the beautiful world

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Episode 4. Water and Lights

Summary: Bath, luxury and a promised dinner could be an alternative title for this episode. Yune hasn't given up her efforts of eating cheese, so she tried making it more tasty for her by adding soy sauce- that 'rotting' thing as Claude called it, but honestly it's so delicious, I can't understand him. Anyway, that's how the episode starts. They also made a promise for a beef stew seasoned with soy sauce for dinner. A little bit later Yune can't hold herself any longer without a bath and secretly fills a tab with water, places it on the kitchen floor and when she gets ready, Claude appears, she panics and bloom! all the water on the wooden floor. Bath is an everyday habit for Japanese but not for the lower classes in 19th century France (where they don't use so much water often- water shortage?). Claude wants to treat Yune kindly and offers to take her to the public baths. Before that happens the Japanophile brat goes into the store, sees Yune and swoons like mad. Claude snatches Yune away for awhile and by the time they discover that the public baths are closed, Alice on her carriage has spotted them and bags them. In the end Yune, not wanting to be rude and ignoring Claude's prejudjement, accepts the invitation.

And so Alice spoils Yune with tea and bath, she even promises her to return her kimono without having to pay anything, in order to make her stay with her from now on. Yune though remembers her promise to make dinner and with her stubborness (head on the floor for a long time) managed to convince the young ojou-sama to bring her back to Claude. And I must say I'm quite happy that the effort of knowing more about a new culture isn't one way- Claude puts some effort, too, with the soy sauce :)


France vs Japan: 

• Bath: an everyday habit in Japan, maybe due to the well each house owns. In France the poor can't afford this luxury and go rarely in public baths. Otherwise they are criticized as a waster by neighbours .In Japan they have onsen (spring baths) where people bath naked- before WWII they even had mixed baths (now only old people go to such mixed baths). The shame of being nude came with the Westerns. See Bath
• Drinks: Tea was the most widespead drink back then in Japan. Tea made a great journey and came into Europe, where English people loved it. In France, according to Alice, tea is the drink for women, since men prefer coffee. See tea
• Giri/ amae: I mentioned this in the previous episode a bit. Here comes up with not only the need to keep a promise but also in the form of obligation to return the affection Oscar and Claude gave Yune. See Giri means obligation

Anime vs Manga:

This episode corresponds to chapter 3 of the manga. There are not big differences. The adaption is quite faithful. In the manga we see other ladies in Alice's pavillon that stare amazed/bewildered the Japonais and so Yune questions the appropriateness of her attire. Also, Alice is more annoying and pushy, even saying that she wanted Claude to bow to her in order to give Yune back.

In the anime we see Yune in the big four-legged bath tub. She also gets acquainted with Camille, Alice's sister. Yune is enchanted by the eye colours of Parisians. In the TV version Alain, a typographer, is introduced in the scene where Claude is worried, if Yune will come back.



Btw I discovered in a mangafox discussion that Gallerie de Roy does exist and it's in Brussels not in Paris!