I have to admit, I had already watched the first episode of this dorama last February I think, but it was soooo slow, and I had other doramas to watch, so I decided to put it off. Watching the first episode again, it confirmed my first impression: the beginning is really slow and the only thing that made me stay was the cast. And then, after the first two, boring and slow as heck episodes, I still kept watching for the cast and not for the story.
Don't get me wrong, this dorama is not bad, it's actually quite decent and I ended up liking it in the end, but it's not a masterpiece. It has a bit of clichés and a telenovela-like kind of twists at times, but it's good if you want to watch something just to pass the time. I think what made it work, for me, was that it wasn't just a romance dorama, but also and foremost a friendship dorama.
My favourite character in all this has to be Hanae. She's just a little flower (pun intended) too pure for this world. I was so so so happy to see the way things turned out for her - it was my hope from the start.
As for the other characters, I liked them as a group, especially Taka(a)shi. He was such a great addition to the scenes, but I didn't like the way things ended with him. In general, I think very few character have what you would call "character development" - and they are of course Asahi, Natsuki, Hanae, and Aoi and Hikaru a little bit, I guess. Takashi was never really in the spotlight, and that saddened me a little. Also characters' backstory is completely absent apart form small details like (very few) flashbacks and such, that are scattered here and there in the episodes. It also bothers me so much that they never told us why Natsuki's fiancé up and left before their wedding. Well, at the end of the day, the dorama is still enjoyable, but these are the little things that made me give it a 6 for the story and an overall 7.
The acting, in general, was good. I loved Erika and Ryo, they were the best in my opinion. The sore note was Yamapi and I'm so sorry about that. The guy is seriously cool and good-looking and all but... his acting skills are just not there. Having watched Nobuta wo Produce just before Summer Nude, I am left here wondering: is this the same guy? How could he be so brilliant as Akari, yet so terrible as Asahi? Imi wakannai.
The music was good! I liked it, to be honest. One of the melodies actually reminded me of Love Shuffle, I don't know why. Oh, well, as I said, good.
Aaand, that's it, really. Seeing the reviews on here, I really thought this dorama would be terrible, but it's not! All in all, I recommend it if you're looking for a nice, tragedy-free, albeit a bit slow dorama to pass the time with.
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Good Friendship Show with Great Cast.
I enjoyed this drama, because of its relatability to real life. Each episode's story was good and had connectivity. I'm a fan of Yamashita and I liked Karina in this too. The ending showed some character growth and was satisfactorily concluded.The title didn't fit to the story and they tried to explain it when Asahi is talking about the summer. It should've been called Promises. LOL. I don't mind a slow build to romance, if the chemistry is shown or at least hinted at in a more obvious way; burning looks, accidental moments, touches, closeness, things like that. Or even if we were given some good kiss scenes, hinting at the chemistry. None of the couples really had that, including the owners of the cafe and restaurant on the beach. Their chemistry was on level of middle school kids and not adults. [Even in real life, if a guy or girl is as unreceptive or cold as these couples, we loose interest and move on.] The writing just wasn't strong enough beyond friendship and life trials. I would've given it a higher rating if the romance part of it was stronger.
A little too much time was spent on the teen romance, which wasn't even needed. The "Ricky" character and everything involved with him, was just dumb and felt like useless filler, when it could have been used on the ML 1 and FL2 (Asahi and Natsuki). Also the billboard part was too drawn out and repetitive; like they were beating us over the head with it. Twice was enough to make us understand Asahi's dependancy on remembering promises.
The production was good for the most part and the scenery was nice too. The music was decent, but nothing really memorable, at least I didn't have to mute it like in a lot of other dramas. There wasn't any FX that I can remember. Overall a solid 6.5/10, but I doubt I'll rewatch all of it.
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This review may contain spoilers
This drama frustrates me because it has a great cast of actors, but the story wastes them. Masami Nagasawa's character could have been much more (although this is a bit more personal because I'm a big fan of hers LOL). The second half is horrendous; at times, it doesn't even make sense, making the first 5 episodes seem like a waste. However, the soundtrack is fantastic. Was this review helpful to you?
A story about everyday challenges.
Yes I know some feel the story was predictable, but I liked it. It was still a good drama. It's a nice one to watch when you need something light. To be honest, I loved it. Why?1. The actors. They were awesome. Many Japanese actors (and I don't think all of them, don't get me wrong) act unnaturally. Not this one though. I actually felt a kind of kinship with them. Especially the main female lead. She was quirky but in a natural way. It didn't feel like she was acting and made you feel that she is like that in real life. Not an actor but an actual person.
2. If I found a guy like the male lead? I would marry him in an instant! At times I felt the same way as the female lead and thought he was a total idiot. BUT that only showed his loyalty and tenacity. He stubbornly didn't give up. On the other hand that also made him blind to things going on around him. He lost sight of the people who mattered the most and at times I wanted to smack some sense into him.
3. It was a story about change. How good things come to an end but we have to hold on to the good memories. About friendship. About love. About good times and bad times. Do we move backwards because we fear the unknown or do we move forward, take the leap and grab what life gives with both hands.
I know I gave this drama a really high score and some might not agree with me but that is mostly because of the uniqueness of it. The story might have been like a lot of romance dramas but the setting was different and the acting was completely refreshing.
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Rencontres, et nouveaux départs un été sur la plage...
Des amis d’enfance se retrouvent tous les ans dans une paillote sur la plage, et arrive une étrangère qui va cristalliser les regrets, les espoirs, et amener à réfléchir sur l’avenir.Ce que j’en ai pensé :
Premier charme : le drama est rythmé par le bruit des vagues, car tout ou presque se passe sur la plage d'une petite ville au bord du Pacifique pendant les trois mois de l'été. En ce mois de janvier gris et morose, c'est un vrai plus.
Deuxième charme : l'amitié, qui est le ressort essentiel de l'histoire.
C'est le moment charnière de la vie où il faut faire des choix, entrer dans l'âge adulte, quitter une jeunesse insouciante et le confort d'un environnement qu'on a toujours connu.
Les quatre héros se retrouvent tous les ans sur cette plage, Asahi le photographe (Yamapi) espérant toujours en vain le retour de la fille qui l'a quitté sans un mot 3 ans avant, Hanae(Toda Erika) est amoureuse en vain depuis 10 ans d'Asahi et tout semble devoir demeurer en l'état jusqu'à la fin des temps... Sauf qu'arrive une jeune femme, Natsuki, (Karina) venue se marier là et que le fiancé abandonne au beau milieu de la cérémonie. Ne sachant trop que faire elle se laisse convaincre de rester pour aider à l'ouverture de la paillotte du bord de mer, lieu pivot de tous ces jeunes gens et des touristes...Et sa présence va entraîner des prises de conscience, et le changement radical de la vie de tous.
J'ai beaucoup aimé l'atmosphère de ce drama, (les dialogues sont très bien, très justes !) et la fraîcheur de ces jeunes qui peuvent aussi bien faire une bataille de pistolet à eau pour amuser un enfant malade que réfléchir sérieusement et lucidement aux nécessités d'avancer dans la vie. C'est un peu long, je crois que 10 épisodes auraient suffi au lieu de 11,mais c'est paisible, serein, heureux et je ne me suis pas ennuyée, et je crois que ce drama ferait un excellent drama doudou.
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