Boys Over Flowers Season 2: Episode 7

When Ota reaches home, she recalls her kiss with Tenma and his request to shift to Momonozono. He assures her to talk to his step-mother about the stipulation of Ota going to Eitoku to be able to marry Tenma. Ota is happy seeing Tenma happy but she also feels slightly uneasy knowing that things are finally over between Haruto and her.

Frustrated, Haruto smashes all the good luck charms adorning multiple shelves. He spots the lucky pig he had given Ota and raises his hand to smash it but is unable to do so. Seeing Haruto upset, Kobayashi tricks him into solving a jigsaw puzzle with him. Innocent Haruto helps him solve the puzzle until he realises that the puzzle is actually Megumi’s face.

He berates Kobayashi for tricking him into it and just then Megumi enters saying that she is not just any girl but a temporary girlfriend for him. Annoyed, Haruto reprimands her for playing a cheap trick like sending her jigsaw puzzle to him and she justifies that she sent the puzzle only to remind him that she is by his side. He then asks her to leave which she does with a heavy heart and a smile on her face. 

There is a spurt in transfer students as pupils are eager to join Eitoku after Megumi’s enrolment. C5 is happy about the development and in order to maintain their importance in the school, they announce their decision to resume peasant hunting. Ota is surprised to hear Haruto announce that the school does not need any more peasants. Their eyes meet for a second but Haruto looks through Ota before turning away.

Airi tells Ota that Haruto has been acting strange and has even supported Kaito’s suggestion to resume peasant hunting. Ota tells her that she could be the reason behind it as she rejected Haruto’s proposal and he has gone back to what he used to be before they knew each other.

Airi confronts Haruto over this and chides him for recommencing the peasant hunt just to get away from his heartbreak but he replies that he is doing this just to protect the school’s honour. She refuses to participate in the peasant hunting activities but Haruto looks unperturbed by her decision.

In Ota’s class, her friend Asami sighs that Ota is lucky to have her boyfriend Tenma protect her from the dreaded peasant hunting. Just then, Haruto arrives and to Ota’s dismay and shock, hands the rustication letter to Asami whose family recently went bankrupt. She pleads to be spared but the cold Haruto is back and he refuses to budge.

Devastated Asami runs out of the classroom while the rest of the student cheer Haruto. He then looks at Ota who stares at him in disbelief and we see a flicker of guilt in Haruto’s eyes before he turns away from her. She feels responsible for turning Haruto back into a heartless peasant hunter and she runs after him but ends up meeting Issa and Sugimaru on the stairs as they were expecting her to run after Haruto.

They tell her that C5’s decision to resume peasant hunting is not her fault and there is a reason why they started peasant hunting in the first place. They then narrate Morigucihi’s story who was a big bully and originally occupied the C5 lounge. He along with his minions used to bully kids and was a big nuisance. C5 and the rest of the students had had enough of him. Haruto was determined to bring back Eitoku’s lost glory and wanted to have Moriguichi leave at any cost. He then found out that Moriguichi had not paid his fees since last year and is not even the son of the owner of Pixar company. Haruto stands up against him using this data and tells him that they are C5 i.e. the righteous 5 and has him leave the school. Students cheer for them and encourage them to conduct more such peasant hunts to rid their school of such students.

Haruto and the rest of C5 don their black blazers and embark on their new mission. Ota asks why they narrated the story to her and Issa tells her that she need not feel responsible for anything and be rest assured that whatever they are doing is for the good of the school.

Kaito updates Haruto the rise in the donation at their school after their peasant hunting but Haruto is not interested in it as he still feels uneasy. Just then, his father arrives and takes him for a fitting session. He tells him about carrying on the legacy of his family and Haruto is excited that his father believes that he can carry on the family business. He asks his father if whatever has been happening at Eitoku has caused this change in him and his father just nods his head.

Tenma and his step-mother Rie have dinner with Ota to celebrate her decision to transfer to Momonozono. Tenma leaves the table to retrieve some pamphlets for Ota when Rie coldly grips Ota’s hand and tells her that she opposes her engagement to Tenma because of which she put the stipulation of her staying in Eitoku till she turned 18 because she knew Ota would not be able to attend that school till then. Ota is surprised to hear Rie and tells her that she wants to join Momonozono because she wants to be by Tenma’s side. Rie’s demeanour suddenly changes and smilingly tells her how happy she is with Ota’s decision. We then see that Tenma has returned with the pamphlet which is why Rie suddenly changed from cold to a warm mother.

Ota visits Tenma’s school where he introduces her to his inner circle which includes the girl who started crying after learning about Ota’s engagement to Tenma. The girl then apologises to Ota for interrupting her date with Tenma and Ota tells her that she did not disturb them at all. Tenma’s closest associate Konoe welcomes Ota saying that Eitoku was no good for her. He starts to say that in their mission to take down Eitoku but is interjected by Tenma who tells him to keep Ota away from their school’s problems.

Tenma is then called to the chairman’s room so Konoe shows Ota around. He tells her how much he admires Tenma because he saved his life. He says he was a weak child and was always bullied in school. Tired of his life one day he tried to commit suicide but Tenma saved him from doing so.

Tenma then helped him and had him included in the student council which boosted his confidence. He says he will always be indebted to Tenma and will always protect Momonozono and will never lose to Haruto. He then turns to her and tells her to never cause any pain to Tenma and she assures him of not doing so. (Jeez! Now I know why these guys appear so possessive of Tenma.)

Haruto is excited about his lunch with his father when he sees Megumi arrive with her father.

He wonders what is happening when Megumi’s father tells him that they are all there to fix his marriage to Megumi. Megumi looks surprised as she too clearly was not aware of the arrangement. Her father tells her that he is aware of how she has been learning to cook to impress Haruto so he went ahead and fixed her marriage to Haruto. Megumi looks as disappointed as Haruto.

Haruto feels dejected that his father did all this just to fix his marriage to Megumi and not because he sees some potential in him.

Haruto’s father then sniggers that he is a 5 pointer and is of no good which is why he had to make this arrangement that he should be grateful about.

Enraged, Megumi rises from her chair and screams that Haruto is a good hearted person that his father will never know. She says that if they have to be together, she will do so by winning Haruto’s heart on her own and that she does not want herself or Haruto to be a part of their fathers business plans. She grabs Haruto’s hands and leaves with him.

Haruto dryly tells Megumi that what she did inside was really cool and apologises about his behaviour the last time they met. Bogged down, he sighs about being uncool and she tries to cheer him up saying that she finds him really cool. Unconvinced, he trudges away from her walking aimlessly on the street.

Megumi comes running to Ota’s workplace and asks her if she has heard from Haruto who is missing and has not returned home after his father said some nasty thing to him at their lunch. She leaves her number with her in case she happens to meet him. Ota wonders where he could be and correctly finds him outside Domyuji’s house. She tells him about Megumi looking for him. She then asks him if his father said anything to him and he asks her to mind her own business and she agrees that she now has nothing to do with his matters.

She then tells him that she will be quitting Eitoku tomorrow and will be transferring to Momonozono. As she starts to leave, a butler from Domyuji’s house invites them in saying that Domyuji’s caretaker Tama is waiting for them.

Ota apologises to the old lady for what happened last time and she says she does not mind it as she is happy to see them doing well together. Haruto asks the butler if Domyuji was great right from his childhood and he answers that he excelled in judo, karate and aikido. Tama adds that Domyuji hated losing to which Haruto gloomily sighs that Domyuji was is so different from him.

He says the fear of failure got to him and he threw up on stage during a violin competition which disappointed his father who then started looking down upon him.

He says that when he grew tired of trying to impress his father, Domyuji saved him but he can never be like Domyuji and can never save Eitoku.

Tama then sheepishly reveals that Domyuji was not as perfect as Haruto thinks he was. The butler then tells them about Domyuji bullying students with the red card out of boredom. Haruto is stunned to learn about it and Tama says it wasn’t something one could be proud of. She tells him that Domyuji changed after he met a girl who changed him completely and he started to treat everyone with respect. Ota expresses her admiration for the girl and Tama corrects her that the girl was just an ordinary young girl. The butler tells Haruto that though Domyuji was not perfect he always strived for perfection. Tama adds that if Haruto makes mistakes its ok as he just has to start over again. Exasperated, Haruto screams that he cannot afford to start over again as neither the school nor his father will wait for him.

As Haruto and Ota leave Tama invites him to visit when Domyuji is at home and he mumbles that he has no confidence to stand before him. Before they part ways, Ota tells Haruto that he has been suffering striving for perfection instead he must do things his way as that is his good point. She then bids him goodbye and leaves. As they both leave we see Tenma’s friend reveal himself from behind the pillar and look suspiciously at Ota and Haruto.

Ota’s mother hands her Momonozono’s uniform that Konoe left for her. Ota then informs her that she will be joining Momonozono from tomorrow. Her mother is worried about the engagement and she assures her that Rie has agreed to it. Her mother then looks worried and says that Ota had recently settled in school with new friends and Ota cheers her up saying that she will be with Tenma now. But he mother does not look very happy with her decision.

Megumi receives a text from Haruto apologising for what happened. Excited, Megumi replies that she will forgive him if he has lunch with her the next day.

Next day at school, Ota is on her way to hand in her withdrawal form when she sees Asami beg Haruto to spare her as she loves the school. Haruto is unable to meet Asami’s eyes when he tells her that he cannot make any exceptions in peasant hunting.

Two boys drag Asami who pushes them away in anger. Furious, one of the boys raises a vase to hit Asami. Ota runs to shield her and shuts her eyes tightly when she hears the glass shatter. She turns to see that Haurto has taken the hit.

The boy gasps in horror when he realises that he has hit Haruto. Haruto instead screams that he is quitting this peasant hunting business. Kaito protests his decision but Haruto yells back that even if he wishes to follow Domyuji’s footsteps and wants to protect Eitoku, he finds no dignity is expelling weak students. He screams that he is not perfect like Tenma and is unskilled but he will not continue doing this.

He says he wants to protect the school’s pride in his own way and then bows in front of the students asking them to support him. He then hears someone clap for him and when he straightens up he is surprised to see Ota clap as she looks at him in awe. Ota feels awkward when she realises that she has become the centre of everyone’s attention so Airi joins in and applauds Haruto’s decision.

Seeing Airi clap, all student join in and applaud Haruto and chant his name. Ota looks proud of Haruto and she leaves the school heading resolutely to Momonozono where she tells Tenma that she has changed her mind and shall not be leaving Eitoku.

 

 

Comments

Oh Haruto!! Boy, you made a place for yourself in my heart. I am so happy to see how Haruto’s character has been developing over episodes. I am so glad to know that Haruto was not aware of Domyuji’s bullying business and admired him without having any idea about it. I personally dislike Tsukasa Domyuji or even the more popular Gu Jun Pyo because they were bullies and there can never be anything likeable about bullies. I used to wonder why Haruto wants to emulate a bully like Domyuji but now things are clear. Haruto always saw Domyuji in a different light than the others which is why he looks up to him. I feel for Haruto who fears failure. I totally relate to him and even his superstitions. Fear of failure can make you do really weird stuff and shake your belief system and Haruto is a clear example of that. It was quite a relief to see hear Domyuji’s butler reveal his past and make Haruto aware of the flaws in his idol. And I am super happy to see Haruto want to make a path of his own. It is really refreshing to see such a flawed hero and witness the positive growth in him in the show. Going from bad to good is something we see in a lot of dramas but going from good to very good is rare and I love Haruto’s character for that. Despite his sick ‘peasant hunting’ business he still seemed like a decent guy with a good heart and now he is trying to be the good person that he really is and I cannot wait to see him become the best version of himself. I appreciate him admitting his mistakes and flaws before the entire school without caring about the consequence. It was reckless but it still takes guts to do so and this is what makes Haruto such a good main lead.

This episode was completely dedicated to Haruto’s gradual transformation and I want to thank the writer for shaping his character so beautifully.

Coming to Ota, I appreciate the fact that she is putting all her efforts to reciprocate Tenma’s feelings for her. Despite being so attracted to Haruto she still tries her best to stick to Tenma and not hurt him. Too bad (or good?) that destiny keeps bringing her back to Haruto but the girl refrains from doing anything that can hurt Tenma. Even when Haruto looks bogged down by his fathers’ comments she tries her best to not be over-friendly with him but still is concerned about him so says a few encouraging words to help lift his spirits and then vanishes before he can say anything. You see, she is so true to Tenma that no matter what she feels for Haruto she will never deceive her boyfriend cum fiancée. I love Ota for her loyalty and true friendship.

Tenma’s friend Konoe looks too creepy to me and after seeing the way Tenma cautiously stopped him from bad-mouthing Eitoku, it makes me suspicious of Tenma too. I still feel maybe he may not be as perfect as he seems. I dunno. I may be feeling this so I can see Ota with Haruto without any guilt of seeing Tenma with a broken heart. Could be the case. Now, I am dying to know what happens in the next episode. 🙂 

 

Image Courtesy: Tokyo Broadcasting System

 

Boys Over Flowers Season 2: Episode 8

Boys Over Flowers Season 2: Episode 6

 

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