Some quick, loose notes, because much like Maki’s parents, I’m very, very busy these days, and the blog is like the forgotten child I can’t devote all my time and attention to. Alas, I, too, am a deadbeat father.

— When we last left off, Maki had bumped into his father, who he hasn’t seen in a while. His father feeds him a likely story. Yeah, no. If people want to see you, they will see you.

— Is his dad really here to see a client? Or is he here for someone else entirely? We’ve gotten plenty of hints that his dad might be a cheating loser, but that could just be the story trying to lead us to making assumptions. Here’s what we do know: he focuses so much on his career that he barely gets to see his son. Even if he isn’t a cheater, he’s a deadbeat father.

— Maybe Umi needs to be a little more empathetic. If Maki doesn’t usually space out when they spend time together, then something is obviously wrong. Something’s obviously bothering him.

— Oh right, Maki and Umi have a date. I had completely forgotten about it. Well, I dunno about dark on dark, buddy. Bro could use some squats, too. He’s built like an ironing board.

— Sigh, you’re on a date. Do you wanna be with this girl or not? Get a grip, man.

— …I hate these type of characters.

— I’m really curious about Kappa Real Estate.

— This type of movies look like they would get old so fast.

— This episode would probably be a lot of fun if I was rooting for these two, huh? But since I’m not, it’s just dragging on and on and on. The thing is, I don’t feel like we’re getting any meaningful insight on the characters (other than Maki being a total dweeb about looking like a couple with the girl he likes). They’re just hanging out. It runs the danger of feeling like The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten where all the couple does is talk about themselves. “You’re actually a pretty good singer, Maki.” “I have you to thank for it! It was my first time singing in front of anyone, and you ensured it wouldn’t be a bitter memory.” I dunno, does this sound like first date conversation between two kids? Anyway, only at the end of the date does something major happen… and it doesn’t really have anything to do with the two kids.

— The atmosphere quickly sours when Maki spots his father with that lady, who is supposedly just his subordinate. Uh-huh. But even so, what does it matter? Why do you care if your father knows you may or may not have a girlfriend? In fact, why does your father being a total cheating scumbag loser even affect your love life? I’m not sure I understand where Maki is coming from. The last thing I would ever want is for loser parent to affect my life. I would just live my best life without them in it.

— Even after the date, once Maki is safely home and chatting with his mother, he can’t stop wondering if his father had started seeing the other woman before the divorce. Once again, he spaces off around his loved ones. It’s natural to wonder about what happened between your parents. It’s also natural to want your parents to be together. But you also gotta ask yourself if mentally torturing yourself like this will accomplish anything. Even if he somehow discovers the truth behind what really happened — what really broke his parents’ marriage — will he be able to do anything about it? Will he be able to effect any meaningful change? Sometimes, you just gotta take life for what it is and forge on.

— Does that make me seem cold? Am I sociopathtic? Maybe. Maki is just a kid, and he’s working through it. It takes time for people to process their feelings. But you gotta draw the line somewhere, and it’s clearly affecting his relationship with Umi.

— I’m also a product of a broken relationship. My biological father was arguably worse; he sure as hell didn’t fight to stay in my life. Again, I just don’t think we should waste energy on things out of our control.

— Plus, you also gotta accept at some point that while you might love your parents, they weren’t good for each other. Their relationship was rotten, and had they stayed together, it would’ve only festered. Not all couples work out, and it has no bearing on your own relationship.

— They’re trying to hedge a bit on the father now. Oh, he gives them money so this means they get to live a comfortable life. Pfft, buying love with money. Oh, during the divorce, he fought to see his son! Pfft, a grand total of once a month, and they don’t even stick to that schedule very closely. I’m sorry, but once a month is pathetic for a father. At this point, it doesn’t even matter if he cheated on his wife or not. He’s just a shitty father hiding behind the “I’m so busy with work” excuse. It’s 2026, not 1976. That shit doesn’t fly anymore. It never really did.

— Now, Maki’s mother also seems to work long hours too, but she doesn’t seem happy about it. At least it feels like she does it because she has to. But sure, sure, I don’t really know her complete circumstances either.

— Maki and his mother eventually end the day reminiscing over photos of fond memories. He tells himself that he won’t bring the other woman up. For both his sake and his mom’s sake, he’ll just have to forget about it. I wonder, though… looks like the wound hasn’t completely healed up, but the kid intends to continue picking at it.