Glass Heart – J-drama Episode 3 Recap & Review
Episode 3 of Glass Heart begins with the shoot for Crystalline Echo's music video. In the midst of it all, Naoki tells the others he wants the band to play on the TV show Music States. Naoki then gets a visit from Yukino who is shooting at the same studio. Akane seems shocked by how close they seem. Meanwhile, Kai tells Sho her concerns about the band going on TV and about Naoki not taking her opinion on anything.
The next morning, Akane comes to the music studio at Naoki's place and finds Kazushi playing his own song. She then learns that they aren't practising that day since Naoki has a performance with Yukino. Akane goes home to help out at her mother's curry shop but finds that her mother has already hired her friend, Eiko, as a replacement.
The night before Music States, Akane goes to the music studio alone to practice but is surprised to find Naoki there. He tells her that the world will be introduced to Tenblank the next day and assures her that even through the ups and downs, their band will make it through.
The next day, the band arrives at the Music Stage location. Isagi is there and through a conversation with Naoki, we learn that he wrote Yukino's song and agreed to perform with her so Tenblank would get to be the final act of the show. Isagi expects Naoki to write and produce more of Yukino's songs but Naoki doesn't make any promises.
Right before the band's rehearsal, Kazushi realises all of their audio tracks are missing. The group sets about recording them again and has to skip rehearsal. Kai tells Akane to head to the makeup rooms, which are located on a boat. On the way, she comes across Yukino who asks her how she doesn't fall in love with Naoki. Akane insists she's focusing on the music. Akane then gets a call from Toya, who is also sure that Akane and Tenblank are going to bomb.
Back in the band's tent, Kai realises nobody is listening to her. She heads over to the makeup rooms boat and finds Akane playing the drums in an adjacent room instead. Kai seems overcome with emotion as she thinks about the sync between Naoki and Akane. She then slides the lock outside the room, trapping Akane.
The band soon realises she's missing. As they look for her, the boat with the makeup rooms leaves the port and heads out. Akane realises what's happened and call for help. What's worse, her phone is in the other room.
Meanwhile, the show begins and Naoki and Yukino play their new single. On the boat, Akane finds another door in the room and finds herself on the highest tier of the boat. She calls for help but no one is there. Luckily, another smaller boat comes towards them and she realises that it has none other than Naoki, Sho, and Kazushi.
They get her out and end up making their big debut on the boat itself! Their performance is received well and soon positive comments begin to flood in on social media. Sometime later, the music video for Crystalline Echo comes out as well. As the band watches, Akane is shocked to realise she might be falling for Naoki after all.
The Episode Review
Glass Heart Episode 3 has some interesting developments. Who knew Kai would try to sabotage her own band? It's intriguing and while we do get some insights on her character — her frustration at being ignored and her insecurities as she compares herself to Akane comes across quite well — I hope the series dives into it in the following episodes too. With Tenblank' successful debut and the social media hype, the stakes are definitely going to be higher from now on.
Akane continues to be her wide eyed self though and it is starting to feel a bit one note. Of course, the end of the episode does signal a change but I'd like to see more of Akane than her being awestruck around her band mates. The music continues to be great though with both Tenblank's new song and Yukino and Naoki's new single being solid additions to the soundtrack. Overall the series has a decent pace, never slows down too much, and that touch of melodrama keeps things quite engaging!
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