Murai is Nakagawa’s very lonely friend. In fact, he feels so lonely that he’d rather sleep with Nakagawa in his hot room rather than in his own air-conditioned one, telling Nakagawa that he’s happy to be there with him. Murai hates sleeping alone. He is constantly looking for someone to be with, and when Megumi arrives at Nakagawa’s place, Murai is determined to get her to notice him even though she is clearly attracted to Nakagawa. Murai manages to get Megumi in the end, but knowing how much Murai longs for company, it is questionable whether he really has romantic feelings for Megumi.
Hayakawa’s sexual pursuit of Tomoyo despite his being a married man is one of the main conflicts of Fireflies. Hayakawa is taking advantage of the frail and shaky relationship between Tomoyo and Nakagawa. In other words, knowing that Tomoyo’s connection with Nakagawa was faltering, Hayakawa saw this as an opportunity to establish his own connection with Tomoyo.
The events of the Fireflies revolve around the characters’ attempts to get rid of their loneliness by trying to establish relationships or connections with other people. The behavior and dialogue of these characters also echo the loneliness or the disconnection within and between them. And by observing their behavior and listening to what they say, one can determine or predict the characters’ future intentions.
Tomoyo and Nakagawa’s arguments involve the occasional “what’s that supposed to mean?” and “what’s your point?” coming from Nakagawa. This clearly shows that he lacks an emotional connection with Tomoyo because he did not understand what she wanted from him, which would lead her to choose the path that eventually leads to her spending the night at a love motel with Hayakawa.
Meanwhile, Murai is so desperate to find company that he would date just about anyone. He can no longer afford to be picky because the loneliness is too much for him, which is why he strives to make a date with Megumi even though he insultingly called her “fat” when speaking to Nakagawa alone. Murai always tries to catch Megumi’s attention but she is too attracted to Nakagawa to notice him, and hardly batted an eyelid at Murai’s efforts. And yet, she agrees to go on a date with him, suddenly appearing at the restaurant. Her reason for agreeing to this could possibly be related to the eternal “pattern” she kept mentioning. The fact that these two characters have “reasons” for entering the relationship foreshadows another disconnected relationship, a relationship that wouldn’t work since both are only in it for the gain. This is evident when Murai’s only reply to Megumi’s musings on her mother, stepfather, and the patterns is “my room is air-conditioned.” That scene revealed how much Murai was eager to get rid of his loneliness, and suggests that he could not have real feelings for Megumi.
Having admitted that he and his wife don’t speak to each other anymore, Hayakawa also mentioned that sex was their communication. This statement makes Hayakawa’s intentions clear. He is searching for another person to “communicate” with, and that person happened to be Tomoyo. His intentions could stem from a kind of loneliness he felt for being alienated from his wife. It could also be that Tomoyo was just a tool for him to recover from the fight, a way to compensate for the lost sexual relationship. Whatever Hayakawa’s reasons were for committing adultery, it was clear that he did not have a real emotional connection with Tomoyo because he returned to his wife the day after they had slept in the love motel. It is possible that social responsibility bound him to his family; however the fact that he did not fight to stay with her, making her feel like it was a one-night stand, is evidence enough that he did not have real feelings for Tomoyo.
The characters believe that developing a relationship with another person can relieve their loneliness, caused by disconnection. The act of drinking is symbolic to their attempts to form relationships or connections with each other. In almost every scene, there is a drink, some with certain characteristics.
The first scene shows Tomoyo asking Nakagawa to drink with her, and since drinking is a symbol of an attempt to establish a connection, Tomoyo’s offering could be interpreted as a way for her to strengthen their relationship. However, Nakagawa is unable to drink, and he just leaves. Murai also takes a sip of juice at Nakagawa’s house, and finds it lukewarm. The characteristic drink could be the kind of relationship being formed, and in Murai’s case, his relationship with Nakagawa could be lukewarm or “just okay.” It does not need improvement, but is somewhat lacks enthusiasm, perhaps on the part of Nakagawa. Murai seeks company from him, but he seems not to care about Murai’s loneliness.
The banana juice Hayakawa ordered at the restaurant on his date with Tomoyo was “watery” which could mean the relationship he was trying to build with Tomoyo lacked flavor, or real emotion, which is true because we find that he was only after her for sex. Murai also mentions—on his date with Megumi in that same restaurant—that the banana juice was a “famously bad drink” which could refer to the immoral act of having a relationship just for sex. Moreover, the fact that Murai ordered this drink as well reflects how Murai treats Megumi, too.
The drinks as a symbol for relationships is used appropriately since people often meet, socialize, and develop relationships over drinks. And the act of drinking relationships gives the image of a person quenching their emotional thirst, which, in Fireflies, is loneliness.
It’s easy to mistake Fireflies to be a play about love: how it’s lost, how it’s found, and how it’s faked. But Fireflies is a play more about loneliness and disconnection than love. How these people cope with loneliness, and their attempts to establish a connection with others in the attempt to get rid of it is presented very well in the play through its plot, characters, dialogue, and symbols.
