Ah well that was a swell and satisfying ending to this great drama. All the loose ends were pretty much tied up and so that led to a great conclusion. As we last left off, Hinata had broken into Wataru’s “secret room” but by the time Kayo got to it, it was empty…all except the magazine with the rumor printed in it. This is where Wataru explained the full story. He said that Hinata’s real father and his father were friends, but then Hinata’s real dad got sick and told Wataru’s father Tohru, to take care of his paintings as well as baby Hinata. Because Tohru lost his ability to draw, he started simply copying Hinata’s fathers pictures…something an artist should not do.

Of course he did not tell this to anybody except for Wataru, when he was on his deathbed. Wataru then felt obliged to keep this all a secret from his brothers and from Hinata, which is why when they created a shoujo manga, they kept their names hidden…so that nobody would know about the “plagiarism of the Kataoka” last name. The “shoujo manga has to be written by a female” was just a cover up for that. In the meantime, Hinata asked the dumb kid to help him carry the boxes of the old paintings…that he was planning to burn. However, before he was about to set them aflame, Wataru and the rest finally found him and told him that burning those pictures isn’t going to erase their father’s crime. Eventually Kayo pulled the lighter out of his hands (and burned her fingers in the process.)

When they come back home, they ended up keeping the paintings (although it’s a wonder how they survived after he dropped oil on them.) Hinata also asked if he could keep the paintings made by his real father and Wataru said they’re all his. While digging through them he found a painting of a baby with no name on it. Wataru said he drew it and it was of baby Hinata when he was first told to take care of him. Right then and there Hinata suggested that everyone follow their path. How Wataru should continue painting, Satoshi should do what he wants with his life and Osamu should pursue his dreams of doing a Shounen manga.

Back at the magazine place, Kayo tells the director guy that the Hanazono Yuriko guys have decided to disband “Hanazono Yuriko”. He’s shocked at first but then he admits that he’s the one who leaked the fact that Hanazono Yuriko was made up of 4 guys. He said that he thought they’d sell more copies that way, which they did, but it was also a catalyst that lead to their disband. He then requests that Kayo ask them to draw a final chapter of Arabesque.

In the meantime, Osamu decided to continue his confession to that lady. When he finally gets the courage to ask her to marry him, she explains that she was married once…and her husband died (because he was a policeman.) She says that no matter what she does, she cannot forget him and apologizes that she cannot marry Osamu. That guy in a coat comes up and tells Osamu that her husband was his co-worker…and then he drives away in his police car. (Which is how I figured out her deceased husband was a cop.)

Back at home Osamu is so crushed that he cannot draw. He calls up Kayo and tells her he can’t complete the final chapter. Kayo rushes there and lots of stuff happens that eventually Wataru gets a call asking him to come home because Osamu’s going crazy. When Wataru gets home the first thing he sees is Osamu and Satoshi being chased by Kayo in a Wedding Dress. When he sees her he drops his art binder and goes ??? Osamu explains that it’s time Kayo had a chance to make a confession. But when she confesses she says she likes “Hanazono Yuriko” and wishes that they would not quit. Wataru explains that they’ve decided to take their own paths (and Hinata is going to study abroad in England) but their relationship as brothers will never change. Satoshi, Osamu & Hinata get frustrated and leave…however Wataru then confesses to Kayo and asks her to (indirectly) marry him, to which she agrees.

It also turns out that the other guys made that wedding dress just for her because they had planned all of this in advance. Anyway the guys finally finish the last chapter, and Kayo tells them that she enjoyed working with them and will await the day Hanazono Yuriko returns. In the meantime, Ryouko has become a fashion photographer and is using that old man as her model…he also embarrasses her by asking if she got married to that guy who “pulled her by the hand during the omiai” haha. At the end they show the brothers in the living room talking about something and then they zoom in on a painting of all of them, probably done by Wataru.

Final Thoughts: Well I think it’s obvious I really enjoyed this drama. Really gives you an insight of what a mangaka’s life is like and how difficult it is for one to get big in the business in Japan. The casting was great and despite some annoyances (like Misuzu and Ryoko) the general feel of the drama was pretty good. Hope to see more like this in the future!

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