Massan
Week 1: "Even the hardest of hearts can be moved to tears"
Episode 5 (10/3/2014)
This was a pretty emotional episode where almost the entire family shed tears as some point. We also saw a slightly different side of Massan's mother toward the end of the episode.
RECAP:
Massan and his mother are in a pretty heated argument again as his mother continues to tell him that he must choose between Ellie or his family. She then tells him that if he absolutely cannot give up Ellie, then he should make her his "omekake" (mistress). She can accept Ellie as his mistress. This infuriates Massan and he storms out of the room with Ellie, telling his mother that he will leave his family then.
In their room, Ellie tells him that he cannot leave like this and shows him a picture she found of his family and points out that he was smiling then. It's clear that his family is important to him. Massan takes a bottle of whisky from his luggage and goes to his father once more to convince him to accept Ellie. He pleads with his father to understand and gives him a glass of whisky to try. His father admits that he does not understand whisky or what makes it good or bad.
Massan then stands up and declares that no matter what, he will try to make things work with Ellie by his side. His father then challenges him to a sumo match and they fight while their argument carries on. They are both emotional at this point and his father throws him down several times but finally Massan is able to throw his father down and convince him to accept the path he has chosen.
Meanwhile, Ellie has been watching this entire time unnoticed and is in tears from the touching scene. She then goes to ask for chopsticks from Sumire and begins to practice using them in her room. Massan's mother then comes in to talk with her. She is almost pleasant towards Ellie at first and begins to tell her that if she truly cares for Massan and thinks about his future, "Please go back to your country." With tears in her eyes, she bows her head down and pleads with Ellie to leave and go back to Scotland.
(to be continued)
Wow, that was quick!
ReplyDeleteI don't understand Japanese, but it looks like the show is spending its first week painting its characters in broad archetypal brushstrokes, like antagonistic (mum), sympathetic (sister), outwardly ambivalent (dad), even buffoonish (clerk)... But boy, are they going out of their way in trying to make the mum really nasty!
Yeah I totally agree with you! And about the mom, the actress (Pinko Izumi) sure does an excellent job of playing such an antagonistic role! I can't wait to see tomorrow's episode to see what happens next!
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