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Summary:
Yuuichi goes to his friend Tsukasa’s house to play video games, but becomes alarmed when he hears thundering outside. Knowing that Rika’s book is still on that ledge, Yuuichi runs back to the hospital and has Tsukasa lower him down. He is barely able to get the book and returns it to Rika’s bedside. The next day, his fever returns because of the time he spent in the rain. Yuuichi dreams of a running a race when he was a young kid. The focus then shifts to Rika, and both apologize for what they said earlier. Yuuichi realizes that this is only a dream, but in the real world, we hear Rika thanking Yuuichi as he sleeps.
When he’s feeling better, Yuuichi goes to Rika’s room, but doesn’t have the courage to knock. Rika catches him there and invites him in; he’s been forgiven. After he realizes that Rika actually came to his room earlier, Yuuichi goes and burns all of the porn magazines at her request. Natsume finds him in the middle of doing that and shares a story of Rika’s past to show that she’s rather unforgiving. Sometime later, Yuuichi starts to read Rika’s book, 「銀河鉄道の夜」 (Night on the Galactic Railroad) by 宮沢賢治 (Miyazawa Kenji). When he visits her later, they start calling each other by names of characters in the book (Giovanni and Campanella). For Rika, she knows the book so well that she can relate her own life to it. The two make plans to go sakura tree watching, and then Rika starts reciting lines from the book about mothers. Inside the hospital, Natsume has broken some bad news to Rika’s mother.
During the night, Yuuichi tries to sneak out, but is caught by Natsume. The doctor has been drinking, but pulls Yuuichi onto the roof. In a jealous tone, Natsume comments about how much fun Yuuichi and Rika seem to be happy. Natsume calls it all short-lived and says that Yuuichi doesn’t understand after Yuuichi asks if Natsume is jealous. In his drunken state, he starts beating up on Yuuichi for being optimistic about Rika and her condition. As it turns out, he had told Rika’s mother about her worsening condition and the low success rate for the surgery. After Natsume leaves, Yuuichi reads more of the book, but comes to a dark part of the story where a child drowns in a river and there is no hope. Realizing the parallels with Rika, Yuuichi starts to cry.
Ooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhh…..
Knowing the story of Night on the Galactic Railroad will greatly enhance your understanding and enjoyment of this episode. It was really an epiphany of sorts when I realized what the book was about and how the boy drowning related to Rika. Here is a link to the entire text of the book, translated into english. It’s a really really good read. But, if you don’t want to read the book/watch the movie, then here’s the quick rundown:
Giovanni falls asleep on a hill and wakes up to find himself on a train. He is joined by his real-life friend Campanella, and the two travel the galaxy on that train. At the end of the story, the two are talking about staying together forever while the train is passing by Heaven. Campanella comments about how he sees his mother in the fields. While Giovanni is turned around, Campanella suddenly disappears. Giovanni then wakes up from the experience and goes back into town. He learns that the real world Campanella had dived into the river and saved a drowning boy. But Campanella himself had drowned in the process.
Basically Campanella’s was on the train because he was headed to heaven, and Giovanni had spent his last moments with him. Relating to the HanTsuki plot, I think Yuuichi realizes that Rika playing the part of Campanella means that she expected on some level that she wouldn’t live. I have a much deeper respect for the level of story now that they’ve worked in Night on the Galactic Railroad.
Natsume-sensei’s is still a bastard though. He’s not winning brownie points by beating our main character up, though his frustration and tears are understandable. Next week, Rika and Yuuichi go to school (a.k.a. Rika in seifuku).
Thing just are never looking up for Yuuichi! O_o
Only 3 episodes left…
lol, there’s only six total episodes. Hardly seems right to do a countdown 🙂
Very true Omni! I would have loved for this to have been a little longer, but guess we’ll all have to wait and see how it turns out in the end.
Wow can’t believe he burned all the porno mags…That was kinda wrong towards the old man, but he gets to make up Rika.
I just can’t help but to wonder how the hell Natsume managed to stay as a doctor with that attitude -_-;
@KiraTakuto: Burning all the porno mags can be ‘right’ in the sense that Asians have the tradition of burning things to pass things onto people in the afterlife? XD
What kind of a doctor beats up patients?
Third row from the top, third column from the right:
One of the most charming pictures I’ve seen of Rika.
Such a bad hospital…a nurse who beats up her patients and smokes…and a doctor who beats up his patients and drinks.
-D
I dunno …. my kind of hospital. I wonder if I could get a job there … j/k
Episode three looks pretty interesting; I’m liking this series quite a bit and can’t wait to see how it ends.
Interesting… things turn out to be fine and happy in the first part…
but what happen after that…
Can’t wait anymore to see how this would go
hmmm hmm hmm…. Show Spoiler ▼
Natsume~!! X( I hate the guy. I hope the nurse will beat him up, just like he did to poor Yuuichi!
Btw, the last picture of the ending (with Rika and Yuuichi marrying *_*) + the whole story reminds me of the drama (and movie) ‘Sekai no chuushin de Ai wo sakebu’, but in this story, the main character is also sick.
I hope this series has a happy end, but for now, I guess not.
What’s written in that book that causes Yuuichi to cry in those last few screens? Or is it something else?
The book describes much of the situation Rika is in. A character in that book drowned in a river after she ‘gave up’, much like how hopeless the success rate of Rika’s operation is and how she’s ‘ready’ for it.
Hmm, no normal doctor^^ I can tell, my father is one.
But it seems he drank some alcohol, but that’s definetelly not the only reason..
Poor Yuuichi!
Give me that doctor, gonny roast him , grrr
Show Spoiler ▼
Ya know, just cause the operation has a low chance of success and her father also died from it, doesn’t mean that Rika has no chance of having a successful operation.
Less burning of pr0n, more watching of it. With Rika. Naked.
Maybe not. (Yes?)
Thanks for the Night on the Galactic Railroad link Omni. I can’t help but think that perhaps Yuuichi is going to save Rika somehow and ends up being the one to bite the bullet in the end. I guess both of them surviving in the end isn’t completely out of the question, but I think its unlikely.
You know that I cry if Rika dies, right? I hope they’ve pulled our legs with that book…
Omni, Thanks so much for the Night on the Galactic Road link! I’m starting to read it!
Your blog is great, please continue!!!!
Wow, the referencing is interesting. It makes for a “subtle advertisment”, I guess.
BTW, do the average Japanese knew about Ginga Tetsudou No Yoru? (transliteration) Otherwise, I could almost be clueless with them as to what it is all about.
does anyone know the name and or artist for the opening song?
I thought maybe Natsume will turn into a very good person when the story goes. Cuz many of his doing seem to have strange point. Anyways your blogs is great! thx for the Night on the Galactic Road link too.^_^