The third episode of the drama series " Taigan no Kaji ~Kore ga, Watashi no Ikiru Michi~ " (TBS, Tuesdays at 10pm), starring actress Mikako Tabe , aired on April 15th. The scene at the end where Shiho (Tabe) sheds tears became a hot topic on social media.
◇The following contains spoilers
"Why are you being so nice to me just because I'm your next-door neighbor?" When asked by Reiko ( Noriko Eguchi), Shiho begins to talk about a story she heard from her mother a long time ago: "Rain falling on the sea."
"It seems that it's impossible to confirm whether rain falling on the ocean is actually falling or not. Radar cannot be built on the ocean, so it cannot be observed accurately. Only ships that happen to pass by can see the rain. If not a single ship passes by, the rain on the ocean goes unnoticed and is as if it never happened. If there is no one to see the rain, it's as if the rain does not exist."
Previously, on the roof of an apartment building at night, Shiho called out to Reiko, who was about to jump off the building at any moment. "I thought to myself, 'Maybe I'm looking at the rain over the ocean right now. If I pretend not to see it, it'll be as if nothing happened.' I thought that would be really lonely," she recalled, and gently told Reiko, 'I may not be able to do this forever, but I'll lend you my shoulder if I can.'
Afterwards, Shiho remembered her mother.
"Rain falling on the sea is only seen by ships that happen to be passing by. So if no one passes by, the rain falling on the sea goes unnoticed and becomes nonexistent."
Recalling her mother's words, Shiho burst into tears and said, "Mom..."
On social media, people posted comments such as, "The story of rain falling on the sea was really good. I don't want to forget it," "The story of rain falling on the sea... it stayed in my mind," "The rain falling on the sea is as good as never having happened if no one noticed it. Tears that are not found by anyone are surely very lonely. Everyone is working hard and doing their best," "I wonder if there is anyone who will notice Shiho's tears," and "I hope someone notices Shiho's tears."
The film is based on the novel "Taigan no Kaji" (Housework on the Other Side) by Kiko Akano (published by Kodansha Bunko). It depicts the "endless work" of housework through the protagonist's interactions with "people on the other side" who have different positions and ways of thinking than her.
