"Kimi to Sekai ga Owaru Hi ni" drama: Season one, episode nine 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%

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. Added in the bottom two characters for this recap.

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 was 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 for this episode. Above screenshots are from the intense ending in he eighth show. Can't believe it took the Japanese Defense Forces so long to find where Hibiki's group was hiding out, for a while at the location was also the Swords group led by Tsuboi who fled in the last show. That location is Saruno island and how couldn't the Defense Forces have known about their location for so long? The soldiers have been ordered to kill upon sight, especially Hibiki who Shuto wants dead no matter what and you can read all that in the last recap.

 In the ending you can see above the soldiers have discovered the hideaway for the five survivors plus one remaining from Tsuboi's group. Todoroki had gone on ahead to see if there was anyone on the island, when he didn't return the forces went searching for him. Todoroki is now being held captive by Kanae and Kotomo, all they're asking for is to escape safely or at least for now. Meanwhile Hibiki had snuck out into the woods to see if there was an ambush lying in wait for the group. There wasn't but there was a figure in the woods crouching behind a tree who had a gun in her hands. Hibiki didn't know who it was as he was behind the person but he was positive it was the woman who stabbed Min-Jun and that led to his death. As the woman turned around to see who was there Hibiki fired his arrow and almost hit her dead center in the heart. Of all people it was Hibiki's girlfriend Kurumi and the question many of wondered did he know that before he shot the arrow? That question is still a lingering one and let's head to the regular recap, that above actually described episode eight a bit better.

Haven't watched the last episode yet as to keep the suspense and wondering at a high level.

 Of course all of the survivors have changed and who of us wouldn't with a virus in the air and Zombies attacking you along with the Defense Forces! To me the character that's changed the most is Kanae who you can see above in a pair of screenshots. For the first four episodes she was such a meek and quiet young woman who had been a college student, she didn't get as much screen time either. But in the last five shows Kanae has become one of the key characters and her meek days are behind her. In the last show Kanae shot a young boy with an arrow but it didn't kill him. Now she's prepared to shoot an arrow at Todoroki or a soldier if the group's release request isn't met. Plus she asked the head soldier Kuwata why the army was after them as the group are just normal human beings.

 To that Kuwata didn't have an answer but he himself had been wondering the same thing, we'll be seeing more of him later on. As this confrontation was going on who should walk out of the woods but Hibiki holding a severely injured Kurumi. When Todoroki saw that he was furious as he's also in love with the woman but tied up he couldn't do anything to his ex-friend Hibiki. That standoff had to be aborted by the army as Kurumi needed to taken back from the island to Camp Yokosuka as she may not have long to live. Shuto had made it perfectly clear to the soldiers that nothing should happen to Kurumi as she has a special gene which could be key to creating the vaccine to cure the Golem virus. The soldiers knew they had no choice so took Kurumi and rushed back to their camp.

 Couldn't make it, viewed the final show after writing the above but but won't give any spoilers.

 Back at the camp an emergency surgery took place and the doctor in charge was Jian, once Shuto's trusted assistant until episode seven. Don't know how she performed such a miracle but Jian was able to save Kurumi who had lost quite a bit of blood. She was hurting for a while but it seemed within two days she was close to being completely recovered, Shuto though it was because of Kurumi's special DNA. At the camp the corporal Kuwata began having serious doubts about Shuto's intentions and actually has had them since Hongo was killed in the second show. The report on his death had been fudged and Kuwata is trying to enlist the help of his friend Sawa to possibly revolt against Shuto. That was a dismal failure as Sawa still believed in Shuto and his vaccine.

 Sawa reported about Kuwata's behavior immediately and as you can see Shuto was about to have him arrested or perhaps worse, to be turned into a Golem! Kuwata was having no part of that and managed to escape from the army whose numbers have been dwindling. In that middle screenshot Kuwata had arrived safely at Saruno island where he told the whole story to Hibiki and his group. But the story made the most sense to the above doctor who is Omaezaki, he had once worked on Shuto's project and what Sawa says appears to be true. That's of there being no vaccine to combat the Golem virus and Shuto is using the promise of a vaccine to keep his soldiers in line along with the other survivors at the camp. But if it's not a virus vaccine what has Shuto been working on for so many years?

 That answer will be revealed in the final episode and as Omaezaki said it wasn't a vaccine being created. In the beginning talked about how Kanae's role has really increased as her character has become so important(finally) plus she gets the second most screen time. The group trusts Kuwata and that night she began to discuss with Hibiki what the next course of action should be. But Kanae veered off course and couldn't live with herself anymore if she didn't reveal the romantic feelings she has towards Hibiki. Kanae confessed she's never been in love before and has been such a cold hearted woman her entire life, would the two have any possible future if they survive the ordeal? According to Hibiki a romance is probably not going to happen, he was flattered by Kanae's confession but for now the only woman on his mind is Kurumi.

 Oh well, least that's one less person I have to worry about vying for Kanae's affections! Now that Kuwata has joined the group that makes them much stronger so in the works is an attempt to once again save Kurumi, will the third time be a charm? But she's become a bit brainwashed by Shuto as she still believes he's creating a vaccine to combat the Golem virus. Jian had a long talk with her about the truth which didn't sway Kurumi and just can't understand her fascination with Shuto which kind of dragged the story down a bit. In the last show the mother of  the young girl Yuzuki Shoko had been shot by the young boy Shori, she recovered but her condition is rapidly getting worse and needs some medications. Hibiki has a plan and via Kuwata's radio contacted Camp Yokosuka with an offer. If they will give him the medicine he's requested then he'll trade Shori back but obviously that won't happen if things work out perfectly.

 That's Todoroki in the top screenshot, not much to say about him this show. After he was captured in the seventh episode by Hibiki and his mates Todoroki is somewhat working with his original group, he'll play a very major role in the final show. The soldiers at the camp were of course leery about the trade and they really had nothing to gain, would have been better if they got the corporal Kuwata back. But they agreed to the deal and Hibiki even had a chance to say a few words to Kurumi, the first time they've talked in almost two months. Hibiki wants his girlfriend at the swap, reason Hibiki gave was because he wanted a doctor to verify the medicines but also for he had a plan to bring her back to the island. Sure the soldiers knew something would be up and a big reason for them agreeing to the meeting was to kill Hibiki and his group.

 That swap for the medicine took place the following day at Camp Yokosuka's small port. By now there was only about three minutes to go in the show as this scene will be continued in the next episode. Hibiki had the boy Shori with him and he looked as though he was prepared to make the trade for the medicine. But once Hibiki got the package to save Shoko out of the shadows jumped Todoroki and Kuwata armed with guns while Kanae had her trusty arrow. They held the soldiers at bay as Shori was going back with Hibiki who also was prepared to bring Kurumi. But in a twist ending Kurumi refused to return with her boyfriend as she's still completely brainwashed and has total faith in Shuto. In the final few seconds Kurumi picked up a soldier's pistol and pointed it right at Hibiki's head. Needless to say he was stunned to no end and in the final bit of action Kurumi fired the pistol, could she have killed the love of her life?

 Won't give an answer to that yet as Hibiki is the star so you obviously know what didn't happen. Good do see Kurumi have a bit of an intense scene, while she's had so much screen time her character has been a weak one and was kind of disappointed her role wasn't more important. She is a key character but not to the extent I thought she would be. One more recap to go in this series and that's the next post as once again an episode ended off intensely.