Aayush Sharma
Netflix’s ‘Glass Heart‘ (Originally titled ‘Gurasu Haato’) is a Japanese-language musical drama series that follows the story of a young college student, Akane Saijo (Yu Miyazaki), trying to make a name for herself in the world of music. Based on the novel of the same name by Wakagi Mio, the coming-of-age production takes viewers on an enthralling journey that ends on a very emotional note, blending heartfelt performances with the harsh realities of chasing dreams in a remorseless industry. After facing a lot of rejections, Akane finally meets Naoki Fujitani (Takeru Satoh), who believes in her talent and wants her to be part of his band, TENBLANK. Becoming a part of the band gives the drummer a platform to express herself and helps her fight her insecurities. As the band begins its journey, Akane realizes what drives her and what she’s willing to fight for. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Glass Heart Recap
The show begins with Akane Saijo getting ready to perform on the stage. However, her world comes crashing down when the band ousts her before the performance. Due to heavy rain, the sets are canceled, and attendees leave the venue. Wanting to prove her worth as a drummer, she starts performing in the venue’s parking lot, prompting the people to stop and listen to her tunes. A few moments later, she hears the sound of a piano syncing perfectly with the sound of her drums. Her performance earns her applause, but little has changed, and she is still waiting for a breakthrough. After facing a lot of rejections, Akane decides to quit drumming and help her mother at their restaurant. However, that’s when everything changes, and she meets someone who is about to change her life.
After a customer specifically requests Akane, her mother asks her to deliver the order. As the drummer reaches the place, she sees a note for herself and enters the house. While trying to understand how the house owner knows about her, she stumbles upon Naoki Fujitani, a brilliant yet reclusive musician, working on new music. Although Naoki doesn’t remember Akane, the other band members, Sho Takaoka (Keita Machida) and Kazushi Sakamoto (Jun Shison), make him realize that he had asked for Akane. When Naoki asks her to be a part of the band TENBLANK, she says yes instantly. Soon, the band members learn about his working style and how it creates tension within the group. As the band navigates through every challenge, it comes face-to-face with its rival band, Over Chrome, and its lead singer, Toya, who believes Naoki’s time is over.
By the end of the season, every band member realizes that they belong in the industry, especially Akane. She begins as an amateur and learns about her abilities while creating tunes that reflect her inner world. Meanwhile, for Naoki, this band means everything, and he wants to see the group get the recognition it deserves. Nonetheless, reaching the top is not easy, and one of the most influential names in the industry, Ichidai Isagi, is trying everything to push them down. Consequently, their journey unravels a deep secret about Naoki that no one knows, which changes the band’s trajectory and forces them to reevaluate their future. The lead singer has a tumor in his brain, and if he keeps performing, he might die. As tensions rise, the band must decide whether to leave everything or stick together, with their music speaking louder than ever.
Glass Heart Ending: Do Naoki and Akane End Up Together?
Apart from music being the primary focus, ‘Glass Heart’ also explores human connections and how music can be an important tool in bringing broken souls together. When Akane meets Naoki for the first time, she knows about his music and the kind of genius he is. Even though it will be difficult for her to be at her best every single time, the drummer wants to show him that she has the talent and the hunger to achieve greatness. As they spend time together, Akane learns more about Naoki and his ways of creating music that connects with the listeners. She realizes that Naoki wanders off in his world whenever he is thinking about creating a tune or writing a lyric, which makes her increasingly drawn to him. Yet, she is not the only one who likes the talented musician. Another young singer, Yukino, also shows a growing closeness with the lead vocalist.
When the band decides to create new music, they go away from the noisy city and spend some time together somewhere quieter. As a result, they go to a cabin near the woods to create something special. Naoki says that they’ll start working on music soon, and he’ll come up with the lyrics of their new song. In the meantime, the lead vocalist talks to Akane and tells her to come into his room for a pillow fight at night, which shocks her but also makes her excited. But things don’t go as planned when Yukino, who works with Ichidai Isagi, reaches the same place. When the band’s manager asks about why she is here, Naoki says that she needs her vocals on the album. During their time at the cabin, Yukino makes Akane realize that she wants to have Naoki and doesn’t want her to come between them.
Later that night, Akane finds Naoki and confesses about her feelings. Sadly, Naoki says that he only loves music, and that’s the only thing keeping him alive. This breaks her heart, but she focuses more on her music. However, she doesn’t let go of that feeling and continues to live with the love she has for the Sensei. To make sure that she remains closer to Naoki, Akane even goes to Kawagoe Hikawa Shrine and writes a wish on an Ema tablet, wanting their paths to be intertwined, both in music and in life. Eventually, Yukino goes away from Naoki’s life after learning how each of her songs is written by Naoki, and not Ichidai, which makes her feel cheated. With her out of the way, the bonding between Naoki and Akane becomes stronger.
However, when the band members realize that Naoki has a tumor in his brain and he might die if he keeps pushing himself, Sho Takaoka decides to leave the band and stop making music. Akane knows that Naoki will die if he’s unable to create music. As a result, she takes him away and inspires him to write music. Unfortunately, he collapses, and Akane believes she is responsible. So, she leaves the band and starts working at her mother’s restaurant. Soon, Naoki calls her and wants to meet her, and he tells her about his feelings. The vocalist confesses about his feelings before kissing Akane, marking the beginning of their relationship. This emotional reunion not only brings closure to Akane’s guilt but also reignites the spark she might have lost. Their relationship adds a new layer of vulnerability to the narrative, reminding everyone that connection is always a powerful force of healing.
Did Naoki Go Back to Ichidai Isagi?
One of the most prominent plot lines in ‘Glass Heart’ is the relationship between Naoki Fujitani and Ichidai Isagi. In the beginning, viewers only see a glimpse of it, which reveals that they used to work together. However, the musician left him, which made Isagi furious. When Isagi learns about Naoki making a band and returning to the music scene, he gets infuriated by the idea of his rival working independently and not with him. While watching the band’s first live performance, the influential producer makes it clear that Akane, the drummer, is the band’s weakest link. Moreover, he promises to break the band so that Naoki will return to him. Over the course of the film, Isagi does a lot of mischievous things to bring the genius musician back to him.
Isagi’s client, Yukino, gets close to Naoki so that she can help in disbanding the group. However, when Yukino learns the truth about Isagi and how he never wrote any of her songs, she confronts Naoki and asks him to keep writing for him. When he refuses to talk to her, Yukino tells Akane that she will destroy everything. However, Isagi goes overboard when TENBLANK starts getting the recognition. They begin touring the nation to sell out arenas. When Isagi learns about their popularity, he calls the organizers and tells them to cancel their performance at the Saitama Super Arena. Shockingly, all the upcoming performances have been canceled as well because no organizer wants to handle their concerts. This prompts the lead singer of the band to confront his former mentor about the dirty tricks.
Isagi tells him that he should come back to him, and together, they can create music that would make him more popular. The producer and the singer began working together when Naoki was young. His talent was special from the beginning, and he has the power to create a hit tune in a matter of minutes. In one of the flashback sequences, Naoki is seen working with Isagi and appreciating him for playing a melody on the piano. He takes that tune, puts it on his equipment, and creates something powerful, yet energetic, in minutes. That’s one of the reasons why Naoki is famous and considered a genius. Isagi never wanted to leave him and wanted him back because he knew the TENBLANK singer could make him a worldwide sensation when it came to producing music.
Consequently, when Naoki turns him down and asks Isagi to create his own music, the latter puts doubt in Sho Takaoka’s mind by telling him about the musician’s tumor. By doing this, Isagi thinks he has managed to separate the band, and in a way, he kind of does. Even so, Naoki doesn’t stop and brings everyone together to give a befitting reply to their haters. He not only refuses to work with Isagi, but the band also saves him from the embarrassment of losing his career after Yukino reveals his true identity to the public. When every band says no to performing for him, TENBLANK comes and gives an extraordinary performance. This powerful act of unity reaffirms their bond as more than just a group of musicians; they are a family. By standing up to Isagi and choosing loyalty over ambition, Naoki and TENBLANK reclaim their voice.
Who Locks Akane in the Makeup Room and Why?
Akane Saijo becomes a member of the band by chance. She never indulged in conversations about joining TENBLANK, and it seems her destiny led her to Naoki Fujitani. He recruits her as the band’s drummer without telling the band’s manager, Miyako Kai (Erika Karata). The manager is not happy with the inclusion of Anake because she doesn’t have a following or a promising music career. For Kai, it will be difficult to tell her company about Akane’s association with the band. Nevertheless, Naoki stands up for Akane and wants her to be part of the group. While they work on their music, Naoki knows that he wants the band to catch attention. As a result, he books the band for a LIVE TV performance that would take them to a wider audience.
Kai knows that the band is going too fast, and she should be given a chance to slow things down. Meanwhile, she still believes that Akane doesn’t belong in the band because she is pulling them down with her amateurish drumming. A few days later, the band gets ready for their performance. However, Kazushi finds out that all the recordings are gone from their system, and they will need to work on the arrangements again. In the meantime, Kai tells Akane to go for the makeup and return to the ferry on time. When the drummer reaches for the makeup, there’s no one to see her. That’s when she spots a drum kit and starts performing on it, but someone locks the door from the outside and stops her from reaching the boat. In the end, she manages to come out and finally perform with the group.
The reality of what happened comes to light when Kai talks to Naoki about Anake and how she kept on playing drums, forgetting about their performance. Naoki doesn’t know anything about the drums, but Kai realizes that her secret has come out. Naoki tells Kai to leave, but Sho follows her. In a conversation, Kai noted that Akane felt so carefree while playing the drums and is a force to be reckoned with, which prompted her to do such a thing. Her confession reveals the dark side of human nature. She locked Anaka because of quiet jealousy, because watching her play with such passion made her feel insecure and overshadowed. At the moment, it isn’t just about music; it is about the feeling of losing her place in the band, and perhaps in Naoki’s eyes, too.
Why Does Toya Hate Naoki?
While forming the band TENBLANK and taking them to a wider audience, Naoki wanted them to open for a big band. For the same reason, he goes to a former friend and a rival to ask for help. That friend is Toya, the lead singer of Over Chrome. From the initial conversation between them, it becomes clear that there’s a lot of history between them, and they know each other very well. But Toya doesn’t like him and wants to prove that he is better than Naoki. However, when the lead vocalist of the TENBLANK asks for a favor, Toya doesn’t hesitate and provides them with a chance. The newly formed group performs ahead of Over Chrome at one of their concerts, creating a solid foundation for themselves. Consequently, he starts talking to Akane about the band and how Naoki wanted to quit making music.
Nevertheless, TENBLANK is working on its first single, and they are excited for it. Suddenly, Toya messages Akane with an audio recording, which makes her uncomfortable. The audio recording consists of a song that the band Over Chrome is about to release on the same day, and it is pretty similar to what TENBLANK has created. When Naoki learns about the recording, he cancels the song and tells the band that they will work on a new composition. Akane confronts Toya about the song and asks her to cancel it, but he is not willing to do so. He takes Akane to what seems to be a practice studio and asks her to play drums on his tunes. Suddenly, Naiko barges in and wants to have Akane back. When Akane asks how they know so much about each other, Toya reveals that Naoki is his older half-brother. Meanwhile, Naoki discloses that the tune he created for the song was taught to him by Toya’s mother.
The reason he hates him so much is that Toya was never as good as Naoki from the beginning. He became so jealous of his talent that he hurt his fingers on purpose. The distance between them continued growing as Toya struggled to cope with always being second best. The injury he inflicted on himself isn’t just an act of desperation; it is a cry for attention in a world that overlooked him. Even if he has become famous because of his music, that bitterness turned into hatred. Eventually, he realizes his mistake and doesn’t let his hatred consume him by mending his relationship with his half-brother. He chooses forgiveness over pride and finally frees himself from the weight of resentment he has been carrying for so long.
Read More: Is Glass Heart Based on a True Story?
