The final episode (episode 9) of the NHK drama series "Tokyo Salad Bowl" (General TV, Tuesdays at 10pm), starring actors Nao and Ryuhei Matsuda, "Love and Lettuce!", was broadcast on March 4th, and the drama concluded in a manner that was almost faithful to the original manga. Viewers expressed their desire for a sequel.
The drama is based on the manga "Tokyo Salad Bowl - International Investigation Case File" by Kuromaru, who is also known for "Kurosagi." Set in Tokyo, where about 700,000 foreign residents live, Nao plays the green-haired international investigation police officer Koda Mari, and together with Matsuda, a Chinese interpreter with a past, Yukino Ryo, the drama is a socially conscious entertainment that picks up the lives of those who are about to fall through the cracks of Japanese society.
In episode 9, Ariki (Matsuda) finally tells Koda (Nao) about her beloved Oda (Nakamura Aoi), whom she has never told anyone about until now.
Kouda understands the feelings of Ariki who quit his job as a police officer to become an interpreter due to his sadness over losing Oda and his hatred towards Agawa (Hiroshi Mikami) and the police, and suggests that they look towards the future. When Kouda confronts Agawa about his past crimes, Agawa takes the initiative to arrest the volunteers.
As Koda frantically chases after Agawa, a volunteer named Shiu (Gense Soichi) tells Agawa...
Although Agawa survived, he did not regain consciousness and was unable to clarify the actual situation of the volunteers. However, Koda was transferred from the local precinct to the main office, pulled by his superior Iiyama (Sarutoki Minagawa), and decided to continue working as an interpreter to help Yukino and Koda. The drama ended with the two of them now working in the same place, walking together.
On social media, people posted comments such as "It's over," "It was a worthwhile drama!!," "One of the best dramas this season," and "It was a great drama, I was pleased," as well as comments like "I hope there's a sequel," "I want to see a sequel♪," and "I hope for a sequel (and of course the original)!!!!!!!"
Furthermore, in the final scene, a person in a white hoodie resembling the volunteer (Shiu) was captured on screen, which sparked discussion with comments such as "It was scary that there was a white hoodie behind them at the end", "Is the ending ominous? There was a man in a white hoodie behind the two of them...", "It was a beautiful ending...I want to see more!!! But that white hoodie at the end...?" and "It was scary that there was a man in a white hoodie at the end...(Thank goodness there can be a sequel)."
