The seventh episode of the TV drama series "PJ: Air Rescue Team" (TV Asahi, Thursdays 9pm), starring actor Seiyo Uchino, aired on June 5th. The actions of rescue worker Nishina (Hamada Gaku) and the anguished cries of Usami (Uchino) touched the hearts of viewers.
◇The following contains spoilers.
The series depicts students aiming to become rescuers for the Air Rescue Wing of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, an elite rescue unit known as the "last line" for saving lives, as they go through rigorous training under the strict and unconventional instructor, Usami.
During rescue operations following a large-scale disaster caused by heavy rain, as the rumbling of the mountain foreshadows a landslide, Nishina, ignoring his comrades' protests, rescues a girl who has been left behind. He entrusts the girl to Nakabayashi (Takagishi Hiroyuki), who is hoisting her, but Nishina himself is too late and is engulfed in the mud and dies in the line of duty. He gives the girl an awkward wink so as not to make her anxious, and does not neglect to take care of her emotional well-being, in keeping with the teachings of his mentor Usami.
Usami was shocked by the death of his former student Nishina, but he managed to suppress his grief and asked his students if Nishina's actions were right, since he could not return alive. However, once he left the students and colleagues and stood in front of Nishina's portrait in the helicopter, he broke down in tears. "Nishina, Nishina, your rescue was amazing!" he cried.
On social media, viewers have commented, "I wanted to see more of the master-disciple duo of Usami and Nishina...tears," "Nishina continued to carry out Instructor Usami's teachings until the very end...I'm truly missing him," "I cried the most in the history of Wink," "I cried at the news of Nishina's death, and cried even more when Instructor Usami said, 'Your rescue was amazing,'" "It was as intense as watching a movie," and "I was really moved by Usami and Nishina's feelings and words. Nishina, thank you for your hard work."
