First Love (2022) finale ending explained: Did Yae remember Harumichi and reunite with him?

First Love is a Japanese romantic drama series that was released on Netflix in 2022. It revolves around a young couple, Yae and Harumichi, as they navigate the ups and downs of love, and come to terms with the fate that life has in store for them.

The film has been inspired by the songs First Love and Hatsukoi, written by Hikaru Utada.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for First Love (2022).

The end of the series is a happy one since Yae and Harumichi finally reunite. The mid-credit scene of the last episode acts as an epilogue, showing the young couple living in Iceland together. They both find a balance in their lives, managing to work while being together.

Yae even overcame her memory issues and worked towards building a relationship with her love in the end.

How did Yae and Harumichi meet each other in First Love?

A still from the official trailer for First Love (via Netflix / YouTube)

Yae Noguchi and Harumichi Namiki met each other as two Japanese teenagers and developed feelings for each other since the beginning of their story.

They even dated while they were in school, impressed by each other's academic prowess. However, they were forced to go separate ways after an accident that changed both their lives.

The storyline of First Love starts years later when Harumichi comes across Yae unexpectedly. He realizes that his feelings for her are still present in his heart, and the two must be together.

However, Yae suffers from amnesia, making her forget all memories of her past love.

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What was the accident that forced the young couple apart?

As a teenager in school, Harumichi decided to pursue being a pilot for a career when Yae mentioned her admiration of aviation. Secretly, she wanted to be a part of the same industry too by becoming a flight attendant. The couple maintained a long-distance relationship when they went off to college.

After eight months of being apart, Harumichi decided to surprise Yae with a visit to her college. They were joined by a group of Yae's friends for dinner, but the group did not get along with Harumichi.

After dinner, one of Yae's friends, Machida, mentioned that she wanted to go to Canada for a foreign exchange program. Angry that this information came from someone other than Yae, Harumichi hit Machida and walked away.

Quickly, he realized that it was unfair to behave with Yae in this manner, and called her to apologize. On the phone, he heard a car crash and tried to run to Yae.

However, she lost her memories in the crash, remembering only her parents and a few childhood anecdotes. She had forgotten Harumichi. He was not ready to give up on Yae, but Harumichi's family convinced him that the presence of a lover she did not remember would only cause Yae pain, forcing him to let her go.

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How do Harumichi And Yae come across each other again in First Love?

Harumichi notices Yae again after many years after she takes on a new job as a taxi driver. Even though he quietly tries to catch glimpses of her, Harumichi never approaches Yae directly. During these efforts, he makes a friend named Tsuzuru, who is a talented music composer.

Later, Harumichi finds out that Tsuzuru is Yae's son from a past marriage that she has since separated from.

Harumichi meets Yae when she comes to pick up Tsuzuru from his building complex. The two develop a gradual friendship, even as Harumichi struggles not to confess his love to Yae.

He even got engaged to a woman named Tsunemi briefly, before he realized he still had unresolved feelings for Yae and broke things off.

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Does Yae ever recover from her memory loss and remember Harumichi in First Love?

As their friendship develops, Yae also starts feeling an attraction towards Harumichi. The two even share a kiss, but Yae then clarifies that they should stay friends and not pursue a romantic relationship.

Harumichi realizes that this might be too much for him, and decides to leave the country so that he and Yae might stay apart.

The day that Harumichi leaves, he gives Tsuzuru a CD player as a parting gift. Yae feels like listening to songs on it with her son but starts to remember her past the moment the songs start playing.

The music she shared with Harumichi in the past ends up becoming a trigger for her to remember her relationship with him before her amnesia.

Yae wants to follow Harumichi but ends up trapped at home due to COVID restrictions being implemented just then.

Later, Tsuzuru's girlfriend Uta returns from a trip when COVID restrictions are lifted slightly. She tells Tsuzuru that she met Harumichi at an airport during her travels. Tsuzuru conveys this to his mother, and Yae decides to pursue her love.

She meets Harumichi at Husavik airport and confesses to him that her memory has returned and she remembers all the time she spent with him in the past. The two finally reunite after this admission of love.

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Audiences can watch all episodes of First Love streaming now on Netflix.

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Edited by Prem Deshpande