something similar. When Hitomi refuses to remove clothing, Akutagawa offers to strip instead, but they relent and for every strike scored by the challengers, he gets his face painted.
While they bowl, Hitomi presses him about why he kissed her (even though they agreed to forget about it in the hot spring pool). He tries to put her off as long as he can, but ultimately, he tells her the truth: that no, she does not look like his late Hitomi, he did know who he was kissing, and he did it because he wanted to. "I regarded you as my lover," he says in a sexy voice, just before turning away to bowl. Hitomi whistles. After he scores a strike, she wonders why he pretended that he didn't remember anything.Akutagawa: I was examining my feelings [by this point, he has broad black eyebrows and a square moustache painted on, so he looks quite absurd as they are having this somewhat serious conversation - I love that combination!]
Hitomi: Huh?
Akutagawa: I was in a stupor and I shouldn't have done it. [No! Don't say that Akutagawa! *cries*]
Hitomi: Because I'm somebody's wife?
Akutagawa: [in English] Bingo. [in Japanese] I have strong morals and can be a role model for other men.
Hitomi: Plus your dead girlfriend.
Akutagawa: Right.
Hitomi: [she leans in close to him before bowling] But I don't think so.
Takeshi Kaneshiro with the painted-on panda eyes has got to be one of most hilarious scenes in this entire dorama! How can you not love a guy who looks this good when so absurdly painted? *dead from cute*
Later, after another strike from the geishas, Akutagawa's entire face is painted black. Hitomi becomes quite distressed at the idea that he might think she is a "frivolous woman" - that she's not a pure faithful woman. She begins to cry, and exclaims, "I'm not in love with you!" "Yes," Akutagawa replies, bowing his head in agreement. "I don't love you at all!" she repeats again tearfully. Uh, ookay, Hitomi. Methinks the lady doth protest too much. ;) He tries tell her that she shouldn't care what he thinks of her since she doesn't like him.
The Final FrameAkutagawa: Frankly, you're an intelligent woman. It's quite difficult for me to ask you this.
Hitomi: I'm right. [I think she thinks that she's right that he has a bad opinion of her]
Akutagawa: But don't get me wrong. I have no bad motive. [I think he means he's not trying to break up her marriage]
Hitomi: What do you mean?
Akutagawa: How should I say it? Though we haven't known each other for long, we've become the best of partners.
Hitomi: Bowling?
Akutagawa: That's right. [which of course it isn't, but he isn't about to admit that he means more than just as bowling partners]
Hitomi: What else?
Akutagawa: Alone, I suddenly feel uneasy.
Hitomi: Your girlfriend turned into a star [because she died] and you turned into a pervert who keeps running to the observatory.
Akutagawa: That's being romantic [he protests]. Loneliness drives you to bowl regularly.
Hitomi: It's to de-stress.
Akutagawa: You play 5 to 6 games each time.
Hitomi: Carry on.
Akutagawa: When we start conversing, we become Pop and Cute. [I don't get this reference, unfortunately.]
Hitomi: Are you saying we have common interests?
Akutagawa: [in French} Oui, madame. [in Japanese} Our friendship is important.
Hitomi: And you don't want it ruined?
Akutagawa: [in French] Oui, madame.
Awwww! I love that he tells her this. Unfortunately, the geishas score another strike, but there's nowhere left to paint on Akutagawa's face! He turns to find Hitomi stripping off her nylon stockings, and he leaps to screen her from the eyes of their audience, which is hilarious. She drapes her stockings around his neck and ties them there. "You're in the special seat," she says with a smile. He's a bit embarassed and says that his face will go red, only no one would ever tell as it's completely black at this point!Akutagawa: Take it as nothing happened. I was feverish.
Hitomi: Yes.
Akutagawa: Happy with the report, Boss?
Hitomi: The story of one's dead lover and the breakup of a couple?
Akutagawa: Yes.
Hitomi: When two friends are apart it can't be considered a breakup.
Akutagawa: What do you think then?
Hitomi: Actually it's right. [she laughs]
Akutagawa: I wish I could be like that. [he goes into position to bowl his last ball of the match and becomes quite serious all of a sudden] Supposing I really...like you very much in my heart? [<---that's me, falling out of my chair. OMGsquee!]
Hitomi: [they both laugh and she gives him a look] Meet their expectations.
Akutagawa: [in French] Oui, madame.
The dramatic speech Akutagawa makes before delivering his last golden bowling ball strike is very cute and funny, but everyone is disappointed because the geishas have to strip after his strike, and they should be down to their last piece of clothing. Cut to the bus the next morning, where everyone exclaims over their trickiness in wearing bathing suits under their kimonos. There is a rather cute last scene with Hitomi and Akutagawa on the bus, and here, the karaoke song that Akira, Chiaki & Yui sing is translated only as saying "I like young men." :)
I adore this episode! It's so adorable, yet slightly angsty as Akutagawa and Hitomi iron out their own issues, and also, what I didn't write about is that Hitomi's husband has another date with his mistress, where he proves what a worthless man he is, even though he wants to go back to his wife. I can't help despising him for the way he treats his mistress as well as his wife. Ugh. (That's why I didn't write about it). The Hitomi/Akutagawa stuff is so much more loveable and entertaining!
Wow, these recaps seem to be getting longer and longer!
To be Continued...[Episode 6]