*Minami-Kun No Koibito* – A Proposal After 18 Years

My Little Lover is finally back and the team on viki were amazingly fast with the subs!! I could not live without these amazing people!

I’ve finally finished this episode recap! It feels like an eternity since I posted episode 6 recap! The same warm fuzzy feeling emerged seconds into watching this and I hope you enjoy this recap (I never know if they are enjoyable for others to read or too long winded…).

We open with a meeting of sorts. Grandma is happily sewing a dress for the One-Inch Princess she met yesterday, while Emi-Chan, Shunichi and guest Ricchan (Chiyomi’s mother) are sat at the table discussing her. Ricchan tells them that she’ll come by and check on grandma while she is home alone. Ricchan then leaves and Chiyomi, who has been listening on the stairs, says sorry in voiceover (for the worry she is causing Ricchan).

The next morning, Shunichi is getting ready for school and is worried about Chiyomi’s decision to stay at home. He explains that grandma will probably try to find her. Chiyomi replies that she is worried about grandma and will message him if anything happens. Shunichi is not happy, but agrees, as he arrives at school without her.

In the classroom, Nomura’s “fans” are pining over her absence (which isn’t the first apparently and they are weird… they miss her smell?… that’s stalker stuff right there). Meanwhile, Shunichi starts to eavesdrop on a conversation between Riku and Ami. The former says he recieved an email from Chiyomi which was about the workshop. Riku is happy that she is having a good time, but is shocked to learn from Ami that she isn’t actually at the workshop.

After class, Riku goes to the library, where he and Ono-Sensei are looking for the same book – ‘Legend Of One Inch Princess’. Outside on a balcony, they talk about Chiyomi and her online writing. Ono-Sensei wonders why she chose to start another story and they both come to the conclusion that it shows where Chiyomi’s heart is right now (that she has had a ‘change of mind’). Riku wonders who the ‘big guy’ is from the story. When he sees Shunichi rushing out of the school building below, he wonders if his classmate has read the story as well and if that’s what inspired him to make a Chiyomi “doll” as well (the doll still kind of weirds me out a little… not going to lie!).

At home, Chiyomi is doing some writing on Shunichi’s tablet, but has to rush to hide when grandma comes in looking for her. The tablet dings (as Shunichi has sent her a message telling her that her friends know she isn’t at the workshop) and it gets grandma’s attention. However, before she goes to take a peek she spots Chiyomi under the table.

We then see Chiyomi in the beautiful little Kimono grandma was working on at the start of the episode. This cute little scene is interrupted by Ricchan who has come to check on grandma, but also to talk about her worries concerning her husband.

Ricchan doesn’t think her husband loves her, just that she was the second best. We hear that he didn’t even propose to her and Chiyomi realises that they really did have a shotgun wedding. Grandma calls him ‘baka Joji’ (Joji is his name, baka = idiot) as she remembers his mischievous days and recalls when he wanted to be a heavy metal singer and go to Tokyo (which shocks Chiyomi and her imagination shocked me haha). Grandma is happy that Joji settled down and became responsible when he married Ricchan and puts it down to him loving her.

Ricchan is a bit hesitant to admit that she loves Joji, but grandma knows the truth.

We then see Shunichi running home, worried about why Chiyomi isn’t answering his messages. He comes into the house and Chiyomi hides behind her sleeve under the table!

Meanwhile, in the cafe, Joji gives one of his female friends a bunch of flowers for helping out and goes to explain what they mean, but is cut off because she won’t remember (Ha!).

After not finding Chiyomi in his room, Shunichi rushes to the cafe, wondering if she went there again. He is shocked to see Riku and Ami sat at the counter (they entered a little while after the flower giving scene). Joji asks if he wants cake (I love how it seems that he gets cake all the time! :3 so cute!) and is surprised when Shunichi asks for a drink.

Joji starts talking at Shunichi about how he is hardworking, while Shunichi is peering around trying to find Chiyomi. His attention is caught when Riku says that Chiyomi is hardworking as well, just not in the same things as Shunichi. Riku says that he respects that aspect of Chiyomi. Joji goes to Riku and thanks him for worrying about his daughter.

Shunichi then has a thought: that Chiyomi may have been found by grandma again. He downs his ice coffee and rushes back home. His suspicion is confirmed when he watches grandma talking to Chiyomi from the kitchen.

Outside, Riku and Ami leave the cafe and start talking about how Chiyomi isn’t at the workshop and wonder if not managing to tell anyone was a good thing. Chiyomi must have her reasons for doing what she is doing. However, Ricchan comes up from tending a few flowers (having left just as Shunichi went home) and demands to know what they mean!

Meanwhile, inside the cafe, Joji is talking to his friends about how he was always jealous of Noboru being his neighbour because of his talents and the fact that he married Emi-Chan. Joji says that men are romantics and that they want to remember the past.

The scene becomes awkward when they notice Ricchan at the door. At the counter she puts on an apron while she complains that he should be thinking about Chiyomi instead of going on about Emi-Chan. Joji tells her that they will talk later, but Ricchan is not satisfied as she knows he has plans to go out. She then drops the bomb that Chiyomi is not at the workshop, but is angered further when Joji shouts that she should know where she is (why are dads always stupid?! haha ^^”). Due to his outburst, Ricchan can’t take anymore and she storms out of the cafe.

On her way out she passes Asuka, without notice, who is upset by the scene she has overheard.

At Shunichi’s house, Chiyomi is trying on a different styled Kimono and when grandma goes to cut some yokan (a Japanese sweet), Shunichi comes out of his hiding spot on the stairs (I love that he has been poking his head round the wall! :3 haha). He is annoyed that she didn’t listen to him and was found by grandma again. When the doorbell rings and grandma goes to answer it, he holds out his hand for her, saying it’s a good time for him to take her upstairs. Chiyomi doesn’t want to go.

Grandma invites Asuka in to wait, as she is unaware that Shunichi is home. When they come into the main room, Shunichi is still there and Asuka hurries over to him and whispers that she needs to talk.

In his room, he asks what’s wrong and Asuka asks if he knows where Chiyomi really is. She explains about his tablet being open when she was there last and recognising the email as Chiyomi’s.

Meanwhile, Chiyomi heads over to the stairs, concern written all over her face. Grandma notices and says that she can go if she wants and that she can have the yokan later (awww~). We then watch as Chiyomi struggles to climb them, getting back up when she falls.

Asuka is getting more passionate and desperate as she questions him. She takes hold of his wrists and begs him to tell her where Chiyomi is, as there house is a mess without her.

The thing that gets Shunichi talking is Asuka calling Chiyomi horrible. He responds that Chiyomi has her reasons, and that she is suffering now, but trying to figure out how to happily come home. He asks if she can wait a little longer. This causes Asuka to slowly deliberate as she asks if Shunichi and Chiyomi are in a relationship (his face! Ha!).

Shunichi tells Asuka that Chiyomi needs him and that he will protect her (it looks like he is having a sort of epiphany about his feelings and their relationship). This does not make Asuka happy as she tells him that she likes him as well (and Shunichi once again finds himself in an awkward position!). She tells him she believes him about Chiyomi and that he should forget her confession (of sorts) and she rushes out of the room, thankfully not noticing or stepping on Chiyomi as she goes down the stairs.

Being on the last step and having no more energy she calls out to Shunichi who rushes to her side. He looks down at her and says that she looks like a defeated soldier and he isn’t far off. Chiyomi is panting and her hair is a sweaty mess, through heavy breathing and some gesticulating that the clothes are heavy and hot. Chiyomi simply smiles down at her (so cute!).

Both are now changed and sat in Shunichi’s room where they talk about grandma and changing the subject, Chiyomi relates to him that she found out that her father never proposed to her mother.

We then shift to a different restaurant (one owned by one of his friends), where Joji and his friends are sharing drinks and he is expressing how hard he has been working since he married Ricchan. While the wife-owner (as in the owner of the restaurant which is the wife half… ^^”) answers the phone, we hear Joji explain that the reason he doesn’t cheat, but simply sometimes smile because of other women is because he loves her (which I kind of get, I think). 

However, this is interrupted when he hears that it is Chiyomi on the other end of the telephone. The husband-owner tells one of the friends to get Ricchan.

Meanwhile, Joji is yelling at his daughter asking her where she is. Chiyomi tells him that she is wandering and then explains that she is struggling like he was to fulfill his dream. She goes on to explain that she knows that he gave up his dream and worked hard for his family, which makes Joji wonder if the room is wired as that is exactly what he had been saying moments before (Ha!).

Joji returns his ear to the phone to listen to Chiyomi, who profusely expresses that she is grateful for all his hard work to support them, however, she goes on to say that he doesn’t realise that Ricchan is more girlish than he thinks. That Ricchan gets insecure as she doesn’t know his true feelings and most importantly she holds on to the wish that Joji married her out of love and not responsibility.

Chiyomi tells her father that he needs to express his feelings in words, as that is what is important to women (and it shows Shunichi looking at her as though he is thinking, but at the same time appreciative of her nature a.k.a with dreamy eyes). 

When Chiyomi goes to hang up, Joji stops her and explains that he thinks there has been a misunderstanding because he loves Ricchan and that is why he married her. He explains that he loves her even now and has fallen for her. Of course, as he is saying this Ricchan appears and is completely shocked by what she is hearing.

Joji then sets the phone down and grabs the flowers off the counter (which he gave the wife-owner for helping him earlier in the day) and proceeds to express his wishes with the flowers:

After this Ricchan smiles and asks him what wish he has made on/with the flowers and he explains:

“The flower meaning for alstroemaria is ‘hope for the future’ and ‘self-sacrifising love’.”

This makes Ricchan smile even more and she says she looks forward to the rest of their life together, however, she gets embarrassed by the cheers of her friends. This is furthered when she realised that she is not exactly dressed for the occasion (she’s wearing comfy home clothes!). 

Ricchan then recalls why she is here and rushes to the phone, where Chiyomi has been listening to the ‘proposal’. Ricchan thanks her, but is upset when Chiyomi hangs up on her. They wonder what is up with her, but they agree that she is a ‘good kid’ for wanting her parents to be happy.

While they celebrate, Asuka (who came with Ricchan) wonders if it was Shunichi who told Chiyomi about the problems at home.

After having hung up, Chiyomi is crying happy tears and Shunichi looks at her with a smile as if to say ‘well done’.

Back at the restaurant everyone is about to take a photo, when one of the friends (not the parents!) asks where Asuka is. On cue she comes through the door, with Shunichi in tow. They are happy to have the addition and they set up for the photo. Chiyomi who is inside Shunichi’s pocket thinks to herself that she would have liked to be in the photo.

Thinking on the same wavelength, Shunichi whispers to her that she should be in the photo. She is then shocked when he pushes her up out of the pocket a bit, but she recovers and smiles (and even flashes a v-sign) for the camera.

Back in Shunichi’s room, the pair are sat at the desk (he’s studying! He does more studying than I do and I’m a university student! I feel so bad haha ^^”) and Chiyomi talks about how shocked she was at his actions and worries about being seen in the picture. However, Shunichi is all smiles and says that she has nothing to be worried about and if they are caught, he will protect her.

Chiyomi is shocked and goes out onto the balcony to dance. She doesn’t want to misunderstand what Shunichi is saying, but she can’t help but get excited (so cute!).

Meanwhile, Asuka opens the window to let in some fresh air into Chiyomi’s room. While she is looking at the stars, she notices movement outside Shunichi’s window and she is shocked to see a small figure dancing!

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Additional Comments:

This episode was more focused on the surrounding characters rather than our mains and I honestly did not mind! I mean when Shunichi was looking at Chiyomi the way he was in nearly every scene they shared, who cares if this episode was more about Chiyomi’s parents and also everyone finding out Chiyomi wasn’t at the workshop?! haha~

The parent’s storyline was very cute and I thought it was a great segue between building more tension in their family, meaning that Asuka had more reason to confront Shunichi about the email address and also it just made me feel so happy and warm inside when Ottosan proposed!! :3 I’m a sucker for ‘cute’ and ‘happy’ haha ♥

The rivalry between Shunichi and Riku is also threaded through this as well, especially as Riku realises that Chiyomi may be in love with Shunichi, or at least that he knows about her online writing. And then we also had Asuka admitting her love for Shunichi as well, I think he was just really confused and overwhelmed at this point! (I mean the poor thing does seem to be getting confessed to a lot recently!). I honestly thought, when Asuka asked if he and Chiyomi were in a relationship, that she was going to think that Chiyomi was pregnant and that was why she couldn’t come home! ^^”

Oh and about the above scene where he talks about Chiyomi needing him to protect and her, it seemed as though he was realising that she is important and that he wants to protect her.

Also, should I be worried that Nomura was absent from school and this episode? I feel like she could come back at any time and just cause some trouble! Shunichi is so close to admitting that ‘protect’ is what he means by ‘love’, because that loving gaze he’s been doing all episode needs to be vocalised! Chiyomi needs things to be said outright to her or she won’t let herself believe it.

And of course, we have the shock at the end where Asuka saw her sister on the balcony! I wonder what will happen with that next and if she will confront Shunichi straight away. Or even if she recognised it to be her sister. I’m also still concerned with Grandma. Even though Emi-Chan said that she had gotten better, and to be fair to grandma, she is really seeing someone that small, but 1. is her health going to get worse again? As the preview shows her in hospital. and 2. how does she not recognise Chiyomi as Chiyomi?!

Even so, I’m really happy that this little drama is back and I’m looking forward to the next episode! ♥

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Thank you for reading~