RE-MAIN – 09

「俺はずっと俺なんだよ」 (Ore wa Zutto Ore Nanda yo)
“I’ve Always Been Me”

It was a much-needed heartwarmer of an episode, particularly after the sheer heartbreak we endured last week. If the previous episode could be paralleled to Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith then this episode is definitely A New Hope. Rejecting the teary plea of Eitarou and resolving to quit water polo for good, it seemed that nobody could sway Minato in the right direction, and things had taken a turn for the worst. That is, until, a message from the past had surfaced, igniting a new hope:

Minato’s Message for his Future Self

It’s often said that our greatest enemy in life is ourselves, but the reverse is also true. We can change our destinies through our own free will, and flip the script so that we become our greatest inspiration instead. While “angry Minato” has been destroying his own life over the last couple of episodes through his own arrogance and self-aggrandizing behavior, it would seem he has somehow managed to communicate with himself from a better place. Indeed, someone of Minato’s ego level would ultimately listen to nobody but himself, but to see him taking the advice of “happy Minato” in the video message he left for himself is quite a beautiful moment.

Despite his extreme arrogance and cocky attitude, the current Minato cannot deny the impact his “new” self has had on his relationships over the past year. From overhearing his little sister say she liked happy Minato better, to Chinu telling him she is no longer interested in him now that he’s “back to normal,” there’s no doubt that happy Minato had some amazing qualities that attracted kindness and fulfillment into his life after forgetting about his 3-years of glory. Thus, with a heartfelt message to his future self, the happy Minato has given us new hope by re-introducing the team to himself and begging him to work together with them. “Try to work with them. Since you were once the best, they probably seem bad, but they’re serious about winning.” Indeed, this was the message that we as the viewers wanted so desperately to communicate to angry Minato, and what a relief it is that it’s been done!

Discovering the Truest Minato

Yes, it’s true that we all want happy Minato back, I mean, he’s just so loveable! In truth, however, it was only when Minato heeded the advice of his former, and somewhat bad influence of a coach, that he truly became the person capable of winning the water polo championships. Nevertheless, Minato was at a delicate age, and the ego he adopted to win those matches and carry his team to victory is certainly not sustainable in the long run. As he and those around him grow older and start entering adulthood, the time to mature as a player was soon to dawn upon him. Despite practically being a beginner to water polo, one thing the new happy Minato exhibited really well was that maturity to develop bonds with teammates and demonstrate the sportsmanship of a real star athlete.

The past year or so Minato spent building his relationships with the Joujima crew, Chinu, and even his family are living proof of his bright, non-egotistical self that existed before the influence of the elite coach. However, it’s that selfish behavior and ego that carried Minato through to championship glory, though it did come at a cost. As Bruce Lee once said: “Absorb what is useful. Reject what is useless. Add what is fundamentally your own.” Just as we all possess light and darkness within ourselves, much like the philosophy of yin and yang, Minato must now find a way to harness his dark side by accepting the drive and determination he’s developed while rejecting the anger and arrogance that brewed as a side effect. Under the guidance of his non-egotistic self and the messages of hope he has provided, Minato must now drive his ego, passion, and determination for water polo towards a greater cause that goes beyond himself. Then and only then will he finally discover the true Minato that awaits him at the end of the tunnel.