RE-MAIN – 05

「いや怖いわ！！！」 (Iya Kowai wa!!!)
“Ew, That’s Scary!!!”

Dramas begin to take flight in this week’s RE-MAIN, as Minato and co. wrestle with defeat at the hands of the kiddie water polo team (I think we all saw this coming). Losing sucks for everyone, but it’s among the ashes where the phoenix rises, and this seems to be the case with our ex-prodigy and main protagonist Minato Kiyomizu. In a thrilling tale of finding oneself, rediscovering a lost passion, and never giving up, RE-MAIN has proven to be captivating in more ways than one.

Truth Revealed through Defeat

Everyone’s strong fronts are broken down and their true motivations reveal themselves through defeat, some shown to be pure, and others not so much. Characters such as Ejiri and Amihama show their passionate desires to win in and out of the pool, though in conflicting fashions. Meanwhile, Minato struggles to get anywhere near to his old “prodigy” self as he faces the grueling reality of his situation. Babayaro and Yoshiharu were revealed to be self-blaming and lacking in confidence, while Joujima got so down in the dumps he couldn’t bring himself to greet his single father entering the home. The ugliest reveal of all, however, was the true nature of Eitarou…

Yes, losing sucks, but Eitarou really revealed himself to be a sore loser of great heights. Not only did he consider resigning after a friendly match with grade-schoolers, but also lost faith in Minato immediately after the match. I honestly couldn’t stand how weak-willed Eitarou acted, especially after previously showing the highest level of optimism for Minato in earlier episodes. I mean, the man is literally re-learning the entire sport from scratch, how you can expect an epic comeback on his first match back is beyond me. To make matters worse, this sniveling little snake of a character befriended Minato based on lies that they had always been close friends before the amnesia. Such an awful move simply had to warrant the name of the episode in honor of Minato’s (and our) reaction to this: “Ew, that’s scary!!!”

Getting Back on the Horse

As much as I dislike Eitarou for what he did, I gotta respect the guy for coming out with it and being honest in the end. In his purest form, Eitarou was a huge admirer of Minato, and while his intention to get Minato to help him win and attract fame is shameful, to say the least, he at least showed genuine admiration for his water polo senpai, though this admiration was misplaced. The conversation at the top of the hill definitely sparked curiosity in Minato, as I’m sure it would for anyone learning about how awesome they were and the impact they had on others. Yes, these truths and revelations can be ugly, but bringing it all to the surface is what allows us to move forward forthrightly and with pure intentions, and it is only then that we can take the steps towards becoming our best selves.

In the end, it was Eitarou’s words of honesty (and not deceit) that got things moving in a positive direction for everyone. Minato, now with an ignited curiosity about his past, seeks consultation with the cool, highly-respected coach Akimitsu Bizen (Hikaru Midorikawa). He learns some truth about his past as a “prodigy,” and learns from coach Bizen that his greatest strength was not natural talent, but hard work and effort. As they say, what goes around comes around. Eitarou’s decision to be honest and tell Minato the truth came back around in a karma-like fashion as Minato comes back to Eitarou revealing the truth about what really made him a prodigy. With a new resolve and a spark in his eye, Minato is keen to get back on the horse, and he’s taking Eitarou with him!