The second episode of Straight To Hell takes place in 1955 and starts with Kazuko waking up in a hospital with her mother, Hinao, and family friend Mr. Nakazono. Kazuko wants to take charge of her own future and asks Nakazono to support her ambition of starting a business. She also tells her mother she is quitting school to work and promises that she will never allow herself to be exploited again.
The story then jumps to 2005, to Minori, a divorced single mother, who is working on a novel about Kazuko’s life. Minori struggles to raise her daughter, Reina, both financially and emotionally. She requests childcare help from her mother but the help comes at a cost, 30,000 yen in rent. Minori takes on a night shift at a laundromat to help with expenses.
Meanwhile, Minori and Kawatani pay a visit to Kazuko at her mansion. Kazuko is very open about flaunting her wealth and how hard she worked to earn it.
In 1955, Kazuko begins her own entrepreneur journey, with the support of Mr. Nakazono. With her sister, Akiko, she opens a small stall selling rice balls and miso soup. The sisters slowly build the business with creativity and persistence. Kazuko sells it for three times the value once it’s popular. The decision leads to a conflict with Akiko, who feels betrayed and unemployed, and results in a physical confrontation between them.
Kazuko uses her earnings to open a cheap lounge with amateur hostesses for local businessmen. This is a great success for the venture, but Kazuko finds herself haunted by the stigma of being a high school drop-out. She goes to university lectures to learn, but she is not formally registered to graduate.
In 1962 Kazuko was planning an expansion to Ginza, one of the richest districts in Japan. She asked Mr. Nakazono for a large sum of five million yen. He questions the risk, but he agrees, trusting her determination.
Meanwhile, a fortune teller tells Kazuko’s mother that her daughter is destined to be successful, but warns that her ambition could destroy her. Eventually, Kazuko reunites with her family and her siblings get opportunities. Hisao joins her business, as one sister declines.
Kazuko finally opened her club in Ginza and did well. She paid Mr. Nakazono back within the year. During this time she meets Mita Marohiko, a rich businessman who falls in love with her. Mita continues to try to win Kazuko, who at first refuses him. As they get to know each other, she learns of his background and dreams, including ties to business in Las Vegas.
Mita’s father dies and he prepares to go home, but he surprises everyone by proposing to Kazuko. She agrees, and enters into a marriage which advances her socially. Her family has mixed feelings: her mother is happy, Akiko is stunned by Kazuko’s new lifestyle.
The episode ends on a disturbing note with Mita’s mother chanting a ritual prayer as the newlyweds enter upon their married life, heralding trouble.
Review:
This episode is well done in showing Kazuko’s rough start versus her success later, and Minori’s contemporary struggles. Kazuko’s trip is particularly interesting because her drive for financial independence over emotional ties makes her a complex, motivated character.
Her story of rising from poverty to power is inspiring, and unsettling. She wears her ambition and greed openly, forged by past hardships and betrayal. The implication is that her becoming a pragmatic, emotionally detached human being is a direct result of her experiences.
Mita’s introduction adds another layer to her story. He appears to care about her very much, and gives her a feeling of stability, but the last scene is foreboding and hints that their future may not be as secure as it seems.
In general, Episode 2 went deeper into the narrative, touching on themes of ambition, sacrifice, and the price of success while also setting the stage for potential conflict in the episodes to come.
