The final episode of the NTV drama series "PUNCH-DRUNK WOMAN - XX Days Until Escape -" (Sundays at 10:30 PM, the final episode at 11:00 PM), starring actress Ryoko Shinohara, aired on March 29th. The episode's ending depicted the escape of Reiji (Jesse) and Kozue Fuyuki (Shinohara), who had escaped from prison, and it generated a lot of buzz on social media.
◇The following contains spoilers.
In the final episode, Kozue decides to escape from prison to save Reiji, who has been falsely accused. She shakes off Detective Saeki (Naoto Fujiki) and finally gets outside the prison walls with Reiji. The police suspect Kozue of being an accomplice and track her down. Saeki, having lost Kozue, harbors a growing hatred for Reiji.
After escaping from prison, Kozue and her companions take refuge in a cult's hideout. While Reiji goes to rescue his sister Suzu (played by Kajiwara Kana), Kozue takes matters into her own hands and eliminates Numata (played by Kubota Yuuki), a cult leader who had tried to kill her.
Then, Kozue and Reiji hide in a church near the harbor. Kozue sleeps in Reiji's arms, feeling happy. Reiji gazes at her face lovingly, but Saeki's words, "Have you done anything for Kozue?" cross his mind. And so Reiji calls Saeki... and the story unfolds from there.
As Kozue woke up, Reiji said to her, "I swear I will love you, Fuyuki Kozue, for the rest of my life," and "Let's be together until we die, Kozue," and tied a ribbon around her left ring finger. But at that moment, the church doors burst open and Saeki rushed in. Reiji whispered "I'm sorry" to Kozue, pulled out a handgun he had been hiding, and took Kozue hostage, denying any complicity with her, saying, "She's just a hostage. There's not a single bit of love in this." Reiji had told Saeki on the phone to shoot him in order to return Kozue to being a victim.
However, understanding Reiji's feelings, Kozue took the gun from him and apprehended him. Then, as Reiji knelt before her, she told him, "I will always protect you."
On social media, Reiji's proposal and his actions to protect Kozue became a hot topic. Comments included: "The proposal was so good," "I'm going to cry," "It's so romantic and touching," "It's heartbreaking," "To prevent Kozue from being made out to be the bad guy," "It's just too painful," "He stepped aside because he loved her," and "It really breaks my heart."
Furthermore, Kozue's subsequent actions to protect Reiji also garnered attention, with comments such as "My emotions are all over the place and I'm bawling my eyes out," "They really care for each other," "Kozue is the coolest," and "Kozue did such a great job."
