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| Good Old Days |
A sad ending, asking viewers to think about what life is, what death is, what a brain is, what a heart is, what a person is, to what extent an organ transplant can be permitted, whether we can sacrifice a person's life for medical development.
This was another good WOWOW drama. Great story (by Higashino Keigo), scripts, acting, and directing.
This was another good WOWOW drama. Great story (by Higashino Keigo), scripts, acting, and directing.
(spoiler)
Jun'ichi killed Naoko, a member of the brain transplant team, as she was spying on him. He couldn't forgive her for betraying him.
Jun'ichi tries to hide Naoko's body by burying her in a mountain. Soon after that, the body is found by the police. For those who know about Jun'ichi's brain transplant, it is obvious that Jun'ichi is the killer. However, the police announces that they found the killer.
A pharmaceutical company in Boston was backing up Prof. Doumoto, the chief physician of the brain transplant team. Many retired Japanese policemen with power and politician are also connected to this company. So it is obvious that through those people, the police concealed the truth. The pharmaceutical company and Prof. Doumoto don't need a brain transplant failure case. They are never to acknowledge their mistake.
In the mean time, Megumi comes back to Jun'ichi to give him support. Jun'ichi knows Kyougoku, the brain donor, is about to take over him. He tries to stay as Jun'ichi, but he knows it won't be long. In the short time he has, what he wants to do is to draw/paint. He realizes his love for Megumi and he wants to draw a picture of her.
After finishing the drawing, Jun'ichi goes to see Prof. Doumoto to ask him to take away the part of his brain that came from Kyougoku's brain. Jun'ichi wants to stay as Jun'ichi even if he lives in a vegetative state. The professor tells him it's impossible. Jun'ichi laments that there are no spare brains, and then, tries to put an end to his own life.
The detective who was snooping around Jun'ichi, Megumi and Prof. Doumoto goes to see the professor. He knows everything that happened including the fact that Doumoto took out Kyougoku's brain part even before he was legally pronounced dead. However, there is no evidence and the detective can't arrest anyone or even proves the existence of such a case. He says to the professor,
"You, indeed, saved Naruse Jun'ichi's life. But what is life? If one's heart beats, and brain wave is active, and the person breathes, it means that the person has his/her life? His personal characteristics changed and because of that, he suffered to death. His life that was saved... for whom was his life saved? One organ is one life (Someone's organ is that person's life), isn't it? "
In a hospital, Megumi sits next to Jun'ichi who is in a vegetative state. His heart and breathing stops. Megumi tells him it's over, and smiles sadly.
And the music plays... (Sad, sad, sad....)
Oyasumi by Takahashi Yu
A pharmaceutical company in Boston was backing up Prof. Doumoto, the chief physician of the brain transplant team. Many retired Japanese policemen with power and politician are also connected to this company. So it is obvious that through those people, the police concealed the truth. The pharmaceutical company and Prof. Doumoto don't need a brain transplant failure case. They are never to acknowledge their mistake.
In the mean time, Megumi comes back to Jun'ichi to give him support. Jun'ichi knows Kyougoku, the brain donor, is about to take over him. He tries to stay as Jun'ichi, but he knows it won't be long. In the short time he has, what he wants to do is to draw/paint. He realizes his love for Megumi and he wants to draw a picture of her.
After finishing the drawing, Jun'ichi goes to see Prof. Doumoto to ask him to take away the part of his brain that came from Kyougoku's brain. Jun'ichi wants to stay as Jun'ichi even if he lives in a vegetative state. The professor tells him it's impossible. Jun'ichi laments that there are no spare brains, and then, tries to put an end to his own life.
The detective who was snooping around Jun'ichi, Megumi and Prof. Doumoto goes to see the professor. He knows everything that happened including the fact that Doumoto took out Kyougoku's brain part even before he was legally pronounced dead. However, there is no evidence and the detective can't arrest anyone or even proves the existence of such a case. He says to the professor,
"You, indeed, saved Naruse Jun'ichi's life. But what is life? If one's heart beats, and brain wave is active, and the person breathes, it means that the person has his/her life? His personal characteristics changed and because of that, he suffered to death. His life that was saved... for whom was his life saved? One organ is one life (Someone's organ is that person's life), isn't it? "
In a hospital, Megumi sits next to Jun'ichi who is in a vegetative state. His heart and breathing stops. Megumi tells him it's over, and smiles sadly.
And the music plays... (Sad, sad, sad....)
Oyasumi by Takahashi Yu
Henshin Theme Song
(My reaction)
It is not clear whether Jun'ichi was becoming violent because he was about to be taken over by Kyougoku or the violent side of Jun'ichi himself was coming out of his unconsciousness. However, this does not matter much. The point is that because of the brain transplant, Jun'ichi changed, and became a different person.
This drama shows Jun'ichi as a victim as he didn't choose to have brain transplant nor become a different person. He just went to a jewelry shop to buy a ring for his girlfriend, and tried to save a little boy.
I wonder who did the killing of the female doctor. Was it done by Jun'ichi or Kyougoku? But my understanding of Kyougoku is that he was not a violent person. He was tender and loved music. That's what his sister described.
I'm surprised as "Henshin (transformations)" refers to Megumi, too. She looks so different after she comes back to support Jun'ichi. More make-up and new hair style??? She no longer looks like a simple, innocent, country girl.
It is not clear whether Jun'ichi was becoming violent because he was about to be taken over by Kyougoku or the violent side of Jun'ichi himself was coming out of his unconsciousness. However, this does not matter much. The point is that because of the brain transplant, Jun'ichi changed, and became a different person.
This drama shows Jun'ichi as a victim as he didn't choose to have brain transplant nor become a different person. He just went to a jewelry shop to buy a ring for his girlfriend, and tried to save a little boy.
I wonder who did the killing of the female doctor. Was it done by Jun'ichi or Kyougoku? But my understanding of Kyougoku is that he was not a violent person. He was tender and loved music. That's what his sister described.
I'm surprised as "Henshin (transformations)" refers to Megumi, too. She looks so different after she comes back to support Jun'ichi. More make-up and new hair style??? She no longer looks like a simple, innocent, country girl.
