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Chugakusei Nikki japanese drama review
Completed
Chugakusei Nikki
13 people found this review helpful
by starsappear
Oct 22, 2018
11 of 11 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10.0
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 9.0
I hate when people write a review when the show isn't even complete yet. In this case, I have only seen 2 episodes of it, a review isn't really warranted in this case BUT is needed to address the controversy surrounding the show. After much consideration, I will go ahead, be hypocritical and write a review, please hear me out.

The controversy in question is- the 14 year old kid has a crush on his mid 20s teacher.
The synopsis states that this story is spanned over several years starting from when Akira is 14 year old, a senior in Junior High School.
There have been infamous talks about the show and the ratings of episode 1 have been pretty low. Ratings for episode 2 however have increased. A low rating of a show isn't reason enough to not give a show like this a try.

Omg isn't this pedophilia?!?!
A big NO.
As we can make out from the first two episodes, it's quite clear that Hijiri is aware of how wrong even considering the feelings towards a kid are. The show begins with her talking about how she fell in love with her student in 2015. The medley of small clips in the beginning indicates that she left that school(or he left maybe?). The point is that the story that follows is merely a flashback as to what went down in 2015. I think the story will continue from 2018 when the guy is an adult.

Hijiri is a responsible teacher and the first time the student even confesses, she doesn’t even consider the possibility that it’s a love confession but takes it as words of respect meant for her.

I am also pretty sure from the clips shown at the beginning of ep 1 that Hijiri knew that her feelings were wrong, morally. She decided not to act upon it, resisted and made a decision to leave (from what I gather from the few seconds shown in the clip). This show is not pedophilia!

There are times when I find Akira to be brash and difficult, impatient yet thoughtful. This is precisely how a 14-year-old kid behaves. I can't explain how much intrigued I am by this show.


I understand that this show might not be everyone's cup of tea but however, I urge everyone to give it a watch without having any bias or preconceived notions about the show. Don’t reduce this show to anything based on what you have read or heard, at least watch the first two episodes to arrive at a final judgment.


Why do you need to watch this?
- If you are into romance, you simply need to check it out
- The show is wonderfully directed; it's almost like a film. With the main leads appearing in black and white, all alone on the screen talking about their internal feelings for a second or two. Pretty artistic and goes well with the theme. It delivers their emotions so properly, I can’t explain it- you have to watch it
- The chemistry of the 2 main lead actors is quite frankly electric
- The lead actor Okada Kenshi is super cute! Especially when he smiles!

I pondered over what to rate the rewatch rating since there are only 2 episodes yet but I have watched the episodes twice already, therefore the high rating.
I will edit this review as I watch the show accordingly and make changes if needed to the ratings and content.

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