Following along nicely

I never start shows while they are airing but thanks to a little snippet on my Instagram feed, I dove in to see what this was about and realized by the third episode I was in danger of watching an airing show. I pulled up in episode 4 and thanks to a friend of mine, found the translated novel online and read it. Oh. My. Goodness. I have no words for how well crafted this story is and after finishing it, I have so much respect for the whole story. If you haven’t read it, I encourage you to wander over to koalas playground and give it a peek. I spent hours and hours totally immersed and found myself squinting at a clock that read 4am two nights in a row while reading.

(TINY SPOILER ALERT)

One who loves her too much to leave her. One who loves her too much to stay. Heart breaking stuff! But our heroine gets the life she wishes for and fights for before it’s all said and done. That’s all I will say on the topic of spoilers. The ending will make sense to all who read or watch if the show follows the book. It really can’t end any other way and still be true to the hearts of the characters.

(END OF TINY SPOILER)

The show follows the story nicely. We are given information at different timing in the book to screen translation and that’s a big win for show! This show has an ENORMOUS character base as it’s following the novel so closely. I am not disappointed with any of the actors or their performances. I am also pleased the book is getting full treatment. In episode 16 I believe we were just starting on the events of chapter 9/51. Some events are rearranged to happen simultaneously in the show which actually makes so much more sense compared to the book, where it appeared sequential instead. Minor, non-essential things have been left out in favor of things that make this show more intriguing. So far, most of the sets have looked like they did in my reader’s imagination. I really hope that the show continues to reflect this beautiful story so well! I’m so glad I read this before watching because it makes the performances so much more poignant to see the emotional portrayal of key scenes. If the show continues to deliver like it has, this will definitely merit a rewatch down the road.

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