Part 1 is here: Love Lasts Forever: Episode 9, Part 1
But where was I? Ah! The Basho haiku.
I challenged myself to look for haikus for each one of the themes of this episodes. As some of you probably know already, haikus are generally about everyday life and nature, not love. So I’ll be stretching this last poem to fit our final and fifth theme.
You make the fire
And I’ll show you something wonderful:
A big ball of snow!
(source: poemhunter.com)
5. Physical Attraction
From the beginning of the episode, when the Old Doctor scolded them for hugging public and when Nanase’s mother belittled her sex appeal, until the end of the episode when Tendo admitted that he found her sexy, the subject of physical attraction and physical display of affection had been burning in Nanase’s mind. Somehow, however, I don’t think she was ready to “level up”
and Tendo was right to bide his time. Take for instance, when she and Tendo got home and her mom showed them their room. She became flustered.
Nanase: Huh? What? What is this?
Mom: There’s no need to be shy. You two are dating.
Nanase: (whispering) Mom!!!
Mom: Have a good night!
The mature way to handle this was to simply thank her mom and talk the sleeping arrangement over with Tendo in the privacy of their room. Her “shyness,” as her mom called it, put Tendo in an awkward spot. It would appear to him as if she was protesting to be in the same bed with because:
a) she wanted to preserve her “innocent girl” image with her mom and family members,
b) she was worried that he would attack her virtue while they slept,
c) she was preserving her virginity for marriage.
In any case, her bewildered response gave him the impression that she wasn’t ready for the physical phase of their relationship. She should have known that Tendo wouldn’t seduce her that night in the middle of her family home. (Was anybody else freaked out to see those eyes peeking through the doors? They looked like gremlins’ eyes.)
Tendo: You can sleep in the bed. I’ll sleep over here.
Nanase: You can’t.
Tendo: Then…do you want to sleep together? (staring at her)
Nanase: (quiet)
Tendo: I was just kidding. Baka. Go to sleep.
I thought he was hiding a smile because he was teasing her. He expected her to balk.
Tendo: (turning her back on her) Go to bed.
Nanase: (taking the blanket to lie down beside him) I won’t. I want to sleep here.
Tendo: (quietly) Baka.
She fell asleep promptly and he pulled his coat around him tighter and frowned.
I don’t think she understood that moment. She could snuggle up against him and sleep peacefully but he was in for one rough night. Hence, he pulled his coat up. I see this action as a defensive move. He was making sure that he didn’t reach out and hug her in the middle of the night. He frowned because he had to exercise self-control.
This also reminds me of that scene in Love 020 when Xiao Nai asked her when he would graduate from studying voluntary self-control for two years.
When she returned to hospital, her gossipy but well-intentioned coworkers all thought that she looked more cheerful than usual, and assumed that this was caused by her relationship with Tendo “leveling” up.
Male Nurse: I guess you’re overflowing with happiness over there.
Nanase: Can you tell?
Male Nurse: Wait! Does this mean that… You’ve finally…
Nanase: Huh?
Nurse1: Of course! He even visited her family! It’ll be even weirder if nothing happened…
Male Nurse: You’re right! That would be weird indeed!
In their minds, he was visiting her family because he was her man… in every sense of the word. And in their minds, they falsely thought that correlation implied causation. The fact that he visited her family did not mean that they’d become sexual partners.
Now, since they were bantering about her sex life, she began to doubt Tendo’s feelings for her again. Because he was her first boyfriend, she had no way of knowing that each relationship is personal, following its own time and path. She suddenly felt pressured to follow their timeline and their expectations.
So she asked the Male Nurse Numazu for advice. She pretended that she was asking for a friend.
Nanase: It’s been a long time since they started dating but is it weird if they haven’t done anything?
Male Nurse: Anything?
He then gave her his opinion. He wasn’t fooled by her fictional friend.
Male Nurse: Listen, if a guy doesn’t initiate anything, it’s one of two reasons. It’s either because he doesn’t find her sexy or because he really cares for her. It’s one or the other.
Nanase: (thinking) doesn’t find me sexy.
Male Nurse: Well, I won’t worry about so much. It’s probably the latter.
But here, Nanase already tuned Male Nurse Numazu out because she fixated on her sexiness. Had she known that Tendo had a hard time sleeping when she was snuggled up to him or that he tried to restrain himself from hugging and kissing her, then she wouldn’t be this insecure.
Male Nurse: (continuing)…And if that’s the case, he must be an upstanding young gentleman. You shouldn’t let him go.
The next thing we knew she was cornering Tendo in the hallway.
Nanase: Doctor! (she started winking)
This was the scene that Sato Tekaru liked! It amused him that she kept twisting her neck and winking at him. Mona said that she was waiting for Sato to say his line.
Tendo: Did you get hit on the head or something.
Nanase: (indignantly) Of course not! We’re going to have a cream party tonight.
Tendo: And what is that?
Nanase: It’s the much-anticipated creamy crab croquette, creamy stew, with creamy corn chowder.
Tendo: I haven’t been anticipating it.
Spoken like a guy. He didn’t wonder WHY she was doing it, and why she serving all creamy dishes,
Tendo: But fine.
Nanase: There might even be a dessert! You know, just a maybe…
She did her neck twitch again and scampered out of there. Of course, he found her behavior weird. He didn’t have to wait long for an explanation. He overheard her colleagues talking about his sex life.
Male Nurse: I bet Tendo have ED.
lol. ED stands for erectile dysfunction. Meaning impotence.
Nurse 1: Yeah. I can’t believe that they haven’t done anything yet.
Male Nurse: Either that or he has extremely low sex drive.
Nurse 1: Maybe he’s really passive?!
Nurse: The Devil? Passive? Now that’s funny!!
The Blitzfansub site translated it as “passive” but in other drama sites, he was called an herbivore. What’s an herbivore?
…the rise of sōshoku-kei danshi, or “herbivore men,” a term coined in 2006 by the columnist Maki Fukasawa.
“In Japan, sex is translated as ‘relationship in flesh,'” she told CNN in 2009, “so I named those boys ‘herbivorous boys’ since they are not interested in flesh.”
source: https://www.businessinsider.com/herbivore-men-in-japan-are-not-having-sex-8-15
If you want to know about the different Japanese labels for men, here’s an interesting link. Aside herbivores, there are carnivorous men, fish-eating men, rolled cabbage men, creamy men, etc.
Although Tendo must have been furious to hear the nurses laughing about his sex life, I’m glad that he didn’t chew Nanase out for discussing private and personal matter at work. I believe that if he hadn’t seen the nurses gossiping, he would have enjoyed Nanase’s dinner party.
But his foul mood was palpable, and he gave her the silent treatment. Of course, if you were Nanase, you’d think that he was being uncommunicative because she forced him to attend this private party.
Nanase: Welcome Doctor. Today is the much-anticipated cream party!
Tendo: (walked in and saw the party she made; he didn’t say anything)
Nanase: Let’s eat.
Tendo: (began eating the crab croquette)
Nanase: Did your mom use to make these creamy crab croquettes at home? (he didn’t answer) Your parents must be attractive people. You and Ryuko turned out so attractive. (didn’t answer) Is it me or the candles getting warm? It’s so hot. I’m starting to sweat. (didn’t answer. continued eating) Oh! A bath! I’m going to take a bath!
Tendo: You suck at this. It’s obvious what you’re trying to do.
Nanase: Am I not sexy enough.
Tendo: (sighing) Do you have any idea how hard this is for me?
He brought her to bed and kissed her.
Tendo: I’m not letting you sleep tonight.
In case you didn’t know, he meant that as a payback. He didn’t get to sleep a wink the previous night because she snuggled up to him, so now she wasn’t going to sleep because he was going to snuggle up (and more) to her.
Now, let’s end Episode 9 with my last revision of the Basho’s haiku.
You make the fire
And I’ll show you something wonderful:
One big ball of frustrated Tendo.
Next, Episode 10!!!
Oh, @packmule3, perfect haiku adaptation! Didn’t Tendo look completely messed up when Ryuko and Sayoko burst in? (Don’t people lock their doors in Japan?) Frustrated barely covers it.
As soon as Nanase answered the door wearing the long black slip with the sheer long sleeved dress layered over, he could confirm what she had in mind. He sighs and looks around at all the candles. His arms stay crossed and he looks in a foul mood. He starts eating without saying a word, so of course Nanase starts to chatter. When he finally speaks it sounds harsh. I was half expecting him to really scold her and maybe argue. Then his actual response was so perfect. No, her inexperience clearly meant she had had no idea of her effect on him from any of the times they’ve been in close contact.
Off topic: Nanase’s dress is nothing my daughters would call sexy. They would think a low neckline or very short skirt would be more effective but I think they’re incorrect. Subtlety is everything.
Same here! My nieces would think that Nanase’s “sexy” dress is funereal. I don’t think they have dresses that long, unless I count the gowns they wore for their cousins’ weddings and their prom dresses.
Agree. I remember watching this episode for the first time. Like you, I was expecting him to blow his top. He knew there could only have been one source of that gossip: Nanase herself. But he also knew that Nanase wouldn’t deliberately blabber about them to embarrass him. It was more likely that she had a brainstorm or she was trapped into revealing something about their sex life accidentally.
It was funny how Tendo hopped off Nanase and curled up in a fetal position when the “intruders” entered the room.
There’s a big difference between Nanase’s sexual innocence and “Dating in the Kitchen” Shengnan’s sexual awareness. But I’m liking them both, oddly enough.
Tendo had me with ‘you’re not getting any sleep tonight’ comment. 😈 and he started kissing her senseless until the door opened. 👿
I thought what she’s wearing was sexy. ☺️
That was a fun read! Thanks @pkml3.
I shake my head at Nanase that of all persons to ask advice of, she chose the loudest mouth, Numazu.
I applaude Tendo for patiently bearing with everything until the girl needed some kind of confirmation that she was not a total loser, and then giving her more than enough to convince her.
What’s with this strange habit of entering a person’s home without even knocking? I’d put the Japanese down as one of the most polite of societies, but of course Tendo’s sister had to be not one to be run of the mill.
I’m with @Fern on the subtlety of dress … sufficient cover with hints of more to discover is so much more alluring. 😆
@GB, I know…right?…Asking Numazu for relationship advice is tantamount to broadcasting juicy personal details over the hospital intercom.
Although Tendo sounds gruff when he says Nanase sucks at being a smooth seductress, I believe that’s something he appreciates about her. She may be sexually innocent, but she’s genuine and direct. He was awake, only feigning sleep, when she said her little speech in their shared Osaka hotel room asking him to be kind and patient with her, teaching her because she’s inexperienced. That’s not something he would have forgotten.
As for Nanase v. Shengnan, I was wondering where Shengnan got her knowledge and tactics. I don’t have the impression that she had a serious boyfriend previously. Perhaps from the Chinese equivalent of Mills & Boon/Harlequin? 😄
😂 I’m really interested to see your list of favorite Mills and Boon books and authors. Why don’t I open a thread for you and agdr03? She reads Harlequin, right?
Ya! No need for a thread for MnB’s 😂 I read sooooo many of them that I didn’t really have a particular author. These days it’s combined already, it’s Mills and Boons Harlequin. 😁
Omo! My Boons almost became b- – bs 😱😂
Seriously though, @Fern, I think Shengnan was asking for advice from her uncle cousin and Zhaodi. I think that’s why she came back to them and after that she changed her dress and she had bangs and Jin spit some water when he saw her 😂
I make it a point when I write that I don’t reveal anything about my age because in my mind, I should be ageless. But I’ll be giving away a trade secret (lol) if I tell you that when I was growing up, PANTS were considered lacking the subtlety of a dress. With a skirt, the shape of the feminine legs were left to the imagination. But with pants and those body-hugging jeans, the lower limbs were exposed.
How times have changed!
Now, we’re back to wearing skirts, but I wish pants were worn instead because they actually covered more skin.
I thought he was exasperated when he told her that she really sucked at being a seductress.
She’d planned the whole evening out with the intention of serving HERSELF as the dessert. Right? That was what she meant when she said, “You knows, there might even be a dessert” with her cute head-twitching.
But she couldn’t even make it through first course because she became nervous during his silent treatment. She started blabbering about nonsensical stuff.
So when he told her “You suck at this,” I think his point there was why bother set this all up to seduce him, when she didn’t even know HOW to go about it properly. He knew she had a checklist in her mind, a checklist or a “program” on how to seduce him. She had the decors, the staging, the food all set. But when it came to the actual execution and performance of the seduction, she sucked.
And the funny thing here is she didn’t have to do this. Remember when they were at her family home? She WAS seducing him that time with her honesty.
Nanase: I’m sorry. My mom became too excited.
Tendo: You have a nice family. I’m glad to meet them.
Nanase: Thank you. (sitting beside him) While we were apart, if I could be honest, I really missed you. Back when I was living here, I just wished for a chance to see you and to tell you how I felt. But now, I miss you like crazy if I’m not with you.
And he put away his Ipad and leaned in to kiss her.
She didn’t know it but her honest and simple declaration was more seductive than her small talk.
Yes Nanase’s honesty would have worked better for her and besides Tendo knows she is not experienced at all when it comes to those things. I mean he was her first kiss ☺️ She just went about it the wrong way and her insecurities might have added to.
Yes, she felt pressured because of her coworkers’ banter about her sex life. She was already insecure about her sex appeal to begin with, so hearing all that nonsense about do’s-and-don’t’s of a relationship made her think that something was wrong with hers.
When I saw her preparations, the decorations, the lights, the candle, the food, the wine… it reminded me of that old nursery rhyme about the spider and the fly. “Will you walk into my parlor?” said the Spider to the Fly. lol. She was appropriately dressed in black, too, like a black spider. 🙂
And the food which was all Tendo’s favourite was all cream 😈😂
I know, right? All creamy stuff.
But I thought that was a metaphor for his tsundere-ness. He had a brusque and sarcastic exterior, but deep inside, he was sweet and mushy… and creamy. lol.
….. And creamy. Yum. Enough said. 😂
His favourite creamy food, I meant. 😆
I swear I don’t have a dirty mind so I didn’t get sexual innuendoes in your comment. 😈😂
Of course! I think I do. 🤫😈😂
@agdr03!🤣
But honestly, I’ve never considered a dinner of only creamy courses to be seductive. I have heard of raw oysters, asparagus, chocolate, champagne, ginseng. Too much cream would be heavy. A French man I knew swore that a light but finely cooked meal was the best beforehand. Some of the small courses Shengnan prepared were perfect, weren’t they?
Poor Nanase. She was trying so hard. Too hard. I’m very glad that Tendo managed to make her understand his point of view. 😈
At the beginning of Ep 10 we see her cook and serve a meal that he likes. He’ll have a bite of bread roll with a side of Nanase.😊
I don’t read Mills & Boon; it was just an example of literature that might show an inexperienced girl seductive tactics.
I don’t know about Japanese culture, but from being married into a Chinese family, I’ve learned a few Chinese beliefs regarding food; for instance, if you want to run fast, you eat chicken feet. Here’s something about Chinese food superstitions I found poking around the Internet:
https://russian13chinesefoodsuperstitions.wordpress.com/2015/05/27/eat-that-body-part/
If the same kinds of superstitions exist in Japan, then Nanase may have created her cream-heavy menu to boost Tendo’s…um…well, you get the idea…
LOLOL @Welmaris! Well I never!!! I’ve heard of something similar as in eating stomach or liver etc, strengthens those organs. But cream?!?!? I just can’t!!! 🤣 🤣 🤪
Thanks to @Welmaris, I’m re-watching the Cream Party and now I just can’t stop giggling!!
🤣🤣🤣 @Welmaris! Small wonder then about Tendo’s sour look as he nibbled at the croquette. Poor lamb.
If this is true, I think he showed superhuman restraint.
That’s awesome @Welmaris, my dirty mind has the back up from superstition. Thanks! 😂
Funny though but I’ve never eaten the eyes of fishes even when I was growing up. Up till now I don’t eat them but I pretty much can eat anything. 😊
If I’ve ever eaten fish eyes, it could only be if they were ground up in something else. Like fish sticks. Those are called fish fingers here, so I’ve eaten fish digits.😉
I’m looking forward to @packmule3’s next and possibly final post. I think that this was possibly one of my favourite dramas.
@Fern, as my first official dorama, LLF will always be my number 1. ☺️ True, we’re down to the last episode. What a ride it’s been for this one, sooo good. 🥰
@agdr03 @Fern
This is my first full dorama. It set the bar on the high side, I feel. I did try a bit of dorama but didn’t get beyond a couple of episodes. I found them kind of arty and obscure.
Fish eyes!! No. I don’t eat them or even give them to anyone to eat. I know in fish head curries where the fish is big, the eye balls are considered the prize, but people tend to eat the ‘jelly’ around the eye ball and not the eye itself.
I’m looking forward to more light and funny romances!