[Episode 2] Call Me by No Name | From Page to Screen

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9

Turned out I have to give up my plan to do one post per drama episode, because this one would've gotten too long if I covered up to the store scene. I'm sorry. In the end, it might still be eight posts in total, since the drama's EP8 is mostly original, but we'll see...What will be, will be, my friends! Hope you'll want to stick with me, Megumi and Kotoha!

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So, we left off with Megumi and Kotoha going to attend lesson, remember?
We're about to reach the part in which Megumi's friends make comments about her socializing with Kotoha. But it's a bit different from the drama. Let's see how...

First of all, for some reason Megumi thought Kotoha would also attend the lesson with someone, but instead she was alone.
Anyway, Megumi goes to sit with her friends. Her three friends! There's another one, aside from Sanae and Tabane. It's her, Miki, that asks Megumi who was the girl with her just then.
As Megumi hesitates to answer, guess who does it in her place? Yes, Sanae, who immediately starts talking about Kotoha going around sleeping with an absurd number of people, including a senior from her circle. She then asks Megumi why she's got anything to do with Kotoha, and Megumi says she met her by chance and already knows about her..."extravagant" relationships situation. But when Sanae then asks Megumi "Then why are you being friendly with her?" it's Miki who covers for drama Sanae, saying "There it is, Eichi University's Saint...", which immediately ruins Megumi's mood.

Megumi: "I've quit that"
Miki: "Is being a Saint something one can quit?"
Sanae: "Right? There's no way you wouldn't feel sympathy if you were to find someone in trouble".

To which Megumi thinks...Did I pick her up from the garbage dump because I felt sympathy for her?
Then Sanae brings up "the incident". To Megumi's "Yeah but what about that?" Sanae continues "So you feel like you have to be kind all the time. I'm sure you are kind, but you're going to burnout if you only do it to respond to people's expectations". And Megumi says, to that: "Which is why I'm intentionally avoiding to behave that way". She adds that even in the case of the incident, it's not like she was being kind. She was just there at the right time. Miki is not sure about that, and tells Megumi that she thinks of her as a light bringer, as someone who follows the beacon of righteousness.
And they insist...If you say you're not kind, then even more so...why the hell are you making friends with that Kotoha, considering her bad reputation?
Nothing good can come out of it. You'll only end up in some trouble, continues Sanae.
And she keeps going. "It's not normal to have such a bad reputation", "There's something wrong about her" "She's going to get you in trouble". To which I was like SHUT UP!!!! 

That's when Tabane the angel appears with her "Stop! Stop!" (did you read it in Tomo's voice? You better have!!). She's even more of an angel than in the drama, possibly!
She says it's even fine to get in some trouble. It's a normal part of relationships between people. And she adds that she thinks there's nothing wrong in Megumi being friendly with Kotoha.

And...Sanae apologizes! Saying she takes back what she said. Megumi thanks her friends for worrying about her, even tells Sanae that she likes her more than Kotoha (won't stay like that for long, Megumi...) and then asks them to tell her ALL they know about Kotoha, including rumors. 

For nearly an hour, Megumi gets to listen to everything about Kotoha's bad and obscene behavior. Megumi was surprisingly relieved to see how everything revolved around Kotoha's apparent lack of principles, and there wasn't anything other than that. Which, in another way, felt also sort of strange. Megumi already knew about Kotoha's reckless sexual behavior. Nothing about the stories of her sleeping with this or that senior helped Megumi get Kotoha more into focus. What's more...this Kotoha that she knew nothing about and that was living like that, had chosen to completely throw away her lifestyle, just to date her. Why?

Megumi takes the decision to confront the situation upfront, engage with Kotoha and find out more by communicating with her. 

But...she was a bit shaken to find her sitting in front of her house! To Megumi's surprised reaction, Kotoha says "What? Have you changed your mind?" and "You told me to come to your place, instead of staying at other people's, so...". It feels weird to Megumi, having Kotoha in her home, but she doesn't find it unpleasant. She felt as if the sense of loss she experienced noticing her absence the other morning had disappeared. The conversation about how Kotoha spent the last three days goes on like in the drama, including Megumi surprised that she has a place, but then Kotoha adds "It's not like I'm always with someone" and "It's not like there's someone by my side at all times". Just adding these because they feel meaningful, since we know that having someone by her side makes Kotoha feel safer.

Megumi asks Kotoha how long she intends to stay for, especially since she only has one bed. Worst case scenario, Megumi is even considering sleeping in the kitchen. Obviously Kotoha goes like "Can't we sleep together?", and we have the novel version of the "no physical contact!" scene! We also get to know that it's not like Megumi is against the idea per se, but she still has to digest the reality of them dating, so it would be waaaaaaay too soon for anything else. She also adds "So I thought it'd be better if we didn't sleep together. You know...there's a chance things might escalate...". Kotoha remains quite unbothered and just says "Ok, makes sense". 

And we get back to the familiar drama scene, with Megumi surprised by Kotoha accepting that so easily.
"What? Do you think I'm a sex maniac or something?", asks Kotoha.
Megumi feels a bit embarrassed about her own behavior, and realizes once again just how little she knows about this woman. Just like in the drama, novel Megumi also goes round about things she's uncomfortable saying directly, so it's like "If you don't like doing that, then why are you going from one person's place to another's?". There is no cute interaction with Kotoha saying "Oh, so you did some reaearch about me". I love that part in the drama! Instead, Kotoha says: "You're asking why I'm doing that, if I don't like sex?" "You're so straightforward, Meguchi. You think that one eats chocolate because they like it, and doesn't eat celery because they don't like it". Megumi doesn't know how to respond. Also because genuinely, it feels exactly like that to her. At least it applies to her own experience. The rest is like in the drama.

"Then why do you live like that?"
"At first, it was proof".
"Proof? Of what? That you're attractive?"
"No need for such a proof. Looking in the mirror would be enough".

Later in the novel, we'll find out more about the matter of proof.
Then there's the "Not anymore. Now it's my destiny" part.
And I particularly liked the line that followed, which can also be understood as a hint, looking back, in my opinion. It kind of gives me chills.

"A destiny decided the moment I was born, just like it was decided for you to be loved (because of her name). I merely follow it, to where I'm meant to be, to where I'm suited for. Water seeks its own level." 

Doesn't it make you wanna cry, now that we know everything? Well, I know it makes me wanna cry. Megumi notices that it doesn't look like Kotoha is joking. She looks as if she's checking answers with God. You know, it's when drama Kotoha has that dead, detatched gaze...

Then Kotoha asks if Megumi thinks she's lying, but Megumi says she doesn't and that, somehow, this sounds like it fits her, in a way. "You don't seem the type to do things just because you like to". Then we're made aware of the fact that, to Megumi, Kotoha doesn't look like someone who needs to be with others. On the contrary, she looks like someone who doesn't fear solitude. And yet she keeps getting involved with people. A contradiction, she notes, that would get resolved by this "fate" discourse.

Then there's an even more interesting exchange!

K: Anyway, no need to worry. I know you're not into that, and after all it would be ridiculous to seriously consider this (referring to the dating more broadly) given that we're both girls, wouldn't it?
M: It's not ridiculous at all! (go, Megumi!!) I intend to date you seriously. Then I'll guess you're name and, as per our agreement, I'll become your friend! 

That said, she then adds that while she is serious about this all thing, suddenly starting to sleep together is a whole different matter. And she feels herself get all hot and bothered, before adding "But I think that goes for regular couples too. That's not something to do if feelings aren't into it".
Then Kotoha asks Megumi if there's something else she wants to talk about, or if she has questions for her, so we get her asking "What's your real name?"..
Kotoha laughs and comments on how she finds this side of Megumi quite amazing, to which we find out Megumi thinks "Ah, it's not 'I don't dislike', this time", referring to the moment after the kiss, remember?

They decided to sleep back to back. Megumi keeps her composure and ignores Kotoha's comment about that being quite the un-erotic position, ahah.

After this, we get to know they spent some nice peaceful together and then it's hot-pot time, with the brother discussion. Similarly to the drama, we find out Kotoha has a brother, a good brother, that is the exact opposite of her in every way. In this moment, Megumi feels like she finally got a glimpse at the person behind the mystery. 

Megumi points out to Kotoha that she ate quite a lot and when Kotoha reacts saying that it feels ackward to be told that with such a serious face, Megumi can't help but find her cute...and feel slightly troubled because of it (I love all these little moments of realization). When, later that night, they got to sleeping back to back, Megumi's mind went to that first night, as she was feeling the warmth of Kotoha behind her, and her sweet and somehow sorrowful scent.

Kotoha asks Megumi if she's not going to play some game, that night. Of course not. It was a measure of emergency, that first time! And this night, Kotoha doesn't try anything. Not to touch her, not to kiss her. Megumi realized that, on the first night, it was really just something she tried to offer to repay a debt of kindness and, since they were now dating, there was no such need. Kotoha then tells Megumi she can ask her three questions. The first two are different from the drama, so here they are:

"Do you live alone?"
"Yes, most of the time!"
"What's something that you like?"
"Hmm, let's see...I like shrimps!" (Is Kotoha also a sea food Princess?)

The exchange after Megumi asks Kotoha if she likes her is identical to the drama (though the comedy of Megumi's reaction isn't as much of a point), just as the part with Kotoha explaining that she'll break up with Megumi if she doesn't properly date her. The forehead kiss is also included, as is Megumi's loud heartbeat. There's no Kotoha asking Megumi to turn her way, so she can look at her cute sleeping face. There is also less emphasis on how Megumi is feeling. Very grateful for the inclusion of this in the drama (and for Mio's performance of it!!) because I LOVE this scene sooooomuch.

The next day, Kotoha doesn't disappear, but she does go back to her home, leaving Megumi wondering about what it means to date! Then we get to Megumi at a cafè, sitting in front of Tabane.
Tabane is described as being not less pretty than Kotoha, with a peculiar hairstyle (she only kept long the hair on the side of her face). Megumi thinks she looks like the protagonist of a movie.
Then we get her considering the fact that her relationship with Tabane isn't that different with that with Kotoha...aside from the kiss. She had never kissed Tabane. Megumi is such an overthinker in this regard that she even wonders if sitting at a café with a beautiful girl such as Tabane would be considered cheating. It's definitely date-like, she thinks.

When Tabane asks Megumi what she's thinking about, Megumi actually lets out her thoughts straight away! "Hmm, let's say for example that there's a couple (she specified male/female couple, which I liked because it doesn't leave for granted that those are the only possible couples), would it be cheating if the boyfriend meets up alone with a female friend?" to which Tabane gets like "Oh, I see...so you got yourself a lover (she doesn't say boyfriend)" and Megumi says it's not exactly a lover, but more like a roomate.
Tabane gives off this vibe of understanding everything - so very well captured in the drama in my opinion!
Anyway, then Megumi adds "Now let's say that, for example, I end up liking that roomate. What should I do?", "I mean, we're already living together...", "Concretely speaking, what should one do when they're dating someone?"

Megumi knows there's a chance for this relationship to end before she manages to guess Kotoha's name, and this makes her even more determined to face whatever this is head on, seriously. After all, she was still having a hard time digesting the events at the café, not to mention what happened that first night...
Megumi tells Tabane she thought she'd ask her, since she isn't too knowledgeable when it comes to this sort of thing. The following exchange was cute:

T: "Not a bad choice of person, I'd say. It's like asking Spielberg about dinosaurs."
M: "So, can you tell me how to make a bicycle fly in the air?"

I love the movie references!!
Then Tabane offers the advice we got to hear in the drama. However, we get to know that after the conversation, Megumi still doesn't understand what it means to date someone. The only thing so far that feels like it could be defined as something people dating do is the kiss, which is something she could've done even with Tabane, if she wanted. This made the proof Kotoha asked of her (the kiss to prove they were dating, remember?) to feel quite meaningless, to Megumi. As she thinks about the fact that she has to move forward in terms of communication, Megumi suddenly remembers that first night, the smile on Kotoha's face as she was leaning over her, and the thought makes her flush (ohhh, Megumiiii). 

Then Megumi tells Tabane there's another thing she wants to ask, which is the name changing issue, and it goes essentially just like in the drama, with the addition of Megumi's internal considerations. We  also get to know that changing name is not that hard, especially since the number of people troubled by the names they got from their parents have increased with the phenomenon of the so called "kira kira names" (which would literally be translated as "sparkly names", but in reality refers more to odd/weird/unusual names), that make use of peculiar readings for the characters they're made up of, and that would be pretty much impossible to read without knowing what they're meant to be read as. In the novel inner Megumi thinks of something like 永久恋愛 read as Ekurea (Eclair) or 月下美人 read as Hanii (Honey). When it gets to the possibility of the name bearing some heavy disadvantage, Megumi thinks of things such as online streamers who had to change their names because they got doxed, but it doesn't feel like it'd be Kotoha's case. She also thinks of the chance that she got involved in something that led her to want to change her name, and this is when she thinks of her past, like in the drama.

Here we find out some extra stuff.
For a period, even Megumi thought of changing her name. However, that desire gradually disappeared with time. It was because of the incident that happened before she took her 6 months break from university. Even now, if people look Megumi's full name up online, they'd find everything about what happened. It also partially depends on the fact that her surname is quite uncommon.
"If I think of it like that, maybe I'm also cursed by my name".
"Yeah, maybe things would've been easier if you were Megumi Saitou, which would've also been pretty cute!"

Then Tabane says "They say the name is the first thing a parent gives you".
To which Megumi replies "As in...the name reflects the desires of the parents?", and of course this entire exchange is chilling in light of the truth of Kotoha's name, which indeed reflects the desires of her mother to have her keep herself company nigth after night...

Megumi also thinks of Tabane's name, which is very well represented by the young woman she is, since she's so wise and good at bringing people together (束 can refer to overseeing and unifiying. Indeed very Tabane-like). For a moment, our heroine considers that maybe guessing the name is not that important per se, that maybe it's all more for the sake of the journey rather than the destination, thinking of Princess Kaguya and the Mount Penglai jewel she was seeking, and inside herself she gets to the conclusion that she'd better ask Kotoha why she wants her to guess the name, even before Tabane says "It might be quicker to just ask the person for their intention". The words that follow, about wanting for Megumi to find out the reason why she changed her name, are just like in the drama. 

Then Tabane adds something interesting!
She says "I like your name, Megumi. I think it suits you. Because it's a name that brings love". Megumi notes how it's exactly the opposite of what Kotoha told her. She said it's a name that is loved, that's meant to receive love. Tabane sees in that name the act of loving. Kotoha could only see the receiving - that she never experienced. 

[Megumi's name swings, in the space between active and passive voice".]

Crying!!! Kicking!!! Screaming!!! This was everything, honestly.

Now, in the novel Megumi doesn't find Kotoha back at the garbage dump and they don't go  shopping. Instead, she invites her to a video rental shop. Despite it being quite the sudden invitation, Kotoha accepts immediately, and we find out that Megumi is pretty surprised by that. Part of her thought Kotoha would refuse, saying she's busy or not feeling like it. This made her realize that maybe Kotoha is more serious than she previously thought, about this dating thing.

Kotoha doesn't arrive before Megumi at the appointment (so that cute and meaningful narrative - which I LOVE - created in the drama wouldn't work here). As Megumi sees her arrive, she feels a very strong, strange sensation. It was nothing like meeting up with Tabane, or Sanae or Miki. It was a sort of uneasy feeling, an awkwardness, that couldn't be explained with or defined as closeness (since, after all, they were not as close as Megumi was with her friends).

K: So, what's up? Why a movie, all of a sudden?
M: We're going to do something that feels like dating! So let's rent a movie and watch it together.

Then, as she's opening the door to the store, Kotoha says "I see...Did someone suggest that to you?" (poor Megumi ahah). Feeling a bit uncomfortable for following such a manual-like approach, Megumi doesn't say anything. Kotoha adds "It's totally fine. Just...you're really serious, aren't you?".

And to they're in the store, now!
We'll see what happens in the next post!
Thank you so much for reading. I hope you enjoyed!