Asura – Season 1 Episode 4 Recap & Review

The Art of Desire

Episode 4 of Asura starts with the girls getting a call about a fire at their father’s house. Kotaro smokes some cigarettes before bed, and the cushions catch fire. It was a small fire, so the fire brigade was not involved, but the girls gathered at night to help Kotaro clean up. Sakiko and Jinnai have a son and seem to be living well since Sakiko arrives at the house in her car. Makiko knows about Takao’s mistress, even her name, and is struggling to act like everything is okay.

After cleaning up, the girls sit around and talk about Fuji. Takiko wonders if Fuji would still be alive if Kotaro had never had a mistress. Tsunako thinks that the affair is not the reason why Fuji died, but it was her fate to leave before Kotaro. Makiko thinks otherwise. She saw Fuji collapse and remembers the look of sadness and heartbreak in her eyes. Sakiko falls asleep first, and the girls emphasise saying she must be exhausted from taking care of the baby and the mother-in-law who now stays with them.

Takiko wonders if Kotaro and the mistress still keep in contact. Sakiko, who has been listening to the conversation, says that cutting ties is not that simple, and they most likely still meet each other. Tsunako tells them a story from their childhood. It turns out that Kotaro had another mistress then, and Fuji knew about it. The next morning, Kotaro leaves early. He does not want to have breakfast with the girls.

Katsumata joins the girls when they are having breakfast. He says that he came to check on Takiko since she got the call when they were together at Takiko’s house. Takiko is not very happy about Katsumata’s presence, and she tries to drive him away. Katsumata still chooses to stay and help them out. Later, the girls go to distribute Fuji’s clothes, with each getting a piece of kimono as a memento.

Later that day, Kotaro visits Takao at the office, and we are introduced to Takao’s alleged mistress. Akagi is Takao’s secretary. Meanwhile, Sakiko has an interview with the reporters at Jinnai gym. She tells them about her family and her role in supporting Jinnai’s career. The two seem to be in a happy relationship, as we had seen earlier that morning when they were flirting on the phone.

Takao had promised to take their daughter out to the movies, but work gets in the way. Akagi offers to accompany Yoko since she has nothing planned for later that day. After the movies, Akagi and Yoko enjoy dinner. They have a pleasant conversation about careers. It turns out that being a secretary is seen as a dishonourable career, and Yoko hopes that when she is older, society will change their point of view. Yoko wants to become a secretary. Akagi asks about their family life and Yoko is very forthcoming about sharing every little detail.

When Yoko gets home later that evening, Makiko is very curious about the evening spent with Akagi. Yoko tells her about what they did and the conversations they had. Yoko emphasises Akagi’s beauty, saying she is slender and with long legs.

While the girls were going through their mother’s things, they came across some erotic art. Sakiko asks Jinnai to allow them to have a divorce if someday they fall out of love. She is disturbed after realising that Kotaro had sexual relationships with a woman other than Fuji but still had the same relationship with Fuji when she was born. Jinnai understands her feelings and makes her feel that she was not a mistake. Both Fuji and Kotaro had her because they wanted to have another child.

Takiko’s reaction to the art is different. She freaks out and becomes self-conscious. In her house later that night, she tries to do some make-up to appear more attractive. She does not allow Katsumata to see her when he knocks on her door that night.

On the other hand, Makiko becomes emotional. She hurts for her mother, who got married young and had such deep desires for Kotaro. While Kotaro was out having affairs, Fuji waited for him at home. She had to hide such desires deep in her heart, just like how she hid the art. Makiko’s outburst of emotions gets to Takao, and he suddenly wants to get closer to Makiko.

Elsewhere, Tsunako misses her married boyfriend. She takes a gamble and calls Masukawa restaurant, but his wife answers. She disconnects the call, but the wife knows the call is from her. She calls the husband on the phone but does not tell him who called. The boyfriend does not go to Tsunako, and the episode ends with Tsunako feeling alone and missing someone to hold. 

The Episode Review

The takeaway in this episode is Makiko’s bitterness and frustration about Takao’s unfaithfulness. She knows who she is and is completely broken and mentally exhausted about having to put up a strong front. What’s worse is that the secretary even calls her home number to tell her about spending time with Yoko. She is in mental turmoil, and anytime she tries to mention Akagi, Takao changes the topic.

So far, Makiko has been the most complex character. She is an embodiment of all women in that period who have to project perfection to keep the family together and deal with their husband’s dishonesty all alone. She conveys hidden frustration, resentment, and dissatisfaction so well that the audience cannot help but root for her.

It is difficult to understand Takiko’s behaviour, though. It is clear that Katsumata is into her and wants to get close, but she keeps pushing him away. Does she think she is not good enough to be in a relationship? Does she fear that Katsumata will also be dishonest? Why do you think she keeps pushing Katsumata away?