"Anpan" Episode 78: "If there was no war" Meiko's words bring viewers to tears

The 78th episode of the NHK Asadora drama "Anpan " (General TV, Monday to Saturday at 8:00 AM and others), starring Mio Imada , was broadcast on July 16th, and viewers reacted to the words uttered by Meiko ( Nanoka Hara), "If there had been no war, what would have happened to us?"

In episode 78, Tokairin (Tsuda Kenjiro) was deep in thought after receiving a phone call from Tetsuko (Toda Keiko). Nobu (Kenjiro Tsuda) hurriedly apologizes, wondering if Tetsuko had been that angry. Tokairin then gives an unexpected reply. That night, while drinking at a food stall with Takashi (Takumi Kitamura) and others, Tokairin reveals that Tetsuko is trying to poach Nobu, and he is at a loss as to what to do.

At the same time, Nobu was also talking to Meiko about Tetsuko. Nobu said, "When I met you, my heart was warmed. If I worked with you, I might be able to help my children. That's what I thought," but denied going to Tokyo. "I can't repay the Kochi Shimpo for taking care of us. And Ranko (Yuumi Kawai) was forced to quit her job at the post office, right? I have to take care of my family."

Meiko then began, "I wonder what would have happened to us if there hadn't been a war." She continued, "Big sister Ranko would have taken over the stonemason's shop with Go-chan (Kanata Hosoda) and helped out Kama-jii (Kotaro Yoshida). I might have been a mother by now. Chihiro-kun (Motoki Nakazawa) would have become a very kind lawyer... There's no point in thinking about such things."

When Nobu asked, "If there had been no war, what dreams would Meiko have pursued and what kind of youth would she have had?", Meiko replied, "Youth... I spent all my youth digging bomb shelters." When Nobu asked, "Don't you regret spending your youth in bomb shelters?", Meiko replied, "I regret it." Nobu encouraged Meiko, saying, "It's not too late. Think hard about who you wanted to be. We're going to get back those dreams."

On social media, people were saying things like, "It was so unfair when Meiko brought up the topic of 'what if' there was no war, I cried," "My heart lurched at the thought of this 'what if' future," "Everyone had a different future. There's no point in thinking about it, but I can't help but think about it," "War is a grave sin, really," and "I hope Meiko doesn't give up on her youth."