The cuteness is back with Grandpa & Grandma Turn Young Again episode 2. And through all the awkward flirting, fuwa-fuwa moments, and day-to-day occurrences, it’s actually pretty on point with how someone would act in this situation.
What are the biggest regrets most people have later in life? Ask anyone on the street that question and you’d probably hear an answer like “regret not working harder” or “regret not taking more professional opportunities or going the extra mile.” We are a materialist-comfort/consumerism-driven society, so this makes sense. But if you ask someone who has a terminal disease or is at the end of their life that same question, the answers you get are the complete opposite. Instead, what you hear is almost always along the lines of, “I wish I had spent less time working and more time with my family,” “I wish I hadn’t worked so hard,” or “I wish I would have been more honest with myself.”
Be assured, when your time comes, all the success in the world won’t buy you an extra minute. But say you did what you had to out of necessity. You knew you’d rather do something else. But you had to survive. Then, suddenly, you get another chance at it with all the perks you already acquired. How would someone in that situation really react? Would they toil at life again? No, they’d focus on the important things, and in Grandpa & Grandma Turn Young Again episode 2, that’s the theme.
Given their newfound strength and vitality, you’d think Grandpa and Grandma would race to get ahead in life. But instead, they’re just reliving the slow life they always wanted. Whether that’s doing the kabedon, buying each other clothes, or just enjoying time with family, they realize how lucky they are and how rare an opportunity they just got.
The thing about getting another go at things is that, while you’re experienced, that experience may not be relevant. When Grandpa and Grandma first hooked up, as shown in the first episode, even the concept of marriage because of love was foreign. Public displays of affection were something far removed from day-to-day life.
So when Mino playfully teases her grandparents about hand-holding and date nights, the two shrug it off as being a “young person’s” agenda. One may think that bashfulness is long gone at 70+ years of age, but embarrassment is one of the few feelings that goes with you to the grave.
But to show that, our young couple has more important things on their minds than letting the world know what’s happened. They kept their transformation so low-key that their own son didn’t know about it. And after the meet-up with their son or doctor, we find out that Ine has liver cancer. But her vitals are leaps and bounds above what they used to be, which is promising. So maybe her body’s regression could also fight off the cancer that was plaguing her.
But as Grandpa & Grandma Turn Young Again episode 2 ends, we’re told that Grandpa has turned old again, meaning that whatever caused their age shift isn’t permanent. The show has strayed more towards a slice of life than a full-blown romance. Is a long-lived, simmering romance worth less than a flaming new one? Who knows? I’m probably not old enough to understand that concept. But I do understand how endearing it is to see two people get the life they deserve.
Screenshots via Crunchyroll
©Kagiri Araido, KADOKAWA/ Grandma and Grandpa Rejuvenate Production Committee