A story of pure love between the son of a man who runs a ship repair factory beset with financial troubles and the well-bred daughter of a national jewelry chain store owner. The backdrop of the story is Yokohama. If you feel you have lost the purity of your soul by watching stories about womanizers seducing impudent women, or by carrying out calculated maneuvers in your own love life, here is a story for you. A boy and a girl from highly different social backgrounds meet and fall in love. Their love, of course, faces a lot of obstacles. The setting is in Yokohama, a modern port city known for its romantic atmosphere. Hiroto Kanzaki works hard every day and night for the survival of a small ship repair factory (inherited from his father) as well as the survival of his mother and younger brother, who are suffering from health problems. Living such an underprivileged life, Hiroto has forgotten how to smile. In contrast to him, Nao is the daughter of a popular jewelry shop owner in a fashionable street in Yokohama. She attends a prestigious exclusive women's college and grew up cheerful and blessed with affluent love. From the moment Hiroto meets her, his closed mind slowly opens up to Nao, who is so innocent that she utters whatever she thinks. Their three close friends, who are also 20 year old's, play an important role in their developing relationship. The scriptwriter is Eriko Kitagawa, who earned the nickname "The Goddess of Love Stories." This classic love story enables those who are in the same generation to feel empathy, or be envious of the characters' lives; and the rest, who were once 20 years old's, to reminisce about their own "Love of My Life."

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  Kamenashi Kazuya (Kanzaki Hiroto)

  Main Role

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  Ayase Haruka (Tsukioka Nao)

  Main Role

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  Tanaka Koki (Kusano Kou)

  Supporting Role

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  Toda Erika (Motomiya Yuko)

  Supporting Role

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  Kaname Jun (Tsukioka Tatsuya (Nao's brother))

  Supporting Role

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  Yo Kimiko (Kanzaki Akiko (Hiroto's mother))

  Supporting Role

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  Actors That Should Star Together

  Wishful thinking that we would one day watch these actors as lead pairs in dramas

  • Apr 6, 2013
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  A Stalker's Guide to Kamenashi Kazuya

  A Stalker's Guide for you to discover the one and only Kamenashi Kazuya

  • Dec 15, 2012

• Apr 26, 2011 10 of 10 episodes seen

  amrita828
  18 of 18 people found this review helpful
  Other reviews by this user
  • Overall  9
  • Story  8
  • Acting/Cast  9
  • Music  10
  • Rewatch Value  9

  This is a very simple, almost mundane love story between a rich, spoiled girl and a poor but principled boy. Nothing new under the sun.
  And yet, it's a little story not easily forgotten, one I fell in love with at first sight and rewatched with equal pleasure. To me, Nao and Hiroto are an assumption, one of those couples I have stored away like a cameo.
  
  The progression of their love story is narrated with sweet candour, acted beautifully and without needless exaggerations. It's the first role I saw Kamenashi Kazuya working in and even though in the meantime he's matured, I still consider this to be his best interpretation. Ayase Haruka is so believable in her whimsical pouting one can't help becoming extremely fond of her too.
  And although the plot may seem ordinary, the small details of their interaction, the friendship, Hiroto's narration in first person, their young enthusiasm and depth of emotions are memorable.
  
  The music by Ike Yoshihiro is wonderful. Possibly the best drama original soundtrack ever.
  
  I recommend this dorama to those who still remember their first love and will relate to it, and to those who have forgotten it, as a mean to recall its bitter-sweet flavour.
  I have watched this drama... 4 times: no need to explain why I gave it a high re-watch mark. read more

  report I found this review Helpful Not Helpful
• Jan 12, 2012 10 of 10 episodes seen

  Sproggie
  12 of 12 people found this review helpful
  Other reviews by this user
  • Overall  8
  • Story  9
  • Acting/Cast  9
  • Music  8
  • Rewatch Value  7

  I originally watched this drama due to me being a fan of Kaname but this drama was seriously good. In all the other dramas there are always so many complications between every love story. Some characters can get quite annoying. The thing that I really loved about this one was that it's just a pure love story. There are not all those complications.
  
  This drama can make you feel happy inside. It's quite addictive so you find that the drama starts and finishes before you know it, like a movie. It was such a sweet story and it didn't have any unnecessary side stories going on. It focused on the storyline and ended with you loving everything about it! A must watch drama.

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  Rich Man, Poor Woman

  the stories both involve rich and poor characters...Cinderella-type

  reportRecommended by Rogue876