Last Friends – 愛が止めないし

In episode 4 of Last Friends, we’ve reached the climbing climax of Michiru and Sousuke’s relationship.

Michiru comes to the Share House that Ruka and her friends live, crying for help while battered and bruised. Her face is swollen and cut and everyone is in complete shock. They take her into the kitchen where Takeru takes care of her injuries and Ruka confronts her about Sousuke.

She tells her what she’s told her all this time, that its not love if there’s pain. Unwilling, Michiru finally gives into the Ruka’s reasoning. She’s caught and doesn’t know what to do. She loves Sousuke and he’s given her more security than what her family has ever done and yet he’s given her more pain imaginable.

Ruka wants to help her but she’s caught between her feelings for her and her friendship. Quickly, Michiru begins to settle into the share house, making friends with everyone and enjoying their presence. She feels at home with them, safe, able to finally enjoy laughing and having fun rather than always in fear of what she should do, how she should do it, and where should she do it.

Yet, despite the fact she has this warm welcoming she can’t keep her mind off of Sousuke. Everytime they mention him, she quickly runs for his defense. ” Sousuke isn’t like that ” she says to them at their hot pot dinner. Everytime they think they have her she slowly drifts to him.

In the mean time, Sousuke has been desperately looking for Michiru. At her job, on the streets, any where his job can get him to find her. He even follows Ruka because, in his head, he knows that Michiru is with her. Eventually he over hears Ruka’s conversation with Takeru, warning him that she seen Sousuke at the motorcross and to make sure to keep his eye on Michiru. When Ruka notices his sillohuette, she runs out, but only sees her trainer. He’s startled but she mentions she thought she had a stalker and the two walk away, oblivious that Sousuke was actually there the entire time.

After trying to get Michiru’s mom to get Michiru to visit her so Sousuke can see her again, which failed because Ruka was there, he goes straight to the source and arrives at the safe house, demanding to see Michiru. Ruka denies that Michiru is there but Sousuke pulls out his cell phone, claiming he knows that Michiru is there. He dials her number and her cell phone rings, content with proving himself, he demands to see Michiru but Ruka still won’t let him in. He tries to force himself in, but Ruka pushes him out the way, threatening to call the cops if he doesn’t leave. She tells Eri to get ready to call, but Sousuke eventually backs down and Ruka slams the door on him, telling him never to come by again.

Takeru arrives, after the ordeal, and mentions to Ruka that he saw Sousuke around the house. Ruka tells him that he was just at their house demanding to see Ruka but that she managed to get him to go away before Michiru noticed he was there. When Takeru looks outside the window, he notices that Sousuke is merely standing in the rain, staring at their house.

Later that night, Michiru wakes up, unable to sleep and runs into Takeru in the kitchen. The two have tea and Michiru talks about Sousuke and why he is the way he is. She then stops, saying that he probably wouldn’t be interested about Sousuke but Takeru tells her to continue… and she does. She mentions how his mother left him and how he has been lonely all his life, like her, and that’s why they fell in love with each other.

The next morning, Michiru and Ruka are up, doing morning chores. Ruka tells Michiru that she is going to dump the garbage but Michiru volunteers instead to go out to dump the trash. As she does so she notices somebody sitting inbetween the bushes and the park entrance. She takes a closer look and its Sousuke, drenched in rain, shivering, and slightly feverish. She calls out his name, but he doesn’t respond. She asks if he’s been here all night but he doesn’t say anything..

Instead, he gets up slowly and looks at Michiru, crying.

” Michiru, I…. will… always… be waiting for you. ”

Michiru stares at him, and then hugs him and he leans into her. From afar, Ruka looks on with a look of defeat. No matter what she does to save Michiru, she always comes running back to Sousuke.

It was a good episode! Amazing episode actually! For one, no abuse scenes to actually sit through and watch and secondly it was more focus on the side characters. While my summary focused only on Michiru and Sousuke’s story, the majority of the episode focused on Ruka’s insecurities with her gender, her lesbianism, and her agony with helping friend that she’s in love with. I remember the line where Ruka tells her coach, ” Don’t call me a woman. I am a rider, not a woman nor a man. ” I thought that was interesting tho her coach dismissed it, saying she’s a female. A female rider.

Takeru also had some shine too in this episode. But I have a feeling he wont come into play until next week, which brings me to this…

Sousuke rapes Michiru, or attempts. I really want to see how this turns out and why, now, instead of physically abusing her he’s now driven to sexually abuse her. Something she must have done or sad triggered off his ” CRAZY SLAP A HO ” switch in his brain to want to actually rape Michiru.

This is probably how Michiru ends up pregnant.

” Kore kara … shi nu… sayonara ”
” I am going to die now… goodbye “

Sousuke now wants to commit suicide? There’s so many twists and turns in this story I can’t wait for next week. Sousuke really needs to get comitted. But you know what, he must have a nice job if he gets to stalk his girlfriend and her friends all day.