This review may contain spoilers
it was not a love story
How shall I put it?Everyone who has ever experienced grief in their life will relate to Mitchan narration. Main characters will take you through all the grief phases again. From the desire to spend a little bit more time together with your loved one who is not here anymore, when even one extra minute would be a the most desirable gift during your grieving journey; to being angry with the person who left, why they did it to you, how could they leave and let you be here all by yourself. But Mitchan got extremely lucky. He had a chance to experience parts of his grief, denial, huge love, hate together with the one who had to leave - Koichi. Does it make you jealous too?
Why we got so involved in such unrealistic story?
We all know - death is a final stop. But all of us secretly hope to be mistaken. And Eternal Yesterday gives us such opportunity to have a hope. Maybe one day it’s all gonna be a lie, and our loved ones will be here with us even though their hearts don’t work anymore. Eventually, it’s a beautiful metaphor - people you love aren’t truly dead until they are alive in your memory.
Name:
Eternal Yesterday - that’s how it feels to be disconnected from the real world after loosing the one you loved the most. Now you live only in the past when they were here with you. The smell of their perfume on the passing by stranger now feels like a knife directly in your heart. Their old t-shirt that you accidentally found in your wardrobe can bring all the memories back, and here you are sitting and reminiscing about old days on the floor in your bedroom again. You are re-living your yesterday, because tomorrow isn’t promising anymore without them.
Actors:
Fantastic fantastic fantastic cast. Both main actors did incredible job! Mitchan character grew and developed so well. And separate kudos for Koichi’s perspective in the end. All his actions and all his “sorry-s” made sense. Actors truly lived Mitchan’s and Koichi’s lifes.
Summary:
It was not a love story, it was one very special story about grief and precious time. Even though grief is inseparable from love.
I will definitely re-watch those series again and again. They are so heartbreaking, but yet so heartwarming. Our life is this special because it has an end, and Eternal Yesterday is our friendly reminder. Kiss, love, hug, express your feelings right now, because your perfect time may never come and unfortunately you won’t be given the same gift as Mitchan got.
And for all in grief - your pain will never go away, nor time will heal it. You will learn to co-exist with it and will learn to smile and love again. It was a beautiful message in the end.
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Another Gem from the one and only JAPAN!
First off. For those of you who are weary about watching this, because it looks sad, well it is sad. If your heart can handle it, then I highly recommend this drama series. It’s a beautiful story and probably one of the best Japanese BLs and in general, BLs of this year. Acting and chemistry was on point and there were no evil or bad characters. Inoue Sora as Oumi Mitsuru and Komiya Rio as Yamada Koichi were the perfect pairing. The osts are very catchy and fit perfectly with the theme of the drama. I actually listen to them daily. One of the reasons why I enjoy watching dramas is because I get to discover new artists through the ost of the dramas. Anyways, highly highly recommend this series if you can handle sad endings. I will gladly rewatch this series in the future, despite it being a sad one. It’s the perfect drama to get me into the feels.Was this review helpful to you?
Definitely my no. 1 top bl so far . You must also witness this underrated gem!
(Apologies in advance for my grammatical errors, English is not my native language)A tender and touching underrated yet topnotch supernatural teenage romance bl drama with hints of slice of life which unexpectedly gave me butterflies and found comfort and beauty despite of its melancholic approach.
First and foremost, this series deserves a higher rating. It may not be a cup of tea for everyone but this is more than just a sad or tragic story, bl or supernatural genre.
Story. It depicts the stages of the grief process, majority of the reviews that I've read recently were how delivered in a most possible gentle way and I couldn't agree more.
Supernatural stories may not be a genre that the majority may appreciate but this one portrayed it in a realistic way despite an unrealistic supernatural approach, I loved how they managed to blend both realistic and unrealistic in such a natural way.
What I would like to talk about the most is how ideal is the relationship between Koichi and Micchan have. As an introvert, I really appreciate that they gave us a story about a healthy relationship between an introvert and extrovert. I admired Koichi for understanding and seeing the beauty behind that silence. I appreciated that he didn’t rush everything, from being friends to lovers. Introverts need personal space and I love how Koichi respected that. He didn’t urge him to rush their friendship and waited for him to be comfortable. Even though it was love at first sight, he waited for Micchan to fall little by little which is a kind of courting that is hard to be seen nowadays. Aside from his patience, Koichi became Micchan's protector and safe place, his love is so big and so selfless to the point that he always put Micchan first before himself.
I think the majority already knows how ideal Koichi is. His gentleness, patience, and protection are a green flag for everyone. But let's also talk about Micchan because he is not getting enough credit. He might be emotionless on the outside but he is compassionate on the inside. You'll understand more from the novel how much he loves Koichi even after many years have passed by. The emotional energy that Koichi received from him to function also proves how much he loves Koichi. Also, the struggle to see your special one in a situation like Koichi who is slowly vanishing is not an easy part. Lastly, that eternal love, the fact that he kept on choosing Koichi every day defines what true and eternal love is all abt. These are proofs that Micchan loves Koichi as much as Koichi loves him.
These two gave me everything that I could ask for in a relationship. A love that is gentle, a kind of love that will make you feel safe, finding someone who is really proud to have you and finding someone who saw something in you that you didn't see yourself and by others, a kind of love that is unexpected, a love that you didn’t expect to be reciprocated out of pure genuine intent. Lastly, a kind of love that is irreplaceable, a kind of love that will make you feel that you are always the first choice, and a kind of love that will keep on choosing you every day. It is just unfortunate, that this relationship was robbed too immediately.
Acting/Characters. Komiya and Inoue did a great job of portraying these characters. The chemistry of this couple’s acting is exceptional and these two never failed to give us everything we’re asking for. The comfortability, soft and gentle intimacy, those fine nuances which I really love, and even up to intimate scenes, it didn’t reach to a point of oversexualized. I also love that they gave the focus to the main couple. Aside from their chemistry, these two gave the perfect facial expressions and delivery of lines. Everything seems so natural to me. There is no moment that I find it cringe or awkward.
Setting/Cinematography. I love the Japanese countryside vibe during summer, those breathtaking background and the landscape scenes seems nice and really relaxing to me.
I know the weather is diff from the novel. But as a pluviophile, I've appreciated that they switched to rain. And it is lovely to see that rain played a significant role in every chapter of their story. From the days their eyes first met, when they officially became in a relationship, Koichi's accident, and lastly Koichi's farewell. It seems like an interpretation that rain falls the same way they do.
Music. Best OST I've heard so far, the op and ed are really defining their story and I can't help to get emotional every time I listen to it. I also love the musical scoring that they have used for the drama
Rewatch value. It might be weird but the rewatch value for me is 10 out of 10. I have such a love for a kind of melancholy and even though it's a sad story, I really used to find comfort here.
Overall, despite a sad ending, the story was concluded in a most beautiful way and the narration, in the end, was the most painfully beautiful that I've seen so far. This is probably the best BL that I've seen so far. It gave me the poetry, gentleness, subtlety, and bittersweet which I'm really looking for in a drama. It also gave me valuable life lessons. I will be forever grateful that I've seen this drama. It gave me emotional breakdowns for weeks but I won't regret witnessing this beautiful masterpiece.
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A melancholically beautiful, heartbreaking and heartwarming tearjerker! + Underrated!
This series needs to be higher rated! The series is beautiful in terms of story and values despite its melancholic approach. It's a heart-breaking yet heart-warming series that teach us the values of life and grief. What's more, it makes us believe in eternal love even though the time of the couple is painfully short.In terms of character development, the series shows a complete picture how love develops a person silently yet does not change that person. Koichi is still Koichi, Micchan is still Micchan but they become better versions of themselves - love and being loved.
Regarding casting, Komiya Rio and Inoue Sora excellently and vividly depict Koichi and Micchan. It's not exaggerating to say withouth Rio and Sora, the series wouldn't have been that successful and tearjerking. Chemistry overflowers and very good acting skills.
The director/ screen writer also did their best in telling us a story that is not just heartbreaking but heartfelt.
Please don't miss it!
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Thanks for the miracle
Before you even start this drama, don't try to find an explanation for all this supernatural stuff, just let yourself be carried away by the strength of their chemistry. This drama really gives meaning to the word "love".The time between Mitsuri and Koichi is limited after the latter's accident. As a "living corpse", his future is uncertain and despite all that this implies, Mitsuru tries to remain as calm and rational as possible.
The contrast between the cheerful Koichi and the composed Mitsuru is one of the strengths of this story. It is clear why they fell in love with each other long before this event occurred that puts their story in perspective.
The drama will carry a sense of delicacy, discretion and melancholy throughout the episodes. Their relationship is one that doesn't need to be expressive to know that they love each other, their eye contact gives you butterflies, a feeling of sadness and happiness at the same time.
You will fall in love with Mitsuru's monologues which are poignant, sad, loving, he has such resilience. You will appreciate the message behind each dialogue, dialogues that make us accept grief, the grief of love, the grief of loss. When a simple conversation gives us hope, hope that there will be a tomorrow, hope that we will not be forgotten as long as our memory has a place in the heart of the beloved.
As a bonus, the OSTs are powerful, soft, catchy and accompany each scene very well.
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It pains me beautifully
This is the second time I write a review.No one can explain about the supernatural thing happened in Eternal Yesterday, so I will just believe that the "miracle" that has never been used by Mitchan is working once he wished for having Koichi by his side. My friend called it "The Power of Love". I stick with that terms. Mitchan's affection moved Koichi. The man come back alive from dead because Mitchan, whose love is overflowing for him, had not ready yet to be left behind.
Everytime Mitchan called Koichi "a living corpse", I know that this young man realized that his boyfriend is dead because Mitchan is a smart kid, has quite proper knowledge about medical stuffs, but he could not accept it yet. For him, as long as Koichi is with him, it doesn't matter.
Wrapped with unusual supernatural phenomenon, the story itself is like a metaphor about grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. We can clearly see Mitchan's denial-depression phase. He tried to keep Koichi that is supposed to be no longer there anymore. This consumed him, made him feel uncomfortable, anxious, overprotective, restless, all the negative emotions. Until he accepted it.
Sigh. I was waiting for Mitchan to cry his heart out, to grief, to mourn for his loss, and he finally did it. I believe that Mitchan needs it to let go.
When we lost our loved one and finally accepted it, it doesn't mean we are not sad anymore. That's what Mitchan's Father trying to say: "You don't need to force yourself to heal". And Mitchan learned to live with his sadness.
The background story about how the two teenagers are actually longing for being loved the most by people around them, and find it in each other are so beautiful. We need one, only one, who loves us the most. And yes, it's a miracle when the feeling are mutual.
I have watched Komiya Rio's works before (Cinderella Complex; Takara & Amagi). He nailed this one! He doesn't let us think about him as his previous characters. Koichi is gentle, patient, cheerful, but he can blow up once he is frustrated and Rio performed this emotion very well.
This is the first time I've seen Inoue Sora on screen seriously. Before, I watched him in Abema, but that show is, you know ಠಿ_ಠ. Let me remind you to pay attention to his eyes while watching Eternal Yesterday everytime his inner voice takes part. His eyes are brilliant! It shows Mitchan's emotion clearly without words (because Mitchan is rarely talked, most of his emotional dynamics is told from his POV's narration).
When I thought the story is already sad enough, I was wrong. Wait until you listened to the music scores, also... The OP and ED soundtrack. Added with the drama's title, it is actually a full package of spoiler :')
I give the rewatch value 9.5/10 because I already rewatched it for more than 5 times already and still crying over it. I'll keep rewatching in my free time until I can not cry anymore.
Anyway, since this drama stimulates sadness and grief, if you think you cannot handle it, it's better not to even try reading any spoiler. From my experience, the comments on social media about the story of this drama series are also full of emotions. So, please understand your limit.
I had a good 8 weeks following this series. For all the tears that have rolled down my cheeks while watching this, I must say that this series will stick with me for a long time.
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A must watch.. A beautiful love story
A must watch please dont give up because you feel it creapy. You need to look at it from the story it tell and wish we all got that last few days. This was such a beautiful drama that said so much within 8 episodes as we felt and watched their friendship blossomed to love.I believed that Koichi and Mitsuri needed to complete their love for each other and be eaches #1. It was a surprise at the end when his dad went thru the same thing sort of wish he told him before. The cast did a great job also kudos to the writers
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Unique, bittersweet and touching story about love, grief and friendship.
One thing I've always loved about Japanese dramas is how they come up with crazy concepts like this and somehow make them work. I feel the main reason for this is the balance in their stories. They take a unique premise and make it feel grounded with relatable characters and genuine relationships.Apart from the quirky setup, the biggest strength of Eien no Kinou are its two main leads. Koichi is the kind of person everyone loves to be friends with. His fun, cheerful and kind personality draws people in. Micchan on the other hand is the calm and collective type, and he seems unapproachable and slightly intimidating to the people around him. However, this doesn't stop Koichi since he's determined to become friends with him. What I really enjoyed about this relationship and their characters is that they slowly and realistically established their bond, despite this show's short length.
Koichi showcases an admirable inner strength by the way he handles the debilitating situation he's in, being more concerned with how other people feel than allowing himself to grief his own loss. Micchans experiences shaped him into a lonely, introverted person that has a hard time being around other people. He hates himself for being "cold" which he absolutely isn't. His sensitive and deeply moving monologues show that once he has someone in his heart, he's an incredibly caring and loving person. These two polar opposite characters develop a genuine bond and give each other the warmth and love both of them were craving, and it was truly touching to see them feel at home with each other.
I really enjoyed the performances of Komiya Rio and Inoue Sora. Komiya Rio already won me over as Tanaka in Takara-kun to Amagi-kun which was a drama that I personally didn't really enjoy, however his performance stood out to me in the few scenes he had. While Tanaka is a vastly different character to Koichi they both have an engaging and likable charm in common which I credit the actor for. You're on his side and want him to be happy, so when he does allow himself to show his pain, it hits you hard. Inoue Soras Micchan is gentle, restrained, and yet you can see a whirlwind of emotions behind that facade. He convincingly portrays Micchans calm strength and protective nature, as well as his vulnerable and lonely side.
While I enjoyed this story, and they were able to move me despite the dramas short length, I can't help but feel the impact would have been even stronger if they had the time to establish the characters and their relationships further. Spending more time with the leads before the accident and developing their other friendships would have given this story another layer, which I would have really appreciated. Some parts of the story felt rather random and disconnected, simply because they lacked the time to explore them.
I've to quickly mention the amazing OST of this drama. The opening theme Sunshower by Ayumu Imazu is a melancholic yet hopeful song that made me feel emotional after its first few notes. While the hauntingly serene ending theme, Toi Natsu no Hi by Kubo Aoi makes you reminisce the episode once the ending credits start. Both songs are absolutely beautiful, with touching lyrics that add to the meaning of the story. I thought the scenes of the ending credits getting blurrier with each episode was a really nice detail, and so was the changed ending for the final episode.
Eien no Kinou is a poignant story about cherishing the time you have with the people you love. It's a delicate yet powerful drama about love and friendship, told with so much heart it lingers in your thoughts long after you've finished it.
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beautiful and heartbreaking
Overall: this is not your typical BL romcom, it's beautifully done but heartbreaking. I wasn't sure about the dynamic with the cold/low affect guy and the happy go lucky guy but we get important background information and their dynamic grew on me. Airing on GagaOOLala and Viki (depends on your country).Content Warnings: death, grief, threatened suicide
What I Liked
- cute moments like the studying
- the younger siblings were adorable
- consent scene
- the perspective flip in the final episode
- production value
Room For Improvement
- not a fan of flash forwards/flashbacks right away as it makes it more confusing, but I followed this one pretty easily
- the part at the end of episode 1 is not realistic for how he looked based on what happened
- some unrealistic parts/confusing world building
- should have made the previous summer flashback more clear
- I wasn't happy with the end but not for the same reason as maybe other people, I liked what they were talking about with the teacher and wanted them to go that route
- the happy intro and outro was a stark contrast to the story
- there were several large plot points that were revealed right at the end of the series and would have liked more time to develop these
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A whole lot of feels...
What started with a build up of tears by the side of the eye... went over to wet sleeve and ended with ugly snot crying. This is a unique romance, it is sweet, not always so innocent and at times a whole lot of fun with some oddly dark humour.As we meet the boy who was run over by The White Truck of Doom and turned in to a living corps as the male lead kept saying: He is NOT DEAD, he is a Living corps... in this story about love, lust, loss a whole lot of denial. This story is different than anything I have ever seen. So it even had me debating if it was worth a 10 star rating but though it made me cry A LOT it did not captivate me enough for a 10. But it is a strong 9,5. On the one hand such a sweet youthful story, on the other the living dead and a whole lot of pain... tragedy, romcom, supernatural all in one.
The male leads are both cold one in his personality the other literally as his body started getting cold after he died. The boys interactions are a true cold meets war, introvert extrovert opposites attract story with all it has to offer, though we only get to see a few glimpses in to their story the chemistry and playfulness is there. Adding a time limit, fear and need to hold on adds that extra spice and emotion to the story that hit me like an arrow straight though my still beating heart.
This is definitely a drama I recommend to pretty much any one who can handle it and is in need of a good cry. It truly is perfect for those days when you need to laugh, cry and fall in love... all at once.
P.S the intro with it´s OST is one of the most fitting intros I can remember ever seeing, I usually skip the intro but chose to watch it in this one. And there is a nice shot of an Axolotl in it too.
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Underrated, Quirky and Heartwarming
I started watching this to pass the time, but this drama surpassed my expectations. It's quirky and has a sad undertone right from the start but it's sweet and heartwarming. At the heart of the show is how to deal with grief and they handled it well. Koichi and Mitchan are so sweet together. You can feel their love through the screen.The internal monologues, which are something I'm usually not fond of because they can be so cringey, are really well done and felt genuine. I love contrasts between the Koichi and Mitchan's personalities and they really complement each other. Their story progresses naturally and you really see the character development especially Mitchan's.
The timeline at the beginning felt a little odd and the supernatural stuff isn't really explained, but that's not too important. Watch this drama for the characters and the love they have for each other. As someone who doesn't usually like sad endings I must say that it was warranted here and really well done. Any other ending wouldn't have fit the story.
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Criminally underrated
When I first started the drama I was lowkey skeptical about it being the “Soft fluffy Japanese bls” but they proved me very wrong with it.Firstly, the plot in itself is very interesting, it has gradual growth . I would suggest you to not be skeptical about it being sad.
Ofcourse given to the plot it, indeed has sad undertones throughout all the episodes but along with it, it has some sweet, funny and heartwarming moments.
The acting is top notch, there's is no overreacting. Each character feels so real and genuine. Also everyone is a green flag
The cinematography is very beautifully yet smartly done. You can see the tones, scenes, the little cuts adds into the feeling of the drama.
I personally loved the gradual growth between Mitsuru and Yamada Koichi so much. You could practically feel the character (Mitsuru) opening up and breaking down his walls and expressing his, love hurt, breakdowns etc to Koichi after him being dead and to not loose him.
Koichi on the other hand, had one of the most loveable characteristics; he's warm to Mitsuru, and his love is just so pure that he is okay if his whole world consists of koichi.
It's honestly very hard to describe in feelings how this series makes you feel,it's like you know something bad is about to happen / the time is slipping away and the state you are in will end but somehow the current state you are is comfortable.
Please ??? watch them it's just so good.
PS: i might make changes after i finish the last ep.
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