‘Drawing Closer’ Movie Spoilers & Summary Explained: Do Haruna And Akito Die?

Even the staunchest of cynics would probably end up shedding a tear or two after watching Netflix’s Drawing Closer. The new Japanese drama movie, helmed by Takahiro Miki, tells the story of two teenagers who are about to die. There’s a certain template these movies usually follow, and Drawing Closer is no exception. That’s not exactly a bad thing, though, as it’s expertly made and does the job fairly well. I’m sure all of you’ve been heartbroken after watching it (and so have I) and may be looking for some closure. Hopefully, this article does that for you.

Spoilers Ahead

What Happens in the Movie?

Seventeen-year-old budding painter Akito’s world turns upside down when a rare malignant tumor is found in his heart. A cheerful Akito becomes severely depressed. His dream of competing in the prestigious NIKA Awards also goes down the drain, as he is most likely not going to live that long. The film opens with Akito contemplating killing himself by jumping off the balcony of a hospital. Just when he’s about to do it, he spots this girl, Haruna, quietly drawing. He strikes up a conversation and finds out Haruna is battling a rare illness, and doctors have given her about six months to live. However, unlike Akito, Haruna seems to be full of life and appears as this extremely optimistic soul who intends to live whatever is left of her life to the fullest. Haruna’s condition doesn’t let her leave the hospital, but she still tries her best to stay positive. Of course, her drawings keep her afloat. It’s her mode of escaping from reality, and like Akito, she also had to abandon the dream of the NIKA awards. It doesn’t take long for Akito and Haruna to become friends. But Akito decides to keep the news of his illness secret from her. 

Do Akito and Haruna fall in love? 

On his second visit to Haruna, Akito brings five Gerbera flowers for her. The Gerbera flowers and their unique meanings play a defining part in this story. Five gerberas mean hope, while six symbolize falling in love with someone. Akito does take six Gerberas next time around, but he pretends to not be aware of it. It is, of course, very normal behavior for a teenager. Drawing Closer gets it very right with the cast, as the actors playing the parts of Akito and Haruna appear very natural.

Akito and Haruna falling in love has to be something written in their destinies. The whole point of Drawing Closer is the lead pair finding real happiness while standing on the brink of their respective deaths. But the film doesn’t go into it in a direct manner. In fact, they don’t ever express their feelings to each other in person. That’s understandable, given Haruna believes Akito is going to have a prolonged life and that he deserves a girlfriend who will not die so soon. That doesn’t stop her from developing feelings for him, as that’s something that’s beyond anyone’s control. As for Akito, he hesitates, probably because Haruna doesn’t know the truth about him. However, they might not say the three magical words, but as time passes, they do get closer. There are occasional hiccups, like Akito failing to fulfill his promise of watching fireworks with Haruna (only due to his own condition worsening and him ending up at the hospital), but that can’t prevent Akito and Haruna’s relationship from soaring high. 

Who is Ayaka, and what does she want?

Other than Akito and Haruna, Ayaka, aka Aya, is the most important character in Drawing Closer. She’s Haruna’s childhood friend, but the two had a falling out and are now on zero-talking terms. Ayaka happens to be a student at Akito’s school as well. Her initial appearance may seem like she’s quite rude and not a nice person, but you slowly realize she has a heart deep down. Aya was really hurt by how Haruna treated her when all she tried to do was make Haruna’s life better. Of course, Haruna did that deliberately because she wanted to spare her best friend the potential heartbreak. Although Ayaka rules out the possibility of reconciliation, Akito makes sure that it happens by practically dragging her to the hospital. Not only do Ayaka and Haruna make up, but they become inseparable once again. Ayaka starts visiting Haruna every day. Meanwhile, Haruna floats the suggestion of Ayaka and Akito dating each other, but both of them seem to be completely against that idea. 

Do Haruna and Akito die?

Death is an inevitable thing for everyone, but sadly for our lead pair in Drawing Closer, it comes a bit too soon. Haruna does get to go out with Akito once. Thanks to Ayaka taking the initiative, Haruna and Akito watched the school play together. To fulfill Haruna’s wish, Akito also takes her to the beach, and the two share a tender moment there. Shortly after, Haruna loses her battle with life. It’s even tragic that in her final moments, she wanted to see Akito, but he was unable to be there because, at the same time, he was also in the hospital due to his health. 

Akito’s greatest gift to Haruna has to be a painting of her, made by him. As far as Haruna’s gift to him, she left him something on her Instagram with a password-protected private link. She also left him her sketchbook, and her final painting turns out to be three Gerbera flowers. It is only fitting for her password to be “3 Gerberas,” which essentially means “I Love You.” In his hospital bed, waiting for death, Akito reads Haruna’s final message to him, where she reveals that she was actually aware of Akito’s condition. She was genuinely moved to see that he was choosing to spend his final days with her only, proving how sincere he was about her. 

In Drawing Closer‘s ending, Ayaka turns into the narrator and reveals to the audience that Akito has died as well, on the first anniversary of Haruna’s date of death. In the last year, Ayaka became really good friends with him and eventually fell for him. Her drawings of three Gerbera flowers on his nails were something that Akito thought to be random. He believed Ayaka didn’t know the meanings. But it turns out, Ayaka really knew what it meant.