Here’s my Episode 2 review for my silent readers since I know they’re patiently waiting for this

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Things I liked about this episode:

1. Hana and Takane served as “foils” to each other.

I don’t know (and I really don’t care) how the word “foil” is used in a literary sense. When I say “foil,” I mean that Hana and Takane bring out each other’s strengths and weaknesses. You see, a long time ago, it was a custom for jewelers to set a gemstone on a metallic foil base so the gemstone would look sparkle more or appear shinier. That’s the origin of the word “foil.” So when I use “foil,” I’m alluding to the foil in jewelry-making. To me, a “foil” is any character who highlights another character’s qualities, either by comparison or contrast.

Here are instances in this episode when Takane and Hana are each other’s foils:

a. the marriage arrangement

Takane’s self-centeredness contrasts with Hana’s filial piety. Hana was willing to accommodate her father, even though it required her masquerading as her sister. Takane, on the other hand, had rejected 12 marriage set-ups because he didn’t find the women to his liking. It was only when Hana showed up that he acceded to his grandfather’s wishes.

b. the tone of speech

Hana: Last time I forgot my manners. I apologize.
Grandpa: No. No. That was Takane’s fault. (addressing Takane) No matter how many potential marriage dates you went on, you were always cold and indifferent. I didn’t expect you to set your heart on Yukari-san.
Takane: Every one of them was harboring evil intentions. Why would I get married to them? This was the first time someone was honest and upfront with me. Anyways, you don’t have to introduce me to anyone else. I came here to tell you that.

Here was a good example of Takane’s blunt talk. Compared to him, Hana got her message across without being rude or disrespectful.

Grandpa: Yukari-san, what do you think about this weirdo over here?
Hana: (glances at Takane) There’s still a lot I don’t know about him. I haven’t really considered anything in the future quite yet but I want to take this time and slowly get to know and understand Takane-san. These are my true feelings.

This was a great response because it showed her honesty. She didn’t sound conniving or fawning. More importantly, she came across as a very courteous and sensible person. Takane was impressed with her.

Grandpa: Things may get pretty difficult but… I’ll leave Takane in your care. Yukari-san.
Hana: Yes!

His grandpa approved of her. To him, she sounded like a good match for Takane. If she could speak her own mind during this interview, then she wouldn’t be intimidated by Takane’s bluster.

c. their friendship with other people.

Takane’s asocial personality is the opposite of Hana’s friendliness.

She had a close-knit group of friends who’d be her support system. She could share her feelings and worries with them. They even had a safe place to hang out after school.

Takane, on the other, wasn’t accepted by his colleagues, despite being the presumptive heir. They nitpicked his choice of wife. They wanted to see him fail and removed the company. If his corporate world could be compared to a school setting, then the senior managers at his company were like school bullies out to get him.

2. Takane’s motive for dressing her up in expensive clothes wasn’t to groom her.

Takane believed that dressing her up from head to toe in designer label outfit would be necessary to give her the air of maturity that he needed to convince his grandpa that she was the right choice for him as marriage partner.

He’d written a note for her, “Wear this and come to the party today. All the important people from Takaba are going to be there. Even for the sake of your salary man Dad… You need to come and give a good impression.”

Upon reading this, she mistakenly thought that:

a. he wanted her to dress up fashionably to impress all the important people in his company. In reality, he only wanted her to impress one person, his grandfather.
b. he was threatening her. Actually, he was only too proud to beg her for help.
c. he was embarrassed to be seen with her in her usual clothes. Wellll…he could hardly be embarrassed of her if he wanted wanted her to continue as his marriage partner.

Takane: Listen up. Today’s mission is to get my Grandfather’s approval to continue our arranged marriage date.
Hana: It was supposed to be my sister Yukari and you, though.
Takane: About that… we need to act according to the circumstances. Anyways. If we keep quiet about it…then my Grandfather will definitely set us up on another date.

He meant that since they found themselves in this sticky situation, they might as well take advantage of the opportunity. He wanted her to keep up the pretense so his grandpa would not set him up with other marriage prospects.

Takane: I’m at your mercy today. I don’t want you to get in the way.

It appeared to me that he was in two minds here. He couldn’t make up his mind whether she was going to be a helping hand or a stumbling block. He was begging for her assistance but in the same breath, he was warning her not to mess things up.

Takane: That’s why… uhm… please… please… (struggling to say that he’s asking for her cooperation)
Hana: (chuckling) There’s no need for you to worry, Takana-san. Today, I’ll show you my acting skills all the way to the end.
Takane: I’m asking you for a favor, Yukari-san.

He extended a hand and she took it. I like that they looked like they were teammates on a rescue mission when they went off to meet with Takane’s grandfather.

As it turned out, it wasn’t her designer duds that won over his grandpa, but her refreshing candor. As we’ll find out later, the old man wasn’t at all deceived by her appearance. He already knew that Hana had switched places with her older sister, Yukari. That’s why he expressed concerned about their future. Although he approved of her as Takane’s future wife, he could foresee other people creating problems for them because of her age.

3. Takane rescued Hane from the older women.

Just like the grandfather wasn’t deceived by Hana’s appearance, the other women in the party weren’t deceived by Hana’s expensive clothes either. They suspected that she was way younger than what was socially acceptable for Takane to date. So they tested her by offering her wine to drink.

Reluctant to cause a fuss and betray her age, Hana decided to take a sip.  Before she could do so, Takane reappeared at her side, took her glass and drank the wine for her.

Takane: (speaking to the other ladies) Yukari-san has low tolerance for wine. Please don’t force her to drink it.

I like how he smoothly dealt with the situation. His no-nonsense defense of Hana impressed upon the women that he wouldn’t tolerate them bullying her.

4. That wasn’t the only time Takane defended her.

In his impromptu meeting with the other members of the Takane Group, he told his colleagues to lay off Hana because she was his choice of marriage partner.

Man1: But it seems like your grandfather picked a potential marriage partner for you, didn’t he?
Woman1: Is it the girl that you brought with you?
Man1: Isn’t that girl the child of one of our staff members? Your tastes sure are unique.
Everybody: (laughters)

Although they were saying these to his face, he didn’t react to their slurs.

Man1: I’m worried about Takaba’s future.
Woman1: Oh, my. The future of the company has nothing to do with the Takaba family members.
Man2: Only the true Takaba family can inherit the company name.

Here, they were making a dig at him because his last name wasn’t Takaba but Saibara. The old Mr. Takaba was his maternal grandfather.

Woman2: How about you marry someone suitable for the Takaba family?
Man1: If you marry a wife that doesn’t have the right upbringing, she might interfere with your rights to be the next Takaba heir.
Hana: (about to barge in) Don’t screw with me.
Takane: You guys really do like to tell these elementary level jokes, huh? I don’t care what you say about me. But don’t talk about her. Her blood or her family background does not matter. She’s the only one I have my heart set on. She’s stronger than everyone in this room. (standing up to leave) If you’re not going to talk about Takaba matters, then don’t waste my time. (walks away)
Man1: It seems like you like this girl a lot.

Takane only spoke up when they brought up Hana’s lack of pedigree. It was apparent that Takane was planning to ignore their insults about him, but he wouldn’t tolerate anything bad said of Hana.

I like this scene because it demonstrated that they were beginning to think of each other. Takane didn’t want Hana to be maligned because she was going out with him, while Hana didn’t want Takane to be compromised by his association with her.

I also like that Hana was quick to grasp the issue her. She knew that her age, combined with her lack of suitable pedigree, would be problematic for Takane in the future. She took the heart what his grandpa observed about their situation becoming complicated for them.

I thought that the bruises on her foot from wearing high heels were symbolic. She was going to get hurt because she was pretending to be somebody she wasn’t: a rich and older socialite. She didn’t fit his milieau.

5. I like that he cleaned his plate despite being a picky eater.

It was his first time tasting curry.

Mom: I was worried that it wouldn’t be suited for your tastes.
Takane: It was new and original. This is the first time I’ve tasted this spice. (looking at Hana’s plate) Is that curry, too?
Hana: This is just normal homemade curry!

Her parents apologized for serving him a “commoner’s” dish.

Hana: (defending her mom) There’s no need for you to apologize.
Takane: It’s not that bad actually…
Hana: Why don’t you be honest and say that it’s yummy?

Hana was calling him out because she was familiar with his formal style of conversation, that is, he loathed to praise. Instead of expressing a compliment, he was using an understatement to affirm a positive. Hana thought he should just be direct and say that the food tasted great. But Takane wasn’t probably comfortable with such speech because it might come across as insincere flattery.

Mom: Is that true?
Hana: He didn’t say that it tasted bad and he ate the whole thing!
Takane: Hey! Don’t just tell people how you think I feel.
Hana: (annoyed with him, she took his coat and dumped it on him) After you eat please go home.
Takane: Why? There’s no reason for me to go home right now.
Hana: I’ve had enough of playing along with your rich boy games! Go back home!

Takane was stunned by her accusation. He didn’t understand what she was talking about.

I found the Takane doll was an effective representation of Takane’s ego. Instead of the actor mimicking a cry baby, the director used a little doll to show how belittled Takane felt after Hana’s verbal assault. He was having a childish meltdown. When Hana walked out of the room holding the little doll by its neck, she was virtually grasping Takane by the collar and ejecting him out of her home.

Of course, he didn’t know that she was “attacking” him because she wanted him to break off their engagement. SHE couldn’t break it off with him, but he could.

6. The Wall Slam

Once outside, Hana didn’t mince words. She told him to never come back.

Hana: Please don’t come back.
Takane: Did something happen at the party?

I like that he knew that something happened at the party behind his back to cause her change of attitude.

Hana: Your world is too different from mine.
Takane: Are you scared? You mess with people but then cower back in fear when something happens. You say such strong words to me, but I can’t believe how much of a coward you are. I misread you.

He was referring to her promise to see things to the end. He was counting on her. So he didn’t understand why she suddenly got cold feet. He was accusing her of just toying around with him because her actions didn’t back up her words.

Hana: You’re really conservative aren’t you?
Takane: There it is. Do you know how badly you’ve hurt my pride? I decided that I would keep on pestering you no matter how much you resist me. But if you’re going to run away, then it’s my win. The victor is me. I’m different than a lowly peasant like you. You can’t handle all of this good fortune. I don’t know why you talk so big! You’re just a cheeky little brat. This will be an early win for me.

To be honest, Takane’s words here don’t sit well with me.

For one, he sounded stalkerish when he said, “I decided that I would keep on pestering you no matter how much you resist me.” For another, I never liked it when he brought up his social status and their class division. In real life, if a boyfriend said these to my daughter, I would suggest that she dump him.

However, in the context of the story, I get why he was spouting such stupid things. You see, earlier, she accused him of playing a rich man’s game so, then, he was showing her HOW a spoiled rich man played hurtful games. Meaning,

a. a spoiled rich man wouldn’t take no for an answer.
b. a spoiled rich man would call the shots and dictate the endgame.
c. a spoiled rich man would taunt her for being poor.
d. a spoiled rich man would act spoiled rotten like him.

Hana behaved badly to push him away. But, in comparison, Takane behaved badly because that was how she expected him to behave. He was having a tantrum.

Hana: (elbows him)
Takane: What are you doing?
Hana: If we lived together, then there’ll be all kinds of gossip and your reputation may get destroyed.

She was finally explaining her actions. She was worried that if they do get married, their union would always be subjected to unsavory gossip about their age difference, and her “commoner” upbringing.

Takane: What do you mean?
Hana: It’ll definitely be about our age gap and difference in our family history. I’ll bring trouble to you! I don’t like having to cover things up so that doesn’t happen.

She was being realistic here. From the events during the party, she knew that people would nitpick her age and her family background. She was telling Takane that she wasn’t up to the task of defending their relationship against everybody.

Takane: (laughing)
Hana: I’m really worried about you over here!
Takane: What the heck? Is that what you were worried about? Is that right?
Hana: What is it?
Takane: In other words, you’re doing this for my sake, right?
Hana: That’s not true. Stop making that face! (he was looking smug)
Takane: (wall slam) If you don’t like the things people say, then I’ll defend you. If you need protection, then I’ll protect you no matter what happens.

I like this moment. He realized that Hana didn’t want to break it off with him, and he was happy. She was just worried that she would drag him down.

Hana: Uhm. Are you even listening to what I’m saying?
Takane: Don’t think about all of this unnecessary crap. Just be who you are.
Hana: (pausing) I understand. Then let me get rid of your humiliation.
Takane: (blinking) What?

She meant of course his humiliation earlier in her house when she accused him of playing “rich boy games.” She was apologizing for hurting his pride. She shouldn’t have doubted that he’d defend her against their naysayers because she witnessed him protecting her against the mean women, and the mean coworkers.

So, as compensation — or for atonement — for ridiculing him in front of her parents, she was willing to offer him a kiss. Hana closed her eyes and waited for his kiss. When he hesitated, she challenged him.

Hana: Are you bad at it?
Takane: Don’t take me for a fool!
Hana: (closed her eyes again)
Takane: (closed his eyes and leaned in to kiss – the wall)
Hana: (giggling) Goodnight!
Takane: That little brat!

I like this scene for two reasons.

One, because Hana’s fooling around with him. He probably didn’t realize that he did the “wall slam” again but Hana was keenly aware of the wall on her back, and their physical proximity. She was testing him to see if he learned the lesson that she had taught him earlier. He told her that their kiss was a “trivial thing” but it seemed like he was too embarrassed to kiss her himself.

Two, because Takane was amused by her cheekiness. He was offended anymore that she was having fun at his expense.