The Final Episode of 'Pending Train: 8:23, Tomorrow, With You' Which Closed with a Beautiful Bromance

The final episode of the drama I started watching because I like Eiji Akaso.
While the subject matter of this drama was very grand and covered a wide range of content, I felt that the bond between Naoya and Yuto, as well as the wavering love triangle between Sae, Naoya, and Yuto, were depicted particularly well. And I thought it would close with a romance between Sae Hatano and Naoya.
But in the end, it was a bromance.
The romance between Sae and Naoya was also very good, but in this note, I will write about the impressive scenes by focusing on the bromance.

Naoya visited Yuto, who was worried about him, after Yuto was mentally exhausted from being on the receiving end of groundless criticism when a video posted by someone else went viral. The two of them, crushed by reality and plagued by a strong sense of disappointment, sat side-by-side on the stairs and looked up at the night sky, and they looked very similar.
The two, who seemed to have opposite personalities, might have actually been very similar. Perhaps because they were similar, they were able to unknowingly complement each other's missing parts.
Having gone through many clashes and eventually coming to trust each other, the two no longer hid their weakened hearts from one another. They were able to show their vulnerable selves and were able to accept the other when they were weak.

As the possibility of an asteroid colliding with Earth increased day by day, people were each forced to make a choice.
Yuto chooses to remain in the same place and fulfill his duties as a firefighter, wanting to save someone until the very end, believing that it is his responsibility. He had already told Naoya this.
Yuto, who did not allow Naoya to stay in the world of 2060 when he said he would, now conversely chooses to remain in danger, saying it is his responsibility to save someone until the end. Even though they had gone to such lengths to return from the future. Even though Naoya had trusted Yuto when he said, 'Trust me,' Naoya could not accept that Yuto was making the same choice he had made back then.

With the approaching final day before their eyes, people were coming and going through the streets, some evacuating and some staying behind. Among the former passengers of that train who returned from the future, those who chose to evacuate met up, boarded a train, and rushed to the airport for evacuation.
However, Naoya was not by Sae's side when she boarded the train with them.

Before meeting up with the others, Sae and Naoya were able to meet at a station along the way. After various events and overcoming past emotional wounds, Naoya was now able to convey his honest feelings of love and gratitude to the person he loved. The two confirmed their feelings with gentle words.
But Naoya did not go with Sae.
The person Naoya rushed to alone was Yuto.

Yuto, who was on duty at a rescue site as usual, saw Naoya standing at the end of the road he happened to look at. Going against the flow of people, facing straight toward him. Yuto stood still in surprise.
Naoya says, 'I came to save you.'
Yuto, who was angry that Naoya did not evacuate and blamed him, choked up at the end. 'I wanted you to be saved, Kayashima-san...'
Naoya grabs Yuto's shoulders and tells him straight. That he has been saved by Yuto all this time. That not only was his life saved, but his heart, his soul, was saved here. So let's go together. Let's live, no matter what happens.
Yuto stared intently at Naoya and gave a small nod.

Yuto always seemed to have a part of him that was never satisfied with saving or helping someone, no matter how much he did. Even though he was working hard enough from the outside looking in, and even when people around him thanked him or praised him, for some reason he couldn't grasp that feeling himself, and it was painful to see him driven by the thought that it still wasn't enough and he had to do more and more.
To such a Yuto, Naoya looked him straight in the eye and said that he was saved by him. That he had been helped all along. That it wasn't his life, but his soul that was saved. Those words seemed to finally soak into Yuto's heart. Although he couldn't make him evacuate, he had indeed saved Naoya. With Naoya's words, Yuto was finally able to believe in what he had done, and in himself.
When returning from the future, Naoya was able to trust Yuto.
Now, heading toward the future, Yuto was able to trust Naoya.

We don't know what will happen from here on out. Let's do as much as we can.

It was an impressive final scene where the acting of the two was so wonderful that I was drawn in.
I think the final scenes of episode 8 and the final episode are both very wonderful scenes as a bromance.
Since the subject matter and setting were large-scale, I think there were many things that couldn't be fully depicted within a television drama. And if I had focused on that, I don't think I would have felt satisfied. But in today's world, where we never know when we might get caught up in war or natural disasters, I couldn't think of this drama as someone else's business at all, and above all, I was so drawn into the actors' performances that I became more addicted to this drama than I had expected when I started watching it.
For me, this drama was interesting.

Akaso-kun and Yamada-kun, you were both wonderful.