Took off where it ended in episode 10. Now this post is gonna be SUPERBLY LENGTHY, as expected partly becoz the finale itself is almost an hour long rather (than the routine 46 mins) And also becoz i have so many things to comment. So...here we go.

Sousuke, dead on the couch, took his own life, discovered by Michiru (on the day when Ruka had her All Japan Championship). Sousuke wrote a final letter to Michiru. And although i thought that the death scene was LAME (what's with the Cherry-soda-like soaked all over the gown, it doesn't look realistic and i wish whoever prepared this scene will improve in whatever future projects) Anyway, his contents are rather sad though i have to admit. I do feel sorry for him as he narrates to Michiru. I shall spend some time to write out the contents (since this is the finale, i don't mind doing this coz i won't have anything much to write about anymore, except for the Special next week)

Dear Michiru: Goodbye, Michiru. I will set you free. As long as i live, I will only keep confining you.That's why the only way to set you free, is to make this heart stop. I wanted to become your everything.I wanted to become the whole world that you saw, all the light that shone upon you and all the happiness you felt.No matter where we were, i wanted to be one with you forever. But you in a world i didn't exist, found happiness, didn't you? That's why i'm going to die. At least, while i'm still able to feel your warmth on these hands...while this body still remembers being one with you. I'm sorry...Even though i loved the smile on your face very much, i wasn't able to make you smile. I'm sorry...for not knowing how to love. I'm sorry...that i couldn't make you happy. Farewell, Michiru.



the letter was well-written though and it's a good final letter to say farewell to Michiru. Man...after all he had done, i can't believe i actually felt kinda sorry for him. *it's the writers' FAULT!*

Anyway, let's move on to Ruka's championship. She won. We all know she's gonna win this. ^^ However, at the press conference, the reporters were asking for her comment on the recent rumors about her Gender Identity Disorder.

After looking at her supportive family and friends, she gathered the courage to answer. Here's what she said:

As long as you have the ability for motocross even if you're a woman, you can stand in the field as a man and compete. It's one of the sports where you can. I participated this race as a racer, and i'm proud to have won. From the shadows, people can say anything about me or pry into my life but i will stand firm in what i believe in. Up till today, i'm supported by my family and by my friends.Neither as a female or a male, but as a single human being, they gave me love and support. With that...today, i couldn't be any happier or more proud.


To be able to pour that out in front of cameras and people from the press, that really need some courage.

And here we have Eri, her housemate who never noticed her GID issue, took this chance to talk face to face with her. Well, basically she's saying how Ruka should' ve told her earlier about it. She wouldn't be scared or surprised or startled either. Because to her, Ruka is Ruka. She said sorry for being insensitive and didn't notice. She said, she must have made Ruka somehow uncomfortable and painful up till now.

My comments: I like this scene. It's a good short scene to show how these two accept each other as friends, no matter what kind of position they are in. Such great friendship!

And i like how Eri comforted Ruka, with Takeru looking behind...(poor him, still having that famously bandaged arm)

Later on, we see Ruka and Takeru having a quiet talk on the porch. (it seemed to me that THAT PARTICULAR SPOT has been their favorite spot since episode 2)

Takeru wondered how is Michiru and where she is...and asked Ruka whether they should conatct her(becoz she didn't appear at Ruka's competition) But we see a reluctant Ruka told him that there's no need to and explained how Michiru couldn't accept her (remember in ep 10 Michiru overheard about Ruka's true feelings for her and ran off? yeah...)

Ruka: Michiru couldn't accept me. That's why she didn't come to the race.Even if i can't see her again, one way or another, it can't be helped. (They didn't know about the suicide yet)


Only after receiving a call from Michiru's mother asking them where is Michiru...they found out about Sousuke's sudden death.


And yeah...worried faces...wondering where Michiru has gone to...and trying to accept the sudden fact that Sousuke is dead, somehow and like gone forever.


Eri wondered if all the bad things she had said to Sousuke before this had prompted him to commit suicide...but Ogurin immediately argued that it wasn't her fault and that he must have felt guilty.


The next day, we see Eri coming home to find Ogurin packing. Ogurin apparently had been transferred to Milan and bringing his wife together. And of course it was like a SMACK to Eri's face to hear the shocking news.


And when Ogurin said sorry to her, she defended herself by saying that to say sorry to her is as if being disrecpectful. ( becoz Ogurin was a being a spineless little WIMP and going back and forth from his wife and to Eri all this while, and Eri somehow felt attracted to him no matter how lousy he was, however Eri somehow knew that he would one day leave anyway and even though on the outside, she looked as if she doesn't really care if he is to leave her, deep inside, she really took this relationship very seriously)


so she felt really sad when Ogurin said sorry to her. She asked him to instead say * thank you * to her. And yeah, the handshake. It's as if all this while, their relationship was sorta like a business...*sad*
dinner time, Eri told Ruka and Takeru about Ogurin's departure. Ruka started saying bad things about Ogurin but Eri defended him. she said that he is a fine guy, in her eyes.



Meanwhile, we move to Michiru. Apparently she's in Choushi where she had lived before after high school before she moved back to Tokyo. And a friend of her mother's invited her to work in an inn. She gave her a place to stay too.

And the first signs of her pregnancy...

Visiting the doctor, she found out she had been pregnant for five weeks.


And holding the photograph of her first child...However, the doctor pointed out that her blood pressure is abnormally high and she may be at risk during giving birth as well as the baby.


As she walked back, she began to think back to how she first met Sousuke.


The happy moments they had back then. I find it's pretty nice to insert these memories in the final episode for Sousuke. somehow, it's nice that they didn't exclude him altogether you know...and we get to see how his past had influenced his behaviour. Michiru thought back when he told her his mother was gentle and nice until she left with another man and left him alone. *the kid from the previous episodes is somewhat similar to his life, that's why maybe by going through harsh life, he somehow felt VULNERABLE and wanted to CONTROL Michiru and not letting her disappear from his sight* It's becoz he was afraid of being alone again. By putting this little scene, they managed to explain Sousuke's problem.


Next Michiru's mother received a call from her friend and came to visit her. She told her to abort the child, explaining that it will be hard to raise a child by her own.


To which Michiru argued that she will keep this child and raise it on her own. She won't be like her mother. After some arguments, her mother finally gave in seeing how determined she is. Because her mother remembered that she was just like Michiru before too, being alone and raising her.

We then see the scenes we saw from episode 1. Where Michiru narrates.


and to the BIGGEST SHOCK in the finale...

We see Ogurin suddenly appearing out of nowhere at the airport and holding a bunch of red roses...declaring his LOVE to Eri. *he didn't go to Milan afterall*


Ah...happy face, ERI!!!


and the next thing i know...bells are ringing...!!! *seriously i don't see this coming at all*


beautiful churchAnd the infamous picture we saw earlier in the trailer where people were speculating about MichiRuka pairing....appprently turned out to be Eri and Ogurin!!!~~~


Takeru and Ruka in suits LOL....

i felt funny seeing them like that....it's just funny!~



Here later on in the park, Ruka mentioned how now that Eri and Ogurin are married, there'll be only the two of them left in the sharehouse and it's kinda lonely.

And then, she mentioned how in this park she found Michiru, all drenched wet that night...(Takeru noticed that Ruka missed Michiru, despite the fact that Ruka said it's okay for Michiru to go)
Back in sharehouse, this scene is short but enough to show how lonely they are.


And i find it sweet how both of them are like staring at each other...drinking coffee (most probably, Takeru is like the coffee master, it's always COFFEE !!! God...i won't survive in the sharehouse if i was a member, i hate coffee) T.T

Again, Takeru noticed Ruka's sad face...( notice the difference? Ruka's hairstylist apparently decided to change her hairstyle for the finale, that's such a GOOD MOVE coz she look so much cooler and somehow YOUNGER with this hairstyle.) Not only that, Takeru's hair has changed too!!! the blonde streak is gone and his hair is like swiped up...* it makes him look more mature somehow*


Takeru surprised Ruka the next morning by riding a bike (the harley-davidson kind) which he claimed to have borrowed from Ruka's senpai.


He explained how it's really hard to live in the sharehouse and seeing Ruka's lonely and sad face all the time. So he asked her to go search for Michiru and filled up the hole in her heart.


Takeru, as always such a sweetie!!!


So they went to Michiru's house first only to find out nobody's living there anymore. Whereas her mother had gone back to her own hometown. But no news of Michiru's whereabouts.

* again, i'd like to point out Ruka's hair here. It's so freaking nice and cool!!!~* If only they had used this style throughout the show...would've rocked...somehow. xDDD must have used lots of wax there lol...


she looked so young! she looked like a kid...seriously! Not that it's a bad thing, since she's only 22 in actual life.
I can't say the same with Takeru's hair in this particular scene though...it looked a bit too messy and unkempt LOL...xD Still i love him...he's a nice guy. Ruka mentioned how Michiru once told her about Choushi, the place she had lived before. So they head to Choushi and began searching, asking people around town.


Dead end...though. No news of Michiru.


spending the night at the seaside ( what other place is more romantic than the seaside, seriously) ^^ *i wanna thank the writers for giving these scenes for TakeRuka) wahahaha....xDDD

Anyway, this scene is necessary not only to fulfill fans of TakeRuka's desires but it's for the storyline too. Because in this particular scene, both of them shared a great bond.

Ruka: This kind of thing is unexpectedly pleasant. The both of us going on a trip together, eating delicious food, and spending the night together. Perhaps married couple do this kind of things too. After being husband and wife for a long time, they don't remain as man and woman, but it's said that they eventually become friends. So close that they can open up their hearts to one another.


After hearing that, Takeru finally decided to tell Ruka what had been haunting him all this while. About his continuous trauma and fear towards his sister. He mentioned how his older sister is not blood-related, different parents. His father is bad-tempered, while the mother (the sister's real mother) is quiet and always listen to the father. Being pressured by the father, his older sister wanted to have someone by her side (basically for support i think) and Takeru was about to mention something...but Ruka told him it's okay if he didn't want to talk about it.



(Now, Takeru's revelations are kinda vague in a way that he didn't CLEARLY mention what his elder sister did to him, but i think it's obvious that his sister had somehow controlled him and made him do things he didn't want to...including (intimacy???) Although it's subtle, seeing how Takeru tearing up is kinda heart-wrenching.


Then Takeru said how becoz of his past, he had somehow developed fear of intimacy with women, and how he would never be able to make a girl happy.


To which, Ruka replied, gently, that he can do that. she said that he can make girls happy and that she herself knows that the best.


After that, we see Ruka sitting closer to him and placed her arm around him to comfort him. (remember in episode 4 where Takeru did the same thing to her?) YES, it's nice to see Ruka returning the favor. see? this scene is really nice.



And yeah...my fav scene...ah so so so so SWEEEEEETTTT~~~~~


Takeru looked like a little child...


Finally they met a guy who knew Michiru's workplace so they rushed to the inn.


and in between shots, we see Michiru doing her job in the kitchen...washing dishes...


*from the trailer before i though it's Ruka giving Michiru a ride haha...* But Takeru riding with her is really good too, for me. Since i'm all for supporting the TakeRuka pair.


And they decide to put in this cheap suspense...But i have to admit, i actually nearly screamed when i saw this.


And seeing Ruka lying unconsciously like that....made me fear...another death???




And they have to make this * dish dropping and breaking* scene...LOL...


Well...somehow this if funny. You know how Takeru was really nervous and his frantic face shows how scared he was for Ruka, and then to see Ruka walking out, with a tiny bandage on her forehead...and how she just brushes it off ( saying it's a tiny scratch) LOL...I mean, that is just soooo Ruka. That's how she is. She's practically the kind to be carefree about these things...*if you know what i mean* And she said how Takeru is being too worried. haha...


Apparently the bike won't start so they checked it out.



And there Michiru is...

Takeru saw her...as expected.


And Ruka called out to her.


at Michiru's new home, she explained how she got here and found a job through an acquaintance.

Ruka then asked to come back to Tokyo and live together again.


But Michiru then explained how at first she wanted to go back to sharehouse to seek comfort after Sousuke's sudden suicide but then she didn't dare to. (i suppose she just felt guilty both for causing his death and also betraying Ruka)


And she went on saying how she felt very lonely at first until she first found out about the pregnancy and somehow, having the baby in her gave her courage to live on and raise the baby. she felt like despite how bad her relationship was with Sousuke, Sousuke had somehow forgiven her (like i said, she felt guilty over his death)

Then, i like it when Ruka took her hand and held it tightly...xD

And Ruka told her that she hated Sousuke for all the things he had done and she will never forgive him. But now with the baby, Michiru has her own decision on how to live her life from now on. However, she (Ruka) wanted to live together with her (supporting her) and although she can't be the father of this baby (remember Ruka has GID, so i suppose she sees herself as a guy) T.T But i love this quote from her though " although i can't be the father of this baby, as someone you can rely on, I want to be by your side. "

And then, Takeru mentioned that he will also support her. " two people are better than one, but three people are much better than two, right?"

-such great combination ^^


Then, Michiru had a contraction, so they rushed her to hospital.


And the waiting scene is somehow funny yet touching...i mean, look at Ruka.


Of course, Takeru is also anxious.


Notice how *worried* Ruka is? I don't know but having her so anxious like that somehow strikes me like a * daddy* waiting for his wife giving birth LOL...and seeing that kind of resemblance in her is you know...weird but sweet.


CONSTIPATION... MAJOR CONSTIPATION....* i'm sorry but i laughed when i saw her face like that*

After a while, finally they heard the baby's cry...and ah...happy happy...


I gotta give *thumbs up* to the crew for being able to hunt down such a LOVELY and CUTE BABY!!! ~~~ The fact that i'm not THAT fond of babies or kids, i have to admit, this baby is an exception.


Awwww.....~~~~~Michiru asked Ruka to hold her. Btw, it's a baby girl haha...And we get to see again, how *cute* Ruka is when she carefully held the baby up. You know...gently and slowly * yes, the baby is fragile*



*and she talks to the baby* ^^ (faints) haha....coz i don't know. All this time, Ruka is like this tough girl (plus her GID) and she doesn't show affection like in an obvious way to people you see. But watching her talking extremely softly and gently to the baby somehow makes me go awwwwww~~~ you know?

Takeru of course doesn't want to be left out haha....xDDD


Aww~~ look at them so happy~~~

And Takeru couldn't help but utter " papa desu yo~~" to the baby LOL....omg...that's so funny.

And all this while, Michiru watches them both and finally she understood the meaning of being loved. And having her best friends around, means so much for her. She thanked them here.


Next, the BEACH SCENE!!!

The baby's name isn't that hard to guess, really. Combine all three of their names together, you get her name.

RUMI ----> " ru " from both Takeru and Ruka + " mi " from Michiru

PERFECT~~

And again, this is so cute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



haha...water fight----> stuffs that we can expect from both Takeru and Ruka.


Michiru narrates to Eri and Ogurin:

The four of us will once again live in the sharehouse. Family, friends, husband and wife, lovers...we seem to be one of those, yet actually we are none of those.We'll treasure this fragile happiness and go as far as we can and beyond. From now on and forever, let's stay friends.


If possible, without ever being apart. And also, if anything were to happen and we had to be apart, let us meet again someday, all with a face of laughter.


* notice how Ruka leans on Takeru* Well, let's face it, both of them will never be a couple ( although i'm all out for the TakeRuka pair you know but seeing how happy they already are the way they are now, i begin to think that sometimes...you don't need love, (as in the sexual relationship between couples) sometimes, this is good enough.



My dear friends...you are my last friends. - Michiru ( she said these final words in English, which i think is a very nice finishing touch)

Overall: I love the ending. I can't describe how much i adore every single scene of it. It's alsmot perfect for me. Although Sousuke had to die in this, but well...another life is born, right? And somehow the baby, Rumi seems to be the peacemaker in the end, mending all the bad things Souske had done in the past. Seriously, I think this baby is definitely gonna grow up to be such a wonderful kid. Living in such a lovely house, surrounded by lovely people. Of course, she might be confused with the family members, seeing how complex it is, having Ruka and Takeru as
Papa LOL...but you know, that's cool either way.

My god, this drama is soo good, despite some flaws here and there but it's definitely one of the best for this season. Besides, the ratings started at 13.9% (which is considered a good start) for first episode and it steadily increased and finally, it climbed all the way to 22.8% for the finale. That is AMAZING~~ just awesome. And they deserve it, with such a wonderfully crafted scenes especially the seaside ones. It's just so beautiful.

I know i've said this many times before but i'll still say it. this series deserves attention for the fact that it's one of the first time for a prime time drama (japanese) to touch on issues like these. It's just kinda rare so again, i salute the TV crews and casts for taking this risk and portray such a positive drama like this. It teaches a lot of things. I learnt that happiness can exist even in a
* complex* relationship they have here and it's proven in this drama. Now i understand why it's called Last Friends.

I'd recommend this to everyone to watch. It's filled with absolutely great young casts and i think they did a great job. Each and everyone. * maybe Masami Nagawasa still has room to improve though* But overall, i'm amazed. For such a long time, i havent been this intrigued and drawn to a Jdrama or any dramas this much. So this has got to be good haha xD

Lastly, i hope this drama will win something soon. Especially Ueno Juri and Eita. Both of which are stunning in here.xDDD

Next week, there will be a Special. According to news, it's said to show some unseen scenes and continuation of their life. * i want to see how they take care of Rumi!!!~~* I have my fingers crossed. haha...and apparently, becoz of the high ratings, they decided to make a movie out of this. It's not yet revealed whether they'll be using the same casts from this drama or a new batch. But seriously, i'd not be THAT interested if they use a totally new group of casts. Coz these five actors/actresses here are really good enough. I mean, no one can surpass Ueno Juri as Ruka. No one at all that i can think of. *either way, i'll be looking forward to it, and i'll compare*

Till then, i'm waiting for the Special now haha xD