Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso – 13
“Ehehehehe… I don’t know what to say”
I thought I might go to every other week for Shitgatsu wa Kimi no Uso, but given that this was the conclusion of a performance, I figured I’d do a post here.
The Rise of Kousei
A final goodbye
After his conversations with Hiroko, and his reinvigoration of self with Kaori, faced with the choice of playing alone or not playing at all, Kousei does make the decision that he’s going to play solo piano at a violin gala. And the (admittedly easy to make) speculation that he would play the piano arrangement by Rachmaninoff was on target, to the surprise of the audience members (and the “shoooock… Kuma Shock!” of the judge). Part of it is to show his belief how great a musician Kaori is. Why? Because she has forced him to consider feelings while playing, to acknowledge the showmanship and emotionality of music.
Finally, catharsis
But at the start it’s the same old problems: Not hearing the notes, banging on the keys, substituting force for feeling. But this time is the change. This is the time he realizes it, and as his fury at Miike’s dismissal of Kaori’s musicianship (and at himself for having held the same beliefs for so long) fades, he realizes the other lessons his mother had been trying to teach him, about embracing the music, caressing the keys. He finally makes peace with being unable to hear the piano’s sounds, instead knowing what it sounds like inside of him. And the result is a moving performance for all who hear it, and a final chance to say goodbye to his mother, the goodbye that he had been avoiding for 2 years.
The Redemption of Saki?
Driven into a corner
This episode presented a different side of Kousei’s mom to us, first the caring mother that we had seen glimpses of throughout, expanded more than before. And then the scared, frail, dying woman who, realizing her mortality and her inability to continue caring for a son that she loves, is almost panicking about what is going to happen to him. Does this redeem her? I certainly wouldn’t say so. The fact remains that she did do horrible things to Kousei. It doesn’t matter the motivation or reasoning. That she felt bad about it, or had a reason she thought it was necessary, doesn’t change that. And I don’t think that the show went too far in trying to show her as some sort of saint. Maybe it balanced it out a little, but while Kousei realizes that the mean ghost of his mother was his own construction, everyone was appalled at her actual behavior.
Broken and scared
I do wonder what Hiroko thought of the other abuse that Saki had done, the scrapes and bruises and emotional abuse. She said hitting him hard enough to draw blood was too much, but did she know about the other stuff? I think Hiroko went too far in taking the blame for Kousei’s breakdown after Saki’s death, because it wasn’t her fault Saki had turned monstrous. And even Saki’s reasoning had nothing to do with Hiroko, just her own insecurities about his future. Even more, her fears were things that were partially caused by her protectiveness. And yet, by any measure, Kousei has been just fine as a person since his mother’s death, even with his father not very present. The part of Kousei’s life that has been problematic was the part she was trying her best at, and left him with huge issues about his music.
And Then the Aftermath
Finally, the truth will out
So what will happen next? Yes, Kousei’s gotten his life back after that, but what of Tsubaki, who found herself unable to speak to Kousei. I have to say that I’m not sure why, and she’s not either. This was different from when she saw Kousei look at Kaori. At that point, I thought she realized where his heart was. But this time, it was just her and Kousei, and she was just unable to process it. Is she happy that he seems to have gotten past his mother? Or is she lost without knowing how to deal with him? I hope that’s something that’s explored going forward, but I fear it will be subsumed under the other issue, the one we’ve all been dreading. Yes, Kaori is in the hospital, and now Kousei is going to learn about her illness. I know we’ve been hoping for this to be overblown, but the show certainly feels like it needs to beat into our heads the looming death of Kaori.
Much more to talk about this time, and this was the first episode that brought some tears to my eyes. I think the show explained Saki better, but still didn’t really ‘redeem’ her, because there’s no mistaking what she did, there’s no excusing it. But now we’re in the beginning of the end, and with Kousei past his block for music, what will Kaori’s illness do to him.
About Highway
Proving that you don't have to be young to love anime, I enjoy all genres and styles of shows. If it's not hurting anyone else, you should never be ashamed of what you like!
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
This is what I am hoping for. Saki’s development as a complex (read:not one dimensional evil mother thing) character will bode well for future developments. It feels like Hiroko may be throwing down a gauntlet to the plot…that Kousei can change and mature without the great drama attached.
…and we are just gonna have to wait for the storm that is Tsubaki…
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
What I liked… I liked this episode in that it brought closure on Saki and Kousei, and it illuminated the rationale behind Saki’s behavior. While I don’t condone her behavior, I can understand where she is coming from.
My guess is it probably started small, and her behavior started to escalate later. And while she probably realized what she was doing later, she probably felt committed to her path at some point (reversing would mean everything was lost, so she kept trying for that one goal at all costs, given her limited time left). Like an all-or-nothing bet at this point.
I thought Tsubaki’s freeze was due to her unconsciously realizing at that point that her “little brother” had grown up, and she started to see him in a different light. Perhaps in a light that a small part of her saw but she either subconsciously subdued it or never realized. She’s played the “little brother” card so much that she’s never really had to face her feelings. Instead of her moving him to action, he was beginning to move her (emotions). Or something like that.
What I didn’t… Noooooo, Kaori!!! I’m hoping the show is trying to troll us now that it’s out in the open. Because I like my fairy-tale endings, and I want to see those two rock out an awesome performance.