The final episode of the TBS Friday drama "Takusari Brothers," starring actor Masaki Okada and also featuring Shota Sometani, aired on June 19th. Okada's character, Makoto, uttered the line, "This is the end," which garnered a great deal of attention.
◇The following contains spoilers.
Minoru (played by Shota Sometani) pointed his gun at Haruko Ashikaga (played by Haruka Igawa), the real culprit who murdered his parents, but he couldn't pull the trigger. Makoto took the gun from him, saying, "I'll take care of the rest."
"That's the only way they'll forgive me," Haruko said, closing her eyes. Makoto's eyes filled with tears as he aimed at Haruko. A few drops of blood fell after the gunshot, but it remained unclear whether Haruko had been shot, and the drama moved on to its ending.
Just before the end, the video switched. The scene from the beginning of the first episode, where the brothers ask each other about their dreams—"What do you want to be when you grow up?"—just before their parents' murder, was recreated with the brothers as adults.
"Ninja," Minoru replied. "What would I be..." Makoto stammered. "This is as far as I can go," he muttered.
The true meaning of "This is the end" sparked a variety of interpretations. On social media, comments included: "I think Makoto missed his gun. I think with those words, Makoto broke the chains of revenge between Haruko and Minoru," "I think the brothers have reached the 'statute of limitations on their hearts'," "'This is the end' means their decision to turn themselves in," "'This is the end' means that their revenge is over, and that even though he shot Haruko in the arm, she forgave him, and they both turned themselves in," "My interpretation is that in the end, both brothers chose death. In the final family scene, I think they went to their parents," and "I hope that from now on, the two of them can move forward and live their lives. The curse is gone now."
