Asian Addicts Anonymous

Um…not much happened in this episode in the grand scheme of things. Basically it’s Rei using this opportunity to escape the Shibusawa household and move on with her life and Hitoshi and Kazu’s unhappiness as they try to track her down.

So Rei and Hitoshi have one happy and wonderful night together. The next day she steals his guest slippers leaving him and her sole shoe behind as a memento—proof she was there. Hitoshi wakes up and finds her gone, but misses her as she gets into a taxi just as he runs to the bridge she was on. He keeps on running like a madman in the direction of the Shibusawa home.

Rei gets home and finds her shoe’s mate sitting by the door and an unhappy husband. Where has she been? She then confesses she’s a bad woman—unfaithful with her body and her emotions. Kazu wonders who it was, but Rei won’t say. She takes her parents’ memorial tablet, packs her bags, and leaves. She will miss having a family, miss the connections she made in that town in the past year. But this is for the best.

Kenji wonders what happened, but his father won’t say too much on the subject. Kenji does have his suspicions since the day Rei left, Hitoshi showed up drenched in sweat looking for her. As he assumes his stepmother’s duties, Kenji confronts his brother and his angered to learn that Hitoshi hurt their father. He also vows to never forget the cause of their family’s shattering—Rei. Hitoshi then says that this mainly happened because their father changed after he got married. His true cruelness was brought to the forefront. Kenji doesn’t mind this as he liked seeing his father’s true self. Riiight. Kazu acting like he did is NOT a good thing at all.

While Kenji tries his best to get Kazu to forget Rei, both Kazu and Hitoshi investigate the woman’s whereabouts. Of course, work must not be neglected. Kazu starts to do his own dirty work to take down Muraki by meeting with the chief prosecutor. This has Hitoshi’s journalism friend tell him that it’s time to step up his game and play dirty to stop Kazu’s scheming. Will Hitoshi really resort to underhanded methods to destroy his own father?

To add fuel to the fire, Nanami is essentially writing out the story of the Shibusawa family and Rei. Even the workers at the ministry can’t help but draw the parallels between the family in the story and the Shibusawa’s as well. Kenji confronts Nanami about this and she assures him it’s not revenge or anything that is making her do this. She then goes out drinking with the younger Shibusawa man and the two end up sharing a kiss. Now does Kenji like Nanami? Is Nanami just using him as a substitute for Hitoshi? Time will tell.

Rei is essentially oblivious to all of this. She is happily working in deliveries and as much as she misses Hitoshi, she is content to be back in a place she feels she can belong. She even has Kazu served with divorce papers—which he refuses to sign. He even researches methods for refusing divorce summons.

Using a PI agency, Kazu manages to track down Rei first and he does passionately cry and beg for her to come back, promising he’ll change. He won’t try to control her, he’ll let her work her current job, etc. After all, they are the only ones who can understand each other’s pain. I’m supposed to feel sorry for him and how he changed after his wife’s death, but I really can’t muster up the sympathy. And if we go by statistics, it’s very unlikely that Kazu could change his ways without some help and counseling which we all know he wouldn’t partake in as it’d ruin his image and chances at landing that promotion at the ministry.

As Rei sincerely considers everything Kazu has laid out before her, a knock comes at her apartment door. This time it is Hitoshi. He has finally found her as well and Kazu cannot be more unhappy to learn that Rei really did cheat on him with his eldest son. What will happen next?