A mature love story with realistic characters and situations!
I loved this show! However, I'm not surprised that there are quite a few people who felt this wasn’t clicking for them seeing as it's slow-paced, very dialogue heavy, and isn't Only focused on romance. I find that the themes explored (grief, reunion, uncertainty) to be very refreshing as j-bls can be a bit flashy and shallow. I particularly love how Azuma sets out on a journey to forge a new career path despite being at an age society deems is too late to start something new. Although I'm not close in age with the leads, I have struggled with the idea of feeling like it's too late to make changes that could improve my future, or feeling like I've wasted my time with something when I should've been doing something else. It's great to see this situation, as well as how it's dealt with, portrayed in such a meaningful way, and in a medium in which I would've never expected.The chemistry between the leads is like….unprecedented in j-bl. It’s not anything I can describe with words, but you can just feel it through the screen. It’s evident that they’re seasoned actors, as well as mature people with lived experience because they approach everything tactfully. I’m not a stickler when it comes to physical intimacy in dramas, but I was still so impressed at how unabashedly they approached the bed scenes AND non-sexual contact. The actors reminded me of 10 Dance’s leads in a way as it highlighted the difference having experienced and serious actors makes in the viewing experience of a bl.
All in all, I gave this an 8.5/10. It would’ve been a 9, but I do think it got a bit slow in the middle.
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