Subbed version of the preview for Episode 3 of Call Me by No Name.
So it seems like Meguchi will open up to Tabane about her feelings for Kotoha. So when she says that about the bet, my first thought is that since winning would mean them becoming friends, now that she's starting to really like Kotoha...she has no incentive to discover her real name anymore. On the other hand we have Kotoha who I believe really wants for Meguchi to find out her name (not because she wants to be friends, of course, just because she wants someone to find, see and embrace the real her).
Also, it might be irrelevant but you never know, so I need to add something about the nuance of Kotoha's phrasing in the line in which she asks Meguchi about having sex. In that context, two versions of the verb can be used. The one Kotoha uses - 抱きたい/dakitai - and 抱かれたい/dakaretai. The first expresses someone's desire to make love to someone else. The second expresses someone's desire to have someone make love to them. In its crudest form, it's the difference between fu**ing someone and being fu**ed by someone. So Kotoha is asking Meguchi if she feels desire to make love to her. Again, it might not mean much, but I feel like it does. In any case, the scene is the same one from the trailer, in which we see Kotoha ask Meguchi is she would sleep with her.
And does Murata know something that Meguchi might find useful in discovering more about Kotoha, or is he just delusional because he fell for Kotoha and thinks he's somehow special to her? You aren't, Murata. Get lost!
Lastly, everything still seems to point out to that bloody hand person from Meguchi's past being someone she failed to help. And due to the trauma of that, she swore she'd never help anyone ever again. But even though we see her drive to help again and again, she insists it's not because she wants to help...What is it then? A way to ease the guilt? Does she feel compelled to do what appears to be helping because she was educated into doing so? I don't know, but I can't wait to find out.
Post on Twitter:
[Eng Subs] Call Me by No Name Episode 4 Preview
— SapphicLoner (@thesapphicloner) January 24, 2025
Tabane the wise friend🥹, Murata get lost (😤!), Kotoha still going on about the curse🥲, Meguchi that would now rather be her girlfriend than her friend🫶, and...🫨🫣#コルミノ pic.twitter.com/mwSTvpCaAr
What an interesting opinion you brought up! It's really hard for me to what to discuss since I need more context to what's going on entirely 😭 But, I can't wait for the next episode! Let's discuss about it again next time!
ReplyDeleteYou're very right about needing more context! I find it fun to try and make sense of it with the little we had, even if very often the conclusion ends up being different from the actual one! Time will tell. I'm also very excited about the next episode!!
DeleteLove your thoughts on this, I feel the same tbh. It’s only Ep 3, so we need more context, but here’s what I think so far:
ReplyDeleteAbout Megumi: You’re right, she’s a good person, but cuz of her past, she doesn’t wanna admit it.
"You're already doing volunteer work, right? Helping ppl is just normal for you."
She’s trying to atone for her guilt. Even though she holds back, it’s just who she is. She doesn’t know how to deal with it, so she denies it and tricks herself into thinking otherwise.
About Kotoha: She’s harder to figure out since we don’t know much yet. In the new ep, she said she didn’t go to middle school much in Tokyo. I think this ties into what happened there, her bad relationship with her mom, and probs her name too.
Maybe she went to the aquarium with her mom, bought that doll, then left it behind when they suddenly moved to Kansai. Even though she lived there for a while, I don’t think she felt comfortable there either, she didn’t even use the dialect much.
In Ep 2, she mentioned her brother in the past tense, so I wonder if he’s part of the “name curse” thing. Where is he?
Also, when she said she was living like that to prove something and doing s*x to “repay” ppl, it’s like she convinced herself it’s her fate and I feel like this ties back to her mom.
She told Megumi to "date her normally" but when Megumi asked "Do you like me?" she said "Probably not"
I think she doesn’t really know what love is, probs cuz of trauma (?)
I find fascinating how she keeps stay with Megumi, maybe she feels understood somehow
As for the trailer, that guy might know her, no idea about that "strict rule", still, I think it’s tied to what she said previously about needing "proof"
Can't wait for the next Ep, i really want to know what happened!
Thanks for sharing your comments! You make very good points. I don't know where to start to share my views...
DeleteSo I'll start from the end. When I read about the rule in the summary, I got reminded of an article that mentioned that she has a sort of "ritual" about this. So let's say she'll go to the place of anyone who'll have her stay, has sex with them to repay them, and then? I'm not inclined to think she would propose her name game to every person she's been to, but there is (or there's been, before Megumi) a structure to what she's been doing, I guess. A sort of logic, in her traumatized mind.
As for the not liking Megumi, I think Kotoha was just being honest. She's not dating Megumi because she likes her. She's having Megumi date her as a challenge to drive her to discover her real name (based on the fact that Megumi only wanted to be her friend, which is already not true anymore ahah). "If she would accept something as absurd as this (because it was quite the absurd proposition let's be honest) maybe she would really commit to helping me. Maybe she's really interested in my wellbeing and it's not just words". So far, Megumi is walking the walk!
As for her brother, I believe it's only a matter of not being in contact with him anymore, which might be related with her relationship with the rest of the family. Could be that, unlike her, her brother doesn't hate their mother, and that might've lead them to grow apart. She doesn't seem to hate him though, which is nice.
Yeah, no matter how hard she might try to fight it, no matter how much pain she has around the concepts regarding kindness, and even if not all her "kind" actions are driven solely by pure kindness, Meguchi is a good person. No doubts about that!
Thanks again for your comments!! I feel extremely excited about the next one!!
This really opened my perspective more, thank you!
DeleteI didn’t know about the article and the ritual… she’s clearly trying to prove something. I guess we’ll figure it out later...
Their relationship started with that absurd request and Megumi saying yes really surprised her
Like you said, that probably made her curious enough to start sharing bits of her past and continue the name-guessing game
I also think your point about her brother makes a lot of sense, I hope we get to see him eventually throughout the series!
I really love this drama, it’s making me think a lot and they’re so cute 😭…
Thanks for your reply and for the translations! If it’s okay with you, I think I’ll keep sharing my thoughts as the series goes on, I love discussing it!
It's more than okay with you! I love discussing and sharing thoughts with others! Looking forward to exchanging views with you next week, too!
Delete