Uta☆Pri: Knocking on the Mind

I wanted to tell everyone my reason why I love Uta no ☆ Prince-sama ♪ very much. So I thought, why not make is a blog update, right?

Let me tell you a wonderful story about a boy and a girl…

When Haruka, the main character of UtaPri, was being bullied by her classmates in episode 3, she became so traumatized that she couldn’t play the piano anymore. Her fingers simply refused to move “as if her heart froze”, and she didn’t know what to do.

Hijirikawa Masato knew what it was like to feel intimidated, but since he was raised in a strict environment, he couldn’t express himself properly even though he was really concerned about Haruka. On his first attempt to comfort her, Hijirikawa said, “It’s tough, isn’t it? Even if you’re told not to let it get to you, it’s impossible.”

Don’t we also feel the same way? We say “I won’t let it get to me” but even in a small way, it really hurts.

That’s probably why Hijirikawa’s attempt didn’t go so well, because Haruka felt that she was being naive about coming to the prestigious Saotome Academy simply because she liked music. She never had formal lessons, unlike everyone else. She couldn’t stop her tears, so she excused herself, but Hijirikawa already saw that she was crying. He probably wondered if his words had also hurt her like the rest.

Finally, when Haruka wasn’t showing up for class, Hijirikawa skipped class as well and went to see her. He confessed that he knew what she was going through, and spoke about his past concerning his strict upbringing. Like Haruka having her grandmother, Hijirikawa had an old butler who simply let him to be himself and even taught him how to play the piano.

Hijirikawa then played a simple melody: “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”. The song brought back Haruka’s fond memories of playing the piano in her grandmother’s house when she was younger. Slowly, her fingers began to move.

There was a significant meaning as to why Hijirikawa played “the Star song”. Harukawa doesn’t know this but deep in Hijirikawa’s mind, he treasured the memory of having first met her. It was not in the academy, but in a playground where she was teaching children how to sing “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”. Seeing her so happy and singing with all her heart was what made him discover the joy of music. This short moment stirred something inside Hijirikawa and instead of just following what his father told him to do, he began to have dreams and aspirations of his own.

I'm not sure why Hijirikawa never told Haruka about that memory. Maybe it's because of his upbringing or because romance is absolutely forbidden in Saotome Academy. But then, he decided to say, “I want you to listen to something.”

I wrote this song after I met you. So... Right now, I want to share with you the joy of music.

The lyrics of the songs took my breath away. It was on the third line of the first stanza that really hit me…

Your dreams are always knocking on your mind. Feel it…

Even if you tremble in the cold darkness in some corner street,
Don’t be afraid, Pure Heart.
Flowers always keep their heads up.

After the song, Hijirikawa continued to help Haruka until she was finally able to perform in class. I don’t know, but I guess for me, this always-serious-and-frowning bishie reminded me that there are still wonderful people in this world.

I too, know what it was like to be bullied. And I’m sure everyone’s had their dreams crushed one way or another. But when that happens, think about Hijirikawa’s song. Indeed, flowers always face up, so hold your head up high and go through those walls that are blocking your dreams. Show them, that even though their words hurt you, you can definitely, definitely be strong and rise above the ashes! Gambatte ne?