The seventh episode of the Nippon Television drama series "PUNCH-DRUNK WOMAN : XX Days Left Until Prison Break" (Sundays at 10:30 PM), starring actress Shinohara Ryoko, aired on March 8th. Towards the end of the episode, there is a scene in which Kozue Fuyuki (played by Shinohara), a prison guard at Hikawa Detention Center, makes a "certain resolution," which has caused a stir on social media.
◇The following contains spoilers.
In episode 7, "Suzu was taken hostage and I was threatened to take the blame for my father's murder." Just as the suspect in her father's murder, Kusaka Reiji (played by Jesse), had testified, Kozue finds a bag belonging to Kusaka Haruomi (played by Takezai Terunosuke) in the storage room. Inside is 100 million yen in cash and a USB that provides evidence that Haruomi has been giving illicit funds to politicians.
Reiji took the blame for a crime he did not commit and tried to escape from prison all in order to protect his younger sister Suzu (Kajiwara Kanagisa). The person who framed Reiji for the murder of Haruomi was his uncle, Kusaka Akihiko (Osumi Kenya), the president of Kusaka Holdings.
After hearing from Saeki (Fujiki Naohito) about Haruomi's alleged illicit funds, Kozue realizes that the contents of the USB that Reiji had taken from Haruomi's house were a ledger of illicit funds to politicians and bureaucrats, including the Minister of Justice, Furuya Toshimitsu (Koichi Yamadera). Meanwhile, Reiji's trial takes place, and he pleads guilty to murdering Haruomi. At the same time, Kozue takes the USB to Reiji's grandfather, Zaike (Yamada Akiyoshi), to negotiate directly, but Zaike ridicules her, saying, "There's nothing you can do now, and there was nothing then."
Afterwards, Kozue rushes to Reiji's side, but Reiji sees her and leaves with a lonely smile. Having made up her mind, Kozue stops the life-prolonging treatment of her mother, Seiko (Yamashita Yorie), which had been holding her back, and after being with her at the end, she visits the Minister of Justice, Furuya, with the USB and proposes a deal: "I'll give you this in exchange for a favor."
Furthermore, Kozue contacts Numata (Kubota Yuuki), a cult leader who is once again planning an escape, and presses him, saying, "Tell me your escape route. If you tell me the truth, I will keep quiet about this." Then, when Kozue meets with Reiji again, she tells him, "I have no intention of turning back. I will let you escape. Now it's your turn to trust me."
On social media, many people expressed excitement at seeing Kozue resolve herself for Reiji. Comments such as "Kozue has awakened!!", "Super exciting development", "Cool Kozue", "Her determined expression is cool", "She looks the same, but Kozue has been rebooted..." and "This is getting interesting" were posted and created a lot of excitement.
