The 52nd episode of the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan " (General TV, Monday to Saturday at 8:00 AM and others), starring Mio Imada , was broadcast on June 10th, and viewers were drawn to the reunion scene between Takashi ( Takumi Kitamura) and Kentaro (Fumiya Takahashi).
In episode 51 (broadcast on June Getsuku), Taka is transferred from the Kochi regiment to the Kokura regiment. He begins his harsh military life under the strict guidance of senior soldiers, including Baba (Shunya Itabashi), who is in charge of training new recruits. One day, Baba and Koda (Ryosuke Hagiwara) falsely accuse Taka of stealing a combat cap. Taka denies it, but they do not listen and he is beaten several times. Yagi (Satoshi Tsumabuki) steps in and orders Taka to shine their shoes.
As Taku was shining his shoes, a soldier approached him and called out, "New recruit! You're slacking off! Stand up!" Taku stood up and saw the soldier's face, and it was his best friend, Kentaro, who had already gone to war. When Taku muttered, "Ken-chan?", Kentaro became enraged, saying, "What did you say?!" Taku was perplexed by the unexpected reply and asked, "What happened to you..." Many viewers were shocked by the sudden change in Kentaro, who was known for his carefree and bright smile.
In episode 52, in front of Kentaro, who looks like a completely different person with a stern expression, Taka hums the "Design Department Song" from the Tokyo Higher School of Art. Kentaro then starts singing along, showing the same smile he had when he was a student.
Kentaro, who joined the army six months ago, is currently in the kitchen and complains, "The kitchen is tough. I get woken up at 3am every morning and work until late at night. The kitchen is like a battlefield." When Takashi says self-deprecatingly, "I just get beaten up," Kentaro advises, "For those who don't try hard, the military is harder than death. If you try hard, it's a good place." Takashi murmurs, "Ken-chan... you've grown strong," and is comforted by the unexpected reunion.
The story continued on with the two men's unchanging friendship, with Taka telling Kentaro what information he knew about Yagi, and Kentaro bringing Taka Anpan to help him prepare for the army officer candidate exam.
On social media, there were many voices of relief, such as "I'm relieved that Take-chan is still the same Take-chan he was back then," "I'm glad Take-chan hasn't changed at all. I was so worried he might get punched in the middle of the song," "I thought Take-chan had gone into darkness, but I'm glad he's still the same as he was before," "Tears of friendship," and "It was the only healing thing amidst all the painful scenes."
