From Me to You: Kimi ni Todoke – Episode 12 Recap, Review & Ending Explained

Always Together

Episode 12 of From Me to You: Kimi ni Todoke begins with the kids’ graduation ceremony. Pin cleans up pretty well and Kento jokes about it. The teacher then gets serious as he says life will be hard and they will want to run away. But he says one should believe in oneself and he will always be on their side. 

What happens on graduation day?

The girls get ready to leave school and they joke as Yoshida says she cried during their graduation photograph. Kurumi and Kento approach them and he wishes her and Sawako good luck with their entrance exam. He wishes Yano to and says they shouldn’t miss him too much and they laugh.

Kurumi then apologises for all the bad things she did to the girls to get Kazehaya. They say it’s in the past and forgive her. Sawako says friends become friends even before realising it and that they are friends too which Kurumi finally accepts. 

Yano then tells Yoshida and Sawako that she confessed to Pin but got rejected. She says she cried but thanks them for their support as she couldn’t have confessed without their encouragement. They reach the bridge and Yano and Yoshida remember that it was there that they spoke about Sawako in their first year.

Sawako reveals that back then, her only goal was for people to remember her real name but after she became friends with the two girls she didn’t care if people called her Sadako because she had them. They are touched and they smile.

Does Sawako get into Sapporo?

Finally, the Sapporo results come in and Sawako and Kurumi hold hands as they go to see their results. They see that both of them have passed and they hug. Sawako runs to Kazehaya who was waiting for her and congratulates her. They hold hands as they go home but Sawako realises that the day of their parting is near.

Why does Yano try to leave secretly?

As for Yano, she decides not to tell anyone about her train to Tokyo but Yoshida and Sawako find out anyway and run to meet her. Yoshida reprimands her for trying to leave without telling them. Yano says she knew she will cry if they send her off but Sawako holds her hand and thanks her for everything. Yano’s train arrives and they start crying. They say she will be fine and she says she will think of them when things get hard.

How does Sawako help Kazehaya move into his new place?

That night, as Sawako packs up her room, she sees her class photos and smiles. Kazehaya calls her and asks for her help when moving to his new place as he too packs their class photos.

They go to his new apartment and he tells her he will get her a duplicate key. As they unpack she sees the beanie she had gifted him and he says he has brought everything she has given him. They eat their lunch together as they take a break. He says her students will respect her and she says she finally has a dream for herself. She starts joking that lots of girls will flock around him and he says that even she will have many admirers.

She doesn’t think so and he says that she doesn’t know how pretty she is. He gets shy he gives her a ring. He tries to put it on for her but it doesn’t fit. She tries on all her fingers till it fits on her left hand’s ring finger. She apologises and he says he was just nervous but the ring is meant for that finger. He says one day he hopes to give her a ring which is meant for a lifetime and she tears up. 

It’s late by the time they finish unpacking and he accompanies her on her way home. Halfway, she hugs him and says she knows they will be fine even if they are apart but she doesn’t want to go home yet. He asks if she means it and she says yes.

She calls her mother and says she won’t be coming home. Her mother double-checks that it is what she wants before giving her approval. Kazehaya and Sawako share the bed and while he sleeps, she looks at him and smiles.

Does Yoshida wish her remaining friends farewell?

The day before Sawako leaves, Yoshida decides to wish her farewell. She says she cried for Yano so she will be all smiles when she and Ryu leave for Sapporo. She is glad they are friends and Sawako says they will be in touch.

Yoshida then goes to wish Ryu farewell. However, she is unable to be her cheery self and he tells her it is okay for her to cry. As he gets in the car, he texts her that they will marry after he graduates and she says she will wait for him.

Do Sawako and Kazehaya continue their relationship?

It is Sawako’s turn to leave and her father wants to drop her at the train station. She says she wants to wish them farewell at home and thank them for everything. She waits at the train station alone with Kazehaya promising to meet her soon. He goes to the hardware store to get a key to his apartment made for her but forgets his phone. He is unable to text Sawako that he is late and so he takes the key and rushes to the train station.

Sawako’s train arrives and she looks for Kazehaya. Just as she is about to get on, he reaches her. He gives her a letter and as she enters the train he says he loves her. She says she loves him too and he runs after her train as it takes off. On the train, she sees the key and the letter. He says it is in response to her letter for his birthday. She taught him to be better and that his heart will always be hers and she starts crying.

She hopes that her love will reach him while she is away. It cuts to a few years later and Sawako returns home. Kazehaya waits for her by the cherry blossom tree where they had first met on the first day of school. As she sees him, she rushes to him and they hug.

The Episode Review

Domestic Kazehaya and Sawako are so cute as they tidy the apartment and eat together. And while we know it is a sweet PG-13 Japanese drama, the scene where she wants to stay over at Kazehaya’s was a total red herring. And with the way the mother was nervous, the writers were totally hinting at something else.

But fortunately or unfortunately (however you want to take it), it was just a sweet scene of them sleeping in the same bed together as Sawako wanted to spend as much time as she could with Kazehaya before she left. 

And even though we didn’t get a typical happy ending as everyone went their own ways, it was still nice. As a coming-of-age story, it emphasises how the characters have grown up and need to focus on their futures. They all make choices they are happy with and get to successfully follow it which makes it a satisfying ending for viewers.