I couldn’t help but take a screenshot of this shot when Daikichi and Rin left for Tokyo again. The big hearted smile of the grandparents is just heartwarming to look at. I don’t know exactly why but I especially love the expression of Daikichi’s dad. It’s a little bit like “Dawww, finally our family got bigger and cuter.”
And I can’t disagree with him. It was really nice to see how the family slowly warmed up to Rin and how Rin warmed up to the family. So when she asked if she could come back again it was like a big step towards the future has been finally made and the ice has been finally broken. This also shows in the moment when Daikichi’s mom tells his sister that she should become a mother. Yep, you can’t beat the cuteness of Rin or her genius statement that Daikich’s mom is too young to be called grandmother. I think that was the exact tipping point to the better.
Nevertheless not everything’s fluffy and sparkly. Although Rin has become more and more relaxed she’s of course still not over her father’s death. Her fear that she or Daikichi might die felt natural and it showed that Rin really has grown very close to Daikichi in a very short time. The old bachelor played his parent role almost perfectly in how she told her that she has to fear nothing (anymore). He’s been a really good parent up to now, that much is sure.
On the bigger scale everything’s not that heartwarming either and it was a nice change to see some subtle political statement added to the mix. Being a parent can be really hard and it seems that being a parent/mother in Japan can be especially hard. As far as I know Japan has quite a strict view on everyone’s position in society which is that everybody has to work their asses off for the greater good. But at the same time a mother has to be a good mother and stay by her baby for a while which means she’s a housewife. Yet after that time it’s almost impossible to get back into your usual job or what you usual did. In other words, as a mother, you lose your position in society a little bit and even worse a little bit of your raison d’être. This has to be a devastating feeling for many and how they have to make big sacrifices. Usagi Drop added this political statement really well because it’s always told from the perspective from the parents and they don’t start some big speeches about that issue. Daikichi has to make a decision about his future in the company. And since last week established the stress of bringing Rin to the daycare, neither the thinking process nor the fact that Daikichi has to give up something feels out of place. From the various dialogues it also became clear that Daikichi is a really important asset for the company and his colleagues so this adds weight to the whole matter.
