Review of Ruri no Shima Ep 7

Ep 7 O.A. 28 May 05
Ratings: 11.9%

The annual Hounensai (Harvest Festival) is approaching and the islanders start to prepare for this event.

Ruri is glad to have company in school now that the island chief, Jie has adopted a 7-year-old boy Satoru. To Ruri, it's as if she has a little brother to take care of. Ruri tells Satoru about the plan to perform the shamisen during the festival. Actually, Satoru is Jie's son with another woman but he lies to everyone that Satoru is the son of a distant relative.

At the public hall to discuss plans for the festival, a freelance journalist, Nonomura who had come to the island recently asked Jie whether the islanders were being selfish to get kids to the island in order to protect their primary school. Jie tries to divert the topic but his friend, Shohei wants him to explain to Nonomura on this matter. At the same time, Shomei comes and wants them to listen to what his daughter Izumi wrote in her letter but nobody is free to listen to him.

Jie's wife, Yoshie notices subtle similarities between Jie and Satoru. She starts to wonder if they are father and son. She asks Shohei about this and he unwittingly lets the cat out of the bag. As a result, Yoshie starts to ignore Jie and this makes Satoru unhappy as he feels that they quarrelled because of him.

While preparing for the festival, a typhoon is approaching and everyone prepares to secure their homes. Kawashima is waiting at home for Shomei who has yet to return. Actually, Shomei's trying to save the wandering lambs in the storm. The storeroom bearing the items for the festival has a broken door and in order to prevent the rain from spoiling them, Shomei blocks the door in the storm and ends up being hit from a fallen lamp post. It is only till some time later before Kawashima manages to find him but it is too late...

Ruri is very upset at losing one of her best friends and cannot seem to accept the truth. Kawashima finds Izumi's letter in Shomei's pocket and they find out that Izumi is persuading her mother to return to Hatomijima. However, Shomei passed away before they could reunite...