Tamal Kundu
Based on a Japanese manga of the same name written and illustrated by Moyashi Fujisawa, ‘Burn the House Down’ is a thriller-drama series. When Anzu Murata (Mei Nagano) was young, the house their family lived in was burned down, and her mother took the blame for it. This led to a divorce between her parents. Anzu moved away with her mother and sister, and her father stopped being a part of their lives. He rebuilt the house and married one of his former wife’s friends, Makiko (Kyōka Suzuki). Anzu grew up believing that Makiko was responsible for the fire. She thought Makiko was envious of her mother’s life and sought to replace her. As an adult, Anzu watches her mother struggling with general amnesia and decides to get her the apology she is long overdue. She subsequently infiltrates her former family under the pretext of being a housekeeper, intending to find out who set the fire.
Following the premiere of its first season, ‘Burn the House Down’ mainly received positive responses. Much praise was directed at it for the plot and characterization. If you are wondering whether there will be a second season of ‘Burn the House Down,’ we got you covered.
Will Burn the House Down Season 2 Happen?
‘Burn the House Down’ season 1 premiered on July 13, 2023, on Netflix. It comprises 8 episodes of 41-55-minute runtime. As for season 2, this is what we know.
Neither the series producers nor the Netflix executives have yet confirmed the development of a second season. TV shows of Japanese of Korean origin don’t often get more than one season, unlike their Western counterparts. This is especially true if the plot ends conclusively, just like it does in ’Burn the House Down. Furthermore, the producers of these shows don’t seem to feel that big of an inclination to create more seasons, even if the project is successful.
As mentioned above, ‘Burn the House Down’ is based on a manga series. Published by Kodansha, the manga comprises eight volumes, which originally came out between March 2017 and April 2021. The first season of ‘Burn the House Down’ covers the manga in its entirety. So there is no narrative reason for a second season.
More importantly, ‘Burn the House Down’ has a satisfying ending. Anzu and her sister Yuzu (Yuri Tsunematsu) discover that Shinji (Taishi Nakagawa), Makiko’s younger son from her previous marriage, accidentally set fire to their house 13 years ago. His older brother, Kiichi (Asuka Kudo), who has spent ten years of his life as a shut-in, surrenders himself to the police after they reopen the case and question Makiko. All these years, Makiko has erroneously believed that it was Kiichi who caused the fire. This was the reason why she enabled his Hikikomori behavior.
Shinji visits Anzu and Yuzu’s mother, Satsuki (Michiko Kichise), and apologizes to her. As the real cause of the fire comes out, the police release Kiichi, who moves in with Anzu despite his mother’s objections. Their love story has developed through the season, and they confess their true feelings for each other in the finale.
Shinji convinces Osamu Mitarai (Mitsuhiro Oikawa), Anzu and Yuzu’s father, to let him be a doctor at his hospital so he can perform his penance. He remains in touch with Yuzu, and it is hinted their friendship might become something more in the future. Satsuki leaves the hospital and begins living with Yuzu, who gets a job at a staffing agency. As for Makiko, she divorces Osamu but keeps his name and continues to pursue social media celebrityhood.
The series creators can develop an original story for the second season or even opt for an anthological direction, but again, these things don’t regularly happen in the entertainment industries of Japan and South Korea. So, considering everything, we can speculate that it is highly unlikely that there will be a ‘Burn the House Down’ season 2.
Read More: Burn the House Down Ending, Explained: Who Set the Fire?
