I enjoyed this one for the most part. I don’t think it’s slow paced as some have complained about. I can see Akira’s insecurity and the magnitude o flow it has affected and shaped him as an adult. So him being supper resistant and cowardly despite his attraction is understandable. The relationship dynamic also works for their personality - Akira retreats consistently while Shin is the more aggressive one. Shin said it best, “with you being indecisive I thought I’d wear you down” i’m paraphrasing here but you get the gist. Besides I love the 18 year old Shin making the 29 year old squirm and blush. It was always a delight to see.

The problem with this one isn’t so much the characters but the length of the drama which made the build up and tension fizzle out. Episode 9 was the death nail for this drama which took a strong end of episode 8 and followed it up with a boring filler episode and nothing that came after that one was able to match the intensity built with that beach side conversation. This missed opportunity made the resolution and end fall flat. The remaining episodes weren’t used to give the main characters any additional growth or development but rather was spent on a last minute relationship development for a side couple whom lets be honest, no one was as invested in. Although I liked the side characters individually well enough, their story wasn’t remotely interesting enough to warrant the time taken on their story either. I think this one would have worked best if it was 10 episodes.

Overall, not a bad watch but I felt a little sting from the disappointment since I love age gaps and especially ones where the younger one is the pursuer and while it had potential it failed to stick the landing for me.