Glass Heart – J-drama Episode 2 Recap & Review

The Review Geek

6 days ago

Tenblank's First Single
Episode 2 of Glass Heart begins with Tenblank's first song, Matrix. The crowd begins to cheer but Akane seems stuck in her head. Naoki tells her to just let go and during their second song, Crystalline Echo, she's much better. She even gets a nod of approval from Kazushi. The song gets even louder cheers but somewhere in the audience is a man named Ichidai Isagi, who tells his associate that he will let Naoki spread his wings before bringing him back to him.
Later on, Naoki shocks the other band members by telling them they will be recording a single in three days. While out on a walk, Akane marvels at a poster of a singer named Sakurai Yukino. This is the same woman who was with Isagi, who happens to be her manager.
While recording the single, Naoki isn't satisfied with Akane's drum playing. He tells her that he wants to see the Akane he knows. Kazushi speaks to Akane aside and tells her not to take Naoki too seriously. He says he doesn't know why Naoki recruited him when he can make all the music himself but he wanted to prove his talent to Naoki. He now tells Akane to do the same.
Yukino and Isagi make a surprise appearance at the recording studio. They tell Naoki they want him to record a song with Yukino for her new album. Kai seems hell bent against this but Naoki says he can look out for himself.
Akane, meanwhile, is still unable to satisfy Naoki. She comes to the studio one morning to find that he has been working all night. The others try to convince him that the song doesn't need fixing but he's insistent on finding the 'right' version.
Akane speaks to Naoki and rightly guesses that he has an issue with Isagi. He admits that he's the one who turned Isagi into the awful person he is today. Naoki then assures her that he won't let her down.
At home, Akane continues to practice harder than ever. She turns up at the recording studio one day to see Toya playing the piano. He challenges her to play the drums and she does, until he abruptly stops. He tells her she sounds like Naoki now instead of herself. Once again, he warns her that she will either destroy Naoki's sound or he will destroy her.
After another jam session where Toya dismisses Akane's skills, he tells her to buy him food. Over noodles, Toya tells Akane that Naoki quit music a few years ago because someone stole his song. The thief later lost his talent and reputation. Toya then spots Naoki outside the noodle shop. While the three are walking, Toya asks Naoki about selling himself out to Isagi. He then taunts Naoki and tells him to keep writing masterpieces until he ends up a dead genius, like John Lennon. Akane looks worried at this and rushes away.
Naoki goes after her and gives her a flash drive with the base recorded on it. Akane then asks him if she has what it takes to play his music. He replies with another question — if he died the next day, would she keep playing the drums? She's quiet for a bit but then runs across the road, telling Naoki that she would continue. Nevertheless, she doesn't want him to die like John Lennon.
The next day, Naoki approves of Akane's recording in the studio. The new single is soon ready!
The Episode Review
Glass Heart Episode 2 gives us a bit more insight into the characters, which is much needed after the rollercoaster of a pilot. Things definitely slow down and we get multiple insightful conversations that Akane has with Kazushi, Toya and Naoki. There's a lot of talk about talent and dreams and being yourself, but it all fits in with the romantic vibe of the J-drama in general. Naoki's dialogues are also just as mystical as the rest of his character.
Naoki's dramatics continue as well and considering the scene where Sho has to pull him off the keyboard, you do need to suspend belief to fully buy into his genius persona. But we also get some added mystery around Isagi and his conflict with Naoki, as well as some solid new music. The change in the way Akane plays in the first scene of the episode will probably make more sense to people more attuned to music and minor changes in sound. But despite that, the story continues to be full of heart and highly engaging!
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Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!