Let’s Get Divorced – Episode 9 Recap, Review & Ending Explained

Episode 9

The season finale of Let’s Get Divorced starts with Taishi and Yui going back home after finally filing for divorce. Despite not wanting to get a divorce, the couple keeps their promise and files for divorce after Go Soda beats Taishi in the Ehime district elections.

When they are back home, Yui asks Taishi to break the news of their divorce petition to his mother. Taishi’s mother is shocked by the news but eventually comes to terms with the fact.

She tells Yui that the unborn child is a Shoji heir and asks her to hand over the child to his family. Yui is against this and tells her mother-in-law that she does not want her child to be raised in a pressure-filled environment. She claims that Taishi’s mother will raise the child to be a politician just like she stripped Taishi of his identity and adds that she does not want this for her child.

Taishi agrees with Yui, infuriating his mother. Taishi’s mother immediately leaves to go back to Tokyo and directly pays a visit to Tomii, Yui’s mother.

Taishi’s mother tries to talk to Yui’s mother – Tomii but the latter sides with her daughter further infuriating the former politician’s wife. Yui on the other hand, apologises to her former mother-in-law and thanks her for everything she has done for her family. Yui bids her farewell now that Yui and Taishi have gotten their divorce finalised.

Does Yui have a baby?

Four months later, Taishi learns that Yui had delivered their baby boy in his absence and has already named him Yoji, something that resembles her ex-boyfriend, Kyoji’s, name. Taishi looks at his son for the first time and wonders why he was feeling so detached from the child.

What happened to Kyoji?

Three years after the election day, Taishi tries to campaign again to fight Soda. Since he has gone broke after the last election, Taishi claims that he doesn’t have any funds to support his campaign. He works hard on being a good politician, while Taishi reveals that Soda has sold the Shoji medical centre to a pharmaceutical company after winning the election.

However, during his recent interview, Soda claims that getting a Level 4 medical centre was important for the country – contradicting his past self and imitating Taishi’s speech from three years ago.

Saotome takes up a delivery job to make ends meet. Meanwhile, Sakuraka makes it big as a Feminist politician but ends up being mocked on TV for her feminist ideas. Taishi watches Yui making it big as an actress and a single mother while he hopes to get her back one day. During her speech, Yui mentions everyone in her life except Taishi, which hurts him.

Taishi goes back to wondering why he cheated on Yui in the first place. He looks up what Kyoji was up to and learns that Kyoji had turned into an election reporter. Kyoji’s article praising Taishi’s grit makes Taishi emotional.

What are Taishi and Yui up to after their divorce?

Even though Yui has custody of her son, Taishi’s mother watches Yoji, claiming that he was the Shoji heir. After returning from her award show, Yui takes Yuji back home. This prompts Taishi’s mother to force her son to reclaim Yoji’s custody since she was the one who was taking care of the boy most of the time with Yui’s acting schedule and Taishi’s election campaigns.

Back at her mother’s house, Yui wonders what her son’s future would look like. She wonders if Taishi’s mother will turn Yoji into a politician but Tomii claims that Yui’s talking nonsense because she’s lacking physical contact with a man. Yui thinks back to how busy her agency’s CEO had kept her with work because she never had time to spend time with Yoji.

Taishi’s lawyer tells him that he has no chance of getting Yoji’s custody from Yui and adds that his only solution is to get back together with Yui since he’s at a financial disadvantage as well.

Do Taishi and Yui get back together?

Yui and Taishi take Yoji to Ehime for a trip which makes Taishi wonder if things would be different for them as a family had they never gotten the divorce. Taishi puts Yoji to bed at Yui’s house and the former couple get flirty. However, Yui remembers it’s time for her live stream and the two greet Yui’s fans as friends.

While Yui has no plans of getting back with Taishi, she claims that if she were ever to marry again, she would pick Taishi. Taishi wonders what led to their divorce and Yui unceremoniously points out that he cheated on her.

That night, Taishi goes back to his apartment and wonders what it would be like had he not gotten divorced. Yui calls Taishi showing how Yoji was crying, missing his father and Taishi feels even more heartbroken.

What happens to Go Soda?

Taishi goes back to Ehime for his campaign and meets Shingo for the first time in four years. Shingo tells Taishi that he had started working with the Pharmaceutical company and is responsible for driving Soda around. Taishi learns from Shingo that Soda had sold off the medical centre cheaply and had pocketed most of the cash instead of working for the benefit of the people in Ehime.

Taishi meets Kyoji at a pachinko parlour and discusses a possible expose article against Soda. The two men discuss Yui and bond over Kyoji’s election articles in favour of Taishi. Soon, Soda addresses the rumours about Soda being corrupt but is not able to manage the reporters’ expectations.

More people come out exposing Soda and he is dismissed from the Reformation Party office. On his way out, Mimata tells Soda that she’s ashamed of being his supporter. Soda goes back to his family business and starts selling bread like his father used to.

Does Taishi win the election?

After Soda’s downfall, the public is much appreciative of Taishi. Taishi’s mother asks Taishi and Saotome to buckle up despite their seemingly obvious victory and to be prepared for a possible loss. Taishi has gotten more confident in his public speaking finally. Yui comes to one of his speeches and asks the people of Ehime to vote for her ex-husband.

Taishi thanks Yui for her support despite their separation. Taishi finally wins the fifth district election and everyone around Taishi celebrates.

How does Let’s Get Divorced end?

Taishi is a more dedicated politician while Yui kills it as an actress. Yui calls her mother and reveals that she finally understands that life is too short to spend with just one guy. Yui has a new partner, one she spends her free time with.

Meanwhile, Taishi takes care of Yoji four days a week while spending the rest of his time discussing important issues in the Parliament House. Taishi talks about how he made mistakes in the past that impacts people’s judgement of his present self. He also claims that people should be accepting of making mistakes just like he was of his own.

The Episode Review

While the show started off really slowly, it would have been nice to see this one end on a high note but sadly, Let’s Get Divorced is totally unsatisfying. After watching 9 long episodes of Yui being worried about her feelings for Taishi and Kyoji, watching her end up with a totally random guy was just as unsatisfying as watching the ending to the popular American sitcom, How I Met Your Mother.

Taishi has the most character development in the series and what happened with Soda seemed rushed. He was the bad guy for so long but soon turned into a good guy who sells bread for a living. The show seems to be alienated from the reality of politics and tries to offer a slice-of-life version of how elections and political campaigns actually work.

Throughout the episode, we see Taishi pining over his divorce with Yui when he makes no attempt to communicate those feelings to her. Yui is actually living her best life as a single mom and an actress but it does not make sense to see how both Taishi and Yui living apart when the two clearly still love each other.