I cried in the grandma scene, but overall, this episode is good but bad at the same time to laugh. Reika is an interesting character, there's something about her and the actress is beautiful, I want to buy her photobook.

She also temded to refer to herself in the 3rd person in the early days, didn't she?

^Yes.

It kind of looks like she was imitating Kahara Tomomi in her interviews. Very similar ways of speaking.

the series has gone downhill for me unfortunately.. i enjoyed the first episode but i wasn't a big fan of the second one. the third one was the most insane imho

I know it's fiction and only some parts are based on things that actually happened but I just can't get over it how needy and puppet-like they make ayu look. It's just like she is ready to do anything Masa asks for and is doing it only for him. Like skipping the visit of her dying grandmother just to write those lyrics to Masa, like really? yeah it's fictional but it makes ayu look like a big fat joke and in my eyes actually make her look worse.. I would enjoy it myself more if it was even a little bit more realistic and not all about hero-Masa

didn't her grandma past away while she was recording poker face?

I see it differently as there is a bigger picture to see about this situation. Before that moment, Masa in front of the board put his whole career at stake, betting everything on ayu. Considering his position that's a lot. Let's say she fails, he's gone, everything he's worked for and built. Even then, when she told him about her grandma's condition he encouraged her to go. He did the right thing. But she realized that she should also make choices and it's life - nothing is easy but taking into account how much he believes in her, she is to make sacrifices as well. In my eyes, she also did the right thing and made this decision herself.

She did but she also said in interview she always did that since she was child so for this particular thing I don’t really know lol

I believe that was the goal but considering she stopped acting like this quickly I think that’s was something created to make people wonder how it was possible a pretty pony~«dumb» girl can write lyrics that meaningful. It was definitely not her true personality.

I also got the feeling she felt it's what her grandmother would have wanted: to work hard and make her dreams come true.

I don't think they are making Ayu look like a puppet either... Yeah, they are giving Max a lot of credit, but let's but honest in here... She was a teenager with a littlte to none music industry and production background, he most likely did have more credit than he actually got. This get very obvious when you notice how much her aesthetic changed once she got creative control.

The role of Max in the series, so far, is making Ayu notice how much value and raw talent she has... Something that don't really fall very far from what she said herself about the start of her career. Even the "you use words in an interesting way and should write lyrics" isn't much different from "so, I read your letters and I think you should write lyrics". Having a talent for writing doesn't mean she noticed by herself she had that talent.

BLITZ Fansub (who are subbing the series) stated in their translation notes that it was trendy to refer to yourself in the third person at that time. Not sure how true that is.

Yeah I agree with this. That's why I'm cutting Kalen a bit of slack because even though she's lackluster right now it might have more to do with the script and the direction she's getting as well as what ayu was really like during this point in time.

I think that's a common thing in Japan. When I was studying abroad I knew people who did it all the time. It's just another one of the choices one has in terms of selecting a personal pronoun for themselves.

Didn't know that o.o

Oh, I like how the drama states Ayu is neither an idol or a singer, but an artist


On a different topic...
I remember once reading Hitomi Shimatani was well liked by producers because she accepted anything and was easy to work with because of that...

Does that make Ayu a nightmare to work with by their standartd? XD

Why are you upset with ayu looking like a puppet? You forget she was still nobody

Also, AbemaTV is going to air a Remix version of M -Ai subeki Hito ga Ite-. Not sure what it is, maybe a video to promote the drama?

Because we shouldn't forget she herself said she had some creative control early on...
She said it was because she didn't trust people. But as she got older and her career went on, then she started to let her team have more control.
I even recall her making arrangements choices on ASFXX (album).

I didn't watch the drama yet, just scrolled through it. But the portrayal they seem to make of ayu is really annoying. Like she's a stupid girl, a puppet with no personality who can't make decisions by herself.
As I said in her idol days you can see she already had a strong personality and she knew what she was doing. Of course she seemed bit dumb when her avex career began. But that was obviously an act. She likes to act like an innocent (and dumb) child sometimes.

Well, so far she didn't record any song on the drama, she just wrote some lyrics.

Okay but still... If she's really portrayed like a puppet it doesn't fit and it's really annoying. Hope it will change quickly and that it's just something changed to add more to the narration and character arc.

Actually the remix version is a commentary version of the first episode according to AyuTrollada.

yeah of course she was nobody before Max found him and yeah she needs someone to teach those things to her - you are absolutely correct.

the biggest reason why I feel very uneasy with this kinda storyline is that I have always thought ayu more self-made and doing things her way rather than being just a puppet in a men's world. Yeah she didn't go to avex and ask them to do stuff for her from the beginning but this is a little too much imho. and this is my own opinion and why I feel uneasy with this. as you all said already, you don't agree with my thoughts and I appreciate it but personally I wish they didn't portrait her as needy and puppet-like as she looks like in my eyes here. I really hope that changes when this series goes on

that Kalen running and "crying" was hilarious :D best part of episode 3

So I watched the first epi and as ridiculous as the show is I do agree with what Max had said “I could listen to you sing forever.”. This is what I am always thinking when I’m attending her shows.