It’s easy to walk into the ending of Drawing Closer with a false sense of security. After all, the end is spelled out at the start — both Akito and Haruna are going to die from their terminal illnesses—however, the twist surrounding Haruna after her death is the one that catches you by surprise. I’ve analyzed two main plot points from the movie’s conclusion to understand that twist better.
Haruna knew Akito was dying
Throughout Drawing Closer, I was under the impression that Haruna had not discovered that Akito was dying. It felt strange that she was relatively calm when he did not show up for the fireworks evening because he was struggling with his health issues, but the film purposefully keeps things simple and vague.
Before her death, Haruna left some images and videos on a social media app for Akito and her friend, Ayaka; however, one of the files on the app was locked by a password.
Haruna was confident that Akito would be able to guess the password. It took him a few attempts, but he figured it out through her drawings of the gerbera daisy flowers. He frequently gave her these flowers but did not know their meaning.
When he sees the three gerberas drawn, he discovers the password is “3gerberas.”
(L-R) Haruna and Akito in ‘Drawing Closer’ (Credit – Netflix)
Once unlocked, there’s a video with a message. Haruna reveals to Akito that she knew he was dying, too, but she chose not to tell him. She is grateful for what Akito did for her, providing meaning to her life before death. She decided to do the same for him and give him a reason to enjoy his life before he died. She even asked Akaya to be there for him, knowing she’s a good person and friend.
But what’s even sweeter about this twist ending is that it does not take long for Akito to understand the meaning of three gerberas. They symbolize “loyal love,” meaning that Haruna was telling Akito that she loved him. She also told him the night of the fireworks on the phone, but her confession of love was drowned out by the explosive spectacle in the night sky.
Haruna and Akito represent the meaning of life
Haruna’s knowledge that Akito was dying, too, provides more depth and meaning to the movie than I expected. Many of us approach life like it is infinite, selfishly following our ambitions and not spending enough time being selfless and spending time with those we love.
The ending of Drawing Closer answers the meaning of life (or at least one of the answers). Act selflessly for those you love and respect the time you have. These two characters had little time to live, but falling in love gave them the context they needed before they died.
Also, the added context is that they both believe in heaven. If the afterlife does exist, these two characters genuinely deserve it. As Akito confesses, when he met Haruna, he was depressed with the outcome of his diagnosis and saw her as an angel. He never knew that he was an angel for her, too.
