Summary
The ending of Tokyo Swindlers is spectacular and full of action, bringing some last-minute twists and drama.
There are a lot of close calls in Episode 7 of Tokyo Swindlers. The finale has everything you’d want to end a crime thriller — the conclusion to a con job and a “final boss” match-up. The ending of Season 1 was more about Takumi Tsujimoto learning the truth about his boss, Harrison Yamanaka, than the land swindle job on Sekiyo House. I’ve broken down the key moments of Episode 7:
The Swindlers Complete Land Deal With Sekiyo House
Reiko finds herself hiding in the temple in ‘Tokyo Swindlers’ Season 1, Episode 7 (Credit – Netflix)
For most of Episode 6, it looked like the land swindlers were not going to pull off the con with Sekiyo Houe for the purchase of the land that Kouan-ji Temple resides on. With Natsumi Kawai, the actual nun of the temple, on her way to the site, Goto, Takumi, and Reiko are desperate to close proceedings with the on-site visit.
After convincing Mr Aoyagi (the key representative of Sekiyo House) that Reiko is the nun Kawai (after an impressive makeover) and showing him the Five Tathagatas within the temple, the on-site visit ends satisfactorily.
They were nearly caught on the way out: as Sekiyo House left the temple, the real Natsumi Kawai arrived in a taxi. Luckily, Goto and Takumi escaped, leaving Reiko to hide in the temple and figure out her escape plan.
And so, the swindlers secured the agreement with Sekiyo House—11 billion yen. They managed to do it despite overextending themselves in an almost impossible fraudulent deal. And you’d think this would be the most complicated part of the finale, but it isn’t.
Kuramochi Tells Takumi The Truth About His Dark Family History
Kuramochi telling Takumi the truth in the ‘Tokyo Swindlers’ finale (Credit – Netflix)
It’s easier to engage with the characters on an emotional level in Tokyo Swindlers apart from Harrison. He’s a psychopath and has zero regard for human life.
Police Detective Kuramochi visits Takumi and provides a revelation that turns the story on its head. She tells him she knows the whereabouts of Nishitani, the swindler who scammed his family, and that his real name is Kazuma Saeki. He resides in Manila, Philippines, at a Detention Center. She reveals that Harrison Yamanaka tried to kill Nishitani and that it was he who devised a fraudulent plan that deceived Takumi and his family, leading to tragedy. Harrison destroyed Takumi’s family.
Takumi has spent years tracking down a man he thought was responsible for his family’s demise, only to learn he was working with the man who orchestrated it all along. What an absolute sucker punch and a great twist in the story.
Aoyagi’s Death Was Expected
Aoyagi is in complete shock to learn that he has been conned (Credit – Netflix)
I was unsure whether to feel sorry for Aoyagi once he found out he had been conned by land swindlers and put a dark blemish on Sekiyo House. On the one hand, I admire his ambition, but on the other, I can’t help but think his desperation got the better of him. A desperate, wealth-thirsty man is never a good look and never has the best intentions.
I felt sorry for Natsumi Kawai when she saw construction workers outside her temple, but, like all these cons, it was quickly resolved as soon as the police and the Legal Affairs Bureau got involved.
As we learn in this series, Harrison does not like any open leads to his criminal activity, and he planned a hit-and-run on Aoyagi. It was not hard for the hit-and-run driver, as Aoyagi was so disassociated from his surroundings due to the shock that he did not see the vehicle coming. Aoyagi is murdered in broad daylight.
Does Takumi kill Harrison Yamanaka?
There’s a showdown between Harrison, Takumi and Kuramochi at the end of ‘Tokyo Swindlers’ (Credit – Netflix)
Knowing that Harrison is responsible for his family’s demise, Takumi visits him before he departs and leaves the country. As he visits him, Goto and Reiko are killed by Harrison’s men. The biggest land swindle has also gotten the biggest collateral damage.
Of course, once the secret between them is revealed, Harrison tries to play it cool with Takumi. He tries to manipulate and bring him on his side, but Takumi is not there to play games and whips a gun out.
Unfortunately, one of Harrison’s dumb underlings attacks Takumi from behind before being killed by Harrison himself. This leads to a fight between Harrison and Takumi as they try to kill each other. Luckily, Kuramochi comes to save Takumi in the nick of time as he’s about to be killed.
But Harrison wants to bring everyone down with him and throws a grenade, which Takumi throws back at him.
Takumi and Kuramochi survive, but does Harrison Yamanaka? Well, it appears so. At the end of Episode 7, the camera pans to his face as Harrison is hunting in the snowy wilderness. Whether this was a flashback or present-day remains to be confirmed, but it seems that he somehow survived that violent encounter with Takumi and the following grenade.
The ending of Tokyo Swindlers encourages the viewers to deeply question the characters
I understood Kuramochi’s confusion at the end of Tokyo Swindlers. When she visits Takumi in his hospital bed, she wonders how a man seeking revenge did not sense the gravity of what he’s done to others by swindling land. He has caused so much tragedy even though the same crimes made him aggrieved for his family’s demise.
And she’s right. While Takumi did confess everything to the police, which caused sensationalist news in the media and nationwide shock, I don’t think his cooperation accounts for his watery, thin moral lines. Harrison was easy to understand; he was just evil, but Takumi was so entrenched in his revenge that he forgot to assess what he had become. And that makes him a complex character. Is he a villain? I’d argue that he is — without his brains, the operation on the temple would not have succeeded, nor the first land swindle we witness in Episode 1.
The only character with redeemable moments was Reiko—she at least ensured the nun she tried to manipulate had funds to pay for her family member’s hospital bills. Takumi took down the man performing heinous crimes on his behalf, and he only did so when he learned who he was in relation to his family tragedy.
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