Filthy Casual for Life

Episode 1: If This Love is Going to Be Over Before it Even Begins…

We begin with the two main protagonists recording a video. A boy with dark hair introduces himself as Tsuchiya Mao. A blonde-haired boy introduces himself as Otomo Hisashi. To the camera, Mao and Hishashi makes three promises.

• Mao will not disclose that Hisashi is gay and has a boyfriend.
• Hisashi will not make moves on Mao.
• They will both give each other privacy when they have “alone” time.

It’s the beginning of the year, and the second-year film club is gearing up with their first meeting. Introducing himself as director is Ichikawa Giichi. After introductions, Ichikawa announces the theme of the project.

The crew is surprised that Ichikawa wants to do a school romance between two male leads. Immediately, they do a read through of the script labeling Ichikawa as a genius. They are all moved by the script. Ichikawa tells the members of the club that he wants them to look back at their second year in high school and remember they seriously thought about love and what it meant. The casting director wants to immediately start casting. He asks Ichikawa if he has anyone in mind. It’s none other than Mao’s roommate, Hisashi. Ichikawa is dead-set on Hisashi because his look fits the part. This leaves Mao between a rock and a hard place. He doesn’t want Hisashi to think he leaked his secret. However, Mao agrees that Hisashi is perfect for the part. In their room, Mao is daydreaming about a specific scene in the script where Hisashi is the protagonist and how he would film it. Except, when the second character in the scene looks up, it’s Mao. Mao struggles with his feelings when he realizes that he wanted Hisashi (in his daydream) to kiss him.

The next day, Mao tells the assistant director, Kagari, that they should find someone else. It would be too awkward. However, when they walk into the club room, Hisashi is there reading a script. Kagari tells Ichikawa why Mao didn’t want to cast him, and he gets scolded by Ichikawa. Mao thinks to himself that the reason he didn’t want to cast him is so Hisashi didn’t think that he leaked his secret.

Flashing back to the day that he met Hisashi in their first year, Hisashi didn’t even shake his hand. He figured why get to know Hisashi. He would just live his life pretending Hisashi was invisible. On the tenth day, when Mao came back to their room, Hisashi was asleep sick. When Mao tried to wake him up for medicine, Hisashi flipped Mao onto the bed. Delirious with fever, Hisashi thought he was someone else and began to make moves on Mao.

Mao knocks him silly and tells him to get his shit together. Hisashi whispers to his “sensei” not to leave him. All Mao could do was pat Hisashi on the head to tell him he wouldn’t go anywhere. Hisashi wakes up and Mao gives him the cold medicine. Embarrassed about what he did to Mao, he offers to move out. Mao dismisses him and says it was no big deal. Hisashi then tells him he is gay. To Hisashi’s surprise, Mao doesn’t care. Hisashi was waiting for Mao to be upset or scared.

Back in the club room, the assistant director asks what the problem with casting Hisashi was. It seems they get along and Hisashi seems okay with it. Mao realizes something internal is hanging him up.

In their room, they gear up to watch a movie together. During the movie, Hisashi admits that he wants to act in the movie to learn more about Mao. Hisashi admits that he thinks Mao is awesome because he is so dedicated to his club. Mao realizes how selfish he has been and didn’t take Hisashi’s feelings into account. Mao admits to Hisashi that the thinks he is perfect for the role. Mao brings out his phone and tells Hisashi to read some of the lines. As he reads one of the lines about asking if the other protagonist likes him, Mao drops the phone and makes a sudden realization.

THOUGHTS

I have high expectations for this one! The episode was slow, but for good reason. The groundwork has to be laid down on Mao and Hisashi’s relationship to this point. I am very interested to see how their relationship grows throughout the film process. Will Hisashi notice that Mao is suddenly acting different? Or, does Hisashi already have a crush on Mao and is using the film as an excuse to get to know him better? Looking forward to the answers to those questions. Will continue to monitor.