Shota Sometani as Minoru, who makes a solitary decision as one of the "Takusari Brothers," is described as "too painful."

The third episode of the TBS Friday drama "Takusari Brothers," starring actor Masaki Okada and also featuring Shota Sometani, aired on May 1st. Viewers reacted to a scene in which Sometani's character, Minoru, reveals his strong resolve, with some saying it was "too painful."

◇The following contains spoilers.

The drama follows detective Makoto Tagasari (played by Okada) and medical examiner Minoru as they investigate heinous crimes that occur daily and pursue the true culprit in the murder of two parents, a case that reached its statute of limitations just two days before the abolition of the statute of limitations. This is the latest work from producer Junko Arai, who has worked on hit crime suspense works such as the film "Last Mile" and the dramas "Unnatural," "MIU404," and "Saiai."

Minoru receives a call from the hospital informing him that Tsuda (Kazuki Iio), who had been brought in with terminal cancer and was in a coma, has woken up. When he heads to the hospital, he finds that Yukiteru Mogi (Takashi Yamanaka), the owner of the local Chinese restaurant "Mocchan," has also rushed there.

Tsuda was a non-fiction writer suspected of killing Makoto and Minoru's parents. Worried about Minoru, Koki asked what he would do after hearing about the incident from Tsuda. "You know what to do, don't you? But I'm the one who's going to carry out (revenge against Tsuda). Makoto has been bearing the burden of everything since that incident," Minoru replied.

Reflecting on how Makoto had carried the burden of his own helplessness after their parents' deaths, Minoru declared his strong resolve, saying, "In the end, I'll bear that burden."

Then, before Minoru could find out the truth about the incident, Tsuda died. On social media, comments included: "It's heartbreaking. Minoru's conviction was so strong that it made me cry," "I'm glad Minoru couldn't get revenge on Tsuda. It would have been too painful for him to bear it all alone," "It was amazing how Minoru's eyes became darker and darker as the story progressed," "It's frustrating that Tsuda died from an illness, but at least Minoru didn't become a criminal," and "You could really see the resolve in every expression on Minoru's face."