Rich Man, Poor Woman Episode 11 Recap

Saying goodbye to a drama I hate is a feeling of relief. Saying farewell to a drama I felt indifferent towards is like scratching an itch. Putting away a drama that is near and dear to my heart is a process of baby steps, weaning myself off the euphoric high watching the drama brings. Because I know there isn’t going to be another new episode, the final episode becomes somewhat a treasured possession. Like that last piece of chocolate you hoard, that last bite you are loathe to swallow. Since I already did a baby recap for episode 11 of Rich Man, Poor Woman, I wanted to take my time to gather my thoughts before tackling the recap proper for this final episode. Even if I weren’t blogging and was merely a passive drama watcher, like I’ve been most of my life, RMPW would still stand out as a J-dorama anomaly in this day and age. Its been years since we’ve had a renai this snappy and full of life, as opposed to bogged down with an excess of woe and angst.

The ratings for RMPW remained in the low-to-mid teens throughout its run, yet another sign that Japan has veered away from romance dramas because for whatever reason the domestic viewership is not turning out to watch them. Which is such a shame, because when they do one right such as they did with RMPW, it harkens back to the heyday of great romantic J-doramas of the early 90s, all wonderfully sweet and funny. While I genuinely enjoyed live watching this story, I have a feeling that marathoning it will bring a different perspective and add more depth to what was experienced during a live watch. There was so much more to Makoto and Hyuga than meets the eye, and for 11 episodes we’ve barely skimmed the surface with these two unique and vibrant individuals. Oguri Shun and Ishihara Satomi truly brought their characters vividly to life that watching them onscreen was an emotional connection rather than a visual feast. I laughed, raged, swooned, and cried for and alongside these two, and its with a content heart I capture their final steps towards becoming a couple.

Episode 11 recap:

Hyuga walks back into Next Innovation, finding it eerily empty with only a few despondent employees left. Yamagami comes out and tells Hyuga that he knows its wrong to ask him to return to a dying company. Hyuga stares at the now white wall. Makoto is on the phone with her friend Haruka and she doesn’t want to see Hyuga despite missing him terribly since that’ll just make her not want to pursue her own career. She’s asked to work on a project and she quickly accepts. Her supervisor is very pleased with her go-getter attitude and tells her that the company is collaborating on a project with a lab in Brazil and she might be assigned to it.

Hyuga sits outside and Yoko joins him. He shares that Asahina still refuses to see him. When asked if he told Makoto that he wants to see her, Hyuga grumbles that he didn’t, which frustrates Yoko. I feel you, Yoko. Hyuga claims Makoto wants to focus on her career now and he wants to support her. Yoko calls him an idiot, asking why he won’t just tell her how he feels? Hyuga claims she stayed with him out of pity since she’s the type to want to help those who are down. Yoko looks at him like he’s an idiot. Which he is, an idiot when it comes to love and other feeling related things.

Makoto visits Wonder Wall and apologizes to the team for quitting. Yasuoka shows her his new name card which says he’s the new President. They’ve packed up Makoto’s stuff but she asks if a photo was found anywhere. Yasuoka says he will bring it to her if its found, and then tells her to keep the keys to the office since she’s always a member. They watch a news report of Hyuga greeting the media as the returning President of Next Innovation.

The prison guard hands Asahina today’s newspaper which reports on Hyuga returning to Next Innovation and vowing to save the company. Asahina wonders what Hyuga is up to?

Makoto returns to the company and runs into Hyuga. He asks how she’s doing and she says it feels fulfilling to work hard. She asks if he’s frustrated with the daunting task ahead and he nods, confessing he might not be able to save it this time. Makoto says he can do it and she really admired the pairing of Asahina and Hyuga, expressing regrest she will be on the other side of the world so she won’t be able to see it.

Hyuga is stunned and Makoto laughs about how funny it is she’s off to Brazil. Hyuga says its not funny but Makoto says she’s excited. She gets up to leave, telling Hyuga that she’ll wish him well from overseas and if they are fated they will meet again. Hyuga angrily calls her on her attitude, asking if she’s changed now that she’s part of a big company. He laughs at her job requiring her to work overseas, saying lab work can be done by automated robots.

Makoto angrily retorts that his work is the only worthwhile innovation, and with just a few keystrokes he can make billions. No wonder the media thinks this industry is just hot air. Hyuga says his job can only be done by him whereas her job can be done by anyone. Makoto says that is exactly why she will take this job because now its finally her turn. Hyuga angrily tells her to go to Brazil then and Makoto walks off.

Asahina sits in his prison cell reading articles on Next Innovation. The prison guard says that if he cares so much, why not ask in person. Asahina goes out to see Hyuga, who yells at him. Asahina tells him to give up on Next Innovation and start over himself. Hyuga says Next Innovation will not disappear and tells Asahina to return. Asahina accepts the blame and gets on his knees to apologize.

Hyuga says nothing other than to proffer up their usual fist bump to Asahina, and oh that makes me all teary for their lost friendship.

Makoto is napping at work when Hyuga calls Makoto. He apologizes for earlier, looking down on her work. Makoto is stunned by his candor and he admits that he was just shocked that she was going to Brazil. Makoto also apologizes for yelling at him. Hyuga shares the news that he finally saw Asahina, and then awkwardly says this is all he wanted to tell her. She asks if he’s in the NI offices and he says yes, describing how it feels so big now. Makoto confesses that she misses it there. Hyuga gets up and walks to his window, saying that he used to be able to see Yasuoka and folks while standing here. He tells her to come to the office to see for herself, saying he’ll be here all night working. Makoto says she’ll come if she finishes her work.

Hyuga happily ends the call and goes back to work. In the morning, the NI employees arrive and we see Hyuga laying on the ground still working while checking his phone. Makoto walks out of the lab and looks at her phone. Hyuga walks out of NI and answers Makoto’s call. He asks if she’s not yet done with work? She apologizes and says she’s not going because she doesn’t want to see him. Hyuga stops her from ending the call, asking why she won’t see him?

Makoto finally comes clean that she can’t see him because she loves him so much its too painful to see him. Makoto ends the call, leaving a thoroughly befuddled Hyuga staring at his phone. Makoto is offered the Brazil job officially and she immediately takes it. Makoto deletes from her phone background the picture of her and Hyuga in front of NI.

Hyuga runs off to see Asahina and he is flummoxed by someone who says she loves him but its too painful. Asahina laughs, saying that he hasn’t found humor in quite some time. He guesses its Makoto, which leads him to reveal that he’s been jealous of Makoto since she showed up. Hyuga stopped listening to him, and when Hyuga told Asahina that he was disappointed in him, that really hurt him. Asahina says that was in the past now and its not going to happen again. Asahina leans forward and says he only has one more thing to teach Hyuga.

Asahina explains that Makoto merely wants to hear how Hyuga feels about her. Hyuga is still confused since Makoto won’t see him. Asahina smiles and tells Hyuga to figure out the rest himself. Before going back to his cell, Asahina asks about the company. Hyuga tells Asahina NI will be fine since he’s found a solution. Asahina smiles wryly, pointing out that work matters still come so easily to Hyuga.

Hyuga meets with the NI Board to ask for the revival of the personal file project with a 50 billion yen allocation. Hyuag says that NI won’t take any credit and the company name doesn’t even need to be attached to the project. NI won’t accept any profit or fees from this project. He wants JI Tech to lend NI the money. When the JI Tech board members get angry, Hyuga hides behind Yamagami who just smiles. Hyuga tells JI Tech that they are getting in return a project that can last for 100 years, as opposed to other technology which becomes obsolete after a few years. With the personal file, JI Tech gets to build a new infrastructure. The JI Tech President agrees to provide the money as long as Hyuga can guarantee he can do it. Hyuga promises to deliver it in two weeks.

Everyone at NI is scrambling under the tight two week deadline. The Wonder Wall boys decide to come back to NI to help. The pretty employee chides Yasuoka for returning so late. The two engineers are ready to resume working on the personal file project.

Yasuoka sees Hyuga sighing and asks what is the matter? Hyuga says no one trusts their company anymore, so what exactly are they doing? IT enriches the lives of people, and that is what they do. Edison probably invented the phone to talk with a lover, the mail was created for people to keep in touch. IT is all about keeping people connected. Hyuga tells them to work hard for the people who matter to them. Hyuga re-writes a new Next Innovation logo on the wall and tells his employees that the next revolution will come from them.

Asahina agrees to see Yoko and she cries. He tells her not to cry because he’s now at peace. He confesses that its been exhausting living up to other people’s expectations, and he apologizes for letting his family down. Yoko tells her brother that she likes him even more now. Makoto is moving out of her apartment and Haruko tells her to see Hyuga before she leaves. She refuses since she might not want to go to Brazil anymore.

NI and JI Tech finally sign the contract for the personal file project collaboration after the successful testing run of the personal file. The JiI Tech President tells Hyuga that 99.9% of companies disappear within 30 years. So for a company to last long takes a lot of effort. He tells Hyuga to make a miracle happen. Hyuga nods and bows deep and low to the President.

Hyuga runs off to tell Asahina about the success and sees that Asahina looks content at last. Asahina tells Hyuga that he did well. Hyuga laughs, saying its been a long time since he heard Asahina compliment him. Asahina says Hyuga has become like a normal person now, which Hyuga is happy about. He likes who he has become and candidly says that he’s changed because of Makoto.

The NI team host a party catered by Yoko to celebrate the personal file project. Turns out Nogi has become the head chef while Yoko is now his sous chef, and they banter in a friendly way. People ask if they can scribble on the wall and Hyuga tells them to go ahead.

Hyuga sips his wine and happily watches everyone partying. Hyuga looks around the office and thinks back to all his memories with Makoto here.

Hyuga is asked to give a speech and he drunkenly stumbles to the front. He starts to name people which worries Yasuoko, who says the company has 37 employees. Hyuga tells him to be quiet and correctly names him. Hyuga is actually is able to remember everyone’s name and age. He drunkenly says he has gotten a perfect score now and thanks everyone for making him a better person. He says he won’t forget any of them before passing out drunk. We see Makoto visiting the Wonder Wall office but no one is there.

Yoko hands Hyuga some water, remarking on how odd it is that he got so drunk. She asks if it doesn’t feel like something is missing? Makoto calls Yasuoka and tells him she was at Wonder Wall and is now off to the airport, asking Yasuoka for the picture of her and Hyuga. Yasuoka purposely talks very loud on the phone and tells Makoto he doesn’t have the picture, all the while handing the picture to Hyuga and giving him a jacket. Hyuga looks at the picture and gets up, walking to the door before breaking into a run.

Makoto searches through all the boxes at Wonder Wall but can’t find the picture. She wonders out loud whether this is a sign she needs to forget Hyuga? Hyuga arrives at Wonder Wall to find Makoto has already left. He races to her apartment but it’s empty as well.

He keeps calling but she doesn’t answer. He angrily rages that he needs to install a GPS device on her the next time he sees her. Yasuoka wakes up all the drunken and sleepy NI employees to tell them to use their technological tracking abilities to try and find Makoto for Hyuga. The employees are able to find out which flight Makoto is supposed to be on and when its taking off.

Before Makoto gets on the plane, she looks at her phone and then walks to the line. Suddenly she hears Hyuga’s voice yelling “didn’t you promise to always answer my calls!”, which Makoto thinks is coming from her phone. Hyuga tells her not to move which is when she realizes he’s right there at the airport. Makoto leaves the line and starts running around the airport. OMG, this is adorable and hilarious.

She finally stops running and Hyuga walks up to hand her the picture. She asks if this is why he came, thanking him. He says this is one reason, but he also has something he wants to tell her. Hyuga explains he can remember names now and the company is saved. All of this makes Makoto very happy as she congratulates Hyuga on being perfect.

Hyuga asks Makoto what she means that she likes him so much its painful. He tells her to just stay by his side if its so painful. His confusion upsets her and she yells at him for not telling her how he feels but asking her to stay. She calls him an idiot and says she’s leaving!

Hyuga stops her and says that he likes her, is that enough? She’s unimpressed with his seemingly unfeeling declaration so Hyuga puts on his jacket and makes himself more presentable before saying “Natsui Makoto, I like you. So please stay by my side.”

Makoto starts to cry and begins to jabber about work and whatnot before Hyuga pulls her in for a kiss. He tells her that the other side of the world is no big deal. He’ll find a way to bridge it. He chides her for not understanding what he does for a living. The thousands of miles between them, he will make it disappear, so she can feel secure and go.

Hyuga then adds that he may be able to bridge the distance between them so they can see each other virtually, but he can’t bridge the distance so they can kiss. You sly dog, Hyuga! Hyuga suggests they kiss now and Makoto smiles and nods. Hyuga leans in for a kiss, but before their lips touch he pulls back in embarrassment, which makes her laugh again.

They smile at each other and then lean in to kiss again!

Time jump of one year and nine months later. Hyuga brings back the just-released Asahina and presents him to the entire company. Asahina greets Yamagami and everyone else, bowing low and deep. Hyuga hands him a marker and shows him a space for him to write. Asahina writes a new note on the wall that says “We can do it if we do it together!” Asahina asks Hyuga if he can do it? Instead of answering, Hyuga extends his fist. The two guys fist bump again. Elsewhere, Yasuoka and his office crush have gotten hitched and that’s a cute little ending for them.

Hyuga is online talking with Makoto, who has a Brazil flag on her face. She’s asking him if he’s read her just published paper in a medical journal. He’s distracted doing other stuff and she can tell. Hyuga ends the call, telling her that he’s busy right now. He suddenly hears her voice yelling that he shouldn’t end calls so abruptly like that.

Hyuga turns around and sees Makoto standing by the front entrance. She smiles at him and peels off the Brazil flag sticker on her cheek. He smiles back at her with a giant grin. Hyuga walks over and welcomes her back. She smiles and he smiles back and they hug each other.

The entire group snaps a picture, including Asahina and Yoko, and Hyuga hangs it up. Hyuga looks at that picture and says “not bad.” The last scene ends with a “See you again!”

Thoughts of Mine:

It was so lovely to have RMPW wrap up in ways that exceeded my expectations, allowing even the jaded ole me to feel the rush of giddiness watching what ought to be pretty predictable ending that instead felt very fresh. I think it all boils down to Hyuga and Makoto, in many ways written so uniquely even as fictional characters that what they say not only confound me, but often confound each other. That’s actually pretty cool, because that forms the very basis of their relationship from the get go and carries all the way to the end of the drama. Makoto meets Hyuga on the jetty in her hometown and he immediately says things that come off as impolite and awkward. But for a girl lacking self-esteem like Makoto, the only way to get her spirit back up isn’t to coddle her with comforting words, its to prod her into becoming defensive and standing up for herself. But Hyuga’s way is too extreme and he hasn’t learned to temper himself. He’s like a wild stallion who can win any race against any horse but hasn’t learned to race in a professional setting yet. So meeting Makoto provides him the emotional engagement he needs to learn to live both intellectually as well as socially. He may be the smartest kid in the room, but its time he learned to respect the other denizens in the room as well. In the end, Hyuga and Makoto did learn to fill in what they lacked in the past as well as find an emotional anchor for their future.

I am surprisingly fine with the forgiveness and redemption of Asahina, probably because he was a true friend and partner to Hyuga up until he let his jealousy and insecurities rear its ugly head. Without Asahina, Hyuga would have never built Next Innovation, and that is a truth that Hyuga accepts along with the acknowledgement that just because Asahina betrayed him doesn’t negate their years of friendship. Just because Asahina failed, Hyuga’s newly learned maturity allowed him to be the bigger man and extend the hand his friend needed to climb back towards the light. I also appreciated how the find mommy plot line was so deftly dealt with, because in the end, Hyuga realized his mom didn’t want to meet him for whatever reason and he accepted that. He accepted what she wanted over what he deemed to be right. This is such a huge development for a man who was introduced in episode 1 denigrating everything that wasn’t the Hyuga way. I won’t say Hyuga needed the Asahina betrayal to learn hard lessons, but he did use it and transform himself in a positive fashion, and I find that so moving. This entire process was at times pretty Inspirational 101, but it was never maudlin nor milked for the kumbayas. The story very narrowly tells of the journey of Makoto and Hyuga after meeting each other, and that limited scope served very well to ground the proceedings so it never felt too full of itself. It’s also this same reason that overall Yoko ended up an okay second female lead, with not much purpose but what little she served counted. She was a good friend to Hyuga and pushed him to be candid and for that I appreciated her existence in this story.

I loved how all the little character touches we spend 10 episodes seeing came together in the final episode to guide Makoto on her own career journey while bringing Hyuga back to Next Innovation and confessing his feelings for the woman he loves. Makoto remains the girl who doubts herself, that even when she’s found a professional opportunity she still cannot bring herself to pursue Hyuga. Her courage comes and goes, when Hyuga is down she is like a mother hen shielding him and keeping him company, but when Hyuga is up her insecurities about matching up to him take over. The title of Rich Man, Poor Woman ended up not being about money, or wealth as a financial denominator. Hyuga is rich with intelligence but poor with socializing. Makoto is poor with self-esteem but rich with empathy. We have two people who spark with each other finding out that each can help plug a gap in their own limitations, and this journey was for them to face challenges and use it to learn to improve themselves. In the end, the story had the requisite Cinderalla Fairytale ending since the pretty poor girl ends up with the handsome rich boy, but watching it I came away with a sense of appreciation for how this oft-used stereotypical set up was given a smart new spin.


Comments

Rich Man, Poor Woman Episode 11 Recap — 34 Comments

  1. Omg thank you for this!! Im getting teary-eyed reading this. I still haven’t watched the finale yet bc if I watch then it’s really is the end. :'( This drama tops my list as my fav drama ever and I’ve seen a lotttt of dramas lol.

    I’m glad they didn’t veer towards the mommy storyline even though the whole time I wanted him to go find his mother with Makoto. Even if she didn’t play a role in his life, Hyuga can thank his mother for bringing him the love of his life. Hyuga noticed Makoto bc of her name, they met bc of her, and at the end when finally met her he realized who he wanted to see most in his life is Makoto. I loveeeee this drama so much. I’m gonna buy the DVDs for sure!!!!

  2. I wish they had a different name, a more engaging one maybe? I loved the drama but the name makes it sound like some unimaginative run of the mill drama out there. Which this wasn’t. It wasn’t a Cindrella fairytale because the lead wasn’t some plucky hardship ridden poor girl, but an intelligent and engaging girl lacking in self esteem. I never saw money as the issue, it’s more about their intelligence. I wish there were more like this. After a long time, a japanese drama I liked and enjoyed and will probably rewatch later (or sooner). I loved the ending. Satisfying and sweet!

  3. Thank you for introducing such a nice drama. I havent been watching any Jap drama for ages and this really moved me. I love the leads interaction. =D

      • Oh, jomo and guys… and I thought I was the only one. Its’ really weird how I gobbled hungrily on the past episodes, waiting impatiently on the raw and the subbed. But I just couldn’t bring myself to watch english-subbed finale. Well, because it is just so… final!

        I fell head over heels in love with this show and thus far, it has become my favourite j-dorama (although that’s no saying much since I have only watched a handful). BTW, you called it a “renai” – what does that mean?

        All the best, Captain!!!

        Thank you, ockoala, for taking us again to this journey and bringing us home. I will be waiting for the next j-dorama you will be offering to us to be addicted to!

    • The sheer excellence of this finale made me deliriously happy. I’ve been on a high ever since. Yes, it saddens me to part with these two beautiful characters but it ended on such a perfect note that I will be okay, I think. I just want the warm fuzzies to forever envelope me. To think the writer did this in a mere 6 hours of airtime is beyond impressive!! <3<3

      @wits: I think "renai" is Japanese for love. So, a renai dorama would be a love story or a romcom.

  4. i feel so bad now… i wish we had a 2nd season.. this is definitely my number 1 drama of all times. fell in love with oguri shun again and discovered this cute amazing and talented girl named ishihara satomi! <3

  5. I said in an earlier post that RMPW made look forward to Monday nights (Wed/Thurs for subs!) This drama was so *right*; the characters fit together very well and the emotions they experiences –which played extremely well across the faces of our Huyga & Makato. Pure drama-heaven. The only thing I could have wished for is a K-drama staple: the cute date after the OTP has confessed. (I feel a little cheated, LOL!)

    Like many others, I’m glad I watched/read & joined the fun that was RMPW. Thanks, Koala for the recaps! If you find more pictorials of Oguri Shun, I’m sure you know where to post them. 😉

    Even though J-dramas don’t do so well with sequels, I hope we get a special episode or (wedding!!) movie –Hana Yori Dango style. (Notice I said ‘style’, not ‘plot’.)

  6. Thank you for completing the recaps. It was a beautiful journey with you on your playground. Much honoured to be able to join in. Now, when something interests me, i go about researching. Would you be able to find whether this is based on a manga? I read on Time magazine or was it the Economist about this manga writer who writes on more corporate stories. highly educated or even a professor, but he was mentioned to be turning things around in japan in terms of having young CEOs as main character, happy to be helping the wife, etc. as opposed to the senior and my-work-is-my-life system in Japan. It must have been 3-4 years ago i read that. If this isn’t a manga, would you be able to read from the credits who did the screenplay. and if there were other series from this writer? Thanks a lot!

  7. Perfect show is PERFECT!! <3 This finale was prolly THE best that I’ve seen thus far from either a K/J-drama. I loved it so much that the aberration that was episode 6 is long forgotten. Not only did it resolve each story arc…it actually elevated the previous episodes’ writing. And, I thank the dorama Gods for bringing this talented cast & crew together to make it possible, LOL.

    This show started out with Hyuga’s motivation in bringing the “personal file” project to fruition being primarily to locate his mum’s whereabouts but ended up becoming so much more. In hindsight I’m so glad that Makoto didn’t accompany him to see his mum…he’d started using her as an emotional crutch & her absence enabled him to become more emotionally independent. Also, glad that Makoto went off to work at that research place. He’d forever be content with having her by his side. I was part amused and part exasperated at this (emotional) alien’s inability to decipher her ‘not wanting to see him again’. On the friendship front we got to know what served as a catalyst to Asahina betraying Hyuga. It was bittersweet that puppy’s desperation made Asahina laugh in a long time.

    While everything was great the heart of the show were Hyuga and Makoto. I adored them individually but together they were positively sublime. Respects to the writer for continuing in developing Makoto in the final episode. These two became equals in their relationship which was quite epic.

    My cheeks hurt from how much I smiled in this episode. It pretty much started at the airport when he puts on his blazer (I pretty much went, M. you wanted a formal confession you’ll get one!!) to confess to her, telling her he’ll reduce the distance between them to an insignificant one via technology, requesting her for a kiss, and then being all shy before going in for the kiss! aughhh, these two just slayed me with their adorableness! Though nothing could actually compare their blinding smiles, him chirping “okaeri”, and Makoto leaping into his arms for that spectacular hug on being reunited. By this time I was pretty much incoherent with happiness!! LUB this show SO much!

    Arigatou Ms. Koala for covering this show and introducing me to these two wonderful actors!! MUCH appreciated! <3

    • You articulated my thoughts perfectly Saima, thanks.

      I also had a change of heart (and mind) on a few things now that I have the benefit of hindsight. Now that I understand the story arc, I respect the writer that much more. I remember venting quite vehemently when Yoko got to be with Hyuga in that fateful meeting with his mom (“that trip was supposed to have been done with Makoto, ONLY!!”) was what I said. I take it back now. The ending was just perfect for me. Not overdone, as most k-dramas are wont to do, or vague and hanging, as some mean k-drama writers are also prone to, but just… Perfect!

      • As much as I’d love to continue to watch Hyuga & Makoto forever I know that I’m a brat and start cribbing when the pace takes a nosedive and the inconsistencies in plot crop up. So, this was just perfect. I will re-watch this series whenever I need to revisit H&M’s saccharine sweetness which will be often.

        And, yeah I remember how much we complained at E6 and E10’s last five minutes. hahaaaa

  8. Koala, thank you so much for leading this ship and giving us your awesome recaps. This dorama is close to perfect and I’m so glad I got to watch it with everyone here in the playground.

    Kanpai! 😀

  9. Rich Man Poor Woman… When I first saw the title, Geezzz… It sounds cheesy. Quite common? But… When I saw the picture of Oguri Shun & Satomi Ishihara – both I just watched their other movie/drama & knowing how entertaining they were, I know something veeeery interesting that will keep me on my toes is waiting!!

    Yes, very true when the first episode really like a roller coaster ride. I can’t help smiling watching Hyuga being like a naughty kid trying to escape & enjoying himself with his game – the stock exchange game!

    Then came this plain girl – unsuccessful candidate after so many interviews , seemed pathetic but hey ho! It’s nothing new but here it gives u the wake up pinch what it is- someone with very good brain, amazing academic achievement but still couldn’t get a job? There must be something lacking or what is wrong?

    Luck and being lucky?

    Fate & destiny?

    ❤ love?

    Same common denominator for rom-com dramas but here, the script, the performance, the teamwork, though some were silly and unreal (?) but eye-catchy and fun-filled show that makes this jdorama a very special one.

    A very satisfying story to watch, again & again & again! Yes, been doing that especially after episode 9!

    To whoever who just found this RMPW & contemplating to watch or not, I can only say lets join the bandwagon – but watch it slowly to get the feel of these 2 lovely characters and I’m sure you will also fall in love with their growing love…

    Oh so sweet feeling 🙂

    Gonna miss the weekly rush & anticipation but relieved too to have it reached the finale!

    Cheerio 😉

  10. I just love readin all ur recaps of RMPW . . . N Oguri Shun oh! how can a man be more dashin n handsome day by day . . . Just want to look at him all the time . . . Thanks a lot Koala. . .its all thru u.

  11. So perfect ending.They asked for season two.I will vote for season two.Because they two built-up of wonder wall’s mission havn’t complete yet.One more thing is education systemis not failure very useful.Show that Makoto Natsui’s job very useful of people’s life sciences.Thistime around Hyuga’s show her to admire and tell her’s perfect.And than they built-up family,Later Hyuga’s realized that his life is not lonely and his life is wonderful.Thanks to Mokoto Natsui and without her,his life will not complete.This way will be better it is?
    Fuji Tv,producer and Director please consedir of season two please.
    We miss than too much and thanks you all.

  12. I LOVE this SHOW!! I am still pretending that I did not watch the LAST episode yesterday. However, I had to comment because right before I fell asleep, I realized why I liked this finale so much. It is because this is the first airport scene that made sense to me. I love Yasuoka (my favorite character I think) and the way he bands everyone together to find out where Mokoto is because really I lways wondered about those final airport scenes in drama (as much as I love seeing Joe Cheng cry to a little kid with an ET doll). How do they know where to begin looking? I swear, the only airport I have ever been to where I could randomly guess which gate to start with was in Dillingham, Alaska (on my way to work in a fishery in college) which only had one room. At least I know that there was method to the madness and his finding her was the work of people checking every and using every tech device imaginable.

  13. Thanks Koala for bringing this dorama to light. I love Japanese dorama’s since the stories always tend to be unique and the characters are so loveable. Oguri Shun really has a way of embracing the character. I can see why my friend is such a huge fan. My favorite scene has to be the one at the airport where she’s ignoring his calls. I busted a gut laughing so hard when she runs away because she thinks that he’s mad at her. It’s things like these that always bring me back to Japanese television. Thanks for the recaps and they really did end it beautifully showing forgiveness and redemption. Just beautiful 🙂

  14. I will never ever forget this drama! It was so good! One of the best dramas i have ever seen. Thank you so much Koala for the recap!!!

  15. Thank you for introducing me this drama. Without you, I would have probably never watched this. Definitely not a wasted time. And the intro song still makes me feel happy and joyful.

    PS Loved the phoning scene at the airport and Makoto’s attempt to escape ^^

  16. I absolutely agree this was one of the BEST dramas I have seen, BUT, that being said, there was something that bothered me and I will vent here to ya’ll. At the end, when she is speaking about her paper, and he is preoccupied with his work and she calls him out on it – he hangs up on her! I realize this leads in to the cute scene after, but still, even though he considers her job boring and not as important as his, he should have still shown some pride in her accomplishment. Yes, yes, I realize it’s just a show, but STILL, instead of a hug, she should have blunderbussed him first. If there is a SP, I would like the writer have Toru’s character acknowledge her intelligence and ability!!

  17. got to read your recap first; still havent seen the last episode yet. am still in the process of accepting that it will be the last. anyway, thanks for giving us a good recap and insight.

  18. I’ve been watching a lot of korean dramas lately, because Japanese dramas are on this detective/ police procedural frenzy. Seems the japanese don’t like the rom coms anymore, anyways so glad I was able to watch this .

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