[REVIEW] Kami no Shizuku - 07
Apr. 12th, 2009 12:31 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mecSee disclaimer in review of Episode 01.
The short version: women are complicated creatures and hearing Kame saying 'Miroku' makes me giggle, despite the totally inappropriate context.
Kami no Shizuku - le septième verre (the seventh glass)
Plot: Somewhere between the sixth and seventh episodes, Tomine lost that tiny bit of humanity he'd acquired - probably because all the interesting things from the sixth episode didn't make it into the recap.
One of these being that Tomine is having problems with his vision, and I don't just mean being unable to see the Mona Lisa. The doctor tells him it's probably due to stress, and that he should stop drinking wine for a while as his job (wine critic, not master villain - that's Maki's job) might be stressing him out. You would think a doctor would recommend giving up wine for other reasons too.
Once again, Shizuku and Miyabi are alone in the office at night. Amazingly, no other staff members appear to be conducting clandestine affairs behind desks this time. Shizuku's coming to terms with being an angst-bunny, learning to accept this side of himself and build on it, and it seems he has Miyabi to thank for that. (Did they film this after Kame was doing RESCUE promo, by any chance? He appears to be wearing eyeliner for most of the episode. It might just be wishful thinking on my part, but I'm definitely seeing it, even if it's not really there. Interesting look for Shizuku. Doesn't quite go with his tie, though.)
Miyabi is taken aback when Shizuku says he likes her (while rummaging around in a drawer), but it turns out he likes everyone in the wine department of Taiyo Beer - even Honma. Miyabi should take heart, though - he might say he likes everyone and he's really grateful to them, but she's the one he's drinking wine with after hours! Not only that, but she's found the...what do you call it? A bottle opener? Without which, wine cannot be drunk, or so says Shizuku. Symbolism, much?
Ah hah! I have been saying all along that Mysterious Lawyer Kiryu must have something to do with the plot, and I think my beliefs are now justified. How can I tell she's going to be significant in this episode? She's wearing a bright blouse with a much fancier collar than usual. In the Kanzaki mansion, she angsts over the will for a bit, a little upset that Kanzaki-sensei didn't leave any words for her. What, was he seeing someone else as well? Does being a wine critic get you all the girls? Is that how Tomine Issei landed Maki? Does Shizuku know what an opportunity he's missing here?
It's time for the reading of the will. Just in case we've forgotten Tomine's eye issues, he fidgets enough to remind the viewer, but not enough for anyone in the room to notice. Today's wine: tired, alone and despairing in the darkness, light and hope come in the form of the peaceful presence of Maitreya, who can accept even the most confused and misguided of humans. Kanzaki Yutaka's feelings for that person (Maitreya) cannot be expressed with the word "love". And from Kiryu's little quiver, I think we know who Maitreya is right now. I don't see how this will help them identify the wine, though!
Saying nothing more than "darkness" and "loneliness", Tomine makes a quick exit, possibly seeing his own future if he keeps up with the wine-drinking, while Shizuku, as usual, absconds with the will. I wonder if he files these away somewhere?
Okay, I know nothing about Buddhism, so I had to look this up to make sure I was hearing correctly, but in Japanese, Maitreya is called 'Miroku Bosatsu'. This makes me giggle, especially when Shizuku says it, for reasons that have nothing to do with religion and everything to do with Yuukan Club.
I love this. The Taiyo Beer gang are on the case! Honma's suggestion for the 5th Apostle is of course an Italian wine - a Barolo - which the rest of the staff are quick to seize (and drink). Shizuku does see light in the darkness, but not quite the sort of thing his father had in mind! Could Kame's next role be an X-Wing pilot? (Or a TIE fighter pilot, possibly, since he says he wants to play a villain.) The light is supposed to be a calming presence rather than, say, a supernova.
Shizuku's somewhat puzzled by this, as his father never struck him as the type to be bothered by darkness, nor lonely in it. But these kind of everyday, human concerns make Shizuku's boss feel better - Kanzaki Yutaka wasn't a god, after all.
I don't know how Robert manages not to freeze to death, giving his living arrangements. Kiryu has to wrap up warm to visit him at night, summoned for an enquiry into her welfare. He wonders if she can see the contest through to the end. Of course she can - Kanzaki-sensei charged her with the task.
Shizuku's ignorance about his father reaches ridiculous levels tonight at Monopole, when Miyabi presents him with a stack of books he never knew his father wrote - including the one that made her want to become a sommelier in the first place. Fujieda admits to having learned from the books too, though his lesson was less about wine and more about the company you keep when you drink. Miyabi spots a postscript in one of the books that sounds remarkably like the will - what else is there to do but visit all hundred restaurants mentioned in the book? Miyabi's a trifle wary of the idea - maybe she thinks she'll have to pay? - but Shizuku's enthusiasm catches on.
A couple of cute, dorky smiles later, our heroes are doing the rounds of the restaurants, hearing stories about what an amazing guy Kanzaki Yutaka was (and how much he did for international relations)...and also that he drank alone, starting from around Shizuku's twentieth birthday. This was, of course, the day he found out about his dad's affair. He cut all ties with his father and moved out, which didn't do much to improve already lousy father-son relations. How to investigate his dad's darkness?
In the dimly-lit lair, Tomine takes the darkness as a sign of his newly-acquired deceased father's illness, compares it to his own impending darkness, and stares at the wine glass while it blurs. Not the most productive evening ever.
Shizuku figures that since he wasn't keeping company with his father for those four years, he'll ask people who actually knew him. Robert's answers are horribly cryptic, so Kiryu it is. Not only did she not drink with Kanzaki-sensei, but she can't drink alcohol, she tells him. She takes exception to his lack of knowledge about his father's loneliness and gives him a look worthy of an evil goddess before she turns on her heel and strides out. You can see Shizuku mentally trying to add two and two together here but he just keeps getting five.
While Shizuku fails at understanding human intrigue, everyone else has gone to work. Honma and Miyabi have upgraded their relationship so that the nickname thing is no longer one-way only. She's a bit alarmed because Shizuku can't be reached.
There's a good reason for that. He walks into the lair just as Tomine is in the middle of a serious conversation with his wine glass. (It doesn't talk back, if you're wondering.) Shizuku's trying another tack, asking Tomine why they have to compete against each other. Shizuku left his father lonely, so now the old man's making him battle his only living relative. Is this payback from beyond the grave? I don't know, but Shizuku looks like he's about to cry (again). Tomine just looks happy to be able to throw Shizuku's complaints back in his face. Since Kanzaki Yutaka was never a part of his life, whether the man was lonely or not is none of his business.
Oh dear...Maki's traded in her roadkill for a bright yellow top that only my mother could look good in. Shizuku is an unwanted guest; she kicks him out and he leaves, tail between his legs. But Maki also has to leave - Tomine wants to be alone. He's a big boy now, he can dispose of unwanted guests himself. God only knows there's enough glass in the lair he shouldn't have too much trouble causing a fatal injury, or at least some really nasty cuts.
Not amused at the slight, Maki takes some petty revenge by telling Sara that by the way, she's not Issei's only sibling. It seems he never got round to enlightening her. Oops. That one's gonna haunt him. Sisters have long memories, sweetie.
Back to the non-bitchy people. With that perfect timing that only fictional characters have, Shizuku arrives at Monopole just in time to hear Miyabi pouring her heart out to Fujieda over how she feels she's not being of any use to Shizuku. Shizuku pulls all sorts of cute expressions as he listens to this, eventually announcing himself, ordering some Barolo (Honma would be so proud, Shizuku!) and taking his usual seat next to Miyabi, all the while looking like he's mere seconds from bursting out laughing. It's not so much a burst, when it comes, but he thanks her and they do get an awkward giggle out of it. Fujieda continues to play matchmaker.
Miyabi is also playing, though in her case it's an attempt to communicate psychically with Shizuku. Perhaps she thinks he'll actually understand her feelings if she doesn't have to vocalise them. The girl's a nutcase but Shizuku seems to like it. I love watching them being all cute and happy like this.
Kiryu's being the exact opposite, musing over Kanzaki-sensei and his inability to tell her anything anymore. When she holds the envelope containing the will segment of the 5th Apostle up to the light, we can see there's still paper in there. Shizuku evidently didn't get the whole clue.
The next morning, the great restaurant hunt continues, with the efforts being coordinated by Honma and the rest of the gang back at the office. In lieu of real work, they've drawn up maps, checklists and the rest and are serving as the support team. They're getting paid for this? I WANT TO WORK THERE!
Eventually, their hard work pays off as a restaurant admits to being the one mentioned in the postscript. Our heroes are shown to Kanzaki-sensei's usual table, out on the balcony and with a lovely view of the moon. In the autumn of 2005, when Shizuku's father started drinking alone after his abandonment by his son, he left a bottle of that 1985 Rothschild from the year of Shizuku's birth with the restaurant. Since the father will never return to claim it, they give it to the son.
Miyabi's theory is that Shizuku's father planned to have the wine there with his son on his twentieth birthday. Shizuku proceeds to take all the blame himself for making his father feel lonely, conveniently forgetting that he had a legitimate reason for walking out! Miyabi thinks that rather than being lonely, Kanzaki-sensei was merely waiting for the day when he could share the bottle with his son. As always, her attempts cheer Shizuku up. Any excuse for a drink, really.
A bit of detective work involving seating and gazing at the moon in a wine glass tells them that Shizuku's father was not drinking alone; moreover, Shizuku knows who his father's 'Maitreya' is. (Though how he made this leap of logic, I'm not sure. I can only conclude that the wine he'd consumed was of some assistance.) Just in case the audience aren't sure, we get a shot of Kiryu gazing out the window. Is she a live-in lawyer? Shizuku's other leap is that his father was drinking Barolo, and I can only imagine that the wines he's been trying out have helped with this. He just didn't find a suitable one on-screen, that's all.
He's on a roll with the detective work today! The final sentence of the will he's got is a strange place to end, so Shizuku has to fill in the blanks himself.
While all this is going on, Maki's not the only one whose dress sense has taken a walk this episode. I'm not sure that what Sara's wearing constitutes clothing, personally. Bedsheet with a neckline, maybe. But then, what should one wear when confronting one's brother over the small matter of an extra sibling? Tomine knows just who to blame for the leak and reassures Sara that she is his only sibling. I think he only has the capacity to be a decent big brother to one person at a time. How he got to his choice for the 5th Apostle, I have no idea. I'm assuming he found it based on his extensive knowledge of wines and by sampling some against his doctor's advice.
It's time for the showdown! Kiryu is almost smiling as she reads out a description of herself. Tomine goes first, emphasising the desperation angle and revealing his choice - a Barolo. Good call, Honma. Shizuku plays up the hope angle and reveals...the same wine. This time, both men are right, though I can't for the life of me figure any logical steps they took to get there. But it's not like this episode was about the wine, anyway.
Kiryu can't figure out how they got there either, and is suddenly overcome by the realisation that she doesn't really have the right to be there. Shizuku calls her on the unread part of the will, finally reading it aloud himself. It's quite clear that Kanzaki Yutaka was grateful to Kiryu for being his "light" in the darkness - his confidante who stayed with him in times of loneliness. Doesn't sound like another affair, thank goodness.
Shizuku is grateful on his dad's behalf, which moves Kiryu to tears. (He made the lawyer cry?) Maki is unmoved by this show of emotion and considers Kiryu's omission of the last part of the will to be unfair and an act for which responsibility must be taken. Oh dear. But Shizuku doesn't see anything wrong with what Kiryu did, and is thankful to her for being an important person in his father's life. He, too, has someone like that. Miyabi looks hopeful.
All the positive emotion in the room must be getting to Tomine, because he tells Maki he thinks it's inappropriate for her to be there. As much as I like seeing evil girlfriend getting her comeuppance, I can't help but feel that he's just signed his own death warrant. Hell hath no fury etc. etc.
Kiryu still wants to quit, but if she thinks that having an emotional involvement in the contest means she's ill-suited to be there, she should look at everyone else in the room. Robert, who seems to get the final say on everything, insists she stays. His deceased friend would've wanted it that way. She vows to see the contest through as she reckons neither brother can surpass their father. Smiles all round, till Tomine develops one of his tics again. If this is stress-related, why is he having problems when he's smiling? Perhaps if Robert would stop making predictions of doom and gloom once everyone but Kiryu has left the building, they'd all be better off.
A word of advice to viewers who are prone to sea-sickness. Don't watch Tomine stare at wine glasses too long. His vision's on its way out and it looks like Maki's about to screw him over as well. She doesn't take kindly to being betrayed. I suppose this explains why the fur has reappeared. It's much easier to be truly villainous when wearing dead animals, even if you haven't slaughtered them yourself.
On the way back home, Shizuku takes a stab at letting Miyabi know she's appreciated. She's sure he's talking about everyone again - how he doesn't just like them all, but is grateful to them. She bites the bullet and asks him straight out what she means to him. (With Shizuku, this might be the best solution.) Too bad he's been taking lessons from Robert in how to be cryptic. He gives her a wine opener and tells her that to him, she's just like that. Miyabi, sadly, is puzzled by this, but she should recall that Shizuku said earlier that he couldn't drink wine without it...
Obligatory Kame commentary: I got nothin'. Other than some really pretty smiles, particularly when Shizuku was teasing Miyabi, Kame didn't distinguish himself this week. He's had a couple of major drama episodes so I guess this was "back to business" Shizuku.
Best Scene: The Taiyo Beer gang take the prize again. Watching them help with the will and then with the restaurant hunt was absolutely priceless. I love how they've all taken up Shizuku's cause. Sweet, funny and infinitely loveable, Shizuku's work colleagues have carved out a little notch for themselves in my heart.
Conclusion: Not much exciting this time, compared with the previous two episodes, but from the looks of the preview, it seems that's all about to change! Major drama ahead! All episode seven did was give us some explanation for Kiryu and clue us in a little more to Kanzaki-sensei's feelings about his son - even though they were searching for the 5th Apostle the whole time, it felt like that was some side quest, that they'd get to the end eventually but the actual journey wasn't important. I'm pleased to see I was right about the lawyer being involved in some way, and that Maki's starting to get a dose of her own medicine. Not that I expect her to swallow it...
The short version: women are complicated creatures and hearing Kame saying 'Miroku' makes me giggle, despite the totally inappropriate context.
Kami no Shizuku - le septième verre (the seventh glass)
Plot: Somewhere between the sixth and seventh episodes, Tomine lost that tiny bit of humanity he'd acquired - probably because all the interesting things from the sixth episode didn't make it into the recap.
One of these being that Tomine is having problems with his vision, and I don't just mean being unable to see the Mona Lisa. The doctor tells him it's probably due to stress, and that he should stop drinking wine for a while as his job (wine critic, not master villain - that's Maki's job) might be stressing him out. You would think a doctor would recommend giving up wine for other reasons too.
Once again, Shizuku and Miyabi are alone in the office at night. Amazingly, no other staff members appear to be conducting clandestine affairs behind desks this time. Shizuku's coming to terms with being an angst-bunny, learning to accept this side of himself and build on it, and it seems he has Miyabi to thank for that. (Did they film this after Kame was doing RESCUE promo, by any chance? He appears to be wearing eyeliner for most of the episode. It might just be wishful thinking on my part, but I'm definitely seeing it, even if it's not really there. Interesting look for Shizuku. Doesn't quite go with his tie, though.)
Miyabi is taken aback when Shizuku says he likes her (while rummaging around in a drawer), but it turns out he likes everyone in the wine department of Taiyo Beer - even Honma. Miyabi should take heart, though - he might say he likes everyone and he's really grateful to them, but she's the one he's drinking wine with after hours! Not only that, but she's found the...what do you call it? A bottle opener? Without which, wine cannot be drunk, or so says Shizuku. Symbolism, much?
Ah hah! I have been saying all along that Mysterious Lawyer Kiryu must have something to do with the plot, and I think my beliefs are now justified. How can I tell she's going to be significant in this episode? She's wearing a bright blouse with a much fancier collar than usual. In the Kanzaki mansion, she angsts over the will for a bit, a little upset that Kanzaki-sensei didn't leave any words for her. What, was he seeing someone else as well? Does being a wine critic get you all the girls? Is that how Tomine Issei landed Maki? Does Shizuku know what an opportunity he's missing here?
It's time for the reading of the will. Just in case we've forgotten Tomine's eye issues, he fidgets enough to remind the viewer, but not enough for anyone in the room to notice. Today's wine: tired, alone and despairing in the darkness, light and hope come in the form of the peaceful presence of Maitreya, who can accept even the most confused and misguided of humans. Kanzaki Yutaka's feelings for that person (Maitreya) cannot be expressed with the word "love". And from Kiryu's little quiver, I think we know who Maitreya is right now. I don't see how this will help them identify the wine, though!
Saying nothing more than "darkness" and "loneliness", Tomine makes a quick exit, possibly seeing his own future if he keeps up with the wine-drinking, while Shizuku, as usual, absconds with the will. I wonder if he files these away somewhere?
Okay, I know nothing about Buddhism, so I had to look this up to make sure I was hearing correctly, but in Japanese, Maitreya is called 'Miroku Bosatsu'. This makes me giggle, especially when Shizuku says it, for reasons that have nothing to do with religion and everything to do with Yuukan Club.
I love this. The Taiyo Beer gang are on the case! Honma's suggestion for the 5th Apostle is of course an Italian wine - a Barolo - which the rest of the staff are quick to seize (and drink). Shizuku does see light in the darkness, but not quite the sort of thing his father had in mind! Could Kame's next role be an X-Wing pilot? (Or a TIE fighter pilot, possibly, since he says he wants to play a villain.) The light is supposed to be a calming presence rather than, say, a supernova.
Shizuku's somewhat puzzled by this, as his father never struck him as the type to be bothered by darkness, nor lonely in it. But these kind of everyday, human concerns make Shizuku's boss feel better - Kanzaki Yutaka wasn't a god, after all.
I don't know how Robert manages not to freeze to death, giving his living arrangements. Kiryu has to wrap up warm to visit him at night, summoned for an enquiry into her welfare. He wonders if she can see the contest through to the end. Of course she can - Kanzaki-sensei charged her with the task.
Shizuku's ignorance about his father reaches ridiculous levels tonight at Monopole, when Miyabi presents him with a stack of books he never knew his father wrote - including the one that made her want to become a sommelier in the first place. Fujieda admits to having learned from the books too, though his lesson was less about wine and more about the company you keep when you drink. Miyabi spots a postscript in one of the books that sounds remarkably like the will - what else is there to do but visit all hundred restaurants mentioned in the book? Miyabi's a trifle wary of the idea - maybe she thinks she'll have to pay? - but Shizuku's enthusiasm catches on.
A couple of cute, dorky smiles later, our heroes are doing the rounds of the restaurants, hearing stories about what an amazing guy Kanzaki Yutaka was (and how much he did for international relations)...and also that he drank alone, starting from around Shizuku's twentieth birthday. This was, of course, the day he found out about his dad's affair. He cut all ties with his father and moved out, which didn't do much to improve already lousy father-son relations. How to investigate his dad's darkness?
In the dimly-lit lair, Tomine takes the darkness as a sign of his newly-acquired deceased father's illness, compares it to his own impending darkness, and stares at the wine glass while it blurs. Not the most productive evening ever.
Shizuku figures that since he wasn't keeping company with his father for those four years, he'll ask people who actually knew him. Robert's answers are horribly cryptic, so Kiryu it is. Not only did she not drink with Kanzaki-sensei, but she can't drink alcohol, she tells him. She takes exception to his lack of knowledge about his father's loneliness and gives him a look worthy of an evil goddess before she turns on her heel and strides out. You can see Shizuku mentally trying to add two and two together here but he just keeps getting five.
While Shizuku fails at understanding human intrigue, everyone else has gone to work. Honma and Miyabi have upgraded their relationship so that the nickname thing is no longer one-way only. She's a bit alarmed because Shizuku can't be reached.
There's a good reason for that. He walks into the lair just as Tomine is in the middle of a serious conversation with his wine glass. (It doesn't talk back, if you're wondering.) Shizuku's trying another tack, asking Tomine why they have to compete against each other. Shizuku left his father lonely, so now the old man's making him battle his only living relative. Is this payback from beyond the grave? I don't know, but Shizuku looks like he's about to cry (again). Tomine just looks happy to be able to throw Shizuku's complaints back in his face. Since Kanzaki Yutaka was never a part of his life, whether the man was lonely or not is none of his business.
Oh dear...Maki's traded in her roadkill for a bright yellow top that only my mother could look good in. Shizuku is an unwanted guest; she kicks him out and he leaves, tail between his legs. But Maki also has to leave - Tomine wants to be alone. He's a big boy now, he can dispose of unwanted guests himself. God only knows there's enough glass in the lair he shouldn't have too much trouble causing a fatal injury, or at least some really nasty cuts.
Not amused at the slight, Maki takes some petty revenge by telling Sara that by the way, she's not Issei's only sibling. It seems he never got round to enlightening her. Oops. That one's gonna haunt him. Sisters have long memories, sweetie.
Back to the non-bitchy people. With that perfect timing that only fictional characters have, Shizuku arrives at Monopole just in time to hear Miyabi pouring her heart out to Fujieda over how she feels she's not being of any use to Shizuku. Shizuku pulls all sorts of cute expressions as he listens to this, eventually announcing himself, ordering some Barolo (Honma would be so proud, Shizuku!) and taking his usual seat next to Miyabi, all the while looking like he's mere seconds from bursting out laughing. It's not so much a burst, when it comes, but he thanks her and they do get an awkward giggle out of it. Fujieda continues to play matchmaker.
Miyabi is also playing, though in her case it's an attempt to communicate psychically with Shizuku. Perhaps she thinks he'll actually understand her feelings if she doesn't have to vocalise them. The girl's a nutcase but Shizuku seems to like it. I love watching them being all cute and happy like this.
Kiryu's being the exact opposite, musing over Kanzaki-sensei and his inability to tell her anything anymore. When she holds the envelope containing the will segment of the 5th Apostle up to the light, we can see there's still paper in there. Shizuku evidently didn't get the whole clue.
The next morning, the great restaurant hunt continues, with the efforts being coordinated by Honma and the rest of the gang back at the office. In lieu of real work, they've drawn up maps, checklists and the rest and are serving as the support team. They're getting paid for this? I WANT TO WORK THERE!
Eventually, their hard work pays off as a restaurant admits to being the one mentioned in the postscript. Our heroes are shown to Kanzaki-sensei's usual table, out on the balcony and with a lovely view of the moon. In the autumn of 2005, when Shizuku's father started drinking alone after his abandonment by his son, he left a bottle of that 1985 Rothschild from the year of Shizuku's birth with the restaurant. Since the father will never return to claim it, they give it to the son.
Miyabi's theory is that Shizuku's father planned to have the wine there with his son on his twentieth birthday. Shizuku proceeds to take all the blame himself for making his father feel lonely, conveniently forgetting that he had a legitimate reason for walking out! Miyabi thinks that rather than being lonely, Kanzaki-sensei was merely waiting for the day when he could share the bottle with his son. As always, her attempts cheer Shizuku up. Any excuse for a drink, really.
A bit of detective work involving seating and gazing at the moon in a wine glass tells them that Shizuku's father was not drinking alone; moreover, Shizuku knows who his father's 'Maitreya' is. (Though how he made this leap of logic, I'm not sure. I can only conclude that the wine he'd consumed was of some assistance.) Just in case the audience aren't sure, we get a shot of Kiryu gazing out the window. Is she a live-in lawyer? Shizuku's other leap is that his father was drinking Barolo, and I can only imagine that the wines he's been trying out have helped with this. He just didn't find a suitable one on-screen, that's all.
He's on a roll with the detective work today! The final sentence of the will he's got is a strange place to end, so Shizuku has to fill in the blanks himself.
While all this is going on, Maki's not the only one whose dress sense has taken a walk this episode. I'm not sure that what Sara's wearing constitutes clothing, personally. Bedsheet with a neckline, maybe. But then, what should one wear when confronting one's brother over the small matter of an extra sibling? Tomine knows just who to blame for the leak and reassures Sara that she is his only sibling. I think he only has the capacity to be a decent big brother to one person at a time. How he got to his choice for the 5th Apostle, I have no idea. I'm assuming he found it based on his extensive knowledge of wines and by sampling some against his doctor's advice.
It's time for the showdown! Kiryu is almost smiling as she reads out a description of herself. Tomine goes first, emphasising the desperation angle and revealing his choice - a Barolo. Good call, Honma. Shizuku plays up the hope angle and reveals...the same wine. This time, both men are right, though I can't for the life of me figure any logical steps they took to get there. But it's not like this episode was about the wine, anyway.
Kiryu can't figure out how they got there either, and is suddenly overcome by the realisation that she doesn't really have the right to be there. Shizuku calls her on the unread part of the will, finally reading it aloud himself. It's quite clear that Kanzaki Yutaka was grateful to Kiryu for being his "light" in the darkness - his confidante who stayed with him in times of loneliness. Doesn't sound like another affair, thank goodness.
Shizuku is grateful on his dad's behalf, which moves Kiryu to tears. (He made the lawyer cry?) Maki is unmoved by this show of emotion and considers Kiryu's omission of the last part of the will to be unfair and an act for which responsibility must be taken. Oh dear. But Shizuku doesn't see anything wrong with what Kiryu did, and is thankful to her for being an important person in his father's life. He, too, has someone like that. Miyabi looks hopeful.
All the positive emotion in the room must be getting to Tomine, because he tells Maki he thinks it's inappropriate for her to be there. As much as I like seeing evil girlfriend getting her comeuppance, I can't help but feel that he's just signed his own death warrant. Hell hath no fury etc. etc.
Kiryu still wants to quit, but if she thinks that having an emotional involvement in the contest means she's ill-suited to be there, she should look at everyone else in the room. Robert, who seems to get the final say on everything, insists she stays. His deceased friend would've wanted it that way. She vows to see the contest through as she reckons neither brother can surpass their father. Smiles all round, till Tomine develops one of his tics again. If this is stress-related, why is he having problems when he's smiling? Perhaps if Robert would stop making predictions of doom and gloom once everyone but Kiryu has left the building, they'd all be better off.
A word of advice to viewers who are prone to sea-sickness. Don't watch Tomine stare at wine glasses too long. His vision's on its way out and it looks like Maki's about to screw him over as well. She doesn't take kindly to being betrayed. I suppose this explains why the fur has reappeared. It's much easier to be truly villainous when wearing dead animals, even if you haven't slaughtered them yourself.
On the way back home, Shizuku takes a stab at letting Miyabi know she's appreciated. She's sure he's talking about everyone again - how he doesn't just like them all, but is grateful to them. She bites the bullet and asks him straight out what she means to him. (With Shizuku, this might be the best solution.) Too bad he's been taking lessons from Robert in how to be cryptic. He gives her a wine opener and tells her that to him, she's just like that. Miyabi, sadly, is puzzled by this, but she should recall that Shizuku said earlier that he couldn't drink wine without it...
Obligatory Kame commentary: I got nothin'. Other than some really pretty smiles, particularly when Shizuku was teasing Miyabi, Kame didn't distinguish himself this week. He's had a couple of major drama episodes so I guess this was "back to business" Shizuku.
Best Scene: The Taiyo Beer gang take the prize again. Watching them help with the will and then with the restaurant hunt was absolutely priceless. I love how they've all taken up Shizuku's cause. Sweet, funny and infinitely loveable, Shizuku's work colleagues have carved out a little notch for themselves in my heart.
Conclusion: Not much exciting this time, compared with the previous two episodes, but from the looks of the preview, it seems that's all about to change! Major drama ahead! All episode seven did was give us some explanation for Kiryu and clue us in a little more to Kanzaki-sensei's feelings about his son - even though they were searching for the 5th Apostle the whole time, it felt like that was some side quest, that they'd get to the end eventually but the actual journey wasn't important. I'm pleased to see I was right about the lawyer being involved in some way, and that Maki's starting to get a dose of her own medicine. Not that I expect her to swallow it...
