Runway de Waratte – 06

If Chiyuki doesn’t consider him as a friend, at least Ikuto avoided the friendzone, right…?

Speculation aside, this week provided a continuation to round one of the fashion tournament – where the contestants were tasked to create a dress for the famous model, Sara. Ikuto’s epiphany came in the form of a pajama design, having realised that Sara hadn’t posted any pictures featuring nightwear onto social media – indicating she lacked good enough clothes in that specific area. I’m sad we rushed from the epiphany to the moment of truth, without really seeing how he brought this idea to life. I always thought the idea was great. The colour coordination looked really nice, and I agreed with Chiyuki’s opinion from the beginning of the episode. That’s something I could imagine a girl buying – and I’m glad that Ikuto stuck by his guns to progress forwards. It should also be noted that Chiyuki’s earlier opinion was the deciding factor that allowed him to push himself forwards. However, Toh had different ideas.

Toh showcased his true colours – ruthlessly tearing Ikuto down, despite the fact he believed the design to be really good. I’m pretty sure he has some awareness that Ikutos is facing problems, which is why he was repeatedly tore into weaknesses that Ikuto can’t help (such as being too poor to afford fabric) before tempting him with a job proposition. Much like a certain movie character, he gave an offer that simply could not be refused. Not that I can’t see where Toh is coming from. If he wants to be the very best, he’ll want to seek out the very best that can work under him – and he’s recognised Ikuto as possessing top tier talent. That said, I have to question his forceful and manipulative methodology, even if he doesn’t have malicious intentions at heart – seeing how he’s working hard to seek out a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Also, even though she makes it clear she hates Ikuto, I could honestly respect how Kaoru recognised that his pajama design wasn’t that bad. Even when Toh was completely shitting on it, his highly respected opinion causing most people to agree with him like sheep, she looked extremely conflicted – a stark contrast with Ryuunosuke’s gloating. While I don’t think her design deserved to be placed the highest, I can recognise the talented craftsmanship that went into it – and concede that I have a plebeian sense of fashion. Kaoru possesses integrity towards her craft and is insanely passionate about fashion – making her an outstandingly compelling character in my eyes, even if I don’t necessarily find her to be particularly likable.

Meanwhile, Chiyuki’s still searching for her big break. And the ensuing emotional rollercoaster took its toll on me. It hurt my soul when she called Niimura – the girl working at that reputable fashion magazine who became a massive fan after Chiyuki wore the dress that Ikuto improvised at the last minute. Things were looking really good. Unfortunately, reality decided to smack Chiyuki back down. Niimura is unable to make the arrangement and another far more dismissive staff member ends up presiding over her interview. And even when she was able to produce a spark of hope, by showing the dismissive woman an impressive photograph from her portfolio, the interview is cut short at the worst moment when a more important client shows up – Kokoro’s agent. And when Chiyuki pondered on the lack of response the next day, she hears back for a minor role in a fashion shoot – only Hasegawa Kokoro is the star of this show. I can’t deny that I’m uneasy about what’s to come. Considering how every waking moment, Chiyuki makes it abundantly clear that her dream is to become a hypermodel, she’s about to encounter an individual from her age range whose exceedingly unimaginable talent might shatter her blindly optimistic comprehension of such a dream.

Anyway, that’s about everything I wanted to discuss. As always, thanks for reading this post and see you next week to find out if there’s any way in which Chiyuki can measure up to Kokoro.