The season finale of Burn The House Down starts with a flashback from before the night of the fire. Makiko is posting on her blog when Kiichi shows up and tells her what she’s doing is wrong. He calls her out for stealing from Satsuki and tells his mother that the only way to get away with a crime like stealing is by burning the house down.
What did Kiichi tell Makiko about causing the fire?
Kiichi tells his mother that confessing about stealing from the Mitarai House would still incriminate her. He tells Makiko that a way out of getting the blame could be setting the house on fire. Kiichi tells her that the group of friends he had used to steal from arcade bars.
He adds that they would often burn the place down which would in turn destroy the evidence to incriminate them. Makiko considers the idea for a while but then claims that she’ll put the stolen items back inside the Mitarai house without anyone noticing.
Do the cops arrest Makiko? What happens between Kiichi and Anzu?
The cops figure out that Makiko has been lying about the fire. They are sure that Kiichi is the real arsonist. The cops send Makiko back home and ask Kiichi to be brought in for questioning. At the same time, Kiichi takes Anzu to a spot in the woods where they start gazing at the stars for a bit just like they did as kids.
Kiichi asks Anzu to keep the compass for a while and tells her that he’s going to be away. He apologises to Anzu and they go back to her apartment. That night, Anzu wakes up to see that Kiichi is not in the living room of their apartment. In fact, Kiichi turns himself in.
What happens to Kiichi?
The cops call Makiko the following morning to tell her that Kiichi has been arrested. Makiko panics when she tells Shinji about it and he panics too. Meanwhile, Anzu is sure that Kiichi is not the real arsonist and is only taking the blame for his mother.
She takes Yuzu to the Mitarai house. Makiko creates a scene upon seeing Anzu and Yuzu there. She is smoking when Anzu yells at her, asking her to confess the truth about the fire.
Why was Makiko in Satsuki’s closet on the night of the fire?
Yuzu asks her what she was doing in their mother’s closet on the night of the fire and Makiko claims that she was only returning everything that she had stolen. Makiko recalls being seen by Yuzu but adds that she had put back all the items but Satsuki’s jacket.
Makiko claims that she had gone back later that night to return the jacket and turn herself in but recalls seeing the house burned down. She thought the fire was naturally caused and that God was forgiving her for her mistakes.
However, Makiko is sure that Kiichi had set the fire to protect his mother. Makiko blames herself for causing the fire while Anzu tells her that she’s equally responsible because she did not turn Kiichi in when she knew it to be his fault.
Who had caused the fire in the Mitarai House?
Makiko gets distracted while lighting another cigarette and the table is set on fire. Shinji panics and tries to put it out with his bare hands. Shinji finally breaks down and confesses that it was he who caused the fire. Shinji recalls being inside the Makiko House on the day of the fire because he wanted to return Satsuki’s jacket.
At the house, Shinji saw the curry pot and decided to have a bite before going back home. However, after he turns the stove on to heat the curry, the rag catches fire and it spreads fast. Shinji covers himself with the jacket and runs outside after not being able to stop the fire from spreading.
Shinji blames himself for the incident and regrets not saying anything about it. Anzu asks Shinji to apologise to Satsuki in an effort to clear her mind about the accident. She also asks him to turn himself in and save Kiichi from being falsely incriminated. Shinji goes to see Satsuki in the hospital and gets down on his knees, asking for forgiveness.
Satsuki forgives him and claims that she knew he set the house on fire. She had been trying to forget the day. Shinji promises Saksuki that he will be better in the future. That night, Satsuki thanks Anzu for giving her life back.
What happens to Shinji?
Kiichi learns that his brother turned himself in for the crime and that Shinji is the person who caused the fire. Kiichi claims that he knew Shinji was involved somehow because he recalls seeing Shinji’s burned sock from the night of the fire. However, Kiichi states that he’s sure that their mother asked Shinji to set the house on fire for her benefit.
He too was trying to forget the night but a certain someone forced him to get out of his cave and recall the night. Shinji is taken in as Kiichi is set free. Kiichi tells his brother to be strong and hopeful. After questioning, the cops drop the case against Shinji since he was only 14 years old at the time of the incident.
Do Anzu and Kiichi get together?
Makiko picks up Kiichi from the police station and tries to take him away. She promises to take care of him and adds that they could all start over. However, Anzu stops them and demands that Kiichi come with her. She tells Makiko that she loves Kiichi and asks the mother to move on.
Anzu believes that she would make a life of her own with Kiichi. Kiichi leaves his mother behind and goes with Anzu. Despite her shock and unrest, Makiko turns around and goes about her own way, smiling proudly because her son has finally grown up.
How does Burn The House Down end?
Three months later, Makiko and Mr Mitarai file for divorce. Afterwards, Makiko opens her own YouTube channel where she shares her travel and fashion vlogs with her fans. Nanami has also found another rich nerd that she’ll marry for money.
Since most of the staff have left the hospital after the fire, Mr Mitarai and Nurse Ichihara agree to forgive Shinji for his mistake and ask him to finish his degree before he joins the Mitarai Hospital as their new doctor. Shinji is grateful for the opportunity and thanks the two. Yuzu cheers Shinji on via text and motivates him to get his degree.
Meanwhile, she gets a job at a PR agency, where she can put her communication skills to good use. Satsuki and Yuzu live together and the mother-daughter duo plan on going to see the world in the future. Anzu works with Claire for her cosplay outfit business, which is booming.
On her way back to her house, Anzu thinks back to the past 14 years she has spent seeking revenge. She meets Kiichi on their way back and the couple go home together as the show comes to an end.
The Episode Review
This show was really great for a Japanese drama and I think the makers have done a very good job with Burn The House Down. The build-up to the revelation was great but Shinji’s reason for starting the fire and ruining so many lives was surprisingly not as grave as one may have expected.
I feel like Makiko needs to seek help for her mental health condition and the fact that she just moved on like nothing happened was audacious. It is right to not punish Shinji because he accidentally burned down the Mitarai House and the series ends with a happy conclusion, tying up all loose ends as this one draws to a close.