Horie Shun just seems to gravitate towards these voice change crisis roles. I was never much of a singer, so I can’t really relate to what Satomi is going through. But if you’re a boy soprano who’s serious about singing, it has to be like the Sword of Damocles hanging over your head. Not to put too fine a point on it, but for more than two centuries the practice of castrating boys to preserve their operatic abilities existed in Italy (though it was never exactly common). So people did and do take this stuff seriously, but now that the barbaric custom of castrato is extinct, it’s a race against time that time always wins.
The anime (and by extension Wayama Yma’s writing I suppose) is doing a very good job depicting how Satomi’s mindset is becoming increasingly desperate. His teacher urges him to sing louder; he can’t, as it pains his throat too much. Is Wada-kun being just a little too enthusiastic about “helping” his sempai, or is that paranoia that’s a product of Satomi’s situation? At least his time with Kyouji lets him think about something else, though Kyouji’s cluelessness about what he’s going through does annoy Satomi to no end.
His family doesn’t get it either, though it’s not like the boy is going out of his way to confide in them. The teacher has spilled the beans about the concert (which Satomi apparently hoped to keep secret), and everyone in the family (including his visiting onii-san) has given him a charm for success. There’s a final karaoke session with Kyouji, where they realize that they both have their big day on August 11. Satomi resolves that this will be their last meeting, though it’s pretty obvious he’s trying to convince himself more than anything.
When Kyouji told Satomi “never come to this neighborhood., seriously”, Princess Usagi noted that it would almost surely a Chekov’s gun moment. I agreed, but my take was “If anything Satomi will let his curiosity get him into trouble (because teen) and Kyouji will show up to rescue him.” By chance Satomi literally bumps into the loser cokehead Kyouji referred to last week (and it was his finger in the glove compartment – which is kind of an amusing name for it, in context). Naturally this is all about to go very badly for Satomi, and naturally Kyouji does indeed show up to save him. But it all ends far more violently than one might have expected.
It’s good that Wayama doesn’t totally gloss over how messed up and violent Kyouji’s world is, though it’s still sanitized to an extent. This whole situation – finding himself basically being a damsel-in-distress – is extremely galling for Satomi. He’s reminded of how helpless he is, still a child, yet the best part (for him) of being a child is about to be taken away from him. Kyouji still represents excitement, danger, and an escape from the all-too real frustrations in his life. Given all that and that he’s in deepest puberty being buffeted by hormonal tsunami, it’s hardly surprising that Satomi snaps and lashes out at Kyouji (and flings his dad’s goofy charm at him).
Fortunately, Kyouji takes this in good humor. He texts Satomi, telling him he’s like Frieza (Dragonball, no Japanese boy Satomi’s age would miss the reference), and follows that up with an apology. He’s still too stressed out to sleep the night before his concert, but at least it provides a distraction. Unfortunately on the way to the concert Satomi comes upon a traffic accident, and clearly recognizes one of the cars involved. If this doesn’t have some connection with the guy who bumped into Satomi that would be one hell of a coincidence.
