Kids on the Slope 1.07

Now's the Time

Kaoru and Sentaro haven't spoken two words to one another since the end of the previous episode when Kaoru blew up during the clam digging competition.

Sentaro runs into Yurika at the record shop. It isn't clear why she is there but she is thumbing through some records, staring at the cover to a Chet Baker album. He immediately thinks of the Christmas night when they played at a club for American servicemen. For a moment it looks like Yurika and Sentaro and going to kiss but then Junichi comes stumbling around the corner. Did Yurika know or suspect that he was staying at the record store? Is that why she was there? Was Junichi drunk? Sentaro punches Junichi. Yurika runs off. Clearly, Sentaro knows now that something happened between Junichi and Yurika.

Kaoru and Ritsouko are nominated to be in charge of collecting applications for the music festival. Kaoru ends up talking to Sentaro briefly when he comes to sign the band up he is playing with at the moment. Their conversation is mostly business. Kaoru makes a half-hearted attempt at bridging the emotional gap between them but it doesn't seem to change anything.

The day of the festival rolls around. When Sentaro, Seiji, and the rest of the band are playing the electricity suddenly gets cut off mysteriously. While looking for the cause of the problem Kaoru overhears Sentaro talking to another member of the band. He is telling him about how this is a one time thing and that once the festival is over he is going back to jazz and playing with Kaoru.

Kaoru doesn't find the problem but he goes out and starts to play My Favorite Things on the piano. Sentaro joins in on drums. Fairly quickly they have the crowd mesmerized and kids coming from all over the school to listen to them.

They get a huge round applause when they are done playing. This was by far the highlight of the episode. It was good to see them playing together again. It was an inspired performance. After they finish playing Sentaro drags Kaoru out of the building and they go running off down the hill.

I don't know where this is all going. Will there be some sort of romantic reconciliation between Kaoru and Ritsouko and/or Sentaro and Yurika? What about Junichi? What's going to happen to him? I'm still watching this mostly for the music. The interpersonal drama is what it is but the music is great.