"Anpan" Episode 62: Takashi despairs over Chihiro's death in battle

The 62nd episode of the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan " starring Mio Imada (General TV, Monday to Saturday 8:00 AM and others) was broadcast on June 24th. In the episode, Takashi ( Takumi Kitamura), who returned from the battlefield, is depicted in despair upon learning that his younger brother Chihiro (Motoki Nakazawa), who became a naval officer, was killed in battle, which became a hot topic among viewers.

In the 62nd episode, Takashi, with scruffy beard and wearing a military uniform, returns to Gomenyocho. When Takashi returns to the Yanai family, Chiyoko (Naho Toda) kneels down and says, "Thank you for all your hard work," and hugs him, saying, "Welcome back."

When Takashi asks "What about Chihiro (Motoki Nakazawa)?", Chiyoko looks lonely and bows her head in silence. The scene changes to show a portrait of Chihiro, but there are no remains in the urn, only a small memorial tablet.

Taka tells Chiyoko that when he was starving to death on the battlefield, he had a dream about his late father, Kiyoshi (Kazunari Ninomiya). He despairs and says, "I wonder why. Dad should have protected Chihiro, who was much better than me. I wish it had been Chihiro who came back alive, not me."

Comments on social media included, "I can't stop crying," "To think there aren't even any remains," "It's so hard for Takashi, who is overcome with a sense of emptiness, and for Chiyoko to look so haggard," "The scars of war are so cruel," and "I wonder even those who survived will have deep feelings of wondering why it happened to them."