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Episode 12: Finale
It is the big day. Shiro is finally taking Kenji home to meet his parents for New Years. Kenji is in the middle of freaking out because he thinks he needs to shave but can’t bring himself to do it.
He also has to support Kenji once they arrive at house. Kenji looks like he’s going to have a heart attack. Shiro looks nervous as well but seems to be keeping it together for him.
We get the final time for the opening credits, and I feel a bit teary.
The next scene is them sitting around with snacks. No one is speaking, and Kenji looks like a deer in headlights whenever anyone asks him anything.Shiro’s mom tries to start conversation about Kenji’s workplace which doesn’t really go very far.
Finally, Shiro’s mom remembers (probably to her relief) that she can’t sit there doing nothing anymore because she has to cook the main course. She asks Shiro to help her. Both Shiro’s dad and Kenji look desperate not to be left alone with each other but to no avail.
They sit there silently until Shiro’s dad asks Kenji if he wants to look at Shiro’s high school year book. (I was shouting “ME! ME! I want to see it). Of course, Kenji says yes. What else are they going to do?
They go upstairs, and Dad shows Kenji Shiro’s picture, and he wants to squeal at how cute he is, but stops himself and awkwardly speaks in a low voice about how young he looks.
Meanwhile in the kitchen, we are getting the recipes of the episode: karaage and a stir fry of turnip greens and jako. It’s a great scene because Shiro’s mom talks him through how she makes these dishes but also they clearly have some bonding time.
It’s also nice to see them both happy and relaxed with each other which clearly cooking does for them. Their similarities show, too, for we see how Shiro’s mom comes up with the stir fry dish by thinking about what she has leftover in her fridge just like Shiro does and people who cook at home regularly do.
This time has not only changed the mood between Shiro and his mom but also Kenji and Dad. When Shiro calls them down for dinner, they are no longer sitting around table looking at yearbook but sitting next to each other next to bed with yearbook in their lap.
When they sit down to dinner everyone is all smiles, and Kenji is excited because he loves karaage.
She’s completely unreadable and just sits stone-faced and silent until Shiro’s dad asks to speak with her. They leave the room, and Kenji asks Shiro what happened, but he doesn’t know. He just looks pained. They sit there in silence, waiting, as if they were outside the principal’s office waiting for a decision about detention.
Soon we hear fast feet on the floor, and mom comes back in all smiles asking Kenji if he likes the dish. Shiro and Kenji stare in shock.
She is so happy that she laughs and laughs. Neither Shiro nor Kenji know how to take this, but Kenji laughs and so does Shiro’s; it’s obviously better than the scary face from earlier. Shiro looks like he doesn’t know how to take any of this.
Obviously, the dinner goes well because everyone is all smiles when the couple is readying to leave. Mom tells them that they had a wonderful time with dad telling them to take care.
Kenji practically purrs when mom tells them not to catch cold, but when mom tells him specifically to come again, he glows. He is so happy. Let’s all hug Kenji. He really deserves this joy.
On the walk home, they talk about the evening. Kenji is so happy and relieved that they left Shiro’s parents with smiles on their faces. Shiro is happy, too, but he’s curious. What did Kenji and his dad talk about? Kenji says that they talked about a lot of things, but there was one thing Dad really wanted to ask. Turns out, that when they saw Kenji dressed up in the suit, it made them wonder if this was how he was all the time. If he wore a suit at home, what did Shiro wear?
Turns out that Shiro’s parents cannot get their minds around the idea of two men being together; they assume that if two men are together, one of them plays the role of the woman. Shiro apologizes for his parents before he even realizes what this means.
NowShiro feels badly for Kenji, but Kenji doesn’t mind. He believes that if it gives them peace of mind to think that he dresses up in drag at home, then he’s fine with it. This just makes Shiro feel worse but full of love for Kenji.
Kenji isn’t thinking about this embarrassment at all. He can only look at this night in appositive light. This was just like a dream to him—a dream that he never thought would come true that a/his boyfriend would bring him home to meet his parents and everyone would end happy. He starts to cry because he never ever thought this this could happen for him. He sincerely says that he’d be fine dying right now.
Shiro is having none of that. He replies to him that never to talk like that to him. They are going to eat well and modestly and take care of themselves so they can be together for a long long time. Of course, this makes Kenji cry more. I’m not crying; it’s just my allergies kicking in. They walk the rest of the way together with Shiro’s arm wrapped around Kenji’s shoulders.
We can’t end this show without a trip to the market!! This time though, Kenji is with Shiro as he looks at the highway robbery that is the price of the asparagus. The roles are reversed here because it’s usually Shiro that admonishes Kenji about his public behavior, but Shiro is so loud about the price that Kenji reminds him of his voice.
Shiro hurries down the aisle, and when he sees the sale price on milk, he almost tears up he’s so excited. He thanks the store out loud and promises to shop there in the new year.
The grocery store worker looks on. She is happy as well.
After their shopping, Kenji doesn’t want to go home right away because it’s such a nice day. He suggests going to a café, and Shiro agrees but suggests a cheap coffee place. Kenji wants to go to a cute place and wheedled until Shiro complies.
They go to a nice cafe where they are the only guys at a table right in the middle. Kenji has ordered a scone, but he wants to share it because they are so good here. He breaks it in half as the couple bicker over trying to give each other the bigger half, they attract the attention of the fujoshi crowd.
Back at their apartment, Shiro works on their budget while Kenji gives him a trim. Shiro gets really excited when he realizes that they still didn’t go over their food budget. Kenji comments about Shiro's thick hair and complains that he can only make his hair look thick with a perm. Shiro reminds him of all the grey he’s getting and jokes about them being geezers.
Of course, we need to see them in kitchen before we leave them. They are cooking together. Kenji makes the namuru while Shiro is prepares the vegetables for his version of ebi chili. He’s making it with eggs and asparagus.
Comments:
Such an interesting progression in their love story, and I think the show makes plain how writers can go about writing a love story about people who are already in love rather than focusing on the falling in love stage.