Racket Boys: Episode 15

by lovepark

Rising from their fallen glory, the badminton boys have reached the finals, and now, only one team stands in their way. Though their initial goal was to win one game, their ambitions have changed, and they will give it their all even if everyone else considers them the underdogs with no chance. While the boys have their own worries, a different battle rages in their village as a shady newcomer threatens to destroy the peace.

 
EPISODE 15 RECAP

Mr. Hong puts on a fancy outfit and curls his bang before picking up Ms. Shin. She comments on the changes but then calls him her “brother,” effectively driving a stake through his heart. He mumbles to himself that they are not blood-related and turns up the moody music to wallow in self-pity.

Going after his dreams, Tae-sun returns to the badminton scene, but a couple of younger players scorn his presence. A close junior comes to his defense and scolds the rude players on his behalf. Tae-sun thanks his junior for hanging out with him and treating him as a friend.

As Mr. Hong enters an intersection, a reckless driver nearly crashes into him, but the rude youngster acts high and mighty because his car is more expensive. Mr. Hong laughs it off per usual, but when the youngster mocks Ms. Shin, his demeanor changes. Grabbing the youngster by his collar, he threatens to cut off his limbs, and the youngster apologizes.

Mr. Hong calls Ms. Shin his precious person, and the music switches over to a love song. While reaching back, he brushes a strand of hair out of her face, and she stays uncharacteristically silent as he drives. Impressed with himself, Mr. Hong flashes a smile at the side mirror. Heh.

Head Coach Bae brings up the national team incident where Tae-sun hit a senior and says that he should have held back. Tae-sun asks if Head Coach Bae would do nothing if someone cursed him, and he claims that he would. Sighing, Tae-sun shares his fears of other’s opinion about his return, but the head coach laughs, teasing him for having a huge ego.

While out for a smoke break, Tae-sun overhears his junior mocking him in front of the younger players from before. He confronts him about the betrayal, but the junior accuses him of stealing opportunities from them. Though Tae-sun walks away, a familiar face blocks his path—the senior from the national team will be his first opponent in tomorrow’s tournament.

The badminton boys lie in bed and worry about Hae-kang and the finals. While the doctor said he can play, winning against Park Chan with an injury sounds nigh impossible to them. They change topics when Hae-kang joins them, and In-sol asks Yoon-dam about his mom’s delivery since she is due any day.

Woo-chan checks on Yong-tae, and their youngest says that all he wants is to avoid Jae-suk in a match since their old teammate knows him too well. That prompts In-sol to wonder about the order, and he sympathizes with their coach who must be feeling frustrated right now.

The villagers gather for an emergency meeting, and Ms. Shin says that everything will be fine as long as they refuse to sign. Grandpa mentions the money, and Grandma hits her husband for asking silly questions. The city husband also voices his concerns about the city official, and Ms. Shin snaps at him for wavering.

Despite the late hour, Tae-sun runs laps around the gym, but Head Coach Bae stops him after noticing his troubled expression. He blames it on nerves, and the head coach drops the subject. While packing up his things, Tae-sun takes out his cigarettes for a smoke, but instead, he tosses all of them to the trash.

Young-ja wakes up in the middle of the night when she feels Hyun-jong’s empty spot and finds him drinking by himself in the living room. She watches him for a moment before silently closing the door to give him some space.

In the morning, the boys pick at their food, and Young-ja asks if they are afraid of losing. She tells them to feel disappointed after playing, but the boys respond half-heartedly, unable to muster an ounce of enthusiasm.

Yoon-dam calls his parents afterwards and regrets being away while his mom is giving birth. She tells him not to worry, and both parents remind him to take care of his health above all else. Once he hangs up, Han-sol pops in and tells him the same thing: he is more important than his results.

Se-yoon crosses paths with Hae-kang in the kitchen and sighs in relief when he tells her that he is well enough to play. He wonders how she feels before her finals, and she shrugs since she always knew she would win. This time, though, she feels a bit anxious for him, and she encourages Hae-kang to play well today and in the future.

With five hours before the finals, Hyun-jong gives one last speech to his team, thanking them for all their hard work. He acknowledges their current disadvantages as well as their opponent’s strength, and after thinking about it all night, he tells the boys that sometimes it takes real courage to give up.

At the competition, the boys run into their competitors, and Jae-suk greets his old teammates with some mistimed jokes. Failing to read their tense mood, he tells Woo-chan to grab them drinks since he will not be playing, and Woo-chan throws down his bag. Park Chan apologizes before things escalate and drags Jae-suk away.

The Seoul team coach puts Jae-suk in the first event and Park Chan last. Their plan is to drag it out to the end with their ace beating Hae-kang in the finals. Park Chan agrees with the coach’s decision since he has been waiting for this moment for a long time.

While retrieving the final order, Yong-tae takes a quick peek, and his face falls when he sees Jae-suk’s name on top: the very thing he feared has come to pass. Before they enter the court, Jae-suk apologizes to Yong-tae for his earlier comment and tells him not to feel too bad when he loses. Yong-tae bristles at his statement, but Jae-suk lists the younger boy’s flaws, making it clear that he knows all his tricks.

As predicted, Jae-suk takes the momentum early in the game, but to make matters worse, Yong-tae’s necklace breaks—an ominous sign for what’s ahead? From the stands, Woo-chan explains how imitating Lee Yong-dae helped Yong-tae improve, but Hae-kang points out the drawback to such a method: once his strategies are blocked, there are no alternatives.

Yong-tae loses the first set by four points, and Hyun-jong advises him to continue doing what he knows best. Looking unsure, Yong-tae excuses himself to use the bathroom.

During their lessons, Grandma asks Hae-in what she learned to write first, and she proudly states her own name because she is important. Grandma says that her own name is tacky, but Hae-in disagrees, cutely calling her “Mi-ja.”

Mr. Hong’s brother and his terrible posse interrupt them to discuss the redevelopment plans, and the city official mocks them for studying at their age. Ignoring his taunts, Grandpa mentions the lump sum they offered and yells at them for belittling country folk—the amount is too meager!

The head hiker snarls at his lackeys but slaps on a smile as he raises the price for their land. They hesitate after hearing the number and seem enticed by the sweetened deal.

Sitting alone in a dark corridor, Yong-tae tries to calm his nerves, but his head jerks up when someone walks past him. He chases after the shadowy figure, and his jaw drops when he finally catches up to him.

Reporter Kim interviews Tae-sun and asks how people have reacted to his return. Tae-sun answers with a question of his own: does he think people would have applauded him for coming back?

Yong-tae meets face-to-face with his idol (cameo by badminton player Lee Yong-dae), and the famous player happens to know about his young copycat. However, Lee Yong-dae says that he does not play poorly like Yong-tae.

As the interview continues, Reporter Kim speculates about Tae-sun’s downcast mood, so he tells him that he hates hearing everyone vilifying him for returning. Reporter Kim asks who told him such things and turns off the recorder to give him some advice. Right before he can explain why Tae-sun should play badminton again, Head Coach Bae stops the interview and takes Tae-sun with him.

Back at Nationals, Hyun-jong tries cheering Yong-tae up, but none of that is needed as Yong-tae lifts his head and smiles at his coach. He repeats the words Hyun-jong told him when he first gave him the necklace, and he steps onto the court with a renewed determination.

Yong-tae takes the first point, and Jae-suk catches on immediately that something is different about his old teammate. Even the others notice his change in playing, and In-sol explains how Lee Yong-dae has disappeared from Yong-tae.

Flashing back to earlier, Lee Yong-dae asked who came up with the cross hairpin, and Yong-tae told him that it was his own move. Lee Yong-dae said that it was good and winked at him before he left. That little exchange was the catalyst for Yong-tae’s growth, and he wins the game with his signature hit, the backhand hairpin.

Yong-tae jumps into Hyun-jong’s arms as his teammates erupt into cheers. They scream at their youngest to come over, and Yong-tae smiles brightly when he spots his dad rooting for him as well. He winks at the crowd, and they go crazy. Heh.

Mr. Hong hears out his brother, but he frowns at his plans since it leaves the villagers vulnerable in the long-term. The head hiker switches gears and offers to build an apartment and employ the villagers at the golf course. While this does appease some of his qualms, Mr. Hong says that the others will not be easily convinced, but they tell him that a lot of people already signed.

Before his match, Yoon-dam washes his face in the restroom and answers a call from his parents. His mom had a successful birth, and all his family members send their love to him. Meanwhile, the rest of the boys congratulate Yong-tae on his win, and they head over to cheer for their captain.

Yong-tae chides Yoon-dam for being nervous, and his teammates tell him that it is okay to lose. Yoon-dam asks about Hae-kang’s eye, but Hae-kang tells him to stop acting cool. As the coach, Hyun-jong does a quick cheer for Yoon-dam to lighten the mood, but he remains stiff nonetheless.

Despite playing against a second-year, Yoon-dam makes a mistake at a crucial moment and loses the first set. Hyun-jong asks if he is alright, and Yoon-dam brushes it off as carelessness on his part. However, as the second set begins, his vision blurs, and Yoon-dam falls to the ground.

Yoon-dam wakes up in the infirmary, and Head Coach Bae sits by his side. Getting his worries off his chest, he tells the head coach that everyone keeps saying that it is okay to lose, but the head coach calls it nonsense. He says that Yoon-dam should feel pressured to win as the team captain and ace, but in exchange, his opponent should feel even more pressure since he has to beat Bang Yoon-dam.

The head coach points out that he needs to get back on court, and Yoon-dam notices the watch on his wrist—it is the one he gave him on his birthday. Yoon-dam smiles for the first time and holds back his tears. Having heard their conversation, Hyun-jong learns another valuable lesson and waits outside.

As Yoon-dam walks towards his teammates, the others ask if he can still play, but he ignores their question. He tells them to get ready to change their underwear and says that he will be back right away. His friends sigh in relief, realizing that their captain has returned.

Showing off his skills, Yoon-dam flies around the court and wins the second match, putting the score at two to zero. The Haenam boys and girls meet up with him afterwards, and they talk about the pressures of playing in finals.

In-sol mentions the legendary player who played in the finals at Nationals as a first-year and was the youngest national athlete. Everyone but Hae-kang knows who he is, but before Se-yoon can say his name, someone bumps into Woo-chan.

Tae-sun apologizes for running into the kids, but as he reaches for his bag, Woo-chan pulls away. They all gawk at him—even Hae-kang—and Se-yoon says, “The answer is Kang Tae-sun!”

The kids gush about Tae-sun, calling him a star, and ask for a photo. Head Coach Bae appears and tells Tae-sun that this is why he needs to work hard: the younger generation looks up to him as their goal. He steps aside so they can take pictures, and the kids crowd around Tae-sun.

The city couple discusses the situation with Ms. Shin, but unlike his wife Pil-ja, the city husband thinks Mr. Hong’s brother might actually have the village’s best interest at heart. Ms. Shin agrees that money may be the better option, but Pil-ja waves aside their arguments and says that Ms. Shin has a reason to protect this village, too.

While the head coach drives Tae-sun to his match, he tells him to forget everything else when he steps onto the court. Head Coach Bae understands his desire for revenge, and speaking from experience, he knows the best way to achieve it. Tae-sun asks if it is forgiveness, and the head coach smiles.

When Tae-sun arrives for his game, the senior waits for him outside and berates him for not bowing. He tells Tae-sun to keep his car running since he plans to send him home right away.

Back at Nationals, Park Chan frets about the other team’s order, but Jae-suk thinks nothing of it. He reminds Park Chan that Jeonnam lost two key players which is why their coach chose to play the long game.

The senior trudges off the court drenched in sweat, and Tae-sun follows after him with his head held high. Before the match, Head Coach Bae said that forgiving punks was pointless, and instead, Tae-sun should think of the best way to enrage them. Taking his coach’s advice, Tae-sun gives the senior the bow he wanted so badly and smirks at the loser.

While driving home, Tae-sun thanks the head coach for cheering him up since he knows he took him to Nationals on purpose. Head Coach Bae denies it, but a call from Reporter Kim reveals the truth, unveiling the interview as the head coach’s meddling as well. Head Coach Bae feigns ignorance, but his silly excuses make them both chuckle.

The villagers meet up to sign the contracts, but as Grandpa reaches for his stamp, he turns to the head hiker and shoots down his offer. Mr. Hong also refuses to sell his land since they are trying to revitalize their community, and Pil-ja comes to his support.

The city official chides the outsider for sticking her nose in their affair, but Grandma calls him out, describing the city couple as family. They all have something to protect, and Ms. Shin tears up as she explains how this has always been her mom’s home.

The head hiker laughs at their display of camaraderie since they do not actually need their approval. They already got the other villagers to sign, and as long as they have eighty percent of the community on board, they can start developing the golf course.

The boys’ double match is about to start, and from the side, Yoo-ri wonders if Jeonnam might really win. Coach Paeng doubts it since Park Chan will inevitably win the final match, and the two of them discuss the team’s strengths and weaknesses.

They think the rest of the team is unprepared since coaches usually focus on entry members before Nationals, but Young-ja disagrees. She tells them that they had special training, but the other coaches point out that Hae-kang is still no match for Park Chan since he took a five-year break.

Grandma points at the list of signatures and asks why the name “Choi Mi-ja” is on the sheet. The head hiker does not see the problem, so she spells it out for him: why is her late mother’s name here? All this time, Grandma was practicing how to write the name of her most precious person, not her own name.

Mr. Hong checks the rest of the signatures, and they find more names of people who moved or died. Mr. Hong’s brother asks his partners what is going on, and the city official brings up the law to defend their actions. Catching them in their lies, the city husband stands up and challenges the official.

From Coach Paeng’s perspective, the Jeonnam team lacks players which leaves Hyun-jong with very few options. Yoo-ri agrees that creating a doubles team on the fly will not work, and Coach Paeng adds on that Park Chan and Jae-suk might not be the best but are good enough to win against their current opponents.

Young-ja scoffs at their analysis and tells them again that they worked really hard. Unwilling to give up, Coach Paeng divulges his biggest finding and correctly deduces Hae-kang’s less than ideal condition. Young-ja gives him that point, but she asks who told him that.

The city husband uses the law that the city official loves so much, and when he wins with reason, the city official uses violence to assert his dominance. The city husband does not shy away, though, and continues spouting facts at the scammers. The city official asks who he is, and the husband replies, “My name is Kim Tae-ho.”

The city official calls him unemployed, and the head hiker mocks him. At that moment, Tae-ho receives a text message, congratulating him on passing the exam and becoming a level 5 civil servant, which makes him the city official’s superior. Ha, how the tables have turned!

While the villagers cheer on Tae-ho, the head hiker rolls his eyes, frustrated with these recent developments. As he looks up, he sees the lights flicker.

Mr. Hong drinks with his brother when Ms. Shin and Grandma yell at them to come out. Mr. Hong tells his brother to stay inside and goes to face them alone. When he returns, he berates his brother for hurting the villagers, and his brother sighs since all he wanted to do was help.

Young-ja asks Coach Paeng who told him that Hae-kang was playing in the final match, and the coaches scramble to find the order. They gasp out loud when they see Eun-ho’s name written down, and Coach Paeng scolds Hyun-jong for giving up the game. Young-ja defends her husband and his team, but Coach Paeng tells her that Park Chan and Jae-suk will win.

Yoo-ri asks if the doubles team ever lost before, and Coach Paeng says that they are weak against defensive players. Yoo-ri points out that Woo-chan is good at defense, and the light bulbs go off: the doubles team is Woo-chan and Hae-kang. Slumping back in his seat, Coach Paeng marvels at Hyun-jong’s plan, realizing that he never gave up.

During his final speech, Hyun-jong told the kids that giving up required courage… but not this time. He said that they were going to win Nationals and explained the new order. He knew Seoul would plan on a long game, which meant they needed to take the opposite approach.

Contrary to his usual bravado, Hae-kang voiced his fears of losing because of his eye, but his teammates reminded him of who he was and believed in his skills. Hyun-jong also pointed out that Hae-kang would not be alone since Woo-chan would defend his back.

Back when Hyun-jong held a meeting with Woo-chan before Nationals, he asked if Woo-chan remembered the reason why he quit playing badminton. Though he said before that no one looked for him, he did, in fact, receive a few offers. However, he was not ready at the time because he thought being a “normal” player was meaningless and gave up. Hyun-jong regretted that decision, and did not want Woo-chan to repeat his mistake.

Even though he was not part of the entry, Hyun-jong trained Woo-chan so that he would be able to play if the opportunity presented itself, and behind the scenes, Hyun-jong studied their opponents, which allowed him to come up with this strategy. As it turns out, the “they” Young-ja mentioned was indeed Hae-kang and Woo-chan.

Before the match, Yong-tae asks Hyun-jong the name of their strategy, and he calls it “Racket Boys.” He says that average players are the ones who can flip the game, and as a team, anything is possible. He claims that they are cooler than BTS, and the boys shake their heads, distancing themselves from his contentious statement. Bwahahaha!

After their coach leaves, the boys gather their hands and yell their cheesy chant with gusto. Even Hae-kang participates wholeheartedly, and they race each other inside.

As Hae-kang gets ready for his game, he sees Park Chan talking with Se-yoon. He walks up to her once she is alone and grabs her shoulders. He tells her not to be nervous since there are lots of reasons why they need to win, but for him, there is only one: her.

The head hiker takes matter into his own hands and brings his goons to raze the place to the ground—the law be damned. Ms. Shin stands in his way, and the head hiker raises his hand to hit her. Mr. Hong arrives before he can strike, and he invites the men to step forward and fight him.

Grandma and Grandpa take out their phones to record them, and the head hiker orders his goons to attack. The excavator breaks down suddenly, and the head hiker jumps in to ride it himself. Though he gets it to start, he sees Big Gran standing in his way and yells at his confused goons to drag her out. Ms. Shin notices the flashing lights and realizes that her mom must be here.

The head hiker decides to destroy the villagers instead, but before he starts a brawl, they hear police sirens in the distance. Flashing back, Mr. Hong’s brother asked if the villagers wanted him to leave, but Mr. Hong was mad because the villagers defended him.

When the goons try to run away, Mr. Hong screams at the head hiker to pick up his cigarette butt. Startled by his assertiveness, the head hiker retrieves his garbage and flees the scene. While the villagers finally relax, Mr. Hong’s brother drops his phone, revealing that he was the one who called the cops.

Back at Nationals, Hae-kang and Woo-chan walk towards the court, aka, their “dream-day.”

Still hung up about the order, the coaches point out that Hyun-jong’s plan is not foolproof and holds a lot of risks. Young-ja concurs, but offers her own bout of wisdom: the most common mistake adults make is thinking that they know everything. She says that the players are the one who decide their own fates, and the coaches agree.

The doubles team opens the door and march in step. Their teammates hold their breath in the stands as Hae-kang and Woo-chan get ready for the final showdown. Who will become the new champions, Seoul or Jeonnam?

 
COMMENTS

Only one more episode left! I’m torn between wanting to see this beautiful show come to its rightful conclusion and never letting go of my precious babies. While I am leaning more towards the former, it’s a testament to the show that I actually want more episodes even though the story feels complete. I love these characters and this world, so my longing stems more from my unwillingness to say goodbye when the final episode airs than anything else. I still need time, Show! What else will I look forward to on Mondays without my dose of adorable Racket Boys, Girls, and Haenam villagers?

At this point, I expect greatness from this show because every week, it delivers. The setup of the boys’ finals was great, and I loved the little twist with Hyun-jong’s plan. It’s surprising, brilliant, and most importantly, completely aligned with the show’s overarching message about friendship and teamwork. When the Hwasun boys were injured in the semi-finals, I knew this was a chance for the substitutes to shine, but because of the format of the game, I also knew that Seoul had to win two events in order for Hae-kang to face Park Chan at the end. In order to make things unnecessarily dramatic, shows sometimes force a nail-biting scenario to happen simply for the added tension. For example, everyone has seen the baseball scene where it’s the bottom of the ninth with bases loaded and two outs. By creating these moments, the added stakes make for great drama, but it runs the risk of feeling artificial. In the case of badminton, it can feel forced to have Jeonnam reach a two-two situation because it means some of the Haenam boys must lose so Hae-kang gets his moment of glory. For a show that has always treated each of its young characters as the main protagonist, this decision would have relegated the boys to a secondary role, one that supports Hae-kang’s story rather than their own.

Hyun-jong’s plan not only subverted expectations, it also solved this issue while still producing the showdown (aka, the final moment in all sports stories where losing means everything is over, no more second chances). Hae-kang gets to play against Park Chan, and I don’t think a doubles match cheapens their rivalry in any way. In fact, Hae-kang could be more suited to doubles since it works well with his fast reaction time and explosive power. With a defensive specialist like Woo-chan as a partner, Hae-kang has free reign to smash the shuttlecock knowing that Woo-chan will have his back, and it’s also an awesome bit of character growth for Hae-kang. From the beginning, Hae-kang has been a proud player who sees himself as the best, but a series of setbacks starts to chip away at his confidence. As Hae-kang starts to face the reality of his situation, it’s the friendships he built along the way that help him recover and return to his old self. For Hae-kang, teammates are a crucial part of his badminton journey—they are the reason he quit as well as why he came back—and it seems poetically fitting for him to have his last, middle school game against his rival in a doubles match with his teammate who is the definition of the “average” player who never gave up.

One by one, the boys’ stories are wrapping up, and I’m glad the show spent time on the individual players to give them proper endings. Yong-tae struggled with nervousness from the beginning, and halfway through the show, it appeared to be fixed with the necklace. However, this was always a temporary solution because it placed his confidence in an outside source rather than himself. Yong-tae’s idolization of Lee Yong-dae was his crutch, and while it helped him improve at first, he needed to outgrow it in order to find his own style and strengths. The imagery of the broken necklace was incredible because it plays as an ominous sign at first but turns out to be a metaphor (as well as foreshadowing) of Yong-tae’s much-needed change. I loved how Yong-tae called back to Hyun-jong’s words because it reflected his growth as a player and highlighted Hyun-jong’s influence on him. He can now visualize winning a game as Lee Yong-tae rather than copying his idol, and beating Jae-suk was the perfect confirmation of his new start.

Yoon-dam was the other player who got an end, and his last badminton story revolved around his relationship with Head Coach Bae. One of the earlier jokes was the head coach’s favoritism towards the captain, and the show never delved too deeply into the reasons behind his actions. We see now why the head coach treated Yoon-dam with such love because he knew the pressure he had to endure as the captain and ace. Thus, Yoon-dam’s lesson is about not being complacent with his current achievements but embracing those expectations and delivering results. While friends and family can tell him that losing is okay, as an athlete, Yoon-dam realizes that he needs to step onto that court with the intention to win. He cannot allow doubt to dampen his resolve and look for excuses in case he loses. The point isn’t necessarily about pushing yourself beyond your limit but understanding that pressure does not always have to be a debilitating feeling but a source of determination. It was also sweet to see Head Coach Bae wearing the watch, signaling to Yoon-dam and the audience that he does care about the boys just as much as he does about his past team.

While Woo-chan’s badminton story is yet to be finished, it was so satisfying to see him finally get to step onto the court at Nationals after watching him struggle to find his place on the team. He’s been fighting a lonely battle against himself, and it’s nice to see him get the chance to show off his training and efforts on such a grand stage. Out of all the boys, I think Woo-chan benefited the most from Hyun-jong’s presence because they understood each other and the dilemma of not being a “chosen” one, as Coach Paeng puts it. Some players are born naturally gifted, others have great resources, and all in all, a variety of factors influences a player’s skill. There are so many reasons why certain individuals are better than others, and for players like Woo-chan, it can feel like their efforts pale in comparison to the gains others make. Hyun-jong felt something similar—though arguably he was still a top player as a national athlete—but in his foolishness, he gave up on the sport he loved rather than push himself after realizing that he would never become the best. However, he is able to pass along that wisdom to Woo-chan, and their stories are a wonderful contrast to the Young-ja’s and Se-yoon’s of the world.

Though so much happened with the badminton side of things, there was also a lot of development with the villagers as the head hiker incident came to a close. Like the badminton boys, the show gives its characters little, personal moments to shine. Grandpa gets to show that he isn’t a fool who gets swayed by the first offer of money, and city husband proves that he has a backbone and is no longer a doormat. I loved how the show revealed the city couple’s names because it came at the perfect moment where they finally overcame their past problem. For Pil-ja, she lost the ability to trust and have friends, but once she found a sister in Ms. Shin, she shares her name. As for Tae-ho, his inability to speak up caused him so much guilt and grief, so when he finally stands up to protect the people he cares for, he proudly states his name. Grandma also gets a thoughtful moment along with a twist, reminding the audience that even though she is a grandma, she is still someone’s daughter as well. The creators put so much thought and details into their storytelling choices, and it really elevates the whole show. It doesn’t feel like a convenient plot hole to have Big Gran’s spirit stop the excavator, and the brother’s change of heart happens so naturally. He was never the antagonist, but the reason he betrays the head hiker is due to the villagers’ kindness. He realizes that these people are his home, and he should look for a solution with them rather than believe a shady business man who does not care about the village. It’s amazing how the show balances all these themes, plots, and characters into one cohesive story while adding so much nuance and meaning. It’s really a feat accomplished by the wonderful synergy from everyone involved in this project, and I cannot wait for the last episode, even if saying goodbye will be hard.

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