The first part is here: Takane and Hana: Episode 1, part 1

Most of the subs here are from Viki but when I couldn’t understand them, I went over to Kissasian.

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Where did I leave off? Takane dropped Hana at her home and they apologized for their behavior at the arranged marriage family meeting.

Hana met her dad who asked her if she was doing something shady, and she answered that she met with Takane. Her father was surprised that Takane was mad at her for deceiving him. And she answered, “It seems he wasn’t.”

There were a couple of implicit biases here.

One, in her mind, Takane wasn’t the type to do anything shady. If she was out with him, it was okay. Two, while I considered his insults more offensive than her deception, in the father’s mind, the deception was more damaging. He expected Takane to be mad at Hana for pretending to be her sister, but didn’t consider that Hana could still be affronted by Takane calling her a golddigger.

She entered her bedroom, and while she was admiring her roses, Takane texted her. “I’ll meet you over this coming holiday. You don’t have to dress up for it.”

I found this cute because he was issuing an invitation with a dress code. lol. He didn’t think of it as a date, but an arranged meeting. On the other hand, this indicated to me that he learned from their first contretemps and didn’t want it repeated. He didn’t want her to feel lost about what to wear and to come in a kimono or the designer dress, so he was guiding her.

She came wearing jeans and sneakers. Takane was surprised at how casually dressed she was.

Takane: You’re dressing casually right away.
Hana: This is how I dress normally.

Takane: This kind of shabby clothing?
Hana: (not backing down) It’s a popular fashion right now.

I think she was making a fashion statement here. She wanted to wear clothes that were gear for teenagers like her because she wanted to point that their age differences. There was no way she would have thought this sort of outfit was appropriate when dating a 26-year-old man.

Takane: Oh?
Hana: By the way, what kind of work do you do?
Takane: (his face lighting up) What’s this? I thought you said you had absolutely no interest in me at all, right?
Hana: I guess as an heir, with the money that you get from your parents, your work mainly involves living an amusing life?
Takane: You’re full of spite.

There are two ways of understanding her comment. One, it could be taken as curious remark. Two, it could be a barbed comment about his rich and idle life. Takane understood it to be a barbed comment, and I agree with him.

To me, she was saying that, since he lived such a spoilt life, he took pleasure in indulging himself with:

a) mean put-downs of other people (e.g., calling her clothes shabby),
b) narcissistic ideas (e.g., that she was interested in him), and
c) ways to torture her (e.g., arranging these dates with her).

He couldn’t think of a suitable comeback. She was openly antagonistic, and didn’t bother to hide that she didn’t like meeting with him again.

Hana: You’re quite the catch so you’re probably popular. But I wonder why you’re still single.
Takane: It’s because women are all after money.
Hana: I think the reason that you keep meeting people like that is because you don’t have much inner charm, Mr. Takane.
Takane: A little brat like you wouldn’t understand how deep a person like me is.

This was funny because she was succeeding in riling him up. When she walked in the room, she was champing at the bit to argue with him. The waitress came to take their orders.

Takane: I’ll have the beef sirloin set.
Hana: I’ll have the spaghetti with the tomato sauce meal set, please.
Takane: Tomato…

The expression of her face said that she was provoking him by ordering the spaghetti.

Hana: Please meet my older sister next time. She’s such a beautiful woman that you won’t have any anything to complaint about. She’s got a good personality and she’s almost your age. She’d be a perfect match.
Takane: (eyeing her suspiciously)
Hana: Well, she does have a boyfriend so she might reject you though.
Takane: So you’re basically saying that someone like you doesn’t deserve to be with me?

Touché! I like his logic. If she was saying that her sister was superior to her, and that her sister was a match for him, then it meant that she regarded Takane as her superior, and herself as inferior to Takane. She doesn’t “deserve” Takane. Takane could do much better with her sister.

Hana: Huh? Just how much do you want to praise yourself?
Takane: It’s fine. Having an inferiority complex is the base for any kind of success. When you’re jealous of me or your sister, keep being jealous. me or your sister, keep being jealous.
Hana: What?
Takane: It’s a good thing to feel inferior to others. Some things can only be achieved if you’re unsatisfied with your own current situation.

Hana looked thoughtful here. I like that, when she was feeling contrarian, she paid attention to him.

Hana: Do you have some kind of complex, Mr. Takane?
Takane: Having a complex is impossible for someone like me! I’m far from having a complex.

lol. As a matter of fact, he had three. One, his family name; he wasn’t a Takaba. Two, he had a superiority complex. And three, a persecution complex. He thought girls only like him because of his wealth. lol.

Hana: You’re an heir after all. Everything goes your way so that’s how you became like this. I’m so glad I’m just an ordinary person.
Takane: Don’t worry. Even you have good qualities. Like, you don’t hold your tongue back and are strong-willed.
Hana: (angrily) That’s not a compliment!

Hana misunderstood him. This was high praise coming from Takane. He probably suspected meek and biddable girls as being gold diggers.

Takane: I went out of my way to see you again. (patting her head and saying solemnly) Have more confidence in yourself.

Yes. This is one thing I liked about Takane. In future episodes, he would make an effort to meet her, even when he was busy with work.

Hana: (for once, she had no comeback to this)
Takane: (suddenly switching tone) If I said something like that, I bet you’d be happy! You’re 10 years too early!

Hmm… since I’m not Japanese, I don’t get what he meant by “You’re 10 years too early!” But if I were to make a guess, I’d say he was poking fun at her gullibility. Like, “You’re so innocent!” “You’re too green!” “You’re a novice at this!”

Before she could retort, a colleague of Takane dropped by their table.

He nodded at Hana, then asked Takane if he was on a date. Takane gave a vague answer, “It’s not exactly a date.” The colleague whispered LOUDLY, “Saibara-kun, because you’re a successor of Takaba, shouldn’t you be with a more attractive and social girl?” Takane replied, “That’s none of your business.”

Hana heard them.

She wanted to prove a point when she wore those clothes to their lunch date. But now, hearing Takane’s colleague admonish him for being in the company of somebody like her made her realize her error.

She looked awkward, and Takane knew what she was thinking. She was thinking that she didn’t measure up to Takane’s standards, and her sister would have been a better match for him.

I like that Hana didn’t sweep the issue under the rug when he dropped her off at her home .

Hana: Thank you for today. (she had a stiff smile on her face) Mr. Takane, do you want to call off the marriage arrangement? Whether this is all a retaliation or whatever, the arrangement ended on that day. Right? We lied to the chairman after all. And it’s not really possible to marry a first-year high school student like me.
Takane: Is this about earlier?

Fortunately, he was sensitive enough to recognize the real reason Hana’s feelings were hurt. She wanted out of the arranged marriage because she felt undeserving. Unfortunately, however, he didn’t know how to reassure her so he ended up bossing her again.

He approached her and slammed his palm on the wall beside her. This is the Wall Slam trope.

Takane: You have no right to end the marriage arrangement. However, if you say that you love me, I don’t mind calling it off. Do you understand?

I already explained my take on this in the other thread. To me, he was willing to enter a marriage arrangement with because it was a *formal* engagement, with the emphasis on the word formal. Their families arranged it. They’d present a united front as a couple during social functions but there was no demand on them to have a physical or intimate contact.

It was an engagement-of-convenience. The arrangement would be convenient to him because:

a. his grandfather would stop setting him up on these matches and pestering him to meet a potential fiancée.
b. he was assured that she wasn’t a gold digger.
c. he thought that, given her young age, he could manage her and that she was malleable.
d. as he said earlier, she had good qualities. She spoke her own mind, and she was strong-willed.

However, should she fall in love with him, he wanted out. He didn’t want the emotional entanglement. Plus, he would gain his pride back. He would have succeeded in proving her assertion wrong that she didn’t find him attractive.

Hana then stared at him and raised her eyebrow as if asking him a question. Takane just looked back at her, waiting for her response. He began drumming his fingers on the wall)

This staring contest was funny because Hana obviously wasn’t going to back down. She might be younger than him but here, she looked more mature, more worldly-wise. It was Takane who first looked away.

Hana: Well? What about what comes after slamming your hand on the wall behind me?

She was waiting for him to kiss her. She expected him to seal his ultimatum with a kiss. He seemed to be asserting himself like an alpha male in the romance book, and alpha males usually end up kissing the heroine. I like it that Hana wasn’t going to shy away from the kiss.

Takane: After? (turning his back and talking to himself) You’re supposed to do something after this?

He didn’t get what she was talking. It’s no brainer that he was confused because he had zero experience in dating.

Hana: (giggling) If you don’t know, then don’t do it! Besides, it’s kind of old-fashioned now.

This moment was also funny. To her, the wall slam was an old-fashioned move. But since he didn’t even know something “old-fashioned,” then that suggested that he was really, really out of touch.
This was funny because it seemed to me that she was getting back at him for saying that she was “10 years too early.” If she was 10 years too early, then he was worse. He was 100 years too early. He was out of her league.

Takane: (bluffing) There was a small fly around your face, so I smashed it.
Hana: (continuing to tease him) Maybe it’s because someone smells like an old person!
Takane: Huh? (sniffing himself)
Hana: You’re an interesting person, Mr. Takane.

By “interesting,” she meant that he was an oddball. It wasn’t a compliment, and he knew it.

Takane: Interesting? You mean, “very cool” right? Open your eyes and take a proper look!
Hana: (just laughing at him) Oh! (remembering something and opening her bag) I know it’s not much, but this is as thanks for the meal. (showing him a bag of candy)
Takane: What’s this? Is it food?
Hana: (shoving it to his chest and turning to go) Goodnight.
Takane: Yeah.

It was gummy bears and he liked them.

Notes:

1. If their first date at the steakhouse was NOT a payback, then this second date was definitely a payback. It was Hana’s payback. He ordered her to meet him, and she had no choice but to comply. She went with the intention of giving him a hard time and spoiling their date. She was “full of spite,” as Takane observed.
2. She paid him back by dressing down in “young” teen fashion. It was a far cry from the designer gown he bought for her. She wanted to show to him that they were incompatible. Age-wise, they weren’t a match. She was pushing her sister as a more appropriate partner for him.
3. She probably originally intended the candy as payback too. She wanted to show him that she was a still kid with childish tastes. It served as a contrast to the bouquet of roses he gave her. But her gift came across as simple but thoughtful. And Takane liked the gummy bears because he never tasted it before.
4. As it turned out, Hana enjoyed Takane’s company after all.
5. I believe this was their first skinship. She touched his chest.

The following day, she asked her parents if she could borrow her sister’s Hermes Birken bag for her next date with Takane.

She wanted to dress more sophisticatedly so she wouldn’t embarrass Takane in case another coworker or acquaintance spot them together on a date. But her sister informed her that she was ready to take over the arranged marriage from her.

Sister: Hana. Mr. Takane is coming to pick you up tomorrow, right? I’ll date him, okay?
Hana: Huh? What about your boyfriend?
Sister: We broke up. So, I’ll do my best to make him fall for me!

While her family rejoiced at this turn of events, she looked out of sorts. She should have been happy that everything was now back to what it should have been. But she wasn’t happy.

The following day, she couldn’t help noticing that Takane’s car wasn’t waiting outside her school. Then, when her friends chatted about him, she pretended that she was happy that the ordeal of their arranged marriage was over.

Friend1: He must be an amazing person. After graduating from Tokyo University, he got his MBA from Harvard. And he’s currently the youngest department chief at Takaba Corporation.

Hana realized that she was wrong to call him a rich kid who did nothing because his parents showered money on him.

Friend2: You know so much!
Friend1: I looked it up on Google. It’s Hana’s first boyfriend, after all.
Hana: First boyfriend? That’s not right.
Friend1: But you went on a date!
Hana: It wasn’t a date.
Friend1: Really? I thought that he was your type.
Hana: Not at all! He’s a real narcissist. Also he has no feelings for me at all, either.

Friend2: Even though he brought you a bouquet of roses?

lol. They didn’t know that he bought her a dress, too.

Hana: (grumbling) I bet he doesn’t even know my name. He hasn’t even asked.

That’s not true. He heard her name at the first meeting with his grandfather and her dad. Her dad called out her name. Hana.

Friend1: That’s kind of sad.
Hana: He just thinks that I’m interesting because I didn’t act in the way that he expected me too. It’s just killing time for a rich person. Like, he’s playing a game.

She kept saying this. She believed him to be insincere.

Friend1: So you’re not going to see him anymore.
Hana: Of course not. He’s going out with my older sister right now.
Friend2: Why?
Hana: Beats me.
Friend1: Well, it was originally a marriage arrangement planned for your sister.
Friend2: Hana’s sister is beautiful and quite famous after all. It’s not everyday that you can meet the heir to a financial conglomerate. You should just feel that luck that even have met him.
Hana: What’s so lucky about that? It was just a waste of time being with someone like that. It would have been better if I had never met him.

Sour grapes. She sounded like sour grapes. And then without her knowing it, she was remembering their times together and was crying. She tried to cover it up and say that the food brought tears to her eye.

Thankfully, Takane walked in.

Takane: Hey! What are you doing in a place like this?
Hana: Mr. Takane! What about you? What about my sister?
Takane: I’m currently in a marriage arrangement with you. Not your sister. (taking out his wallet to pay for her meal) We’re leaving. Hurry up. (taking her hand to lead her out)

He had gone to her home to pick her up and found her sister waiting for her. But he insisted on meeting with her instead. When her sister explained that she was the one who was supposed to meet with him, he bluntly told her that he had no interest in her whatsoever.

That’s why he came looking for her at the restaurant. He was shocked to see her sister in her place because he already had their date planned out for that day. He was going to bring her to the aquarium. I like that he chose this place with her taste in mind. (There goes her complaint that he had no feelings or consideration for her!) She didn’t need to use an Hermes bag here, and she was fine wearing her school uniform.

Takane: How is it? I chose a place that you would probably like.
Hana: You were dumped by my sister, weren’t you? It can’t be helped with your personality.
Takane: I’ve never been dumped in my whole life.

He recounted what happened at her house that day when her sister showed up instead of her.

Hana: That’s a problem!
Takane: It’s a problem?
Hana: I mean, the way that you just do things on your own…
Takane: (laughing) I understand your feelings. Just be honest about it. You lo…

According to the Viki subber, he was saying the first syllable of the word “love” to prompt her to admit that she had feelings for her.

Takane: Lo…lo…??
Hana: You’re super annoying.

She replaced the word “love” with “super annoying.”

Takane: How can you say that?
Hana: You’re troublesome.
Takane: For crying out loud, at least say something charming for once.

He left her in a huff, and she followed him.

Hana: Mr. Takane, about my sister. You’re a fool for worrying about me over my sister. I don’t need your pity.
Takane: There’s no way somebody like me would feel pity. I’m interested in you. (with emphasis) Hana. That’s your name, right?
Hana: My name… Stop teasing me already!

She realized that he knew her name all along.

Takane: You appeared at the marriage arrangement pretending to be your sister who’s 7 years older than you. That was fraud. In the end, you threw your wig, said some nasty things, and left. I gave you a rose bouquet. I let you eat some expensive steak. But you wouldn’t fall for me. This is the first time I’ve had a woman make me this frustrated.

Wait what? He thought she would fall for him just because he gave roses and fed her “expensive steak”? What a doofus.

He was doing fine until this part here. But I like her next move. I thought it was a great comeuppance.

Hana: Let me show you what you’re supposed to do with a wall slam.
Takane: (looking worried at her)
Hana: (kisses him)

Notes:

1. Takane was acting like a proverbial “woman scorned” — except that he was a man. He was raising a big stink because he felt romantically betrayed. He tolerated her abuse, but the last straw was when Hana traded places with her sister. He was shocked that Hana assumed that he could switch attachment so easily from one person to another.
2. True, he’d never been dumped before, but he was worried that Hana might dump him soon. That’s why he wanted her to fall in love with him. He was assuming that if he got her to confess, then she would be tied to him. He didn’t need to worry that her sister would replace Hana.
3. The “wall slam” was instructive. Not only did it teach him what a wall slam was all about, it also brought home that he couldn’t coerce her to do anything she didn’t want. She makes her own power moves.
4. Wall slam = power move. He doesn’t scare her; she doesn’t shrink away from him; she can kiss him anytime she wants to. Unlike him, she knows how to assert her dominance over him in a swift and simple action.

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And there you go! My Takane and Hana notes. 🙂 Like the other doramas I watched, I enjoyed the lightness of the episodes. This is based on a manga so I’ve come to expect the exaggerated facial expressions and over-the-top body movements. These used to irritate me. I thought it was bad acting. But now I understand that a) the actors could be reproducing the expressions and movements of the characters in the comic book, and/or b) the actors are influenced by the stylistic conventions of Kabuki theater. Thus, I make allowances.

I’ll end here so I can finish my review of “Sisyphus.”