I think one thing a lot of reviews are missing is life experiences. Does this title contain tropes? Yes, but not as many as most. Do those tropes overpower the story? Not at all; in fact, they usually feel like an afterthought.

Either way, as an older person who has experienced some of these things (directly or indirectly, I don’t find the writing to be all that lacking. But an entire 16-episode series with just the mains rebuilding a relationship is a hard task. Might work for a movie, but it would get old quick if it were that times sixteen!

Also, I appreciate the ending— as much as it made me cry— because that’s how life feels. Ten, twenty, fifty years go by in a flash. The entire premise of this series is to emphasize that memories make us who we are, even the smallest ones. It also reminds us to cherish it, because we don’t know what’s coming next. We learn forgiveness for others, and for ourselves, when someone feels wronged. And we learn that love looks different for everyone, and none are your average Hollywood ending