Empty Promises

ANALYSIS

Okay, so this is basically a chapter where you guys can discuss your thoughts and opinions.

This is also the place where I'll talk about the parent's story and the way their relationship progressed.

BTW, I made myself write this analysis chapter as I was writing the story to always keep in mind the character's motivation. English classes really be doing the charm lol

And perhaps you already know what I'm going to say (which would be amazing since it's what I tried to convey throughout the story) but in case I didn't explain myself that well in certain parts, here are my thoughts.

(I also wrote the chapter number in certain points in case you want to go back and pick up on these subtleties. Though you can find bits and a lot of foreshadowing of what I'm talking about all throughout the story).

First of all, Rui genuinely fell for Hanami and vice versa. Unfortunately, their selfish interests and pride became their downfall.

On a surface level, they're both very different. Their backgrounds are complete opposites (poor/rich) as well as their beliefs. Hard work will always pay off VS the world is unfair, survival of the fittest. (Chapter 5)

In reality, they're actually very similar. Rui has been pressured his whole life to be perfect whilst Hanami began feeling this pressure when her mother changed (she began stressing over the bills and her family's future when her husband was hospitalized). Moreover, as soon as the two got engaged, they had certain expectations to live up to (both from their families, their friends, their school, etc.)

So, in this aspect, Rui could've helped Hanami deal with this new pressure, not just telling her how appearances were key but more on an emotional level.

When it comes to their personalities, they're both very ambitious and work hard for what they want. Unfortunately, these traits are also the reason why they clash so much as they both want to be number one no matter what. Thus, they are practically incapable of feeling genuinely proud whenever the other achieves anything as they always feel the need to come on top (Chapter 12)

Now, if we analyze Hanami's character, we see that she is too prideful to ever admit she's wrong. She's also extremely stubborn and once she clings onto an idea, there's really no changing her mind. She indirectly taught this to her daughter, though Reader became much more flexible over the years since she had no other choice but to agree with whatever her controlling mother said

Picking up from "Part 2: Adulthood" we see that tragedy strikes the family: Hanami loses her parents and Rui loses his father which leaves them with Aina (Rui's mother).

Following the timeline, Hanami gets pregnant and four years after having Akiro, Aina manipulates her into giving up her dream so she now starts resenting her son. Hanami also begins to resent her father since he was the main reason why she even agreed to the marriage in the first place and thus makes him responsible for introducing Aina into her life. Her arguments with Rui also start to get more and more frequent and rather toxic since they continuously attack one another and then never apologize.

One of the main topics is Hanami's neglect of Akiro, which is totally understandable for Rui to bring up. However, the way they handle it is very toxic and only leads to more hatred and resentment for each other.

In other words, Hanami lets it slip that she hates Akiro for being the reason why she gave up on her dream and Rui counterattacks saying she should just give up because she wasn't even good in the first place and would only cause more trouble, etc, etc. Furthermore, the way Rui is dismissing Hanami's dream is just like Ena (her mother) so it brings back trauma