Summer Snow (2000)

Talk about bittersweet ending? I'm still drying the tears from my eyes. This was a well written and acted story. You could not help but be sucked into it from beginning to end. What I especially liked about this story, it was not a love between two characters of different backgrounds. What it was, was a story about a young man, Natsuo, who effortless brought up his two siblings and continued to run their family bike shop business. Being such a helpful person, it made sense that he would meet Yuki under these circumstances.

The love that Natsuo had not only for his brother and sister but also for his sister's boyfriend is portrayed very well here. The absolute love for Yuki was amazing to watch as a slowly grew. The diving sequences were also well filmed. This was my first time seeing Domoto Tsuyoshi. Even though he was new to acting at the time this was filmed, his portrayal of Natsuo will be cemented to your mind. Hirosue Ryoko as Yuki was also a treat as I'd seen her before but again both actors did a hell of a job. Last but not least is the surprise of seeing an extremely young Oguri Shun! Such an accomplished actor he was even back then!

If there is one thing I can tell you, make sure you watch through the credits as the story continues and what ever sadness is left after the end, will be wiped away. This is why I feel Japanese dramas do an excellent job in making you feel better even with a sad ending.

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Some people may be put off Summer Snow because it is showing it's age a bit, but I urge you to not let that stop you from watching this drama.
Summer Snow is a beautifully written, beautifully acted Japanese Drama which will surely touch anyone who watches it.
It deals with many different topics surrounding family life and romance in a very real way and does not fall to some of the cliches that some dramas use.
The ending was both brilliantly written and unexpected which I find unusual in a Japanese Drama, which just adds to it's timeless quality.
I recommend this drama to anyone who wants to watch a heartwarming tale, and you may just shed a tear or two in the process.

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i just got one more good memory to keep.

this is honestly a j-drama romance classic, in my opinion. though i did predict that last episode, i was still ugly-crying hard by the end (snot and all). i appreciate how this drama leaned more heavily on the slice-of-life genre rather than romance— it made for an emotional yet heartwarming watch. tsuyoshi domoto plays the role of big brother so well and he's been officially added to my list of j-drama men that i need in my life.

anyway, it's a pretty good watch. the way i was crying by the end was almost stupid. the theme song 'summer snow' by winnie hsin will definitely stick with me for a while.

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