[Drama 2015] 5-ji Kara 9-ji Made (From Five To Nine) 5時から9時まで

[briseis]

THE KEEPSAKE

Nene’s birthday celebration is such a small, happy moment but it actually manages to tell us a lot about Takane. He is a great organizer just like Junko, however, while she’s an extrovert, always in the middle of the attention, he’S much more a behind-the-scenes worker. I think that in a way, even without what Junko does for him later, this is his best birthday since his parents died, not that he would remember it anyway. It’s great to see Takane so openly happy and alive as much as an introvert like him can get. 

Though, Junko and Takane are in many aspects the complete opposites which attracts, there are quite a few things which they share. The most interesting among them is the fact that they are both the oldest siblings and that there is a rather huge age gap between them and their younger siblings. Yet, their relationships couldn’t be more different and it’s interesting to observe that it’s actually Nene who Takane treats with much more affection and more like a younger sister than his own brother. And it’s her birthday he goes to celebrate while I doubt he really celebrated Amane’s birthday considering what we learned from the upcoming scene. I think Amane sees this as another ignominy and unfair treatment from his brother when he saw him preparing paper chains, decorations and presents for her birthday.

“I'll keep this as a souvenir...Then, please get me a plastic box.” 

I like how slowly and gradually Takane gets his wishes fulfilled, he got a date and now he gets a home made food, and even though Junko protests that it hardly can be deemed as “home made”, for Takane it really is. I think that when he told her that he wanted to eat her home made meal during the time he was ill, he meant those sushi rolls he always watched her eat, so when she finally makes them for him it’s like a dream come true for him. It’s something so precious and rare for him that him wants to keep it as a keep sake, freeze it and keep it forever because the meaning of keepsakes is that it is a way to stop time and to preserve memories forever. But perhaps her stuffing it to his mouth and pretty much feeding him is even a better memory to keep and even more precious anniversary to celebrate and to add to the growing list pf them. Takane calling it “home made/cooked” shows another thing - he already thinks of Junko as his family and home because home is where yor heart is, she is the family he’s chosen.

Takane’s penchant to remember, commemorize and celebrate every precious memory results from the heartbreaking fact that he has so few of them because he was deprived of them his whole life, deprived of a loving family and friends.

[briseis]

CONGRATULATIONS 

If a man is happy to help you clean and volunteers to wash the dishes, HE IS A KEEPER! It doesn’t matter he is hopeless at singing at karaoke, he can always chant for you before you fall asleep! I knew there had to be at least one thing he was terrible at - well, welcome to the club, Hoshikawa Takane-san! 

“Happy birthday.”

OMFG! All those times Takane said “CONGRATULATIONS” were headed towards this, for this one purpose - the first time Junko says those words to him! And it couldn’t happen for a more significant and meaningful occassion than this. It’s actually the most soul-stirring spin on what has almost become and ongoing joke about Takane saying “CONGRATULATIONS”, and the writer is a freaking genius because I suspect it’s been his intenntion all along. The scene is so similar to that time in episode 1 when Takane found Junko all alone and wished her happy birthday while no one else would and I love it because it gives Junko the opportunity to finally pay him back and thank him for all the things he has done for her in the best way possible. Because what do you give a man who can buy everything - the one thing he can’t buy with all the money in the world, the very thing he desires deep in his heart.

That small piece of cake represents all the presents that are the most priceless - they are the smallest things, inconspicpicious, mundane or more than often immaterial; It’s not diamonds and expensive presents which people hold precious above everything else in the world.

It’s heartbreaking to watch Takane keep retreating - he is so taken aback and moved by Junko’s actions that he is physically affected by it; his expression is a strange mix of wonder an fear whether she is real, whether this is real and not a cruel dream he would wake up from in the morning. It’s as if he could hardly believe this is  actualyhappening, as if he was literally AFRAID AND APREHENSIVE TO BELIEVE that that she would care enough to find out the day of his birhday and that she would be celebrating the fact that he was born and that this happiness could be real. It literally stuns him speechless - the realization that this is all for him and the fact this is the woman he loves the most makes it even more monumentous and precious for him. 

[briseis]

THE HAPPIEST BIRTHDAY EVER

“So this is the first time I've had such a happy birthday. Having the person I like wish me a happy birthday has made me this happy. Junko-san, thank you. Because you celebrated my birthday this year, my birthday has become a day to remember.That's right. Today's also the first time you made me a sushi roll. That's a moment to remember too. Today's also the first day we cleaned up together. That's also a moment to remember.” 

How can you not love this man?! How can you not wish him to be finally happy?! The most gutting revelation about Takane is that the real reason why he forgot his own birthday is not because he spent so much time and had so much fun at preparing Nene’s, but because he has decided to forget that his birthday existed a long time ago. How can he show so much excitement about birthdays of other people but deny to gain any happiness when it’s his birthday or the birthday of his own family? How heartbroken and devasted he must have been by the death of his parent if he decided to literally cancel his own birthday?! Instead of making him happy the celebration only reminded him of all the things he lost so he decided to shut it down - a coping mechanism of a 8 years old orphan boy. It’s really the silent and restrained people who are the most sensitive and they get hurt the most in the process and the restrain and the silence is just their way not to break down completely. I think this innate sensitivity is something that was palpable about Takane since episode 1 and it only became more apparent with each passing episode - his ability to silently observe, perceptiveness, the ability to emphatize,...

I have to give my greatest admiration to YT here because he’s been incredible all drama long - he has become Takane with every fiber of his being and he has complete command of his character. I love how he has always portrayed Takane with so many nuances, always adding new layers, starting with barely noticeable micro expressions and making Takane gradually more emotional with how he has slowly let his walls fall. The memorial scene for Junko’s grandmother showcased how sensitive Takane was, but for me it was his birthday revelation that gutted me and moved me the most. It was raw and brutally honest and he didn’t try to stop his tears or hide anything, it was obvious how painful and difficult it was for him to open up about it and finally confide in someone about his past. Yet, even despite all that hurt he still managed to overcome it, and it wasn’t the tears that made my heart break for him, IT WAS WHEN HE SMILED THROUGH THOSE TEARS! Showing that despite all that happened to him he still has such a huge capacity for love! 

And when he starts to urgently ennumerate all those new annniversaries to celebrate it’s the last straw for Junko - she is no longer able to deny the fact she loves this man because his hurt is now hers, as is his happiness.The things I love the most is the fact that in the end it’s his sincerity, selflessness and loneliness which managed to break through her defenses and that his birthday finally made it to the list of anniversaries to celebrate. (Though, seriously, I love my parents, I really do but cleaning is definitely NOT a day to celebrate for me! Also, if he keeps this up there won’t be enough days in the year for all their anniversaries and they will have to celebrate 3 times a day - not that I mind!)

[Ahpheng]

[briseis]

A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN - WHEN SAGITTARIUS AND LIBRA FALL IN LOVE

EVERYTHING IS PERFECT AND NOTHING HURTS! It’s here! We have finally lived long enough to see the moment when we can officially rename the show as “The Monk I HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE WITH”! I’M MELTING HERE! BECAUSE IN A WAY IT FEELS AS IF THE STARS THEMSELVES ALIGNED FOR THEM TO BE TOGETHER! I’m such a huge sucker for hurt-comfort scenes and this is as good as they can get. I don’t even know where to begin - The way Takane hesitantly touches Junko’s shoulder, the way he feels sad that he made her cry, his need to comfort her...But the best moment comes when he cups her face with his both hands and begins to WIPE AWAY HER TEARS, TELLING HER HOW BEAUTIFUL SHE EVEN WHEN SHE IS CRYING, AND THEN JUNKO REACHES OUT TO HIM AND MIMICS HIS GESTURE AND GENTLY CARESSES HIS CHEEK, AS IF SHOWING WITH HER ACTIONS FIRST THAT SHE CAN FINALLY ACCEPT HIS LOVE COMPLETELY AND GIVES HER IN RETURN TO HIM!!! It’s such a profoundly intimate and raw moment between these two people and it’s all about gentle caresses and loving looks.

“Hoshikawa Takane-san, I’ve fallen in love with you. I want to become your lover.”

MY FEELS! If there is a shipper Holy Grail this is pretty much IT! With her confession Junko has given Takane the greatest and most precious gift he could ever receive, she gave him the one thing he desired the most in the whole world - her heart, her love and a complete acceptance of everything he is! It’s so much more fulfilling and satisfying because her love confession is a complete reversal of her angry and spiteful words from the beginning of episode 3 when she told him that no matter what happens she would never love him - those words were meant to hurt him and they did hurt him deeply, whereas this time it’s all about healing and happiness.

[briseis]

THE RAT’S BETRAYAL

Well, we still haven’t lived long enough to see them kiss, though! I adore Junko’s family, I really do but not when they are constantly sabotaging my OTP! I really think that that love hotel is currently our best option to finally get that elusive OTP kiss!

“This is the first time I’ve won. Against you. But I’m not done yet. I’m going to destroy everything you own.” 

Pardon my language here, but I really hate that prick!! Though, I have to say that the writer is brilliant at working with morals, similes and metaphores and incorporating them seamlessly into the whole story. Amane’s betrayal is basically the history repeating itself or rather the reenactment of the Zodiac story, and it’s the irony of fate that it was the very same story Takane himself taught his younger brother when they were children. It truly echoes the Rat’s story who betrayed his best friend for ambition and forgot what was truly important. The moral of Amane’s betrayal is that he knows himself that he isn’t as smart or as good as Takane, just as the Rat wasn’t as fast as the cat or the ox. Just like with the chess game, he knows he can’t beat his older brother fair and square, so he cheats. But unlike the Rat, in Amane’s case it’s all for revenge, envy and jealousy. He feels cheated of their parents love so he decides to take away fom Takane everything and everyone he loves - and his main target has now become Junko because a tactician always attacks his enemy’s most vulnerable spot, and she is Takane’s.

[momakas]

I have watched EP8 a little bit here and there and i must say that i am so frustrated with almost-kiss scenes in this ep. Not 1 but 4 time epic fail!! Should i kill the director or should i kill the writer? 

Hai guys, its been a while since i logged myself into soompi forum. I am falling so hard for this drama i went ballistic will all these almost-kiss scenes! I lost count how many of 'em in the drama itself! Everybody got their kiss but not our OTP arghhhhhhhhhh

I havent watch JDorama for ages. The last drama that i watch was RMPW. I tried "Last Cinderella" but i cant even pass the 1st ep coz i cant stand the female lead. I love Satomi and Yamapi. Together they make the cutest couple ever!! As much as i want to ship them in RL, i have learned my lesson already *cough*SoGong*cough* but i must say that they have the best chemistry so far compare to their previous co-stars. They seems so natural and comfortable with each other. If they really fall in love in RL that would be a bonus! At least my eyes is not deceiving me coz i swear i can see some sparks flying

 

@briseis i have a confession to made here. I am addicted to your post. I refresh your tumblr like every hour! Since eng sub takes like forever your post such a life saver! Cant wait for your EP8 recap 

 

[Ahpheng]

 

[minhye1822]

I've watched ep 8 raw, so many kisses but not for our OTP. They are so cute, I'm shippering Yamapi and Ishihara Satomi they look so good together. Thanks @briseis for your post, I went to your tumblr too. @Ahpheng your C-strip always daebak. Thanks.

[briseis]

“Junko-san, I hate you.” - Takane

5→9 EPISODE 9 PREVIEW

Junko announces she is quiting her job at the ELA to Takane’s obvious shock and decides to become a temple bride. She goes through a rigorous and demanding bridal training, but of course Takane’s grandmother will never approve of her no matter how much she tries. The moment I saw Junko so heartbreakingly crying alone in the dark I knew something will go terribly wrong and I think it’s because Takane decides to save her from the cage that the Temple would become for her and instead sets her free. Actually, I like the route this is going because it’s something that has been constantly looming over the OTP the whole drama long and needs to be properly addressed and dealt with - this discrepancy of their social stations and the clash between the modern and the traditional - and because I’ve always suspected that if it comes down to the choice of chaining Junko to him, robbing her off her dreams and hopes in the process, it would be the moment when Takane finally decides to let her go because he loves her too much to see her live like this. It would be so fitting because at the beginning of episode 3 Junko accused him of not caring about her feelings and dreams, but it’s been always Takane who has cared and known about them the most.

So the way I see it know, the writer either can ship Junko to NYC (why else give us all those NY references and Kiyomiya’s conversation with Takane in episode 8) and after a stereotypical time skip give us a HEA in the last minute as it’s tradition for jdramas, or he can come up with some suprising outcome and prevent this potential letdown. How they wil manage to solve Amane’s plan to demolish the Temple and turn it into skyscrapes and tie all the loose ends is beyond me, though.

Drama gods, please!!!!, all I want for Christmas is for my OTP to FINALLY KISS, for them to go on a proper date, for Junko to wear Takane’s Jimmy Choo shoes to their date and take a photo in front of a Christmas tree!

[briseis]

5→9 EPISODE 8: THE MONK I DATE —  L-DK

What more superlatives can I say about this show? Have I said that episode 7 was a shipper Holy Grail? Take all the things which make 5→9 so amazing, multiply it tenfolds and you will get episode 8! PURE SHIPPY HEAVEN! Our favourite English teacher has finally started to date her beloved monk to the shock and joy of her entire family. However, no one is more happy and excited than Takane himself who has finally won Junko’s heart and for the first time she is as happy as he is, not even trying to hide it. Takane thanks everyone because it’s been also because of their help that they finally love each other mutually (i.e. - he is  no longer in an unrequited love! YAY! On other hand, I wouldn’t describe their penchant to constatly interrupt your kisses with their daughter as “helpful”), everyone is happy for him that he finally managed to date her. I mean I totally feel them because it was physically painful to watch him getting rejected 3 times a day!

Junko asks Takane why he came back again  and he does the most adorable aegyo gesture saying “kichatta” (”I’ve come, after all” - it expresses a person’s feelings when he didn’t intend to come or hesitated to comebut in the end came anyway). Keiko says it’s no wonder since when you start to date you don’t want to leave, but Junko worriedly asks whether everything is alright at the temple, however, Takane assures her that nothing happened and that he simply received some time off. Which is theoretically the truth, from a certain point of view (gosh, me and my SW obsession!). It’s obvious he doesn’t want to worry her so he decides to not to tell her and puts on a brave and happy face for her sake. Not that he is pretending to be happy - this is happening directly after he was betrayed by his own brother, yet here he is and you can barely notice any sadness and it’s all BECAUSE OF HER, BECAUSE JUST BEING AROUND HER, SMILING AT HIM, MAKES HIM HAPPY AND MAKES HIM FORGET HIS OWN SADNESS. Takane calls it DATING VACATION! That’s what I call looking on the bright side of things. LOL! Junko’s mum suggest they start LIVING TOGETHER!!! According to her it was during that time when she and Junko’s dad lived together when they were the most lovey dovey. Obviously, after his previous successful experience with their precious love advices in seducing their daughter, Takane pretty much takes their words as Holy Writ and wants Keiko to give him more information! LOL! Well, they made out A LOT obviously since there was NO ONE to disturb them! And Takane wants her to be more specific and provide him with more details! DOUBLE LOL! Imagine bringing home a boyfriend who would ask your mother about your parents’ love life and pretty much ask her for advice how to get you into bed!!! Luckily for him, his future mother-in-law is more than willing to help him!

“Morning kiss, good-night kiss, thank-you kiss, goodbye kiss,… we kissed all the time,…”

That’s quite a lot of kisses, Takane, and you still haven’t managed to get a single one! I think I died the moment he enthusiatically produced his trusty dating notebook from inside his monk robe! The last straw is when Junko’s mum tells him that living together deepens couple’s love - he literally shoots from his seat and grabs Junko:

“Junko, let’s deepen our love by living together and making out a lot!”

This man is ready and roaring to go! And lucky for him he has a family at his disposal who is ready to immediatelly begin to set the plans into motion and a future sister-in-law who willingly gives up her own room and bed, so he can finally live with the women of his dreams! On a sidenote, did you notice how Takane keeps smiling during the final few seconds of this scene when he is spinning Junko around? Because that was totally YT’s smiling! I’m not usually into RL shipping but I can’t help myself with these two!

 

[zagigirl]

They do tease us with their almost kisses do they? 

Still have a few eps to catch up...but couldn't help it but peek at last ep 

@briseis tnx for great effort here 

[briseis]

THE STRANGE BEDFELLOWS

I’ve been watching Asian dramas since 2006 and with each new year it’s been getting increasingly difficult to find something in them that would suprise me, however, each episode of 5→9 is so fast-paced and full of novel ideas that it’s beyond me how can a single person or even two people come up with so many brilliant ideas and weave them into such a perfect storyline. Again, I’ve tried to make these innitial posts more detailed and recap-like as usual before the release of the subs.

“Then now, let’s make out.” - Takane

OMG! THE SHIPPY HEAVEN CONTINUES, HELL, IT’S ONLY THE STARTING! Obviously, Takane doesn’t like to lose time and wants to immediatelly start with “deepening their love” via making out. And who would blame the man after so many wasted opportunities, unfortunatey for him Junko feels shy and tells him it’s impossible which makes him wonder whether it’s because she doesn’t like him, but Junko assures him it’s not the case - she can tell him only at important times and can’t get into the right mood so abruptly. So Takane suggesst that they should change it by changing the way he calls her and asks her how should he call her from now on. Junko answers that dropping the honorifics would be the best (i.e. to call her casually and drop the -san suffix, simply callign her Junko! YAY!) and looks at him in expectation to call her like that. Well, you can’t deny he tried! But he always manages to get only the first syllable out, since it’s for him such a novel feeling and he is so unaccustomed calling her like that. Junko stops him, saying he looks like From the North Country (a popular jdrama from the 1980s which takes place in Hokkaido), but of course, he doesn’t get the reference (obviously, he is not much of a jdrama addict) and tells her that that would mean Norway or Canada. LOL! In that moment Dad hilariously starts to hum the OST from the drama (at least I think it is the OST), clearly forgetting that the main objective for them to live together was supposed to be that they would be ALONE, UNDISTURBBED AND UNINTERRRUPTED! So instead of changing the mood, it’s completely ruined and Junko says she’s going to sleep, though Takane protests they should make this first night memorable but she says “good night”. Our poor, dejected monk puppy! However, he still hasn’t given up completely:

“Junko-san, what about a goodnight kiss?”

Epic fail, again! Fortunately, Junko is again curious and turns over and freaks out when she sees him watching her with his eyes wide open, remembering that he sleeps like that, but he tells her he is not since he can’t sleep. Junko tells him he should sleep since it’s a training (as in bridegroom training as opposed to her bridal training) which placates him. However:

“Then, at least hold my hand.”

And for a moment it looks like another epic failure is imminent but Junko shocks him when she INTERTWINES HER FINGERS WITH HIS out of nowhere! MY FEELS! HIS TRIUMPHANT SMILE! I can’t! The way he can’t take his eyes off their joined hands! THIS IS NO LONGER A SLEEPOVER BUT REAL LIVING AND SLEEPING TOGETHER!

[briseis]

THE MONK IN THE PINK APRON WHO LIVES WITH ME

How Yamashita Tomohisa manages to wear that pink, frilly apron and still look so manly and yet utterly adorable like a mother hen is a mystery to me! I love them playing on marriage so freaking much! Junko oversleeps, unlike her new boyfriend who is a known lark. Takane is currently saying a silent morning prayer, probably thanking the heaven for the best night of his life (so far), and with a zen-like calm announces to her that she looked so utterly beautiful while sleeping that he simply had to stop the alarm (so she wouldn’t need to wake up)! LOL! Suffice to say she doesn’t thank him, calling him and idiot! Fortunately, he’s made a GIGANTIC LUNCHBOX but it’s not completely for free - he asks for a thank-you kiss (by the way, what about a morning kiss? Did you forget about that one?!)!!! GOSH, I CAN’T - THOSE PUPPY EYES AND PUCKERED LIPS! Instead, Junko has a present for him - a spare key! He is super excited since it’s the first time he got one:

“Now, we can celebrate a spare key anniversary, right?!

DOUBLE LOL! And Junko happily agrees because he is so transparent and she was totally expecting it! She is about to leave, after failing with the thank-you kiss and goodnight kiss, Takane tries it with the goodbye kiss! OMFG! THOSE PUCKERED LIPS OF HIS AGAIN! There is only so many times a woman can resist them and those hopeful eyes, so she tells him to kneel and HE DOES AND FINALY GETS HIS FIRST KISS - ALBEIT A FOREHEAD KISS! It’s like the day after his birthday was even better than his birthday itself - seriously, what better present could there possibly be for Takane than to begin dating and living with the woman of his dreams?! They are both so blissfully happy and you can notice when Junko is standing outside that Takane attached his name card to the Sakuraba one, making his living with Junko official! WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WHEN THIS SHOW ENDS! The way I see it I will probably convert to Buddhism and pray there will be a Special!

[briseis]

THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Awwww, Takane’s delighted and proud smile when he finally gets a praise from Junko during their English lesson, only to be still reminded of his flaws.

”Miss Junko and I have decided to go out…and we’re living together..there is a new llife inside her, the fruit of our love, our baby.”

HA! The ultimate weapons against all love rivals - the spare key! It looks particularly menacing when he is twirling it with that plush COUPLE key chain with their initials attached to it, probably in case people didn’t get with whom he’s sleeping at night! And the fake pregnancy! I’m beginning to suspect Takane’s favourite fiction henre is historical romance! I know that kisses are not neccesary for conception but I also know that leaving a love hotel after only 3 minutes won’t help it either!

While some male leads go for couple rings and others for couple shoes, Takane takes it to a completely new level - COUPLE ALL-INCLUSIVE! He’s pretty much become a world recordman at owning the most couple merchandise ever! Slippers, pillows, toothbrushes, mugs, aprons, even the entire room is decorated in the J&T couple style!

While Junko tries to come to terms with Takane’s interior design style, her boyfriend is in the bathroom - STARK NAKED (our favourite weekly dose of Yamapi’s choco abs! YAY!) - because who needs a private waterfall when you can have a bathtub and the original Takane onsen water! He is excited to scrub his back - a male bonding activity in East Asia - since it’s something he always wanted to do but never could since he lost his father so young.

YT is going completely out with this role and from his other roles Takane actually reminds me of Akira the most, because if you take away Takane’s reservedness and see the man under the monk facade, you will realize that he is actually quite an oddball and very sensitive, perceptive and loving - traits that were so typical for Akira.

 

[briseis]

TROUBLE IN THE COHABITATION PARADISE

It’s the age-old battle of sexes at the Sakuraba household because let’s face it, now that we know Takane’s real self he is the perfect son-in-law for them, because with his kind of odd he fits so perfectly to their family. And if Junko and Takane marry one day perhaps it would be fitting for him to take the Sakuraba name, even if only for the sole reason that his grandma would have an aneurysm if she learned about it. Also, Takane’s finds out for the first time the other side of having a mother-in-law.

It all begins so innocently - Takane gets out of the bath, hilariously WEARING ANOTHER OF JUNKO’S HAIRPINS (obviously, putting it on himself this time around! LOL!), only to get subjected to a cross examination about the lipstick mark on his wagesa which he readily identifies as belonging to Kaori (Junko asks when did he meet her and he says during the time when he went to the temple to get his personal belongings), which pretty much equals as if he just pleaded guilty of adultery! Junko asks him how the lipstick got on his clothes which he seriously contemplates to answer truthfully! That naive fool, he doesn’t understand jealous women at all, does he? Unknowingly he even gets Dad into a bind because the whole situtation reminds Keiko of the time when years ago she also found a lipstick mark but since she believed he went to a gay bar she didn’t make a fuss about it until she realized it was a lie. Takane only makes matters worse when he tells Keiko she shouldn’t take it so seriously since it was only force majeure which sounds to Junko like the typical excuse and it makes her even more angry. Mom tells Dad she is going to divorce, but from Takane’s terrified face it looks as if he got the worse punishment because Junko tells him she is cancelling the cohabitation! Hilarious! Takane gets hit by his own wagesa! While dad gets beaten by a broom and they are both kicked out of the house on the cold staircase, banging on the doors and begging their women to let them in! LOL! It looks like women have won this battle yet again! The best thing about it is that it doesn’t even take a minute before Junko lets Takane in! THE SHORTEST JEALOUS LOVER’S SPAT EVER - lucky for us because otherwise this would have ended up being THE SHORTEST COHABITATION IN THE HISTORY OF COHABITATION!

I love this scene so much because it show a great parallel between both couple - the young lovers and the old married couple. There is the loud bickering but also the quick reconcilliation, both couples are very open and public about showing their affection for each other. Also, both couples consist of opposites, don’t they? It’s the women who have the dominant role and who are loud, fiery and extroverts while both men are the silent, calm and loving introverts.

 

[briseis]

THE LOVE NEST

Takane’s trying to explain to Junko, who is still unwilling to forgive him, that everything’s been a huge misunderstanding, but it seems she is far more concerned about his recent interior design activities and asks what is this supposed to mean, all these couple goods. Naturally, so everyone would immediatelly realize they've become a couple! It even turns out he’s even consulted a book (why doesn’t that suprise me?!) - an outdated shoujo manga that was published 30 years ago! LOL! He proudly presents her his arsenal, it involves new arrivals to her wardrobe as well - a one-of-kind couple sweatshirt bearing theri couple picture on both sides However, it seems like it isn’t Junko’s style considering she tells him she would rather die than to wear it! Still, Takane remains undeterred (I suspect that after everything he’s gone through during these past 2 months he’s developed an immunity against her refusals) and shows his next option - couple mufflers with their initials attatched to them, but Junko thinks it’s on the level of junior high schoolers.

“The reason why I do everything is you. Because I want to see you smile, so please, forgive me.”

MY FEELS! THEY ARE SO PRECIOUS AND Takane gives the best backhugs! The way he encompasses her so completely and desperately - his backhugs are so raw and full of need and want because for him his feelings about Junko have always been about a need that has transcended beyond the physical - he simply NEEDS HER TO FEEL ALIVE and if he would lose her now when he’s finally tasted what it feels like to be loved by her in return, it would break him, making him into a living shell of a man. The reason why his backhugs are always so emotional for me is because the first time he did it after the exam results misunderstanding was so heartbreaking. And here he is now, in a similar situation facing another misunderstanding about a woman he merely notices because all he sees is Junko and you can see how desperate he is not to do the same mistake again, not to relive the same heartbreak, not to hurt her again. Because during that time he was unable to explain himself, unable to clear the misunderstanding, unable to properly articulate his thoughts. Just like most of quarrels, it was a problem of miscommunication and it’s so heartbreaking how desperately he is trying to explain himself properly this time, from the way he begs her with so much urgency to understand him. He is begging for forgiveness despite the fact he didn’t do anything wrong. I love how obvious it is that deep down Junko has known it the whole time, showing how much she already trusts him from the way how easily she forgives him.

OMFG! THAT BICKERING ROMP-TUG-FIGHT! I pretty much died and went to shippers heaven! THEY ARE BOTH SO FREAKING HAPPY and it isn’t only Junko laughing, but also Takane - you can see those flashes of him smiling and I think it’s these little stolen moment of the most mundane things a couple can do when they are at their happiest. Finally, he turns her around and promises to let her go if she tells him she loves him. Junko again shyly tells him she already did that, but Takane insists he wants to hear that again no matter what and then he begins to shake her, trying to make her says those words he longs to hear so much. I find it so perfect how he always practices saying her name without the honorifics, but actually without him even realizing it he has already, unconsciously, begun to call her “Junko”.

THAT EPIC MOMENT WHEN HE LOVING CUPS HER CHEEK WITH HIS HAND AND SHE INSTINCTIVELY CUPS HIS IN RETURN, AGAIN MIMICKING HIS GESTURE, WHILE HE IS HOLDING HER IN HIS ARMS SO LOVINGLY THE WHOLE TIME! AND THEN!!! I know we’ve never seen them kiss, YET, but it’s so rare to see a chemistry of the like these two share - when they are so close to each other it’s as if they lived in their own little world where no one else could enter, as if in that moment no words were needed because they can understand each other without them, as if nothing could ever separate them,..

[briseis]

THE ALMOST KISS COUPLE

If I should summarize episode 8 in just one sentence it would be this one:”Everybody kisses…except the OTP, of course.” There is a small but lovely 5-9 thread on Soompi, a platform that is mostly used for kdramas, and few weeks ago someone asked whether this OTP already had its nickname. I know it isn’t exatcly original, but when I think about these two THE ALMOST KISS COUPLE  just sounds so apt, even though ironical because no other couple in the history of shipping has ever tried more often or harder!

I don’t know if Junko’s dad is so hapless or desperately trying to protect his daughter, though I highly doubt it’s the second option, since he was more than happy to move Takane into her room. Either way, he’s been their biggest cockblocker so far. LOL! Takane wants to resume where they stopped the moment he leaves but Junko says it’s impossible since it’s her parent’s house and Takane resignedly agrees. THAT’S WHY THE WHOLE FANDOM KEEPS TELLING BEGGING YOU TO RETURN TO THAT LOVE HOTEL AND FINISH WHT YOU STARTED, FOR CHRIST’S SAKE! On a side note, it’s awesome how with the heart-forming blankets they look as if they were sleeping in the same bed.

The next morning Takane finds himself in the middle of a family crisis - his future mother-in-law has run away from home, leaving a message that she needs a time off from the marriage - or at least he thinks so. It turns out this is an recurring event in the Sakuraba family and she went to her father in Saitama. Still Takane is clearly unused to such bahaviour and wonders whether they shouldn’t call the police (to find her - I suspect he would have done that if Junko ever tried to run away from him), Junko assures him it’s normal occurance between her parents.  Far more important is the fact, that the last night meant another progress for our OTP, as Junko is now finally wearing her half of their couple merchandise, and so is Takane - it’s HANTEN ( a traditional Japanese winter jacket) but instead of the typical family crest it bears their initials!

Awww, Takane practicing Junko’s name again and doing the laundry in his handmade couple apron - I guess the previous one didn’t have enough frills for his taste and lacked the neccessary couple photo and the proclamation of his eternal love for Junko, and in English so even foreigners could understand it! THE JERSEY FETISH! THE PERFECTION OF THIS SHOW KNOWS NO BOUNDS!

[Ahpheng]

 

[bliss1004]

I just finished watching ep.8 with eng sub and its so funny and so sweet..Takane is so adorable and funny...and finally Junko confessed her feeling towards Takane!!! And Takane said he wont break up with her..but then Amane turn up at Junko house and asking for their opinion about his intention to demolish the temple...i'm not sure what will happen in ep.9..i cannot guess it from the ep preview coz it totally gonna be different from what i think..

I made this ep.8 otp fmv a few days ago and hope you gonna enjoy it!

[FMV] 5-ji Kara 9-ji Made - OTP Scenes Ep8: