[Episode 9 - FINALE] Call Me by No Name | From Page to Screen | Proof, Yotogi, and The Taste of Her

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

Ok, this is it, my friends. This is the final post of the series comparing Call Me by No Name's novel and drama. Part of me is reluctant to publish this because it feels like it marks an end, a new and even more determining one, after the drama's, and I don't want to let go. I really treasure and love CallMeNo and while I have no doubt it will always stay with me, parting with its more "concrete" form still generates some form of grief in me. But alas, it is what it is...Now let's get right into it! Enjoy!

=== 

Remember where we left Megumi?
She had just finished her discussion with Asahi, who revealed pretty much everything to her, leaving her to put the pieces together. So, now our heroine enters Detective mode.

The biggest hint, Megumi concludes, has to be the reason Kotoha gave to the court (so finally Megumi regains some of her smarts two seconds after Asahi leaves) for changing her name; the fact that her real name reminded her of the nature of the abuse she suffered, and not merely that it reminded her of the abuse. In other words, her name has to do with what had been happening to her, night after night (come on, come on...it's not like you don't have other clues, honey), but at the same time it couldn't be something too direct, like "abuse" or "violence", or the name wouldn't have been accepted in the first place ("Meet my kid, cute little Abuse!"). So, she writes that (the reason Kotoha told the court) in her notes, with an arrow pointing to Kotoha Furuhashi's name. Then she switches to wondering why Kotoha gave herself the name "Kotoha", thinking that there have to be roots that connect it to the previous name, in some way (just like, we're told, Megumi would use the nickname "Gumi" - a word in itself, meaning gummy candies, but also a part of her actual name - online, though of course it's not always the case for people who change name). In this regard, she writes "roots that ensure existence". As fascinating as this thought process is, I dare to say it's not necessary at all in order guess the name, given all that Megumi already has, but...oh, well!!

Then our Megumi thinks back, again and again, to when she picked up Kotoha at that garbage dump. What if she could go back, skip over everything else and just confess her feelings then and there? And this is when suddenly she remembers the name Kotoha first introduced herself with: Scheherazade. It had to be meaningful, somehow. Who is Scheherazade? A storyteller, that sacrificed herself to stop a tyrant from continuing to kill young girls night after night, using just her words. She fought with words. So Megumi writes down Scheherazade → words (Kotoba) ≒ Kotoha. She's convinced Kotoha must've had a reason to use Scheherazade (for what she thought was gonna be just another one night stand), and that she needed something that would support her existence. Scheherazade, Kotoha and Kotoha's previous name had to be connected. So Megumi updates the equation as X →  Scheherazade → words (Kotoba) ≒ Kotoha, where X points to Kotoha's curse. Megumi thinks a bit more about Scheherazade, about what she was doing, joining the king on his bed, night after night. Not that dissimilar from what Kotoha was doing...
Kotoha, visiting someone's bedroom, every night. FINALLY!! It's there. She picks up her smartphone and looks up a character that, paired with another one, forms a certain word. Megumi thinks it looks like a beautiful name, but definitely couldn't be said to be so, considering what Kotoha had been through.

Listen, forgive me for a second or two, but I can't help but be a tiny bit frustrated at how this could've been resolved in a much quicker and easier way at this point. Why was the 2nd biggest hint (the Yo) not being taken into account super prominently, or rather...at all? Taking into account what had happened to Kotoha, why didn't Megumi immediately think of that part of Scheherazade's story, instead of going for the narrative about words? I know that would've meant no cool equation, but still! A lot of stuff was really unnecessary. She could've totally gotten to it even without doing this but if, with the knowledge of Kotoha's past, the hints she had left, and the awareness of the name starting with "yo", Megumi had looked up Scheherazade's story (like, even on Wikipedia!!), she would've 100% got it as soon as she bumped into the word...

Anyway, when thinking about how the word/name holds a very specific meaning if you consider the context, Megumi realizes the "motive". She had kept wondering about this the entire time. Did Kotoha change her name because she hated her previous one? Was it because she wanted to become a different person and start anew? Maybe that, too, but it couldn't be just that. What Kotoha was looking for the most, when she changed her name, is something else. And changing her name was the only way to do that (and reaching that conclusion was actually smart of her I think; Megumi's intellect redemption arc!).

This is when she sends Kotoha a message, having very clear in her mind that it might be the very last message she sends her. Megumi has no doubts Kotoha would come (to the place she said to meet up), even though she doesn't reply.

Megumi goes to the aquarium first thing in the morning. There's almost nobody. But there is a figure in front of the main tank. Megumi walks towards her. The dialogue here is the same as in the drama. Megumi pointing out that Kotoha always arrives first, Kotoha saying she's always one step ahead, and then joking about it being about the name of the fish. The nameless fish in the novel was a tilefish, while it's a pearl-spot chromis in the drama.

Megumi: I met Asahi.
Kotoha: And you asked him my name? That's not fair.
Megumi: I haven't. You should know he's not the kind of person to do that. The only thing I needed was a hint, and Asahi provided that.
Kotoha: So I guess you've heard what happened to me.
Megumi: I have.
Kotoha's expression contorts slightly at this realization, but she suppreses it and brings up a smile.
Kotoha: And so? What have you figured out?
Megumi: Well, your name.
Kotoha: Then let me hear it, will you? Just know that you only have one chance.
Megumi: I know that. If my guess is wrong, I won’t get involved with you anymore. It's a promise.

And she calls her name, Yotogi. "Yotogi Hashidate, that's your previous name", says novel Megumi. You might remember that in the drama it's "that's your name". This has been going on for a while. In the novel it's almost always referred to as the "previous name", or the "pre name-change name" (instead of just "name" or "real name"). Kotoha stays quiet after hearing those words, then she recites it to herself.

Kotoha: ...why did you think that was it?
Megumi: Before that, I want to talk about the word.

And so, (which felt more something for the readers, rather than for the conversation with Kotoha in itself...I mean, imagine the scene. The culmination of an intense relationship, a mystery resolved, the answer you and her were both looking for, and instead of moving forward we pause for an educational commercial!),  Megumi starts talking about Yotogi (夜伽), which I explained in my name-guessing post.
Instead of considering the more generic meaning of providing sexual company at night, the novel focuses on the more specific nuance of a woman having sexual intercourse with a man. And this is where, Megumi guesses, lies the curse. People avoid using this word because of how known the sexual interpretation has become. Even though it's unknown why and how exactly this word that merely refers to keeping someone company at night gained a sexual connotation, it's speculated that it's because sex is considered something that would naturally, almost obviously, occur if a man and a woman spent the night together. Anyway...

Kotoha: So? Just because I'm a woman who sleeps with just anyone, you guessed a word that's linked to sex? Sounds a little simplistic (chill, Kotoha lol).
Megumi: ...that's just one of the reasons. To you, your name was destiny, fate, something you obeyed to. But what led me to certainty about the name is the reason why you changed it.
Kotoha: "Because it reminds me of the nature of my abuse". So? That's how you got to Yotogi? (novel Kotoha being a bit annoying)
Megumi: Well, yeah, I guess. But the abuse you were subjected to was not only of sexual nature. You were also beaten, left outside in the snow in your underwear, all things that were recognized as crimes. Even a name like "Miyuki" (美雪, as it includes snow) could remind you of the abuse you suffered (yeah, Megumi, sure, if you ignored all the other hints...please don't mess with your intellect redemption arc!!). But the reason I thought it had to be Yotogi is because I realized the motive hidden behind the name-change. 
Ah, not because the name had to obviously start with "Yo", and it had to make sense that she perceived it as her destiny, so it had to be linked with her behavior...no? Really? NO!? The "Yo" moment was so emphasized as Kotoha's big misstep and it was just forgotten? To me, the way the resolution is reached in the drama makes much more sense. Let me know if you feel differently or similarly about this.
Kotoha: The motive?
Megumi: Yes. The reason why you wanted to change your name. At first, after listening to Asahi's story, I thought you decided to change your name because it was connected to what your mother did to you. It makes sense and it's probably part of it, though it is merely an emotional matter. It's true that the name itself felt detestable to you, and that you wanted to change yourself. But there had to be another reason, a more important one, for the Kotoha I know to decide to change her name.

There's a clear distinction between being left outside in a snowy night and being sexually abused. And that is the difference between it being considered a crime or not.

Megumi: You tried to have it recognized. Nowadays the name-change judging is much easier than it used to. Instead of a criminal trial, which didn't recognize what had happened to you, you tried to get it acknowledged by the court appointed to your name-changing examination. If they accepted the reason you stated, the fact that it reminded you of the nature of your abuse, that would paradoxically lead to the recognition of the fact itself that the abuse did occur. And so, just as planned, you got the court to acknowledge the existence of the abuse associated with the name "Yotogi".

Some considerations about Kotoha follow.
About how she was truly exceptionally strong, as Asahi said.
Until the very end, she didn't give up. She kept fighting for herself.
Using the name Yotogi Hashidate, she proved the sexual abuse she suffered, which would have otherwise disappeared, without public acknowledgment...
The court probably didn't even notice what Kotoha was trying to do. They most likely accepted the name change because of the sexual connotations in the word Yotogi.
In any case, through her actions, Kotoha made sure they couldn't pretend it never happened. The record of her name is there, publicly, officially, along with the reality of the sexual abuse she had endured at the hands of her mother...

Megumi: That's also why I thought this name was most likely to be the right one.

There was another reason. And here we finally get the mention of one of the other important clues (very much just a bonus one at this point), which is the fact that Asahi and Kotoha were said to be opposites in every way.
Morning (Asahi) and night (Yotogi)...and Sky/Heaven (Sora). This realization made Megumi conclude that Sora loved Asahi too, even though she couldn't possibly love him to the extent she loved Kotoha (I mean...good for him!!), and that perhaps Asahi didn't come to hate his name precisely because in consideration of his counterpart, it reminded him of his mother's love. My personal comment here is that I don't really see why Asahi would have to come and hate his name, honestly...Also, from what we could gather with everything he shared with us, it's obvious that despite everything he never really got to hate his mother and always yearned for her love. He might actually treasure deeply the name she has given him. But that's just how I feel. Anyway, while Megumi is thinking about names...

Kotoha: When a child is born, they're given the shortest of blessings. For me, that was a curse; a destiny that woman forced on me.
We're told that in this moment, Kotoha's face looked like that of an abandoned child, and that this must've been the face that Sora loved.
Kotoha: You got it. You guessed my real name right (it's real name now). You're truly amazing. But, you know, I believed you'd be able to do it.
Says Yotogi Hashitade as she feebly smiles.
Kotoha: A terrible name, isn't it? Way too direct (in this case "direct" refers to the meaning it can point to. Another way to say it could be "way too explicit". In any case, this line is the same from the drama).
Sure, considering what had happened to her after she was given the name, it was natural to perceive it as terrible, but Megumi can't bring herself to hate it.

Kotoha: You know, from the moment I was born, I was meant to be that woman's plaything. Born only to satisfy that pervert's desires; a woman who exists for that purpose alone (this is seriously heartbreaking; much stronger than the line in the drama).
Megumi: ...No, that's-!
Kotoha: Nobody ever punished that woman for her crime. My voice reached no one. No one listened to Yotogi Hashidate's words. And yet, it wasn't just physical abuse...
We're informed that even though it was possible to perceive the anger underlying her words, Kotoha remains calm.
Kotoha: You see, I only knew of one way to make my mother happy. I probably won't ever know of any other. That's the only thing she ever wanted from Yotogi. After changing name I was supposed to become someone else, right? And yet that's still the only thing I know. You don't understand, do you, Meguchi? You don't understand what that feels like.
This is very interesting. While the nuance is different because the characterization went on a different path, this personally made me think of drama Kotoha telling Megumi about that being the only love she knows (episode 8, bridge scene). In novel Kotoha's case, the shade of meaning is the fact that she has internalized that keeping someone sexual company is the only way to gain their love and acceptance.
She continues.
Kotoha: Do you remember all the talks about destiny?
Megumi: I'd never forget. Same for the ones about proof.
Kotoha: Even after moving away from that woman, I couldn't forget a single thing. Her crawling hands, the feeling of her tongue...But my desires were left with no destination. That's why the first thing I decided to do, was to prove it. To prove that I could function properly even with a male partner. Turned out I was quite good at it. 

This is very sad and unsettling, isn't it? She was made to associate, physically and mentally, sexual acts and pleasure with her mother, which in itself is not only terrible for a child, but must become unbearably disturbing the more one gains awareness, and reacting to that by trying to break out of it (it itself feeling like a curse, obviously) in this way, while super heartbreaking, is definitely understandable... What do you think about the fact that they avoided going there at all, in the drama? That they left the "proof" element to the viewer's interpretation, without enough hints to reach this same conclusion? 

Kotoha continues.
Kotoha: You get it, right? I was suited for it. And if my body was defined in accordance to my name, I guessed I'd better just obey to that destiny. But this time, I would do it through proper acts, with strangers, different from what I had been doing with that woman.
Megumi: And were you satisfied doing that?
Kotoha: Unfortunately, I was.
Megumi: Eh, you were!?
Kotoha: Yes, though I ended up being carelessly abandoned at a garbage dump, up until that point I was living a pretty decent life. Oh, did I give you the impression I wasn't satisfied? (I think nobody watching the drama would think Kotoha was "happy" with her promiscuous life, and instead perceived it as a coping mechanism linked to her trauma. There's no reason or hint to see it otherwise, based on the Kotoha we know in the series. But I think what happens now proves that she's just trying to convince herself she was doing fine...).
Megumi: No, I mean... I guess I honestly just don't understand you very well...
Kotoha: Right, you do have that side to you, don't you? But see, I was doing just fine even without you worrying about me! (come on, now!!)
Megumi: Yeah, well, I guess so.
Kotoha: And yet...why are you like that!? (ah, there she is! Starting to break down!)
And in saying this, she grabs Megumi's clothes, sooooo faintly that Megumi wouldn't have noticed if she didn't actually see it.
Kotoha: I was doing all right! So why did it come to this!? Even I ended up starting to lose my mind, because of all the weird things you keep saying! This can't keep up, or...! (nice call-back to the post-hickey scene in which Kotoha urges Megumi to hurry up and guess her name or she'll lose her mind).
Megumi: Kotoha...
Kotoha: Of course I'd want to fall for you. Of course I'd end up falling for you!!
Yotogi's voice (she's always called Yotogi during this section) is so soft it sounds like it's going to vanish.
Kotoha: As I come to like you more and more (she calls her Megumi, here, and she also uses the regular pronoun, instead of the dialect one), Yotogi comes back. If it feels so good, if it's so fulfilling, it's because you're a woman, just like my mother. The more I fall for you, the more I realize the depth of my curse. The fact that my body keeps desiring women, almost as if it's engrained in my cells. And yet, I wanted it. And I wanted us to become lovers. Real lovers.
At this point she's completely unraveling and exposing herself.
Kotoha: I wanted to be with you. I wanted to walk by your side. But this is just an imprinting, just a continuation of Yotogi...

Basically, my friends, she's been terrified all this time that the fact that she likes Megumi, a woman, is the result of the abuse she was subjected to by her mother...It's so deeply saddening also because this is a very much existing narrative used to "justify" or "explain" homosexuality. Generally speaking, childhood sexual abuse is used this way regardless of the sex of the abuser and the abused, though it's normally abuse perpetrated by men (which, after all, is not the entirety but almost the entirety of all sexual abuse, on children or otherwise) that is weaponized against lesbians and gay men ("she turned to women because she was abused by men" / "he was abused by men, so homosexual desire followed him in adulthood"; completely opposite, even contradictory narratives, and yet these are the common ones used to "explain" homosexuality by some people who feel the need to do so). But if you try and get in the mind of Kotoha, well...I think having that fear is extremely understandable, completely regardless of the validity of it, obviously. I don't know how things are for young gays and lesbians these days, but - and I'm talking about people without traumas now - we've been questioning it, questioning ourselves, trying to find reasons, explanations and justifications for it, for why we're "like this", some of us even hoping to find ways not to be who we are...since forever. Now imagine if you had sexual abuse trauma on top of that!
It also makes everything much worse, because she unavoidably links very negative feelings to something that should bring joy. A curse indeed.

After saying those words, Yotogi starts crying. Her crying face was different this time. She looked like a lost child.
Kotoha: I guess I'm not free from it yet. Maybe that's why I can't stop it. I guess I'm nothing but Yotogi. Otherwise it would be absurd to love you this much.
She literally thinks she shouldn't be in love with Megumi. That the fact that she is, is proof that she's still cursed! Of course she "hated" her. In Kotoha's mind, Sora not only cursed her with the name Yotogi, which destined her to be someone meant to sexually entertain others, but she also cursed her with...homosexuality. I'm going to cry! Kotoha's inner struggle is much deeper and darker in the novel, I think. 

Now, after Kotoha says those words, Megumi moves instinctively, and embraces her. Not the Yotogi during that thunderstorm night, but the girl who was there with her. Her throat thighens, but she still manages to say the following, which is lovely.
Megumi: I also don't know why I like you so much. But if I have a destiny, that destiny is you (mic drop level of a poetic line, also maybe a bit cheesy? Still I really liked it).
Kotoha: ...Megumi.
Megumi: Do you remember the millenium prize problems thing? The Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture, the Riemann hypothesis? That beautiful story about them being still unproven, and someone trying to prove them even now?
Kotoha: What are you trying to-
Megumi: Would you please give me a piece of Kotoha Furuhashi? It's okay if it's only a fragment.
New visitors get in the aquarium, including a couple (specified male-female couple). Megumi wonders what they might think, seeing them crying and hugging each other.
Megumi: You don't have to believe it's true love. It's fine even if you think it's all a misunderstanding. Even so, I am going to make you happy. I am going to prove you that, even without the curse placed on Yotogi, you would've still fallen in love with me. 

I...loved this. Considered the nuances of the story in the novel, I think this is just the perfect proof challenge Megumi could send Kotoha's way. Wanting to free her from that worry, that fear; and dispelling that part of her curse, through love.

Kotoha: You really think you can do that?

Of course, Megumi knows it's more of a wish that anything else. It wasn't a witch's curse, but her mother's abuse, that was tormenting Yotogi. And that suffering couldn't possibly end just by guessing her name. Maybe even Megumi's feelings are some kind of diagnosable delusion, or even an extension of the curse. None of that can ever really be proven. There's really a huge point throughout the novel about the impossibility of proving something 100%.
Fully aware of all of it, Megumi keeps going, raising her voice.

Megumi: You can turn your back on me and give up anytime you want. But as long as you'll be watching me, I will never, ever give up, not until I die.
Kotoha: And what if you still can't prove it?
Megumi: If I'll be able to stay by your side until the day I die, that's still a win for us (well, Megumi definitely redeemed herself after how much she annoyed me with the name-guessing part!!).
There are too many uncertainties in this world. Amongst them, names will probably always cling to us. But if only Kotoha could give her a piece of herself, Megumi could make it her beacon and keep on walking, we're told.
This is when...

Kotoha: ...Megumi. Call me by my name. By my real name.
Megumi: ...Yotogi.
Kotoha: Please. Just one more time.
Megumi: Yotogi.
Kotoha: I love you, Megumi. And I'll keep loving you forever.
The words Megumi had been waiting for, and the words Kotoha had been wanting to say all this time.
And right then and there, echoed the sound of something ending.
Kotoha: Thank you for finding Yotogi Hashidate. ...and so, now, we're friends.
The game was over. Megumi had won, so she and Yotogi had to become friends. The novel actually uses "Yotogi" here, just as it uses "Kotoha" when saying she had been waiting to confess her feelings to Megumi all that time. I feel like it's relevant. Of course, I have the same complaint I have with the drama, here. Kotoha was clear about the game ending when they broke up. She broke up with Megumi and they never formally got fake-back together. So, as far as the relationship is concerned, she guessed her name outside of it. It'll forever be unfair to me, the now we're friends thing at this point. Moreover, I find interesting that there's no emotional description when Megumi calls Kotoha "Yotogi". It's a very emotionally charged moment in the drama, with both Megumi and Kotoha's expressions being ingrained in my memory so vividly. Also, yes...there is no MASTERPIECE line about Megumi loving both Kotoha and Yotogi. Always kissing Matsugasako's feet! 

And, this chapter of the novel, actually all chapters of the novel technically end here.
What follows is a section/chapter called Continuation of Proof.

It begins with the International Relations Theory (the class both Megumi and Kotoha had been attending, remember?) exam. Megumi is waiting for it to end. Perceiving her tension, the girl sitting next to her decides to say something.
Kotoha: You wrote a whole lot, Meguchi. Was there even that much to write!?
Megumi: Hey, we're not supposed to talk during exams.
Kotoha: It's fine. They're just counting the sheets now.
Megumi: Why are you next to me anyway?
Kotoha: You know why! The seating for this exam is based on student ID number. It's not like I chose to be here myself!
It was true. The seating was assigned beforehand, in order to prevent cheating.
Kotoha: I don't think it's a good sign to write a lot on an essay exam...
Megumi: Just so you know, I actually studied quite a bit!
Kotoha: Can't wait for the results. It's not like the more your write the closer you get to being correct...

We're now informed this is them speaking with each other after about a month! Still, it all felt very natural.

Kotoha: How have you been doing the past month?
Megumi: Just normally living life. And what about you...Kotoha? I mean, it's been a while so I feel a bit weird calling your name.
Kotoha: Hm, I get it. This is a little awkward, isn't?
Megumi: Well, yeah...I guess it is.
Kotoha: You know, I actually quite liked the name you gave me; Chiyako.
Megumi: Oh, glad to hear that.
Chiyako, Yotogi, Kotoha. All those names pointed to the same beautiful girl sitting next to Megumi. But for Megumi, the only necessary name was the last one.

Kotoha: The past month...I've been feeling quite lonely, you know?
Megumi: Same for me.
Kotoha: We've become friends, and yet you didn't contact me at all!
Megumi: You also didn't contact me!
Kotoha: I feel like rules are even less clear when it comes to friends, than they are with lovers. There's nothing specific that you have to do or not to do be disqualified as a friend...
Megumi: That's right...it's possible to be friends even when far apart, or even if you never see the other person again.

We're told that in this sense, maybe, friendship offered a sort of ultimate freedom. It seemed like connections could persist completely disconnected from all sense of proof or proximity. On the other hand, maybe proof was needed precisely because of such freedom...It was a blurry boundary. And here, as you might imagine, I'm really just translating!

As the students are getting ready to leave, after all the essay sheets have been counted...

Kotoha: There's just one thing that I really want. I know I have no right to say this. But I love you, Meguchi. Just that. I don't expect anything. I just wanted to tell you. The truth is I'm really grateful to you. I think I'll probably always love you.
Megumi: So? 
Kotoha: What do you mean?
Megumi: What do you want me to do? (drama Megumi would be on her knees like on the final scene of the show, but novel Megumi keeps her act together all cool and detatched!) 
The other students have stood up and left, while Megumi and Kotoha are still seated. Kotoha's eyes are teary and communicate desire for something. Megumi knew what that was. After all, Megumi Yotsugi is Kotoha Furuhashi's friend, and she loves her from the bottom of her heart. But this time she wants for Kotoha to put it into words, so she just stares at her lips.
Kotoha: Meguchi, would you stay with me forever?
Megumi: That's precisely what I intend to do.

Since Kotoha told her what she wanted to hear the most, Megumi decides to answer her silent request. She touches Kotoha's hair (which we're told has grown a bit), which make her body tremble.

The kiss they shared after so much time, had the familiar feel of lip gloss.
And the taste of Kotoha Furuhashi.

=====

This is it, my friends. This is where Call Me by No Name, the novel, ends.
From the aquarium scene, we go directly to a month later. There is no description of how the friendship situation is addressed, or how they've both been doing. There's also no friends of Megumi getting involved...and the resolution is pretty quick. I'd really love to read your opinions on this, but I can say I overall really like the novel, but there are a couple of bits that I've found weak, or anyway weaker than the rest. That is, first of all the entire Asahi part. I'm not a fan of deus ex machina sort of situations. This character comes in the scene, drops all the relevant information in a single dialogue, and...that's it. Not exactly ideal for a mystery novel, I think (even leaving aside the frustrations I expressed in that regard!). It all feels more gradual and organic in the series, in the way it progresses, including how they dealt with the element of Sora, and how Megumi reaches the answer. Novel Megumi resolves it all in two seconds with a few taps on her smartphone, while drama Megumi goes around, visits places, talks to people, does research on books; all more in line with the mystery element of the story, and also more believable.
 
I also found the very final part a bit rushed. Not that I wanted it to be dragged, but it felt like too extreme a switch, from the aquarium moment (and I do love that part), to the final one. And while I also find the ending bit very cute and sweet, I can't just nonchalantly and carelessly embrace that "That's precisely what I intend to do" line by Megumi because it's exactly the same one she says when Kotoha asks her if she's going to pleasure her in that cuuuuuuuursed apartment scene. Why? Why!? Why make me link the lovely ending with that horrible moment? That said, I admit it would've been nice to have that exchange, or a similar one, in the drama as well. Then again, the novel has no cutie patootie Kotoha very seriously breaking down in front of a super reliable, strong and cool Megumi. Not to mention the fact that drama version of the challenge is connected to their future, while the novel one happens before them "turning into friends", so it ultimately feels much less "forward-looking". 

Still about the final part, I REALLY like the mention of the lip gloss. Remember the beginning of the story, when they first kissed? We're told that, due to the lip gloss, Megumi couldn't perceive Kotoha's taste. So this is a very very nice callback to that and a touching way to end the story.

There are some meaningful and intense exchanges in the novel that are not in the drama, but the same could be said the other way around. In the novel we have no Kotoha saying she never thought she'd be so happy, during the bridge scene. And speaking of that scene, we also don't get a weakened novel Kotoha telling Megumi about how child-like she is, being scared of the night, of rain and thunder, and Megumi telling her she doesn't have to fix it, which is also a very impactful moment in the drama. The characterization differences are pretty significant, overall. Not to the point one could say they're two completely divergent set of characters, but still significant. Overall, the biggest differences between drama and novel, leaving aside Asahi and (though it's connected) the characterization of Megumi and Kotoha, surely revolve around what happens in Kotoha's apartment and what happened in her past, with her being the sole victim of sexual abuse in the novel, and all the added nuances that make her background much deeper, darker and more upsetting (not to mention potentially problematic if anyone would lightheartedly run with the mother abusing her because she's a homosexual. I'm very convinced it was the right call to adapt this element for the drama. Especially now that it's moving some steps in a positive direction, Japanese audiences didn't need potential homophobic ammo).

 

So, well...This series of posts took a lot of time and effort. The second half was also mentally challenging for me, and it taught me how interestingly different it is to just read something upsetting, and to have to then write it down too. These past few days I've found myself in a grieving spell, as everything and everyone has moved forward, away from CallMeNo (though I know it will stay in everyone's hearts and memory), and it feels very hard for me to move forward as well. Ending this series of posts is a step in that direction though, I know. So here it is. It's over. Next month will be even more definitively over, with the release of the BD, and the MeguKoto event. But yeah, it's over. I hope these posts have been useful/interesting, and that they might continue to be, for all those who have watched Call Me by No Name, and will watch it in the future. While I'm always eager to read feedback on the differences, I know it can be a bother to leave comments, so I'm just happy if all the time and effort won't go to waste and even just a few people will read these words. Will another drama touch me like CallMeNo was able to do? I don't know. It feels impossible now, but you never know. And if it really is impossible, then so be it. Ahhh, what a journey. Thank you for coming with me. May we meet again.