Rowen's story in the Drama CD takes place after
they defeat Talpa the first time but before the guys split up and go
their own ways to contemplate on the white armor. Most likely after the guys defeat Saranbo. I read the script translation at Yoroiden
Temple, however it can also be listened to via YouTube:
Tenkuden. Honestly, my Japanese isn't good enough to get through
the CD with any amount of real clarity, so the translated script is a
blessing! I was quite surprised with the story for several reasons. The first was how aloof Rowen actually was! He comes off as much more
friendly in the anime than he does in the drama CDs. I was also
surprised that Sage instigates setting a tree on fire to get Rowen out
of a tree (that's something else entirely; I expect it from Kento but
not Sage)! I like that this is completely Rowen specific, it even lets
you in on his inner thoughts.
The basic idea is that Rowen narrates meeting
with his mother. She's not like normal mothers and it tends to be odd
to deal with her. He describes her as a very free spirit. His father is always working and though this parents are divorced, he doesn't seem to mind. Now, I need to note that the times Rowen's family did get
together, it was mostly to trade information on world events and current knowledge. I assume that Rowen was easily included in these topics, so his normal topics of conversation were rarely age specific. He probably followed along in the conversations very well, but I don't know that he always had something to add. His nature is often geared towards listening, gaining information, and then commenting on it. I can see him being a pretty silent observer initially. However, I don't feel
like his parents would purposely exclude him from the things they felt
were important.
Here's where I get a little lost though. Most
kids are furious or at least completely confused and unable to handle
it when their parents get divorced. Rowen is a lot more collected than
most. He would rather that they were living their lives freely. He encouraged their divorce. They
divorced two years before the start of the series and he felt that it
was better for them if it meant that they could do what they wanted
with their lives rather than being tied to each other, rather than
being tied to him. He sounds like a bit of a self-defeatist here! On the other hand, I understand that he thought it might free up more time for him if his parents didn't need to work on keeping their marriage up. Instead, they spent more time with work. I feel like that isolated Rowen more than he let on or more than he wanted to admit. I submit, also, that many of his issues lie with the fact that his
childhood was far from normal. His parents worked often and his hobbies didn't afford him the same interaction with children as most people
would be used to. At the time, it would be odd for both parents to be
out more than home (nowadays, not so much). However, this leads me to
believe that Rowen grew up fairly independent. He knew how to get what
he wanted and how to do things to keep well. The thing he lacked was
social graces and interactions that allowed him to get along with
others since his favorite hobby was studying.
He didn't think of himself as unusual per se, but he knew he was different than other children because of the way adults treated him (he was smart, they knew it, he knew it). At least he behaved in a way that was far more mature than most people his own age. This makes it hard for him to relate to and interact with the guys (except maybe Kento whom he's known for a long time). Over all, he struggles to find every day things like eating important and gets frustrated by the importance put on it. I covered this a bit in the sleeping habits section. Rowen just prioritizes his time and interests differently than the rest, this makes him seem cold and aloof to the others because they cannot relate to him. Rowen believes that despite similar upbringings as Ryo, Ryo tries much harder to fit in and that makes him easy to like as well as easy to get along with. Rowen believes that he acts on his own agenda which causes him trouble. Here's the simple truth though, before the ronin, Rowen hadn't experienced friendship. He didn't know what it meant to have friends and thus had no idea how to react to them. Something that he admits himself.
When he saves his mother's plane, he realizes that everything is connected through the sky. His own armor allows him to fly through the sky and defeat a flying monster. While he's there looking down at everything he sees how vast and beautiful the world is. He realizes at his core that this is something only he can do and for the sky and for his friends he must continue to wear the armor and protect the world. What surprised him more though was his mother's insistence that everyone is connected through the sky. Something that he had only just discovered.
Everyone is connected through the sky in the world, said by mother. It's the same thing I felt when I was flying in the sky: The sky is so big to contain everything in the world, and me, as the bearer of Tenku's armor, has the responsibility to protect it. I'm connected, through the sky, with my flying-everywhere mother, with my always- doing-research father, and with my irreplaceable friends.
-Hashiba Touma
For Rowen, the sky is the limit. Everything is so vast and connected and that gives him hope, courage, and a reason to fight.
