7.0/10 - Heartbreaking.

It's so heart breaking! Kyoko wants to change. She's been working hard, but to change from such emotional damage is so hard. With every person who was supposed to lift her up and let her become stronger only beating her down. The glimpse of current day mom actually, uncaring, talking loud enough about how Kyoko is erased to Kyoko's younger sister is the cruelest thing. It also makes me wonder if when Kyoko stripped nude and walked out if it was recorded and shared. So it was a huge scandal that spread around as well. That would fit Hoshina. Truly I think he's an evil enough person to set something up so that Kyoko would be alienated and haunted her entire life. *shivers*

I truly hope the writer explores the full history behind Kyoko and her mother. It doesn't have to be long, but something so that we know why her mother was that with her. With a extremely brief flashback it's already shown that Hoshina's father was his abuser and that's why he's twisted. Just one flash and we know that Hoshina was tormented. So instead of being a victim he became a tormentor.

It's nice seeing that Kyoko tries and she has one true friend at least. Though that friend, Hotta, doesn't seem to fully understand the atrocities that happened to her. So maybe Kyoko doesn't have one true friend yet. Kyoko needs to be able to share this with someone. Since she can't trust people, I think a good psychiatrist is called for.

The power of this episode is seeing how much Kyoko wants to change. She knows that she likes Yoshizaki. She's not sure how, but that she does and wants to grow/explore those feelings. Yoshizaki is slowly being drawn to Kyoko. I know that he's already very interested. (Which proves that other men would very easily like Kyoko.) The awful truth is watching Hoshina masterfully push Kyoko's buttons and play with her emotions. So when Kyoko thinks that she doesn't want Hoshina to take Ida home because he's EVIL and could hurt Ida, it's all the more clear that Hoshina is right. He's played her. Kyoko doesn't truly care about Ida's safety—though I'm sure it's there—the truth is she doesn't want Hoshina to give attention to any other women.

I'm invested in Kyoko graduating from Hoshina, but at her current state I don't think she can. She need some real time between them. Right now I feel leaving her job would be the best choice, but I'd hate for him to steal that from her. Wow, I am so invested in how this plays out.

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