Proposal Daisakusen Finale
So, the end is here at last. I already basicly know what is going to happen in this episode, since I spent Monday afternoon hectically refreshing my browser screen at the d-addicts discussion board, reading all the live comments while this episode was airing. Still, it's not quite the same thing to read short comments by someone else as it is to see it by myself.
By the way, since this is the last episode, I'll warn you that there are going to be a gazillion screencaps on this post :). (Yikes, I took almost a hundred caps while watching this!!! O_o No, I didn't include all of them, but there are still A LOT of pictures there...)
The previous episode ended in a cliffhanger with Ken dragging Rei along with him to some undisclosed destination. Now, it seems he has taken her to the old elementary school where they first met each other.
Ken and the character for "ai" (love) together... Take the hint already, Rei! Sigh, but when she asks Ken why they came to the old school, he says that he just felt like it. He doesn't really know why they came there. No wonder Rei calls him crazy :P. Now confess your feelings to her, you idiot!!!
Rei is very nostalgic about the school and is remembering the time they first met when she transferred there. She is wondering how things would have been if she hadn't come there and met Ken. They wouldn't have become friends and everything would be completely different.
Meanwhile, at Tada-san's party he has noticed Rei's absence and is wondering where she is. LOL, Mikio who saw Ken go after Rei and drag her away almost chokes on his food when asked about her whereabouts, but in the end manages to gasp out that he doesn't know where she is :).
Heh, Tsuru notices that Ken is absent as well, and Mikio tells him that he had to leave because he had an important game to attend to that was also a big gamble with a one-shot chance at winning... Nice way of putting it, Mikio :).
Back at the school, Ken and Rei are reminiscing about old times on the school playground. They even both do tricks on the bar where Rei's arm got hurt all those years ago, she in her party dress and he in his suit :D. I think that if Rei were really, fully committed to Tada, she would be worrying about getting back to the party that was arranged in Tada-san's honour and not gallivanting with Ken in their old school. I guess part of it's that she's curious what Ken had in mind or that this is the last time they'll be able to be this carefree together, but still...
Oi, look at that smile!!!! KAWAII!!!!
Their time together is partly comfortable, because of all the old memories, but partly uncomfortable, because neither really knows what to say. Rei is wondering why they are there and Ken just keeps looking wistfully at her remembering the past. Ken, just tell her!!!
He does ask her if she had any regrets, and if she had the chance would she have done something differently in the past? (Tada-san is looking more worried with Rei's absence from the party. And Mikio is also starting to get worried about what will happen if they don't return soon.)
Rei tells Ken that there were painful moments in the past, but the new her doesn't allow herself to have any regrets. She wants to live in the present she has chosen. She even thanks Ken for always being there for her and says that thanks to him she is now who she is.
Her words deeply affect Ken. He wonders why it was so much easier to say and do something as a child, but now it's all so complicated :(. It is this moment when he decides to give up on Rei and move on.
Elsewhere, Eri is about to leave for the party when she finally notices the ring on the "Don't Knock New York" sign. She looks really shocked when she reads whatever is written inside the ring! And when she gets to the party, she immediately asks where Rei is. I wonder what was on the ring?
Wow, Ken and Rei really spent a long time at the old school, since it's already dark when they are walking back to the party! Ken kept silent about his feelings and has decided that he will not believe in miracles, only in himself... IDIOT! Damn you for making me all sniffly! :(
When Mikio asks Ken how it went, he just says that he decided to change his schedule, while looking awfully sad :(. He has really given up, while at the same time Eri is giving Rei the ring he brought before he proposed to her.
She, too, looks surprised when she reads the inscription and after that it looks like she is thinking very hard on what it means. I guess it finally proves to her that it wasn't just a spur of a moment thing when Ken proposed to her and that he really meant it. He really had feelings for her, why else would he have had the ring ready and all!
Still, Ken is now prepared to take his own picture so that he'll get back to the present day.
But when he gets back, it isn't to the wedding banquet! Instead, he is smoking at the fountain with Mikio and the slideshow hasn't even started yet.
The fairy asks him that since he wasn't able to win in the past, is he going to fight now in the present day? Ken says that during his visits to the past, he has managed to face the things he regretted and redo them the best way he can. He isn't sure if it's right or not, but he is still determined to fight. He is thankful for the chance he was given to change things and has decided to no longer grieve over the past. And it's quite evident that he isn't looking as mopy any more. He has resolved his issues and has decided to move forward.
The fairy tells Ken that it was his parting gift to him to bring him back to this moment before his speech and the slide show. "Ask, and you shall be given!"
And then Ken goes in and delivers a speech in which, after saying that this might be unfair to Tada-san (you think?!), he finally tells how he has always been on Rei's side and how he thought he was the only one who could make her happy. He thought of stealing her away, since he loved her and still does, but she is getting married to Tada-san and there's nothing he can do about it. And he tells her to become happy with Tada-san or he won't forgive her. *BAWL*
Wow, he finally managed to get the words out of his mouth and in front of all those people, too! I was big-time bawling during the speech and he did move the people at the banquet with his words as well, including Rei. It was unfair to Tada-san to make this declaration at a party that is supposed to be for him and Rei, so it's no wonder that he is looking a bit uncomfortable and even thoughtful after Ken ends his speech.
Rei is looking devastated while Ken walks back to their friends and then leaves the banquet hall. When the slideshow starts, she begins to think of the past and of how Ken was always there for her. Now she is beginning to have doubts that maybe she didn't really ever give him a chance.
She is remembering all the things he did for her and all their moments together. What she comes to realize is that the one to give up on them was her, and she was also the one who decided not to look back on what might have been between them.
At the same time Ken is at the church sobbing his heart out :´(. Poor Ken-zou! *sniff*
Seeing Rei in tears after the slideshow, it's easy to see that Tada-san comes to a decision. I guess he finally realized how much he came between Rei and Ken and that the feelings between them maybe aren't yet completely resolved on either side.
When he and Rei are alone in the backroom, he tells her he'll make a bet with her. He'll place a cufflink in one of his hands and if she chooses the hand with it, she will go out and solve the problem she has had ever since her hatachi, when she had the same kind of face as now.
I quite agree with the people who have commented that with this, Tada shows that he really is a nice guy, but that it's also a sort of test for Rei. If she was really committed to Tada, she would never agree to the bet, but she does, and when she gets the hand with the button, she abandons Tada and rushes after Ken. As Tada says, "You have chosen."
After she has left, it's shown that both Tada's hands held a cufflink. He is wondering what he just did, but he really is a very decent guy who is basicly letting Rei go, because he knows that she is having second thoughts about the marriage and is really in love with another man. I actually feel quite sorry for him during this scene!
In the meanwhile, Ken has gotten into a taxi and is telling it just to drive away. Rei arrives just a moment too late and tries to run after the taxi, yelling "Ken-zou!!!!", but he doesn't notice her.
Rei goes to the church and this time she is the one filled with regrets and thoughts of 'what if..." Aww, the ring Ken bought had the inscription "Rei X Kenzo" on it.
And then the fairy is there :). And he is asking her that doesn't she like saying that if only I could go back in time and change things... And then he goes on to tell of a guy who went back in time and tried to change things, but in the end came to the realization that more important is to change the present for a better future.
"Even from now on, don't you think you'll reach him in time?" And Rei is again running after Ken. When she gets to the church doors, there is a flash like on Ken's visits to the past.
*Credits*
If I didn't know there was going to be something after the credits, I would have been boiling mad when the end credits start rolling right at that moment with the taxi driving away and Rei still running after Ken... :P
After the credits, we see that the taxi has run out of gas and Ken is pushing it.
The he hears Rei's voice crying Ken-zou... And turns to watch behind him.... And smiles quite happily. The end.
If I hadn't read all those spoilers beforehand, I think I might have been rather mad at this ending (and was while reading the live commentary), because it leaves so much open. But since I've had time to think about it and was prepared for it, it actually felt rather good. So much was expressed by that brief smile that was the final scene and since Rei basically escaped from her own wedding to be with another man, it's only fitting that there were no huge displays of passion there. All in all, this drama is going to stay as one of my favourites and I really will have to get it on DVD someday...
By the way, since this is the last episode, I'll warn you that there are going to be a gazillion screencaps on this post :). (Yikes, I took almost a hundred caps while watching this!!! O_o No, I didn't include all of them, but there are still A LOT of pictures there...)
The previous episode ended in a cliffhanger with Ken dragging Rei along with him to some undisclosed destination. Now, it seems he has taken her to the old elementary school where they first met each other.
Ken and the character for "ai" (love) together... Take the hint already, Rei! Sigh, but when she asks Ken why they came to the old school, he says that he just felt like it. He doesn't really know why they came there. No wonder Rei calls him crazy :P. Now confess your feelings to her, you idiot!!!
Rei is very nostalgic about the school and is remembering the time they first met when she transferred there. She is wondering how things would have been if she hadn't come there and met Ken. They wouldn't have become friends and everything would be completely different.
Meanwhile, at Tada-san's party he has noticed Rei's absence and is wondering where she is. LOL, Mikio who saw Ken go after Rei and drag her away almost chokes on his food when asked about her whereabouts, but in the end manages to gasp out that he doesn't know where she is :).
Heh, Tsuru notices that Ken is absent as well, and Mikio tells him that he had to leave because he had an important game to attend to that was also a big gamble with a one-shot chance at winning... Nice way of putting it, Mikio :).
Back at the school, Ken and Rei are reminiscing about old times on the school playground. They even both do tricks on the bar where Rei's arm got hurt all those years ago, she in her party dress and he in his suit :D. I think that if Rei were really, fully committed to Tada, she would be worrying about getting back to the party that was arranged in Tada-san's honour and not gallivanting with Ken in their old school. I guess part of it's that she's curious what Ken had in mind or that this is the last time they'll be able to be this carefree together, but still...
Oi, look at that smile!!!! KAWAII!!!!
Their time together is partly comfortable, because of all the old memories, but partly uncomfortable, because neither really knows what to say. Rei is wondering why they are there and Ken just keeps looking wistfully at her remembering the past. Ken, just tell her!!!
He does ask her if she had any regrets, and if she had the chance would she have done something differently in the past? (Tada-san is looking more worried with Rei's absence from the party. And Mikio is also starting to get worried about what will happen if they don't return soon.)
Rei tells Ken that there were painful moments in the past, but the new her doesn't allow herself to have any regrets. She wants to live in the present she has chosen. She even thanks Ken for always being there for her and says that thanks to him she is now who she is.
Her words deeply affect Ken. He wonders why it was so much easier to say and do something as a child, but now it's all so complicated :(. It is this moment when he decides to give up on Rei and move on.
Elsewhere, Eri is about to leave for the party when she finally notices the ring on the "Don't Knock New York" sign. She looks really shocked when she reads whatever is written inside the ring! And when she gets to the party, she immediately asks where Rei is. I wonder what was on the ring?
Wow, Ken and Rei really spent a long time at the old school, since it's already dark when they are walking back to the party! Ken kept silent about his feelings and has decided that he will not believe in miracles, only in himself... IDIOT! Damn you for making me all sniffly! :(
When Mikio asks Ken how it went, he just says that he decided to change his schedule, while looking awfully sad :(. He has really given up, while at the same time Eri is giving Rei the ring he brought before he proposed to her.
She, too, looks surprised when she reads the inscription and after that it looks like she is thinking very hard on what it means. I guess it finally proves to her that it wasn't just a spur of a moment thing when Ken proposed to her and that he really meant it. He really had feelings for her, why else would he have had the ring ready and all!
Still, Ken is now prepared to take his own picture so that he'll get back to the present day.
But when he gets back, it isn't to the wedding banquet! Instead, he is smoking at the fountain with Mikio and the slideshow hasn't even started yet.
The fairy asks him that since he wasn't able to win in the past, is he going to fight now in the present day? Ken says that during his visits to the past, he has managed to face the things he regretted and redo them the best way he can. He isn't sure if it's right or not, but he is still determined to fight. He is thankful for the chance he was given to change things and has decided to no longer grieve over the past. And it's quite evident that he isn't looking as mopy any more. He has resolved his issues and has decided to move forward.
The fairy tells Ken that it was his parting gift to him to bring him back to this moment before his speech and the slide show. "Ask, and you shall be given!"
And then Ken goes in and delivers a speech in which, after saying that this might be unfair to Tada-san (you think?!), he finally tells how he has always been on Rei's side and how he thought he was the only one who could make her happy. He thought of stealing her away, since he loved her and still does, but she is getting married to Tada-san and there's nothing he can do about it. And he tells her to become happy with Tada-san or he won't forgive her. *BAWL*
Wow, he finally managed to get the words out of his mouth and in front of all those people, too! I was big-time bawling during the speech and he did move the people at the banquet with his words as well, including Rei. It was unfair to Tada-san to make this declaration at a party that is supposed to be for him and Rei, so it's no wonder that he is looking a bit uncomfortable and even thoughtful after Ken ends his speech.
Rei is looking devastated while Ken walks back to their friends and then leaves the banquet hall. When the slideshow starts, she begins to think of the past and of how Ken was always there for her. Now she is beginning to have doubts that maybe she didn't really ever give him a chance.
She is remembering all the things he did for her and all their moments together. What she comes to realize is that the one to give up on them was her, and she was also the one who decided not to look back on what might have been between them.
At the same time Ken is at the church sobbing his heart out :´(. Poor Ken-zou! *sniff*
Seeing Rei in tears after the slideshow, it's easy to see that Tada-san comes to a decision. I guess he finally realized how much he came between Rei and Ken and that the feelings between them maybe aren't yet completely resolved on either side.
When he and Rei are alone in the backroom, he tells her he'll make a bet with her. He'll place a cufflink in one of his hands and if she chooses the hand with it, she will go out and solve the problem she has had ever since her hatachi, when she had the same kind of face as now.
I quite agree with the people who have commented that with this, Tada shows that he really is a nice guy, but that it's also a sort of test for Rei. If she was really committed to Tada, she would never agree to the bet, but she does, and when she gets the hand with the button, she abandons Tada and rushes after Ken. As Tada says, "You have chosen."
After she has left, it's shown that both Tada's hands held a cufflink. He is wondering what he just did, but he really is a very decent guy who is basicly letting Rei go, because he knows that she is having second thoughts about the marriage and is really in love with another man. I actually feel quite sorry for him during this scene!
In the meanwhile, Ken has gotten into a taxi and is telling it just to drive away. Rei arrives just a moment too late and tries to run after the taxi, yelling "Ken-zou!!!!", but he doesn't notice her.
Rei goes to the church and this time she is the one filled with regrets and thoughts of 'what if..." Aww, the ring Ken bought had the inscription "Rei X Kenzo" on it.
And then the fairy is there :). And he is asking her that doesn't she like saying that if only I could go back in time and change things... And then he goes on to tell of a guy who went back in time and tried to change things, but in the end came to the realization that more important is to change the present for a better future.
"Even from now on, don't you think you'll reach him in time?" And Rei is again running after Ken. When she gets to the church doors, there is a flash like on Ken's visits to the past.
*Credits*
If I didn't know there was going to be something after the credits, I would have been boiling mad when the end credits start rolling right at that moment with the taxi driving away and Rei still running after Ken... :P
After the credits, we see that the taxi has run out of gas and Ken is pushing it.
The he hears Rei's voice crying Ken-zou... And turns to watch behind him.... And smiles quite happily. The end.
If I hadn't read all those spoilers beforehand, I think I might have been rather mad at this ending (and was while reading the live commentary), because it leaves so much open. But since I've had time to think about it and was prepared for it, it actually felt rather good. So much was expressed by that brief smile that was the final scene and since Rei basically escaped from her own wedding to be with another man, it's only fitting that there were no huge displays of passion there. All in all, this drama is going to stay as one of my favourites and I really will have to get it on DVD someday...