The final two-hour special episode of the TBS Sunday Theatre drama " Diamonds Sleeping in the Sea " (Sunday 9:00 pm), starring actor Ryunosuke Kamiki, was broadcast on December 22nd, bringing the story to a close. The final episode was so moving that some people said it was "impossible to watch without crying," and it has received a lot of attention since its broadcast. After the final episode, Kamiki sent a message to viewers who are still "suffering from the loss of Umi Nemu," which is unusual.
The drama is a story of love, friendship and family spanning 70 years, set on the island of Hashima (Gunkanjima) in Nagasaki Prefecture, which developed through coal mining from the beginning of the Meiji era to the postwar high economic growth period, and in modern-day Tokyo. It was produced by the same team behind the dramas "Unnatural" and "MIU404" (same series) and the movie "The Last Mile", with screenwriter Akiko Nogi, director Tsukahara Ayuko, and producer Arai Junko.
◇ A chance to think, "I'll try my best tomorrow"
--Please tell us how you felt when you found out the ending of the final episode.
It was a very sad turn of events for Teppei, but it shows how feelings can be connected across time. And because Teppei is the embodiment of those feelings being able to reach someone, I think he was able to fulfill that. Even amidst all the sad developments, I was glad that his best friend Kensho (Hiroya Shimizu) had the diary until the very end, because he is the only one who knows everything. At the beginning of the story, Teppei's love for Kensho was stronger, but that is reversed towards the end. Even the lines "You're with the Tekken Gang, right?" and "When were you talking about!" were reversed, which was a heartwarming turn of events...!
--Please give a message to the viewers who watched until the end.
Thank you for watching until the final episode! I am filled with gratitude. The power of not only Hashima but also history and people of the past remains firmly in the present, in 2024, and I'm sure that power resides within all of you. I strongly hope that the power of this work will inspire those who watch it to think, "I'll try my best tomorrow," and provide a small ray of light and hope for the future.
Just because the series has ended doesn't mean the story has stopped. I hope that everyone will continue to enjoy it through streaming and DVD, and that everyone will pass this series on to the next generation and continue to weave its story.
＊……The final episode, which was broadcast on terrestrial TV as a 2-hour special, is currently available on TBS FREE, Tver, U-NEXT (all episodes currently streaming), etc. as the first and second parts of the final episode. It is a special director's cut version that includes additional cuts from the terrestrial TV broadcast version.
