"Kimi to Sekai ga Owaru Hi ni" drama: Season one, episode ten(final) 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% .... #9, 7.8% .... #10, 8.4%

Links to the previous shows:

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

Episode five .... Episode six .... Episode seven ....Episode eight

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.

Kodai Asaka as Rikuto Kuwato.... Defense Forces corporal who since the end of the second episode had questioned why they were so hell bent on killing Hibiki and his group. He eventually joined forces with him in the ninth show as Shuto was planning on having him captured.

Shohei Uno as Doctor Omaezaki.... Originially a member of Tsuboi's group but began working with Hibiki. At one time Omaezaki was a researcher with Shuto but left when his experiments began to edge towards insanity.

 Those who are now deceased:

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. Then it got into that rut of 7.1% but did make a nice rebound and this final show tied for the highest rating. Solid ending but was hoping for something a bit more intense, perhaps when I write this up will change my mind. Few oddball things I've wondered and all action series have some questions. One is where are Hibiki and Kanae getting their arrows from?! They've shot hundreds of them yet their pouches are always loaded with arrows, best not to wonder. The other mystery is where have the Japanese government and other armed forces been? The Golem virus is supposedly just in the city of Miura about twenty miles south of Yokohama. But besides the small presence of the Defense Forces at Camp Yokosuka there's been no other troops, scientists or doctors sent there, are they hoping everyone will die? For if that happens the virus may become extinct but it still doesn't make much sense, as mentioned sometimes it's better not to ask questions.

EDIT: Just discovered after this post was published season two will be subbed. Bit shorter than this first one as there's only six episodes and think I'll keep the format the same so will have three batches of two recaps.

 Above that batch of screenshots are two from the opening minute which is also how the previous episode ended off with. That was of Hibiki and Kurumi finally meeting after being separated for two months, you can read more of what it was all about in the episode nine recap. But have to say was kind of surprised that Kurumi fired her pistol at Hibiki but not surprised she missed. But Kurumi was aiming to kill and as you can see did glance his cheek, that's left Hibiki naturally stunned. Don't know how or why it's happened but Kurumi has seriously been brainwashed by the mad doctor Shuto and for some reason believes he's been working on a vaccine for the Golem virus. However we did learn the opposite has been taking place and you can see what the 'vaccine' is really doing with that soldier.

 For the longest of time Shuto has managed to keep the Defense Forces and the civilian survivors at Camp Yokosuka on his side claiming they'll be saved with his vaccine. But what Shuto really injected everyone with was the Golem virus itself!!!! Slowly everyone who has been injected has been turning into a Zombie and was that wise on Shuto's part? Because of that there's so few soldiers or doctors left so it should be easy for Hibiki's group to storm the camp. But after Kurumi's attempted murder(!) of Hibiki the group didn't wait around and fled back to their 'safe base' on Saruno island. Should be a safe location as there's so few soldiers left to attack but wonder why Shuto never sent over any Golems?

 There may be a safer place and that's what the group was discussing above. Didn't bring it up in the last recap as it was only a ten second scene and was waiting for the potential story to become important. It appears there's a safe location with many survivors called Hope House and they've been transmitting their messages on 73.4 FM. That group will be sending a boat to Kurihama port which isn't too far from Miura where the drama is set. Checked the city out which is a real one and they've got quite an impressive Godzilla statue there. The group of eight has decided to take a chance and get on the boat, actually just seven as against all logic Hibiki wants to remain to of course save Kurumi. That blew his friends away and especially Kanae above who has such a crush on him. But eventually they talked Hibiki into going and the ship will be arriving tomorrow.

 **** Quick note on the dates, us viewers didn't know what the present time was nor did the group of survivors. The show began at the end of September and the above took place on December 3rd so it's been two months. Do find it hard to believe it's that close to Winter as its still warm and sunny.

 If you've seen any of this show or read the recaps you'll know exactly what Hibiki didn't do! That's to go with his seven mates to the boat which will transport any survivors to the Hope House. During the night Hibiki slipped away but of course not undetected. Noticing him was his old friend Todoroki who was on security watch that evening. He knew what Hibiki was up to and didn't try to stop him but surprisingly did wish him success. There was a person who knew Hibiki's secret plans and that was the ex-soldier Kuwata who defected in the last episode. Kuwata knows that Shuto must be stopped at any cost and gave Hibiki his weapons, will he be the person to save the country of Japan?!

 The following morning while the group watched the ship arrive at the harbor Kuwata told everyone of Hibiki's grand plan, to rescue Kurumi and hopefully destroy Shuto. All were stunned but they did have a chance to bid their final farewells(?) to Hibiki via Kuwata's walkie talkie. Not quite a teary scene but the first semi-lame one up until now. Right above is Shuto's ex-assistant Jian who has been locked up for helping Hibiki escape with medicine four shows ago though she was the one to save Kurumi's life. She's been thrown in a cell once again with Jian, not that Shuto doesn't trust Kurumi but there's hardly any soldiers left to watch over her.  For the second time Jian did try to talk some sense into Kurumi who is still a bit devoted to the deranged doctor but perhaps not for much longer.

 Shortly after Shuto brought Kurumi to his lab where we finally learned the secret of his refrigeration device. In it was a person though not a live one, kind of suspected it but was never sure. In the device that's set well below freezing was Shuto's wife who had died fifteen years ago from a blood disease. So for all those years what Shuto had been working on was a way to cure that disease and revive his wife! Kind of far fetched as the woman is dead but Shuto has become so deranged it's no use explaining that to him. So the Golem virus was the product of his failed experiments, his staff knew that so why didn't the Japanese government step in to stop him? Hibiki's mother had the special DNA gene which Shuto thought would be the solution to the disease, of course also having that rare and special DNA gene was Kurumi. Shuto told most of his story to her and that's starting to make Kurumi a little uncomfortable being around him, think her being brainwashing is now a thing of the past.

 Final segment and a bit of an overly dramatic ending, could have been less heartwarming but it was satisfying. Most of the soldiers have been infected with the Golem virus so there had only been one standing in Hibiki's way. This soldier captured him and perhaps it was part of Hibiki's plan to be brought to Shuto. But Hibiki didn't know what was in store for him and neither did Kurumi who now knows she made a mistake not fleeing with her boyfriend when she had the chance. As you can see above Shuto has given the pair a deathly order, he gave them each a knife and said to kill each other! That's not going to happen now, perhaps the previous day when Kurumi was brainwashed but she wouldn't kill Hibiki in a million years, same goes for him. 

 Seeing his plan backfire Shuto had another scheme up his sleeve. He set off the room's sprinklers which were filled with blood, that's what attracts Golems and it'd just be a matter of time before they arrived on the scene. When he set the sprinklers off Shuto quickly fled the room to flee with his dead wife, he knew the Golems would also attack him. Which is what happened as carrying his wife made Shuto inch along slowly and he was a sitting duck for a hungry Golem. That's exactly what took place as Shuto was bitten but was managing to keep making his way to an exit. Meanwhile you may be wondering what's been happening with our two heroes Hibiki and Kurumi, seems they have zero chance of escape.

 In an unexpected event the cavalry arrived, against all odds it was Todoroki! In tow with him was Tsuboi who was the leader of the Sword group who we've seen a few times most episodes. Hibiki's group saw the pair secetly talking and thought once again Todoroki was defecting but it was actually the opposite. He made plans with Tsuboi to go to Camp Yokosuka to save his ex-friend and also to once and for all defeat Shuto. That's what happened as Todoroki and Tsuboi managed to defeat the remaining Golems and there were quite a few. Also with them were Kanae and Kotomo who by now would give up their lives for Hibiki. A deal had been struck between the two, for his help Tsuboi wanted all of the camp's weapons which Todoroki had readily agreed to. There was one remaining obstacle which was to find Shuto and make sure he's destroyed. The trio of Hibiki, Kurumi and Todoroki did and Shuto didn't have much of a human life left after that Golem bite. 

 With one of his last gasps of breath Shuto pulled out a pistol and shot at Hibiki. In a surprising move jumping in front of him was Todoroki who took the bullet in the back. But to me think Todoroki was thinking more of saving Kurumi as Shuto's aim was probably way off with his condition. However Todoroki survived as he is in the second season. By now Shuto had died and was about to revive as a Golem, that didn't happen as he was strangled to death by Hibiki. Not quite the ending as a day or two later(?) we saw the five survivors from the group head to the entrance of the Hope House which is truly a safe house. Only five as remaining behind were Hibiki and Kurumi who appear as they're going to settle on the island of Saruno, the series ended on that note. However as mentioned in the intro still can't believe the Japanese government hasn't done one thing to combat the virus or Golems.

 Bit of a longer recap but so much happened in that final half after a slightly slowish first twenty minutes. Did say the ending was a bit too heartwarming but then again not sure what I would have done differently. Sure the ending was what it was for there is a second season whose first episode aired right after this one but on a different network. I enjoy Zombie dramas so of course this was one I savored and for a final grade will give it a 8.7/10.

 Thought the first half had close to a 9.0, not that the second half was bad in any way but would rate that a 8.4 as things did work out a bit too perfectly. Plus I'm still dying to know why the Japanese government or armed forces never appeared on the scene, perhaps that's what will be happening in the second season. No word yet if that will be subbed but it hasn't even been a week since that first episode, if it is subbed will be recapping that series too.