The final special episode (episode 19), "Demon of the Darkness," of the popular detective drama "Aibou Season 24" (TV Asahi, Wednesdays at 9 p.m.), starring Mizutani Yutaka and Terawaki Yasufumi, was broadcast on March 11th.
"Aibou" is the story of Ukyo Sugishita, a member of the Metropolitan Police Department's "Special Investigation Unit," a stand-alone unit, who uses his genius mind to deduct factions and tackle numerous difficult cases with his "partner." This episode marks the first appearance of a "former partner" in the series, who served in the Special Investigation Unit before the original partner, Kameyama Kaoru (Terawaki). After leaving the Special Investigation Unit and the Metropolitan Police Department, Iwahashi Kiya became an IT tycoon and is now a private detective as a hobby, played by Ishiguro Ken.
The final episode depicted an incident surrounding a past scandal involving Kanae Kyoji (Horibe Keisuke), the head of the National Police Agency's Security Bureau, who is rumored to have been selected as the new Commissioner General of the Metropolitan Police.
At the end of the episode after the case is solved, Iwahashi visits the Special Missions Unit with a guest pass. Looking around the room with a nostalgic look on his face, he says to Kaoru, "I'm surprised you've continued in the Special Missions Unit," and makes a comparison to how he only lasted six months as Ukyo's partner.
When Iwahashi leaves, Kaoru asks himself, "Why did I stay in the Special Missions Unit? Ukyo, you were a lot meaner than you are now." Ukyo replies after a pause, "Huh?", and the two of them look at each other and Kaoru says, "Huh?", and the show ends with a scene.
Regarding the final scene, comments were posted on social media such as, "It was a rare mild-feeling final episode. It was a light-hearted ending that makes it seem like there will be another one next week," "It was a peaceful final episode compared to usual. This season was interesting too!", "It ended lightly with Ukyo's 'Huh?' lol," "Personally, it didn't feel like the final episode. I never thought it would end with a conversation like that (lol)," "Even though it was a story about the internal affairs of the police, it was a light-hearted finale, which is fine," "I'm relieved that it looks like it will continue into season 25 this fall," "Even though it was the final episode, it ended like a normal episode (lol). I'm looking forward to season 25!" and "This season was fun too! I'm looking forward to season 25 next year."
