Runway de Waratte – 07

Bitter Reality: Talent vs Hard Work

Chiyuki finally received a bitter dose of reality. And when it rains, it pours. Seeing her go from absolutely eager to being horrifically torn down hit like a truck. She tried her absolute best but it was no use – and the photo shoot coordinator even had her removed for sticking out too much. For a girl who’s always banging on about becoming a hyper model, she took a severe humbling by becoming cognizant of the extreme gulf between a try-hard with an inherent height issue and a taller model who possessed the complete package – aura included. That’s like a midget proclaiming that they will become an elite basketball player – which isn’t to say it’s impossible – but you’d literally have to be one in hundreds of millions. And I suppose Chiyuki’s trying to prove that point.

Much to her frustration, Kokoro isn’t even interested in becoming a model. Of course that total disdain is going to grate a person who’s struggling despite the fact they’re trying their darndest. So I don’t blame Chiyuki for breaking down in tears and having a go at Kokoro. However, that’s not to say Kokoro’s perspective is unjustified – or even that her manager’s opinions aren’t valid. Chasing your dreams is fair game, and I definitely think that becoming a fashion designer with Kokoro’s fashion sensibilities and work ethos is more than possible. That said, Igarashi has a point. Kokoro possesses ridiculous talent and it seems counter-intuitive to throw away her world-class opportunities as a model and take a gamble on breaking into the fashion industry as a novice designer.

If my friend wanted to become a footballer, artist, etc, I would definitely support them as any good friend would do. But I would also ask them to consider back-up plans should their attempts fail, or outright suggest alternatives better suited to their strengths if I think there’s no feasible way to progress down a certain path. Like if they were smart enough to become the next Einstein, it would be a disservice to humanity as a whole to not even try and push him towards that possibility. Not that I’m in a position to talk – I’ve ditched the lucrative legal path for now (in spite of my analytical and writing skills) to branch into a more volatile tech industry. But I guess I’m trying to make the point that no one is necessarily evil or wrong. Just that everyone has their own life experiences that serves to justify and colour their individual perspectives.

Kokoro’s Dilemma

Also, the moment when Yanagida flipped out at Kokoro happened earlier in the manga, so I assumed it had been cut out. Fortunately, the production team realised this was one of the best moments and merely shifted around the timing – with the event unfolding this episode. What to pick apart here? Their decision to shift it to this location in the story might have made it even better. Compared to this incident occurring shortly after her introduction, Kokoro was already at an emotional low going into Yanagida’s place, unsure about her future. Then she gets completely shouted down for messing up, and pretty much reaches a breaking point. However, despite coming across as soft at times, this is the moment Ikuto chooses to be rock solid firm. He grabs Kokoro’s hands, marches her back to Yanagida and proceeds to have a shouting match with his scary boss to give Kokoro another chance – forcing the stubborn man to eventually concede. Ikuto really is the goodest kind boy that I know, and for not giving up on fashion design, Kokoro’s efforts are rewarded when she qualifies past the second round of the contest. Her smile must be protected at all costs!

Anyway, that’s about everything I wanted to discuss. Nevertheless, Toh raises a good point. Can Ikuto give his all if he’s feeling sentimentality towards Kokoro? Not to mention his mother’s condition took a turn for the worse – with the distinct possibility that she might even die, prompting the need for emergency surgery. There’s no way this won’t affect Ikuto, and it remains to be seen how much it negatively impacts him or inspires him to no end. As always, thanks for reading this post and see you next week to see how these worrying turn of events truly play out.

Post-Credit Scene