This review may contain spoilers
I actually don't hate it, it's a step up from the original
The Thai version was... I'm sorry it was just pure fanservice, less plot, less character growth and VERY leaning into tropes. It's a tough situation the Japanese crew had to handle, but I think they did a good job at fixing some of the issues:
PROS:
- It's cute you could say. The whole "fake date to escape intimidating senior" is so silly but it works? The plotline was harder to work with but you can see improvement to the actual story. I feel this time the leads learned something from falling in love. It does have a first love vibe, even if the events that happen are ludicrous.
- Hinata seems bubbly but like you can actually tell he's maturing. I don't think he's infantilized, he's just being himself. I admit, the "can't say no" trope threw me off but he visibly GREW though, like he said no to that guy who kept following him around and he finally faced that girl he kept misleading. It seems small but it's impactful in its own way. He's not a baby, nor a pushover. He learns having boundaries is important. I don't see the fetish trope Domundi gave the Thai series. I see someone who could be a real-life person with a complete personality.
- Sora was kinda forced into the "Young rich business owner" archetype but he feels normal and more natural than the original to be honest. He's just reserved, blunt and emotionally dry, and for some reason others saw him as a "Tyrant Prince" which is ridiculous. However, I like how he's not flirting every 5 seconds, or putting on the fake smile the Thai ML did for 90% of the series. He leans into the "cold hearted persona". He's not toxic at all, he's just not that expressive. He does seem to change, and while this was severely underdeveloped, we know he's emotionally invested and now brightened by true love.
- I like this style of production a lot, it's giving university short melodrama vibes. The budget seems low but you can't actually feel the quality is less. Music was also nice, it actually got stuck in my head for a long time
- Thank god they got rid of that female friend from the original adaption who kept going "Omg guys I'm in BL land" like EXCUSE ME, THESE ARE REAL PEOPLE IN YOUR STORYLINE HONEY.
CONS: (brutal)
- There's not that much emotional tension between the characters. Normally you'll know acting quality is good when the stares between the leads make you feel something. Sora's a lot harder to read than Hinata, we don't actually know in what way Hinata actually changed his life or what he meant to him. We understood he fell for him but what about him? His cute side? His caring, uplifting side? Give us a corny internal monologue if you wanna, at least that improves the emotional tone. The actors played their parts but that's the thing, they just played their parts. I don't see the hurt on their faces, or the realisation, or the concern.
- Umm... what is that thing between Sora's friends, that was just irrelevant. What I think would've been better is Makoto gives those glances of affection every now and then, then at the end he realises he could ask the other guy out and leaves the story on an open note. Underdeveloped yes, but it does reinforce pure love themes. Instead I see hard to read actions, random kiss scenes and a lack of clear intent. The show could've been rated above an 8/10 if we did this. I can't even blame the Japanese crew though, they had to respect the original and they did something to improve it.
- Once again, poor plot the Jteam was forced to deal with. Even though I feel the series evolved from the "fake dating" mess of a scenario, it needed better starting plot to boost it further. The bar thing was weird but I get that we don't want a "seen before" story of pursuit and all. They could've added more onto the plot but I guess it's a missed opportunity. I don't get why tf Sora even had to have a business when he's still in college, I'm convinced the whole drama is just vibes.
I was gonna rate this a 7 but it actually left an impression on me compared to the Thai one. I saw this more like a well-done school project that could win awards rather than a genuine J-drama. Enjoyable but severely neglected in plot events, emotional resonance and organisation. Kudos to the team, they actually gave it a decent go.
PROS:
- It's cute you could say. The whole "fake date to escape intimidating senior" is so silly but it works? The plotline was harder to work with but you can see improvement to the actual story. I feel this time the leads learned something from falling in love. It does have a first love vibe, even if the events that happen are ludicrous.
- Hinata seems bubbly but like you can actually tell he's maturing. I don't think he's infantilized, he's just being himself. I admit, the "can't say no" trope threw me off but he visibly GREW though, like he said no to that guy who kept following him around and he finally faced that girl he kept misleading. It seems small but it's impactful in its own way. He's not a baby, nor a pushover. He learns having boundaries is important. I don't see the fetish trope Domundi gave the Thai series. I see someone who could be a real-life person with a complete personality.
- Sora was kinda forced into the "Young rich business owner" archetype but he feels normal and more natural than the original to be honest. He's just reserved, blunt and emotionally dry, and for some reason others saw him as a "Tyrant Prince" which is ridiculous. However, I like how he's not flirting every 5 seconds, or putting on the fake smile the Thai ML did for 90% of the series. He leans into the "cold hearted persona". He's not toxic at all, he's just not that expressive. He does seem to change, and while this was severely underdeveloped, we know he's emotionally invested and now brightened by true love.
- I like this style of production a lot, it's giving university short melodrama vibes. The budget seems low but you can't actually feel the quality is less. Music was also nice, it actually got stuck in my head for a long time
- Thank god they got rid of that female friend from the original adaption who kept going "Omg guys I'm in BL land" like EXCUSE ME, THESE ARE REAL PEOPLE IN YOUR STORYLINE HONEY.
CONS: (brutal)
- There's not that much emotional tension between the characters. Normally you'll know acting quality is good when the stares between the leads make you feel something. Sora's a lot harder to read than Hinata, we don't actually know in what way Hinata actually changed his life or what he meant to him. We understood he fell for him but what about him? His cute side? His caring, uplifting side? Give us a corny internal monologue if you wanna, at least that improves the emotional tone. The actors played their parts but that's the thing, they just played their parts. I don't see the hurt on their faces, or the realisation, or the concern.
- Umm... what is that thing between Sora's friends, that was just irrelevant. What I think would've been better is Makoto gives those glances of affection every now and then, then at the end he realises he could ask the other guy out and leaves the story on an open note. Underdeveloped yes, but it does reinforce pure love themes. Instead I see hard to read actions, random kiss scenes and a lack of clear intent. The show could've been rated above an 8/10 if we did this. I can't even blame the Japanese crew though, they had to respect the original and they did something to improve it.
- Once again, poor plot the Jteam was forced to deal with. Even though I feel the series evolved from the "fake dating" mess of a scenario, it needed better starting plot to boost it further. The bar thing was weird but I get that we don't want a "seen before" story of pursuit and all. They could've added more onto the plot but I guess it's a missed opportunity. I don't get why tf Sora even had to have a business when he's still in college, I'm convinced the whole drama is just vibes.
I was gonna rate this a 7 but it actually left an impression on me compared to the Thai one. I saw this more like a well-done school project that could win awards rather than a genuine J-drama. Enjoyable but severely neglected in plot events, emotional resonance and organisation. Kudos to the team, they actually gave it a decent go.
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