"Kimi to Sekai ga Owaru Hi ni" drama: Season one, episode eight recap

 

 Air Dates: January 17th until March 21, 2021 Sundays at 10:30 pm on NTV

Title translates over to Love You as the World Ends, subs done by Manxcat at D-Addicts

Episode Ratings.... #1, 8.4%.... #2, 8.2%.... #3, 8.0% .... #4, 8.4% .... #5, 7.2%

#6, 7.1% .... #7, 7.1% .... #8, 7.1%

Links to the previous shows:

Episode one .... Episode two .... Episode three .... Episode four

Episode five .... Episode six 

Main Cast: Won't be adding too many characters in but instead may be removing many as already two of the main characters were killed at the end of the second show, they'll have their own section.

Ryoma Takeuchi as Hibiki Mamiya.... ~25 year old mechanic who lives with his girlfriend Kurumi and was about to propose when the disaster struck. At the time Hibiki was trapped in a tunnel and escaped after four days, eventually he joined up with a few other survivors.

Ayami Nakajo as Kurumi Ogasawara.... Hibiki's girlfriend and the pair went to high school together. She's in her second year of internship to become a doctor yet is still a bit too green. Began working with the Defense Forces in the third episode, has a special DNA gene which could be the key to the vaccine.

Marie Iitoyo as Kanae Hiragi.... Third year college student who survived the catastrophe by being stuck on an elevator with Shoko, her daughter and three others.

Sho Kasamatsu as Hiro Todoroki.... Went to high school with Hibiki but really can't stand the sight of him. Hiro is a detective whose superior Hongo was killed at the end of the second episode. That made him in 'charge' of the small group and he's such a mean, hateful young man. He broke away from the group at the end of the fourth show and is currently a prisoner.

Tamae Ando as Shoko Mihara.... A caregiver by trade and is the mother of Yuzuki, they were trapped in an elevator with Kanae with two others.

Naho Yokomizo as Yuzuki Mihara.... Twelve year old survivor who has asthma.

Makita Sports as Yohei Komoto.... Owner of a small moving company and ended being trapped in the apartment elevator with Kanae and thee others.

Hyunri as Yoon Jian.... Min-Jun's older sister who is working in Japan as a doctor and has been assigned to help with the outbreak working for the Self Defense Forces of Japan.

Kenishi Takito as Koki Shuto.... Mad head doctor for the Self Defense Forces.

Toshihito Kokubo as Tsuboi.... Also introduced in the third show and is the leader of the Sword group who are survivors too but for some reason want to kill the original group. The group wasn't seen in  the fifth show but were back for episodes 6-8.

 Those who are now deceased, one new name was added:

Ryohei Otani as Daiki Hongo.... Police detective who was Todoroki's superior who has to always keep him in check. Hongo seemed like a really decent man but at the end of the second show he was shot, it appears as though he's dead but is he?

Takashi Sasano as Masaomi Uwajima.... Older man who was a novelist, he was bitten by a Zombie in the second episode and died at the end.

Kyoko Yoshino as Mia Nakagoshi.... Introduced in the third episode and is a very popular 23 year old TV actress. At first she seemed like a trustworthy survivor but in reality is working with a group named Sword. At the end of the third show she was killed along with her boyfriend who had become a Zombie/Golem.

Kim Jae-Hyun as Yoon Min-Jun.... Immigrant from Korea who is working with Komoto, he too was trapped in the apartment elevator which saved six lives. Sadly in episode seven he died after being bit by a Golem who happened to have been Hibiki's mother.

 Have the ratings above and as you can see they were fairly consistent for the first four shows. And also in the last three as they've all been 7.1%. Bit late with these pair of recaps as it's finally been a busy stretch for my bigger faves. Two more episodes to go after this, then it's on to the second season. Few things I want to add in which weren't included in the last post. One is about the relationship between Hibiki and Todoroki who are now enemies but that wasn't always the case. When Hibiki was fifteen he left home for six months to look for his father who had deserted him. During that time Todoroki began to date Kurumi and that left some bad blood between them but there's more to the story that we haven't learned yet. 

 The other point is that in the last few episodes both Hibiki and Kurumi have told others they're no longer in love but is that because they think each other is dead? So what will happen when they do meet each other again as both have vowed to kill the other but not knowing who they were referring to. In Kurumi's case the young girl Mana had been killed by Hibiki but the girl had been transformed into a Golem, he had to kill her to save his life. Kurumi has sworn to get revenge for her death not knowing it was Hibiki who did the deed. He too wants revenge for the death of Min-Jun who was bitten by a Golem. He was a strong man and the only reason he couldn't defend himself is because he was stabbed by Kurumi, Hibiki too has vowed to kill that person. So it'll be interesting to see what will happen when they both learn the truth which almost happened at the end of this episode.

 Bit of a slower first ten or so minutes to this episode compared to the first seven but the ending was the most dramatic to date. Most of the slower scenes seem to take place at Camp Yokosuka and will start off with what was happening there as it wasn't too much. The place is still reeling from Hibiki's invasion which shouldn't have gone as far as it did. He just wanted to get some vaccine for Min-Jun but things got out of control when Shuto discovered him in the lab. The ensuing melee that also included Shuto's assistant Jian ended up destroying much of the lab including his key refrigeration device. Jian was to blame for Hibiki gaining entry to the lab and didn't mention it in the last recap but she was accidentally shot in the fracas.

 Nothing major as it was in the leg but she's now being held in a cell and we have no clue what Shuto's plans are for her. Wouldn't surprise me if he didn't turn Jian into a Golem and experimented on her! So for most of the show Shuto was just repairing his equipment but soon the Defense Forces he now leads will attempt to find Hibiki and his group. In that bottom screenshot above is Kurumi on the right who is Hibiki's girlfriend but may have to say prior one soon, we didn't see much of her until the end. With her are the pair's high school friend Todoroki and he seems to be getting along so well with Kurumi these days, at first she was appalled to see him.

 Todoroki's orders from Shuto were to shadow Kurumi to make sure she didn't escape. She has a special DNA gene which is crucial to Shuto's experiments so there's no way he could ever allow her to flee. Todoroki did constantly tail Kurumi but to me it was more of him protecting her, could the two become an item if they escape unharmed? In that last show Todoroki shot a Defense Force soldier that enabled Hibiki to escape, it appears the others didn't know what happened and presumed Hibiki did the actual shooting. We'll be seeing more of Todoroki soon as he has an inkling that Hibiki and his group are on Saruno island which he wants to check out. Still can't believe that the Defense Forces haven't checked out the island nor have even thought of it through the last four shows.

 The group of survivors is now down to five after Min-Jun's death. Already discussed what happened to him but it's a shame he's gone and his death has truly angered the group  more than any other one. A character whose role has really been increasing is Kanae who now may get the second most screen time. Plus Kanae is becoming a very important figure in the group and she needs to after the death of Min-Jun. Above you can see a first for her as in the second screenshot she killed her first Golem to save Hibiki and you don't want to mess with her these days! But she does have a soft side and Kanae's crush on Hibiki has really risen. That crush is now so severe that she kissed Hibiki lightly on the lips while he was dozing, it woke him up but he was neither surprised or mad at Kanae's actions. Now that he presumes Kurumi is dead he may give Kanae a chance but now is not the time for romance.

 Right above you can also see that Todoroki was captured by two Sword members when he landed on the island. They're still there and led by by Tsuboi but we haven't seen much of them, if he was smart he would join forces with Hibiki's group but never did. Todoroki's capture has really angered Hibiki and his four mates as they blame him and the Defense Forces for Min-Jun's death. Todoroki didn't have much of a response even though he was blameless and to me he's kind of turned over a new leaf. He was such a bastard in the first four shows but after being captured by Shuto's army he seems to have changed his ways and isn't as angry as he once was. To date all we really know about Hibiki's and Todoroki's relationship is that Hibiki at the age of fifteen left home to look for his father who deserted him. That's when Todoroki made his move on Kurumi but the story ended there but would think/hope we'll learn everything in the final two shows.

 Back at Camp Yokosuku the forces were slightly worried about Todoroki who hadn't returned. The commanding officer thought perhaps he was right thinking that Hibiki with his 'terrorist group' were hiding on Saruno island. Bit early in the recap for the final scene but that's what is about to take place though it was a very long one. So finally the army from Camp Yokosuka made the trek to the island but not with a very large force as some still had to defend Shuto and his lab. Besides the soldiers Kurumi was in tow in case of any injuries and also a fourteen year old boy. That's Shori who you've seen in a few screenshots. His younger sister Mana had been killed by Hibiki four shows ago but it was defending himself as the girl had turned into a Golem. Shori's presence was unknown for quite a long time as he had stowed away on the boat.

 In that top screenshot above is the Sword group leader Tsuboi. He knows the Defense Forces are about to land on the island and they're fleeing for safety. It's not that Tsuboi was afraid but his group nor Hibiki's has the firepower to go up against the army. Plus the entire Sword group wants nothing to do with Hibiki as he's become a bit too crazed himself after the death of Min-Jun. Also above in the screenshots is the boy I just mentioned, Shori. He had swiped a gun and was looking for the terrorist that killed his sister. As he was prowling alone through the forest he saw a figure move and shot without hesitation. It wasn't Hibiki but the forty year old mother Shoko that he shot at and hit. It's a shoulder wound which wasn't life threatening but Shoko was in no condition to return to their secret hideaway. Luckily for her nearby was Kanae who heard the shot and rushed to her friend.

 Hibiki had been giving Kanae archery lessons and upon her arrival saw Shori fleeing. She aimed her bow at him as you can see above and fired but he was quite far away for a direct hit. But Kanae did hit Shori in the leg, like Shoko's injury it wasn't fatal but that injury infuriated Kurumi for as you can see she wants revenge more than ever. Back at the group's secret location it's become an unsecret place as the Defense Forces have discovered the building. By this time Kanae had brought Shoko back there and the group knew they were no match for the army. Hibiki left the building to make a loop around to see if there were any forces setting up an ambush. Meanwhile Kanae and Min-Jun's older boss Komoto brought Todoroki outside with a knife against his throat. If the army would let them escape then Todoroki would be set free, how that turned out is unknown for now.

 One last mini segment in this long finale and it was such a dramatic moment, one that was bound to happen and glad it was no kind of fluffy, romantic moment. Both Hibiki and Kurumi have really changed since they were separated a month(?) ago. They'll still do whatever it takes to help a friend in need out but they've always become quite ruthless. First after what happened with Mana being killed and now Shori being injured as really made Kurumi a potentially dangerous killer, she wants to avenge them no matter who she has to hurt. She now has a gun  and while the Defense Forces were at Hibiki's secret base Kurumi was hiding in the woods waiting to shoot whoever she may see. Hibiki has the same thought on his mind which is to hurt the person who stabbed Min-Jun which led to his death.

 According to Kanae it was a female doctor at Camp Yokosuka who was responsible, while Hibiki was in the woods looking for other soldiers he came upon an armed Kurumi lurking behind a tree. There's no way he could tell it was his girlfriend but knew it was the woman who stabbed Min-Jun. Hibiki ordered her not move, if she does then he'll put an arrow straight into their heart. Surprised Kurumi couldn't recognize his voice at first bit it seems she she eventually did as she quickly turned around saying 'Hibiki?'. He wasn't waiting to see who the person was as Hibiki shot his arrow and it was almost a direct hit into the heart as she crumbled to the ground. With that incident the show came to it's conclusion and what a cliffhanger going into the ninth episode. That ending made me wonder one thing, actually a few, but the main one was did Hibiki know before he shot the arrow it was Kurumi? 

 Of course I haven't viewed the next show yet but that ending sets up so many possible scenarios. Too many so won't go into them but can't wait for the next show which airs tonight. Will be back in ten days with the final pair of recaps and then it's on to season two. Hope that'll be subbed also as though the ratings aren't high it seems to be a popular drama and this series has gotten way more views than most other series here. This has been airing on NTV but the second season will be on HULU which is a cable station, person doing the subs hasn't announce if the next season will be in their plans.