What is this episode about?
- Hime getting a yearly backpack given by her maternal grandfather.
- Gotou accepting various jobs, and called ‘man(ga)-slave’ by his assistants.
- Gotou having a small chat with Hime’s mom’s father, while realising his past feelings.
- Hime experiencing different jobs, and made tons on burgers at Kidzarina.
- Gotou signing the first 50 autographs, thinking they were hired fans.
- Gotou signing the next 50 autographs, and after learning that they are all real fans, gained himself some confidence and felt a bit better about his job.
- Hime buying her father a handkerchief with her first earnings.
Any interesting moment?
It’s refreshing to see a different child-rearing perspective besides Gotou’s in this episode. This made a great contrast and highlights Gotou’s approach in parenting. For him, it’s much more of a privilege than a burden to raise a child. It’s an idea that he always hold on to when raising Hime, which explains why he can go to extreme lengths just to protect her and has never made any complaint in the process.
Lesson learnt?
To conclude?
A reverse-flashback at the end shows 18-years-old Hime opening one of the boxes. She seems to have lost her shining eyes and her pure smile compared to the younger her. Inside the box, is a short story portraying the ordinary lives of a father, mother and daughter. And inside one of the panels, the father wishes the daughter a ‘Happy 17th Birthday’. Hime shed tears to this scene, wishing that however mundane the portrayal of their lives is, it was everything that she had ever dreamed of. Everything she ever needs.
But it was too late. With a certain weight on her words, she softly and emotionally made a wish. All she ever wants, is to be with them. To live..
..a normal, and extremely boring life.
Last note:
Halfway through Kakushigoto, all the clues have lead us here to an undeniable fact. A tragedy has struck on Gotou. An accident, a sudden act to protect her or a disease that is slowly eating him away? A few episodes earlier, Hime’s mentioned that she simply chooses not to think too much of his father’s job when she was small. Combining with this, there’s a hint of regrets shown on Hime, for not noticing that her father’s secret is more than just being a vulgar manga artist. And her silent sob, conveyed this message.
With the next episode revealing more on Hime and her mother’s relationship, we might be able to learn more about Gotou’s secret and Hime’s feelings. So, get ready to surf the next waves of emotions!
Previously on Kakushigoto:
Episode 1: The Thing that Makes Him Happiest..
Episode 2: A Happy Life
Episode 3: A Single Dad
Episode 4: A Guardian Angel
Episode 5: A Gold Medal for You
Anime as a Cup of Tea 