It has been revealed that the total number of views for the Fuji TV Monday 9pm drama series "The Beginning of the Sea" (Mondays 9pm), starring Meguro Ren of the popular group "Snow Man", and the spin-off drama "The Beginning of My Brother", currently streaming on TVer, has topped 52 million (according to Video Research, TVer and FOD combined, as of September 2nd).
Episode 8 of "The Beginning of the Sea" (broadcast on August 19th) recorded 3.71 million views in the week after it aired (August 19th-26th), and the special episode "The End of Love" (broadcast on August 26th) recorded 3.18 million views in the week after it aired (August 26th-September 2nd). The number of favorites on TVer has grown with each episode, exceeding 1.94 million.
Episode 9, which aired on September 2nd, depicted the farewell between Natsu (Meguro) and Yayoi (Arimura Kasumi). As the last train approaches, Yayoi lets go of Natsu's hand and cheers him on, saying, "Good luck, Dad. I'm rooting for you," before turning her back to board the train. After seeing Yayoi off, Natsu bursts into tears, her face all messed up. The sight of Yayoi crying alone on the train has caused a stir, and the drama's title has become the number one trending topic in the world on X (formerly Twitter).
◇Episode 10 (broadcast on September 9th) Synopsis
Natsu breaks up with Yayoi, who she has been dating for over three years, and decides to live with her daughter, Umi (Izumiya Sena-chan). At night, while looking up information on "single parent support" on her computer, Natsu picks up her study book, sees the name column empty, and takes out her pen. She stops when she writes "Nagumo," and wonders what she should do with Umi's surname.
Natsu goes to an izakaya with Fujii (Nakajima Ayumu), a senior at her company, and tells him that she has a daughter and that she has decided to live with her. Fujii then talks about his experience when, when his wife was hospitalized, it was hard to get his child to eat and go to sleep.
Natsu says that she is prepared for that, and is considering changing jobs to avoid having Umi change schools, and wants to find a way to avoid putting stress on her child, but Fujii tells her, "If a parent is exhausted from stress, it will be a secondary disaster for the child."
Natsu goes to pick up Umi from her elementary school in Odawara. The two walk together, talking about memories of her late mother, Mizuki (Furukawa Kotone), and about school. Natsu asks Umi, "What do you think about changing schools?" to which Umi replies, "No." Umi asks, "So many things have changed for Umi since Mommy left, haven't they? Why do you still have to change? Natsu is at a loss for words...
The drama is a completely original work that reunites the "silent" team, including screenwriter Miku Ikukata, director Taiki Kazama, producer Ken Murase, and actor Meguro, and depicts the theme of love between parents and children. It follows Natsu, who is suddenly informed that he has a six-year-old daughter named Umi with his former lover Mizuki, who has passed away, and the people around him, including his current lover Yayoi.
