The 95th episode of the NHK morning drama "Bakeke" (General TV, Monday to Saturday 8:00 AM and others), starring Takaishi Akari, was broadcast on February 13th, and viewers' attention was drawn to the final scene of Nishikori, played by Yoshizawa Ryo.
After learning Heaven's (Tommy Bastow) true feelings, Toki (Takaishi) decides to leave Matsue and go to Kumamoto. A few days later, with Nishikori and Shoda (Hama Shogo) watching, Heaven tells the students at the junior high school that she is leaving Matsue.
When he went on to announce that Shoda would be the next principal, the students became extremely shocked, asking, "Isn't it Professor Nishikori?" Nishikori, who had been standing silently at the back of the classroom, raised his voice and called out, "Silence!" and confessed, "It's simple. I... didn't graduate from the Imperial University. I took the exam in Tokyo with Professor Shoda, but he passed... and unfortunately I failed. Let alone graduating from the Imperial University... I don't even have a teaching license for English. There's no way a guy like that could become principal. It's simple."
Nishikori bows his head and says, "I'm sorry for deceiving you," as he leaves the classroom. Heaven, who had no idea what was going on, is also upset and chases after Nishikori. As the rain falls, Heaven apologizes, saying it's her fault, and pleads, "I want to be a schoolgirl! I'm sorry!" But Nishikori replies, "It's okay. I knew this would happen someday," and "Really... it's okay. It's not like that," and he looks at Heaven, smiles sadly, and leaves.
On the day Toki and Heaven were leaving Matsue, Nishikori didn't go to see them off, saying he wasn't feeling too well. Many people gathered at the dock, but Nishikori didn't show up, and Heaven had a complicated expression on her face. Toki pulled Heaven's arm and said, "Let's go see him," and "You might not forgive me, but I'll apologize, and then... then we'll go to Kumamoto," but Heaven replied, "It's okay!" and "I understand... I'm done."
Meanwhile, Nishikori was sitting at his desk in his room reading Heaven's "A Journal of My Stay in Japan" when he suddenly began coughing and coughing up blood. The final 54 seconds were dialogue-free, with footage of Nishikori's moist-eyed profile and lonely-looking back captured on camera, bringing the episode to a close.
Comments on social media included, "It's too painful...", "The shock is too great", "My heart feels like it's going to burst", "The final scene with Nishikori took it all away", "I was devastated by Nishikori's despair", "I couldn't take my eyes off the last minute, it was like time had stopped. It was beautiful", "The contrast at the end between everyone else moving forward into the future and Nishikori, who seemed unable to move forward any further, was just too hellish", and "After seeing the final scene today, I can't help but think that Nishikori should have been played by Yoshizawa Ryo."
