Marmalade Boy episode 8

Episode title
Otona no kaori Yakimochi nante yaite nai!
[Adult Fragrance I'm Not Jealous or Anything!]
Air date
1994.05.01
Miki awakes this morning and looks out the window. She looks at the pictures from the trip to Hokkaido (last episode) and remembers the events of the trip: walking around town with her friends, Arimi grabbing Ginta and dragging him away like they were dating, her and Yuu together in the park... She finally remembers Meiko asking her if she's jealous. Miki replies that she doesn't think so, she just can't understand who she likes better, Yuu or Ginta.

Miki is glad that it's Sunday and goes back to bed since she can. Hugging her pillow, she thinks of Ginta and Yuu. Her mom calls for her to wake up and come out. Miki hesitates, thinking that she doesn't want to join the others right now. This train of thought is interrupted by Yuu knocking. He calls Miki a sleepyhead and then imitates the two fathers also calling her to get up.

Finally up, Miki finds the rest of the family outside starting a party. After a few jokes about who can and cannot cook, the party begins. The parents are glad to have both kids home and welcome them back. They ask the two how their trip went. After filling her plate, Miki sits off by herself to eat and worries about this unnatural family she's in and also about Ginta and Arimi. Her dad notices this and suggests that they all go out and do something together, like shopping or a movie. Miki refuses, saying that they can't because their friends at school and their teachers would then learn of their strange family arrangement.

She accuses the parents of having no common sense, runs out the gate and down the street to get away from all this. As she walks, she worries about her the situation, ending up in a store. She picks up a cute stuffed bear, but then wonders if that's too childish. She then notices Arimi at the counter trying some perfume, and thinks that she looks quite grown-up. Looking at herself in a mirror, Miki thinks that she looks rather like a child in comparison.

Walking out from her hiding place, Miki greets Arimi and notices the nice smell of her perfume. Arimi asks if she's alone, and finding that she is, comments that it's time for her ``date with Ginta,'' and leaves. Miki is shocked that Arimi called him ``Ginta'' since this implies a good deal closeness between them.

{\tolerance=5000 \hbadness=5000 Miki returns home, only to be greeted by the sound of breaking china. She and Yuu go and find a flower vase broken on the floor. Miki asks who did it, then notices that all the parents are standing apart and are looking angry and sullen. She asks her mom what happened. Rumi says it's nothing and Jin tells the two kids to go to their rooms.

Yuu and Miki discuss this the next day at school. Neither seems to understand this quarrel among their parents. Ginta happens to pass by and notices the two talking seriously (which does not settle his feelings).

That evening, while Miki is in her room, writing in her diary, she hears another crash. She and Yuu go to investigate and find their parents arguing again. They're all coming to the conclusion that they can't take this anymore and that maybe this whole idea of their divorce and remarriage isn't going to work. Jin suggests that they go back to the way things were, also it would be better if the Matsuuras and the Koishikawas didn't see each other again. This surprises both Yuu and Miki, and she demands to know what he's talking about. He apologizes, saying that they knew Miki was against this whole thing from the beginning. This will at least put things back the way she wanted them. She's surprised and confused, thinking this is too weird. Yuu asks, and finds out that he'll have to transfer to a new school as well.

An angry and confused Miki tells them to stop and think it over carefully; it's not all simple. When asked why, she explains that they're all nice folks and that she's come to like this household, even though it is strange. She asks them not to give up just because of a brief disagreement. Her father asks her if she's no longer unhappy with their situation, and if it really is okay like this. Miki is confused about why he's this serious about the question, but admits that she doesn't mind their arrangement.

When she says this, all the parents break out of their funk and start jumping around, happy. Even Yuu is smiling. Youuji-papa apologizes for surprising Miki like this. They were only acting; they wanted to find out what Miki really thought about this, since she had been opposed. Miki is not happy that they took advantage of her gullibility like this, even more, when Yuu says that he figured out that it was all an act from the beginning.

As the parents go on about how they orchestrated this act, Miki snaps. She bars herself in her room and cries uncontrollably on her bed. All the parents knock on her door, asking her to come out and apologizing for acting this way. She yells at them to go away. Chiyako-mama comments that maybe they overdid it a little.

{\tolerance=9999 Inside, Miki thinks that this is just too horrible. She figures that she'll go somewhere far away to college so she can escape these annoying meddlers. She really understands Meiko's situation with her parents much better now. Her thoughts are interrupted by a knock on the window.

It's Yuu, on the balcony outside. She lets him in, and asks how he got there. He jumped from the next window (outside his room). Miki has trouble believing this. She then asks why he did something like this. He replies that surprising her stopped her crying, and she is forced to agree. Yuu sits down with her, wipes her eyes and says that this really was a terrible experience. He asks her not to be too hard on their folks, since they really were worried about Miki's feelings. They did this all for her sake, even if it was far from the best way to do things. He smiles and asks her to forgive them. Convinced, Miki and Yuu exit her room together.

Miki writes in her diary to Meiko, telling her of the events of today. Actually, she tells more of how she is starting to feel more for Yuu, than of the incidents. While she is writing, Chiyako-mama knocks on her door. She comes in and apologizes to Miki again. She has something for her. Her company is introducing a make-up set for girls Miki's age, so Chiyako is giving her one. Miki is overjoyed to receive this, and even more that Chiyako offers to show her how to use it. Miki opens the perfume, comments on the nice fragrance and tells Chiyako about meeting Arimi at the perfume counter and being worried about her seeming more grown up. Chiyako's help has just solved this worry, and things are again happy.