I just want to be there. #WelcomeBackMone

This is the "Diary of the Excited Welcome Back Mone" updated every Friday. I was moved by the story of Miyata-san picking up the horn again, and as a former member of the brass band, I also felt like playing again. Would anyone like to play with me in Kameyama?
Let's take a look back at the week's broadcasts. Illustrations and text by Sayumi.

*From here on, spoilers from the 19th week broadcast will be included. If you haven't watched it yet, please return now.

Monday, September 9th: No big deal.

The film starts with the Nagaura family home in a mess after the tornado. They are probably dejected, but perhaps it is because they have experienced the "earthquake" that they are able to calmly continue cleaning up. When I saw the scene where the mother called Monet to tell her that the family was safe and that "everyone is OK," I thought, "That's right..." People who have been affected by disasters tend to say "it's OK" to people far away. That's because they don't want to worry the other person.
Later, at the coin laundry in Shiomiyu, Monet is dozing off when Suganami-sensei comes to her. Is this a marriage proposal? In a place like this? Doesn't anyone else want to use the coin laundry? Well, that's okay!
"I've pretty much said this already..." "I feel like being with you will change me for the better" "No!" "I want to be with you! For every minute and every second of the future to come!" This is the sequence! The moment when Suganami-sensei prioritized emotion over logic! He "thinks" that he wants to get married, not "please marry me" or "let's get married", it's typical of Suganami-sensei to care for his partner even at a time like this!
...Hot! The only place you can see this kind of Suganami sensei is in "Okaeri Mone" (obviously)! Today is the memorable day we got to hear Suganami sensei's emotional confession. Congratulations!

But... I honestly can't relate to that. ...No, wait, wait a second. Why? It's because I'm a grandpa!
Sorry to everyone at #OurSuganami... sorry to spoil your day again! I can't help but think about Kesennuma again! I can't get the image of the old man with that sad look on his face saying "It's no big deal" out of my head! What a day!
And do you all remember? When Ryochin left Tokyo, he said, "It's okay." Why do men of the sea try to act cool?

Monet is happy that her teacher is coming back to Tokyo, meaning that if she stays in Tokyo, they will be together. However, when she hears from Sue-chan over the phone about the true extent of the damage to her family home, Monet must have started thinking again about where she should be. How will he respond to her proposal? What will happen to her grandpa?

Tuesday, September 9st: Crossing the bridge.

Although she can't get through to her family by phone, she receives a message from Mi-chan saying, "I'm fine, so don't worry!" Mone is restless, but Dr. Suganami advises her to "see for yourself and do what you can," and she decides to go to Kamejima.
Dr. Suganami, who was left behind at Shiomiyu, meets a repairman who has come to repair the boiler. To his surprise, it is Miyata, a former horn player who treated Dr. Suganami when he was a newcomer. "I've always hated you," Miyata says with a smile, "I'm alive now. That's what's important." The scene then cuts to the Nagaura family home in Kamejima, where many of the neighbors have gathered as if it were a "festival," and are enthusiastically cleaning up... This is exactly what Miyata said. The people of Kesennuma are full of energy and vitality, despite the terrible damage they must have suffered. As long as you're alive, as long as you're alive, you'll be able to do something! This conveys the strength of people, showing us that this is just how they are.
In the real world, 10 years have passed since the earthquake, and many people have experienced not only the earthquake itself, but also the loss of important people and things in the years since then. And now, with the COVID-XNUMX pandemic, I think everyone has had times when they feel like giving up. But as long as you're alive. At least as long as you're alive, you can stand up for yourself. I've actually seen a lot of that in Kesennuma.
Ryochin said to me, "I love what the people here say," and I thought it was great that he was able to affirm his hometown in that way... and I wanted to say, "I love the people of Kesennuma, too!"

Monet is taken aback by the situation, which is different from what she had imagined, and wonders if she should enter this place. Yuto, Mitsuo, Ryochin, and other classmates are also doing what they can. "What have I come to this point for?" she asks herself, encouraging herself because she doesn't want to regret "I couldn't do anything then" again. Monet takes a step out of the darkness into the bright place where everyone is, and answers, "I've crossed the bridge."
"Unlike that day, I've made it here. I've overcome the feelings I had back then and I've come here." It was just a short line, but I felt like all of Monet's struggles up until that point were contained in these words.

I decided on Wednesday, September 9nd.

When Monet returns home, Koji cheers her on by saying, "A child born across the sea has crossed the bridge!" Monet is finally able to join the circle of people who do what they can. Hmm? Now that I think about it, no one has said "Welcome back, Monet" yet...? Does that mean the payoff of the title is still a long way off?

Once the cleanup is complete, Mitsuo suddenly declares, "I'm going to take over the temple!" It's true that he's fueled by alcohol, but the viewers know that this is a firm decision, having seen Mitsuo's experience up close at the temple during the disaster, fleeing it, and then deciding to return.
So Mitsuo's hair-cutting ceremony began in a hurry. I was in tears at the scene where Mitsuo was shaved with clippers. Koji and I had talked about whether or not to take over the family business when Mitsuo had just started university. In the end, Mitsuo's father cut him with the clippers. Mitsuo chose his own path of "taking over the family business" different from Koji's.
The atmosphere was pretty serious at the time, but when I connected with Sue-chan via video call, the mood lightened up. I thought the childhood friends team was really great.

The next morning, Ryuuki and Monet talk about the damage. "Compared to what happened back then, it's really nothing," and "We're tough." The old man's words were the same ones I had heard many times in Kesennuma after the disaster. I remembered the faces of all the people smiling and saying "we're tough" even though it wasn't nothing serious. I'm overwhelmed, so I'll stop here for today.

Thursday, September 9rd Let's try again.

"Can I come back here?" Mone asks Mi-chan. Ever since she said, "You didn't see the tsunami, did you?", there has been an invisible divide between Mone and Michi. In their conversation, the two of them clash with each other, revealing their true feelings that they had never expressed before, such as "If I say no, will you come back?" and "I ran away from here."
The reason why Monet left Kesennuma and wanted to do something for Kesennuma was because of Mi-chan, and I realized that Monet loved Mi-chan and that she was important to her. It was a big step to bridge the gap caused by the earthquake. On that day, the sisters were supposed to be close, but they were "all busy with their own concerns." Time has passed since then, and now that they have both grown up, they are finally able to talk to each other with consideration for each other.
Well, what bothers me a little is the dispute in Tokyo...it was a love affair. But when it comes to love, I believe time heals all wounds!!

Monet has returned to Tokyo. I've been wondering about this, but Monet has been wearing this white shirt the whole time. But if you stay up all night or wear the same clothes for days, you won't look like this... This is the clarity, or rather the cleanliness, that only Kiyohara Kaya can pull off! And she didn't sleep at all, did she? I just hope that she slept soundly on the way back from Kesennuma to Tokyo.

And lastly, former horn player Miyata-san. The gruff teacher has changed, and when Suganami-sensei told him that there was someone he wanted to play the horn for, Miyata-san immediately said, "Oh, so there's a good person like that? I get it!" and accepted the role. Will the sound of the horn reverberate in living rooms tomorrow?

I will be returning to the island on Friday, September 9th.

After listening to Miyata's horn performance, Monet says, "I didn't know music could give you such a push." ​​This was the scene where Monet, who had given up music, saying, "Music is useless," once again finds herself moving forward thanks to music.
Talk of marriage has been put on hold for the time being, but as Dr. Suganami said, "(Staying together) means thinking about your future together, doesn't it?", I was able to confirm that our feelings for each other would not change even though we were apart, and I felt that there was no such thing as a "put on hold" that would give me more peace of mind.
Afterwards, Mone tells the J-TV weather team that she wants to quit her job as a weather anchor. "It just seemed that way," Takamura says, to which Mone responds rather matter-of-factly. Mone isn't quitting the company, but it's wonderful that she can tell them like this without making a big deal out of it! It's really tough to be in an environment where you want to quit but can't... I really wanted to be someone who can create a good workplace like Takamura and Asaoka.

Monet then gives a presentation on being a "local weather forecaster" so that she can continue working in the local area. However, although the concept is once again understood, it is not profitable. Meanwhile, Monet expresses her honest thoughts, saying, "I always wanted to do a job that would be useful to my local area. But it was different." "The desire to help and protect is important. But I was really happy to feel that I just wanted to be there and do something together." Regarding this, in my comments on September 9th, I wrote, "Even if you go home with enthusiasm, there won't be much you can do to help, so don't worry, Monet," but I think the important thing is to "be there."
This is a personal story, but since I came to Kesennuma, I have been told many times, "It's enough just to be here." And many times I've felt depressed, thinking, "Is my presence useless?" However, by being there, the number of people I know increases, and the number of things I can do increases.
Although it was "easy business," the president said, "it warms my heart somehow." I think this is because he was moved by Monet's honest feelings and wanted to see what kind of future it would envision. The president, who is a character that symbolizes "doing the right thing," approved this unprofitable plan, which I felt showed us that human joy and a bright future lie in places that cannot be explained by righteousness alone.
When Asaoka-san, who had been watching over Monet, said, "Finally, at last you can go home," it looked like a scene of master and student finishing a long journey of training and becoming independent. That means next week will finally be "welcome home." I've been waiting so long for Monet to come back, but the end is in sight, and I'm starting to feel a little sad.

I've been thinking about this again recently, but since "Welcome Back, Mone" has so many characters, I feel like it leaves room for the imagination to ask questions like, "What is that person doing now?" or "What have they been up to?"
That's why it's fun to talk to different people about this story.

A new character will appear in the final Kesennuma chapter starting next week! There's still a little bit left, so please keep reading this diary!

#I'm so excited for Welcome Back Mone
#WelcomeBackMone
#I forgot to introduce the characters
#Native Tohoku dialect
#Our Yama-chan too
#I'm waiting for your letters
#Monet painting

(Text and illustrations by Sayumi)

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Person who wrote this article

Sayumi

I live in Kesennuma. I write illustrations, articles and manga for "Kesennuma Saite Kerain" and other websites. I share information about fun things to do and delicious food in Kesennuma. I am in charge of the "Okaeri Mone Diary." I like comedy, manga, games and horror movies. [Twitter] @sayumino1nichi　 [Instagram]@sayumi_insta

• Welcome back, Mone
• I'm so excited for Welcome Back Mone
• Monet topics
• 朝ドラ
• Kaya Kiyohara
• 連続テレビ小説

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