Warm and fuzzy with good mix of comedy and emotional moments

This was one of my favourite Jdrama so far. I did not watch the manga and anime, so I don't have a point of reference to compare. But this drama was really good in making me laugh a lot with the comedic and cute moments. This is really difficult considering I am not a big fan of comedy as a lot of time, they aren't done properly. Besides the comedic moments, there's also the part where it will make you tear a lot. I think the background music also adds a lot to the atmosphere of the drama and acts as a good supporting role especially for the emotional moments.

I really like the themes explored in the show such as adulting anxiety as it's really relatable to me since I am also at the stage of an early young adult navigating what I am going to be doing in the future. And Yosuke Sugino nailed the role as an unconfident and awkward but talented calligrapher. This was coming from the point where I have watched his earlier works and I can definitely attest to how much he have grown as an actor. Risa also nailed her role as Naru as she had many scenes that required her to cry on the spot and as a young actress, that was really commendable! And her chemistry with Sugino in a sensei-disciple relationship is really in another level. The other young actors and actresses were really good too! Especially for Hiroshi, whom I can totally feel his dilemma and hesitation of deciding if he wants to pursue a career in culinary.

Another highlight was the episode when granny Yasu passed away, it was done so beautifully and realistically and a much reminder of how we eventually have to face our certain future of dying. There were so many amazing stories in this drama and totally worth to rewatch especially if you are feeling down.

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Unexpectedly getting better as the series progresses

I am probably the anomaly here thinking that the series gets better as it progresses. I understand some of the reviewers criticisms that it gets more boring and predictable at the end as the dramaturgical structure becomes repetitive in every episode. It first begins with the challenge and Haru and Gaku miraculously overcome the challenges in the end. But I personally feel that the later half of the series gets more exciting because the stakes get higher and it helps that they added the future scenes so that I am interested in how they eventually lead to the future.

In the beginning, I almost dropped the series because I feel Meguro's acting was pushing it unnaturally. But I was captivated by his charisma as he started to show his bad side. The side characters were adequately shown and Gaku did well as a timid character who can also overcome his challenges on his own without the help of Haru. The only character that I felt is a bit of a waste in terms of development is Rinrin, which I felt like she is a wallflower without a purpose in the drama.

The music was quite lacklustre. If there is better OST and background music, I think it would make the drama better.

Overall, I think it is surprisingly a good watch and good rewatch value.

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Hopeful startup drama with some ambiguous romance

I am unsure why the hate for this drama. In my opinion, it was a pretty good drama that focus primarily on a start-up and slowly expanding and growing. But I guess even though there are some challenges that the startup faces that was depicted in the show, it's mostly a smooth journey, which you might need to take a pinch of salt, if you are watching this drama with a focus on the business side of the story. I think it's definitely way harder to build a startup than what is portrayed in the drama. But I guess the drama wants to give off that hopeful vibe that if you have a dream, you work hard and you can attain it eventually. I am not complaining though as Iife is already hard and this kind of feel good drama definitely makes life better.

There are also the focus on the romantic life of the FL, who is a career woman. There were moments that they kept emphasizing on her attraction with Kotori but I don't see that they are romantically attracted to one other as it felt to me that Kotori was more of a fatherly figure to her than a partner and this makes a lot of sense because she don't have a father. But the script was written in an ambiguous fashion about their relationship (most likely on purpose to keep audience suspense to their relationship) and I thought that the two characters pull off the ambiguity quite well. Suzaki's role is more like a silent supporter for the FL but I do feel that he is rather out of place in the show as he don't have a lot of scenes and sometimes I am not even convinced he is one of the ML. But I am happy that they got together eventually even though the pact they had for not loving each other is kind of cliche. It was a wasted opportunity that they did not manage to build up the storylines of side characters especially for Jiro and Megumi. Would love to hear more about their backstories. I feel like they are just there for the sake of being there.

Music was great but forgettable. But it fits the vibe of the show.

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Did justice to representing certain people on a spectrum

This was an unusual show as usually, dramas won't centre on a ML that is high functioning on a spectrum. I feel that a lot of dramas likes to portray autistic characters as vulnerable or a disability that needs help but this was very different with the ML as it was an unique charm of his. Issei did an amazing job portraying the complex character as I used to have a classmate who was really like his character. I also appreciated how the drama did not focus on love relationship as that is not the point of the show. Rather, its about showing that these seemingly 'different' characters can also contribute well to the society with understanding and compassion from the rest.

However, I wasn't really bought into the open ending at the end as it just feel very far-stretch and not realistic. I just feel that the writer is trying to push the out of ordinary theme to the max. And I would have love if they developed more on the students' back stories but I guess its difficult since Jdrama are very short. Otherwise, I think the drama was really good and did a good job in depicting the lives of people who are high functioning and on a spectrum. The music plays a good supportive role to the plot but nothing out of the extraordinary.

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All is good until episode 7

Well, I really enjoy the show until episode 7 when the main leads held hand at twilight. But everything fell apart afterwards as it seems that the writer just want to make the plot draggy by putting a lot of obstacles between the main couple that prevented them from really becoming together. And I hated how they had to villianize the lesbian SFL by making her jealous and plotting against the main couple. Do we really have to do this?? But Ren Nagase was really bf material and totally green flag. I love his chemistry with Sodamame. The FL also did a good job acting her character and totally convinced me that she is a true country bumpkin. But, I am not very convince with the plot how Sodamame career was quite smooth sailing and the boss returning her ideas after he stole from her is really unrealistic imo. The stealer of the show was the OST and the background soundtrack. I think its really good compared to other Jdramas I watched. Personally, I would only rewatch till episode 7 if I had to, to save myself from being frustrated with the plot.

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Warm family drama but ML can be rather insufferable

A pretty solid slice-of-life family drama that showcases the many conflicts that could happen in a family. The conflicts happen episodically so, don't expect a big conflict that ties the whole series together. The characters' interactions were fun to watch but the ML can be really insufferable because of his personality. This can be good and bad. It shows how the Ikuta Toma was really good in his performance and convinced me of the depiction of his character. But it also means that I wouldn't want to rewatch the show as watching his character argue his flaws away was really painful to watch. But he does have his cute sides especially when he helped to resolve some of the problems his niece is facing.

Besides this, I wasn't very convinced with his love with the rich woman, it felt very rush and I am not sure if it's really needed for the plot. Otherwise, the music is fine and supports the vibe of the show well.

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Lighthearted and cute

This was a really cute and fluffy drama and my first foray into japanese foray. I think it did a really good job portraying the innocent love in highschool and the confusion and even struggles that comes when acknowledging one's sexual preferences. But if you are looking for a deep plot, this won't be it. Shunsuke did really well in acting as an unconfident person who is struggling with his sexual preferences and I also love his chemistry with Meguro Ren. The acting wasn't particularly very difficult to do, that's why I ranked it slightly lower. But Meguro really does know how to charm his audiences. I think it's really a good rewatch if you are feeling down as the innocent love between the MLs will make you giggle and squeal in excitement. The OST was quite good, much better than some of the other JDramas.

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An unflinching portrayal of the horrors and resiliences in war

This was a really good watch imo as it shows the other side of World War 2 from the Japanese perspective. Of course, its not to excuse the atrocities that the Japanese empire has done, but Japanese citizens also suffer its consequences too especially with the Hiroshima nuclear bombing. I was really impressed with the depiction of nuclear bombing victims as they really showed the charred appearance unflinchingly, which shows how cruel the use of nuclear weapons can be.

The romance was really cute too as the main couple were very reserved but they are good folks who are trying to make do with the trying situation. The acting for Suzu (FL) was spot on, I really felt the pain when she lost her arm while also blaming herself for causing the death of her cute niece. And it was especially heartbreaking to watch how she also lost a part of her identity when she lost her right arm since she likes to draw a lot. But I would have like to watch more from the ML since he didn't has a lot of scenes. That's why I feel that his acting was ok at best as he don't have the chance to show his acting chopes, This was a shame as I really like the actor's works.

I think the only problem I have is how the first misunderstanding between the main couple was resolved quite quickly and I personally don't see a point to have the current scenes added. Felt more gimmickly than adding any value to the plot. Some commenters were saying how they don't like how the main couple didn't address their issue with Rin but I feel that it was very Japanese to do that as they were known to do these kind of ambiguous storytelling, which I am fine with it. The music was good but unmemorable imo. Overall, I think this was a really good show and worth rewatching it again.

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If you need a drama to cry, this is the one

This is the drama if you really need a good release of tears. I was crying almost every episodes. The story was not the most original since there are dramas that already portray lead characters with life threatening illnesses. But what I really appreciate is the tenacity of the ML to live with the disease despite the sufferings he has to face. Plus Haruma Miura was so good in this! It was quite rare for me to fully care about a fictional character and how his future will pan out because he was so convincing as an ALS patient. He is the soul for this drama, every expressions he does makes me want to hug him so much. Its such a shame that he was not with us anymore.

I also love how the story addresses the issues that Takuto has with his family. It felt so real and I could totally feel his pain for being the unloved child in the family and how he got the courage to voice it out to his mum after he got ALS. The brother's growth was also endearing.

But the only thing that I hate about this drama was the writing for Shigeyuki. They really did him dirty. He is more like a character to add more spice to the drama. I think the love triangle was unnecessary but I guess they want to emphasise how unwavering the ML and FL love is.

I am also not a fan of the FL, but she did grow on me in the end. I just felt confused with her portrayal in the beginning.

The music is really good. Everytime I hear Harukaze by Rihwa, the sadness just kicks on me.

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Frustrating Watch

Another show that I don't feel that it deserves the rating. I cannot get pass how the the characters in the house can fall in love with one another so quickly without much scaffolding. The ML and FL is not comparable at all because they have different values to life and this was the first time in a drama where I am rooting the FL with the second ML. And it doesn't make sense how she can still be so close to the second ML at the end when she got together with ML. The FL can't perform the crying scenes and that is consistent with her other drama, Silent. And her emotions tend to be exaggerated. There were alot of communication issues between ML and FL and I don't see how they can be together in the end. The artist and the counsellor romantic line was slightly better than the ML and FL but I am still quite unconvinced about it especially because the counsellor move on from FL to the artist in one episode. In a gist, the show was bad because the romance felt so shallow to me.

And also whenever the ML cooks, they will insert this cringey editing and soundtrack to highlight his 'charm'. It appears in every episode, do they have to do that? It works well at first but it just becomes kind of bad when the segment appears in every episode...

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Feel good drama about love and navigating differences

This was my first foray into Jdrama and it has such a feel good vibe that makes you want to keep watching for more. The story is pretty straightforward. An delinquent outcast fell in love with a visual impaired girl at first sight. However, the ML chasing after the FL was not without it's challenges as they need to learn how to accomodate to each other's differences. But what I really appreciate from the show is that the FL's poor eyesight was not seen as a weakness and the drama did not fall too much into a web of constant self-pity like many dramas that portrays disabilities do. The two main lead did a pretty good job in their performance but the characters are not the most challenging to portray, so I can't give any higher than 7.5. The music was nice but was quite forgettable. Pacing wise was pretty good.

What I dislike:
- Don't understand how ML could fell in love with the FL so quicky. No explanation on that.
- Not a fan of Shishio and the FL sister's romance. Some things can't be forced but I guess the writer wants to give a happy ending for everyone.
- The twist at the end was kinda unnecessary.

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A lot of wasted opportunities and unnecessarily draggy

This was recommended as one of a top tier Japanese drama but I kind of differ. It is a beautiful drama, with amazing cinematography and really fitting soundtracks. However, the drama was unnecessarily slow and the drama wasted the opportunity to tell a good compelling story of a hearing impaired person. Most of the time, the ML was engaging in self-pity and was a melancholic character. It did highlight some of his struggles when he slowly lost his hearing but I just don't really feel a lot for him most of his time. Perhaps, it was the limited emotions that Meguro Ren was able to portray for the character. His crying scenes just feel one-dimensional and I think his character needs him to be able to emote well for the drama to succeed. The FL actress was not great in crying scenes too. I watched another drama of hers and it seems to be so as it felt like she was constipated everytime she wants to cry, which is quite distracting everytime I want to invest myself to the tender moments of the drama.

I can't relate to their romance too. When they were highschool lovers, I can feel the attraction. But after they got back together again after ML lost his hearing, I feel that the FL love for him was pity rather than true love. The second ML was frustrating too as it doesn't make sense for him to give up on the FL and not do anything. He didn't fight for her love, he just gives up?? The only character that save the show was Haruo. He was such a comforting source for everyone and I am moved and convinced about his maturation.

Perhaps I would have appreciate the show more if I understand Japanese as I feel like I am not getting the nuances of the script as intended due to lost in translation, which was also highlighted by the writer that causes some controversy.

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Commendable Attempt to Adapt

Flowers for Algernon was actually one of my favourite novel during my teenage years as I was given this novel to dissect for my literature class. I remembered the story was very thought provoking though I forgot a lot of details as I have lost the book. But this was a commendable attempt to adapt the literature text as the ML did justice to his role. I really felt for him in all his struggles from someone who has lower IQ to become a top genius.

However, my issue with the adaptation is that a lot of the side character development got neglected. But I guess I understand its hard to develop these characters as the original text was very protagonist driven too as it was written in a first person account. I think its not an issue if its a novel but for a drama, I wish there were more development for the side characters. Also, I feel that the turning point for ML from being cold hearted when he first became a genius to realising his inner warmth felt very abrupt too. Perhaps, the drama would benefit from a longer episode span. I was kinda meh with Haruka's acting too, felt that the actress is having issues with embodying and relating to her character.

The choice of OST was really good, I think it fits the story and a nod to nostalgia since the original text is pretty old. But like many Jdrama, I wish they would have more OSTs for a drama.

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Straightforward Romance Drama

I have to admit that I did not watch the original Korean drama, so I am reviewing this work independently. I think its an enjoyable romantic drama with a straightforward plot where the FL who lacks confidence works her way up and finding a goal to what she wants to do. Nothing special.

I think the problem I have with the plot is when the 2FL got into a love triangle with the main leads and there was one whole episode where the FL just kinda not talk to the ML because she felt bad for the 2FL who is her best friend. The lack of anger was quite weird to me as the 2FL was seeing the ML being her back. I would feel kinda piss tbh if that happens to me as I would have expect the best friend to be truthful to me at least. The ML not finding out the 2FL real identity after so many hints also doesn't make sense too. But I do like the 2ML a lot and felt bad for him when FL didn't have feelings for him. But the chemistry between FL and ML is still good and thank goodness he was only mean to her for like the first few episodes. I don't think I will rate so highly if I seen more episodes of ML verbally abusing the FL... And I was also kinda skeptical of the ending for 2ML, I don't think he really needs to quit the company because he reviewed that he is a famous ghostwriter.

Beyond these plotholes, I think he was a nice watch. But some of the acting was a miss to me especially the FL and 2FL. I can't relate emotionally in their crying scenes which I normally can since I cry very easily. The music was also quite forgettable and a wasted opportunity to have a good and touching OST song. I would rewatch this though as it's a feel good show overall.

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You won't like this if you are not into cliche plots

To be honest, I was quite disappointed with this as my friend strongly recommended me to watch this. But what I got was a very cliche plot. FL got into an accident, conveniently got amnesia and forgot all the memories with her first love seriously??? It does not help that the FL mother was being such an ass and prevented the ML from contacting her? Like there's really no reason for her to do that. Also, I feel really bad for the ML fiancee, like she's just there in the show to be a substitute and nothing else. And also, the FL son giving me stalker fan vibe with the celebrity crush tbh, idk maybe its the acting.

But I still gave the story a solid 6.5 as the chemistry behind the main couple is on fire and the nostalgia was done pretty well and not overdone. Satoh Takeru is fine af, The really good acting between the the main leads were probably the reason why I continued watching. Music fits the nostalgia vibes but I wasn't very into it. Personal preference.

But as I was typing this review, I thought that maybe the big cliche was intentional as it wants to fit the nostalgic genre. Probably but who knows. Overall, it was a nice watch but I wouldn't watch it again. But the ending was great though.

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