Runway de Waratte – 03

「ランウェイで笑って」 (Runway de Waratte)
“Smile Down the Runway”

If the chance of a lifetime drops by, you’d better take it with everything you’ve got. Sure, the situation that Chiyuki and Ikuto find themselves thrusted into is anything but ideal. But it’s do or die — and a chance to actually prove themselves.

Despite nominating himself as the candidate to fix the disaster, Ikuto completely loses his composure and is assailed by panic. It seemed like failure would become an inevitable, self-fulfilling prophecy. However, Chiyuki slaps his cheeks together and reminds him that, while she’s still frightened and trembling, they’re in this together till the very end with everything on the line.

After a serious scare of failure – averted by a clever trick to slow down the fashion procession – Ikuto finishes the dress in time. And tied together by the red string of fate, the pair come face to face with their destiny in the fashion industry. As a manga reader, I knew the broken stiletto wouldn’t be an issue. That said, I actually can’t imagine how tense that must have been for first time viewers – as Ikuto and Chiyuki are able to transform disaster into great fortune.

Despite the stiletto heels snapping, they were able to create a truly special moment. Chiyuki might have committed the two cardinals sins of modelling – slipping and smiling down the runway. But the fact that the dress beautifully transformed when she slipped made the accident seem like an organic and seamless part of the show. And her radiant smile affirms the majestical gravity of this moment – that even a ridiculously short model like herself can overcome the odds.

Sure, that other fashion designer rained on their parade by pointing out that Ikuto’s stitching was quite shabby – which would have been exposed had Chiyuki not cleverly placed her hands over her hips to conceal it. However, Yanagida’s opinions matter the most here and he gave Ikuto half the credit for the show’s success. They’ve got an extremely long way to go in terms of reaching Paris Fashion Week, but it’s exciting to see that Chiyuki and Ikuto have completed yet another promising stride into the fashion industry.

This episode definitely showcased the magic of Runway de Waratte, the build-up, anticipation and emotional pay-off for all that hard work. And I really related to the literature girl whose life was positively influenced by the fashion show Yanagida put on. Before reading the manga, I never cared about fashion. I used to think the singular purpose of clothing was to avoid being naked. After reading Runway de Waratte, I came to understand why people want to look good and have keenly bought into this idea myself, gaining something of a fashion conscious.

While I’m not exactly dressing up like a fashion model and walking down the street wearing Gucci or Louis Vuitton clothes, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that this series positively impacted my day to day life. And seeing how it provides such a wonderful and inspirational story, with a set of likeable and compelling characters, I hope that more people will become similarly invested in Runway de Waratte. Anyway, that’s about everything I wanted to discuss. As always, thanks for reading my post and see you next week to see where things will go!