The third episode of the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan " (General TV, Monday to Saturday at 8:00 AM and others), starring Mio Imada , was broadcast on April 2nd, and viewers had a variety of reactions to the unexpected behavior of Takashi's (Kimura Yuuki) mother, Tomiko ( Nanako Matsushima).
In the third episode, Nobu (Yuzuna Nagase) was having fun riding a seesaw with Chihiro (Masataka Hirayama) and Takashi. Then Tomiko appeared and said angrily, "What if you hurt your precious little boy?" and took Chihiro home, who wanted to play more. Takashi confessed to Nobu, "Chihiro is my younger brother." Takashi's uncle Hiroshi (Yutaka Takenouchi) had no children, so Chihiro was adopted.
When Takashi got home and was drawing in the living room, Hiroshi came in and praised him, saying, "You're good at drawing, Takashi." Hiroshi noticed a picture of the family of four, the late Kiyoshi (played by Kazunari Ninomiya), Tomiko, Takashi, and Chihiro, eating bread, and told him, "Draw a good picture. If you do what you like, you'll like it a lot." After Hiroshi left the room, Tomiko praised him, saying, "Mom likes this picture too," but then said with a sad look on her face, "But I have to move on now..."
Later, while Tomiko was cutting Takashi's hair, she had to go to Kochi for some business and would be away for a while, but Takashi told her to wait for him at the house. When Takashi asked her when she would be back, Tomiko replied, "Soon. I'll come to pick you up as soon as I've finished my business, so be a good girl."
The next morning, Takashi skips school without permission and chases after Tomiko with Chihiro. "Will you really come to pick me up right away?" Takashi begs, and Tomiko promises, "Until then, listen to what Uncle Hiro and the others say and be good. Mom will come to pick you up right away." Tomiko looks at the two of them with a troubled look on her face, then quickly leaves without looking back.
Tomiko left a note, which Hiroshi's wife Chiyoko (Naho Toda) read and angrily proclaimed, "The first anniversary of Kiyoshi's death has yet to come, and yet you're leaving such a cute child behind and remarrying."
Various comments were made on social media, such as "It's only the third time, but it made me cry that morning", "It's way too soon to think she'd leave her child behind", "Nanako Matsushima's back view was too perfect as 'the mother burned into my childhood memories'", "Nanako Matsushima's kimono, which was out of place on the country road, was cruelly beautiful...", "I think Tomiko's mother has moved on", and "I wonder if she's not coming back? Is she really remarrying?"
