Heroes are powerful.
Heroes are lonely...
...and they walk off alone in the final scene.
He was just like that, too.
My hero was just like that.
Was that good?
He was disqualified the instant he stopped playing.
Only scattered applause. A confused audience...
Well, why not? Only one person matters to me.
Will it reach her?
I hope it reaches her.
There will now be an intermission.
A competition is...
A competition is a sacred garden of music.
Under no circumstances is it a place to find yourself.
Still the same prickly old geezer, huh?
And he's escalated with old age. God help us. Hey, Mr. Mediocre!
Seto-san?
It's Hiroko-san, remember?
S-S-S-Sorry!
You cut your hair.
For a second, I didn't recognize you.
Hey, a woman changes her 'do every time she finds a man.
And besides, it's been two years.
Who's the stunner?
Somehow I think I've seen her before...
Damn you, Kousei, keeping her from me. I thought you were my friend!
She's that lady who was always with Kousei's mom.
Hiroko Seto. She's Japan's leading pianist.
Hello, Koharu-chan. Do you remember me?
Since she was classmates with Arima-kun's mother, Saki Arima, in college,
it makes sense that they would know each other.
Here, there are all these Kouseis that I know nothing about.
Huh? Huh? Hiroko-san, everyone's staring!
Hey, Hiroko. Hold him, will you?
Huh? How do I do that?
Support his head.
Gently, now.
Isn't he adorable? His name is Kousei.
Are you going to turn him into a pianist?
Not if I can help it. That's such a demanding job. He's my treasure!
You've got to turn him into a pianist.
But...
Kousei's a genius.
...me. Help me...
Kousei. I'm sorry.
Mom...
I'm sorry. I'm sorry...
You got so big, Kousei.
You smell like cigarettes.
All right, our nostalgic reunion is over now.
Your friends are glaring at us with the scariest faces.
Whoops! Busted!
You're going to stay for the results, right?
No. I'm out of the running anyway, and I'm not here for results.
Yeah, the way you bombed was all kinds of extraordinary!
That's really harsh...
Even so, you should be there when the results go up.
It's important.
By the way, which one is it?
The girl with the long hair? Or with the short hair? Hmm?
Which is the girl you're in love with?
It's not like that.
It's no use,
lying to me.
Your piano was singing it out.
Saying, "I love you..."
Are you unaware? Or are you pretending not to notice?
Your hidden emotions. The you that you never knew.
The piano will drag out everything in your youth.
Brace yourself.
All right, see you soon.
It's not like that.
This is just gratitude...
After all, she's...
She's the girl who likes my best friend. And I'm Friend A, after all.
We will now post the names of those who cleared the first round of the preliminaries.
Maiho Music Competition Qualifiers Pianists Takeshi Aiza
Found my name!
Where?
What happened to Arima-kun?
So Arima's name isn't listed, after all...
Emi Igawa
Heroes don't succumb. Heroes don't crumble.
Just as expected. I stopped playing midway, after all.
No way!
I did it! There's my name!
What, I didn't make it again this year?
I'm gonna work hard towards next year's competition.
And this was my last chance...
I'm so bitter...
I'm so bitter... So bitter...
Takeshi...
What was up with that performance?
What have you been doing all this time?
My goal is Kousei Arima.
Flip-flopping between playing styles like that...
Turning in such a train wreck of a performance!
Where did the almighty Arima go?
The lonely pianist, my hero - where did he go?
My hero is made of super alloy... my hero never loses!
You knew that if you stopped playing, you wouldn't make it past the prelims.
So why...
Why do you have that look on your face?
Heroes always win, no matter what. This is like... it's like you're actually human.
I see. So it was a train wreck.
Then that means I turned in another sloppy performance.
Rumor has it that Arima can't hear the notes.
He really can't hear the notes...
But I wasn't slacking at all. I practiced till I passed out. I gave my all.
You're just you, no matter what.
And if I still turned in a sloppy performance after all that, then...
That's who I am now. It's the current me, playing with everything I've got.
Mozart said, "Go on a journey."
I have no idea what lies ahead.
But I've taken the first steps.
We're still in the middle of our journey.
That's right.
I'm a musician, just like you.
That's why I'm moving on.
That guy's changed, huh?
I'll bet he's found it. A reason to play.
His playing...
For just an instant, you could see a mischievous child peering out.
Say something to him, Tsubaki.
He's depressed because he lost for the first time ever, that Kousei.
You go talk to him! You're a man, right?
I'm fine, okay? I'm totally cool with this.
R-Right!
A competition is a sacred garden of music. It's not a place to find yourself.
What was up with that performance? What have you been doing all this time?
I...
A robot.
The Human Metronome.
His mother's puppet.
If I'm a robot... If I'm a puppet...
I'm so bitter!
I missed my chance at becoming a star.
Hey... Kousei?
What? What the...?
What's up with these emotions? Something's moving me!
Run!
That's right. I'm the same as you, Tsubaki, Watari.
I'm a person, just like you.
Kousei's out of his mind!
Hold up!
I'm home!
Welcome home, Kaori. How was he? Arima-kun?
He was extremely entertaining!
What do you mean by that comment?
Details later!
There's a letter here for you, Kaori.
Oh? What could it be?
I'm going to get changed. I'm drenched with sweat!
Towa Music Competition
Kousei!
Are you up? You've been resurrected!
Zombie? Zombie?
Huh? Seto-san? Good morning. What's going on?
You wouldn't pick up no matter how many times I called you,
so I'm here out of worry, you little punk!
Hey, aren't those the clothes you were wearing yesterday?
Would it kill you to take a bath? The filth!
Want me to give you a wash just like old times?
Whoa! I'll wash up myself. And I'll take my clothes off myself, too!
Huh! Growing up on me, dammit!
You were playing all night, until you passed out, huh?
Hiro-chan!
Look at you.
Boys will be boys, after all.
Here you go. Se- Hiroko-san, you take your coffee black, right?
Don't hold it where it's hot.
Is Takahiko-san still away on business? Ever the free range parent, I see.
Will milk be okay for you, Koharu-chan?
Well, it has been two years.
To tell you the truth, I never thought you'd take up the piano again.
Neither did I.
So what made you turn to the piano again?
It's almost summer vacation.
Nein! There'll be no breaks for us.
The day before yesterday, an invitation from the Towa Hall office arrived.
An invitation?
Towa Hall... as in that competition you and Kousei played in?
Is that by any chance... the gala concert?
Ja!
"Gala concert" refers to
a special performance held to commemorate something.
In this case, it's a recital to mark the heights achieved by the winners
and other top performers at the Towa Music Competition.
Hmm, so if it were a sport, it would be like an exhibition match?
Full marks!
And as the promoters' choice, we've been invited.
Me, and...
You.
So the almighty duo is back in business!
What are you gonna do?
What will you do?
Is our song for the gala concert set?
Yeah.
I want to do this one.
Huh? But this is...
Kreisler's Liebesleid.
Love's Sorrow...
Kousei...
We're playing this at the gala?
Normally, you'd do something more major, more showy.
This one's really subdued.
That's okay, that's okay. We're just the throw-ins, anyway.
There's no way anyone else will be playing this song,
and we're bound to stand out more if we play something chill.
These galas are all about standing out, don't you know?
F Kreisler Love's Sorrow
Let's do something else. Something cooler!
Sorry.
As someone who dropped you,
I don't deserve to be a violinist. I'm sorry.
Please bear with me for just a little longer.
That small back. So tiny, she looks like she'll crumble away at my touch.
All right.
Let's do this.
What made you turn to the piano?
One day in April,
I met a really weird violinist.
Totally outrageous. Self-righteous.
But the smile she shows to people she likes is angelic.
When I got onstage after she kicked, punched, and dragged me up there...
On that familiar stage, I saw a sight that I'd never seen before.
I want to see that sight again with my own eyes one more time.
That's what made me think...
That I'd like to become a really weird pianist!
I see.
Ouch. Ouch...!
Then who else but me to serve as your guardian?
Hey, what's with that horrified reaction?
No, no...
Please. Teach me to play the piano.
Doryo Bridge
Come on,
will you start taking this seriously?
I am. We played together for the first time. That's about what you should expect.
Are you really into...
Look, look!
They're pretty, huh?
Did you squash it?
So ephemeral and weak. But it's shining with all its might.
Thump, thump, like a heartbeat.
This is the light of life.
Uh, testing, testing.
How was it? Your first competition in ages?
You know what, I felt it there.
That everyone has something deep in their hearts.
For some it might be hostility.
Aspiration, hopes. The desire to show off.
To think, "Let it reach them."
Feelings for my mom.
We all had our personal emotions to lean on.
Maybe it's not possible for someone to get up on stage in an innocent state.
What about you?
What did you have in your heart?
What did you lean on?
I had you.
I'm... going on a journey.
The applause raining down.
Pursuing that moment when my music reached them.
Pursuing that sight of her with her back to me.
Until one day, for sure,
I've pulled even with her... until that day comes.
Let's go home.
"You know, I’m not always going to be around to help you..."
Light of Life
...Charlie Brown.
Episode 12 Twinkle Little Star
Watch Again Next Week!