2
13
3
virgievirgie
Lost in Dramaland
Beautiful and Heartbreaking Love Story
Subjective Gut Rating - 8.75
If this is a regular BL love story, the focus would be on the budding romance of an extroverted and popular guy falling in love with a reclusive and quiet loner. The whole drama would be of how they fall in love, the push-and-pull and then many fluffy scenes of them together at the end.
But this is a Japanese BL and we know the Japanese are famous for having unique and interesting (sometimes weird) plots. “Eien no Kinou” aka “Eternal Yesterday” is one of them. When I heard about the story of a living corpse, I wasn’t sure if that’s what I wanted. I was so glad I am finally in the right mood to watch this.
“Eternal Yesterday” was told from the perspective of male lead Micchan’s monologues. Flashbacks are used to tell us how Micchan and Koichi met and fell in love. Koichi’s accident was introduced in the first episode and it’s not hard to guess how the story is going to end. Despite that, when I got to the final episode, all the emotions hit me hard.
Koichi is a lovely character and it’s very easy to like him when he was first introduced. Micchan, on the other hand, as the quiet one, took me a tiny bit longer. But I’ve come to love his character through his experiences, inner monologues and the emotions he felt for Koichi. The acting for both leads is great. I can feel their initial attraction for each other and unspoken spokens and heartaches throughout the drama. Both actors, Komiyo Rio and Inoue Sora, are easy on the eyes, so that doesn’t hurt.
I’ve always loved the use of silence in Japanese dramas without manipulating the audience’s emotions with music and songs. The quietness invites the actors to really express themselves through their acting. This is so evident during the quiet and intimate moments in the last episode. Since this is not a cute and fluffy drama, but more of a melodrama, the pacing is slower and some viewers might not like it. Because the drama is so short (8 eps at 20 mins each), the slower pace did not bother me.
My only criticism of the drama is the subplot of the teachers. It felt a little out-of-place and only serves the purpose of that one scene in the classroom with the biology teacher. I wish their story was a little more fleshed out and not out-of-the-blue.
“Eternal Yesterday” is a miracle that provides Micchan and Koichi time to prepare themselves, treasure their time and properly grieve. Each moment spent together is a gift and I’ve enjoyed this heartbreaking journey with them very much. In the last scene, I truly wish Micchan can find another number one in his life. The ending theme in the last episode feels like the ‘alternate’ happy ending that I want for them.
Completed: 7/22/2023 - Review #334
If this is a regular BL love story, the focus would be on the budding romance of an extroverted and popular guy falling in love with a reclusive and quiet loner. The whole drama would be of how they fall in love, the push-and-pull and then many fluffy scenes of them together at the end.
But this is a Japanese BL and we know the Japanese are famous for having unique and interesting (sometimes weird) plots. “Eien no Kinou” aka “Eternal Yesterday” is one of them. When I heard about the story of a living corpse, I wasn’t sure if that’s what I wanted. I was so glad I am finally in the right mood to watch this.
“Eternal Yesterday” was told from the perspective of male lead Micchan’s monologues. Flashbacks are used to tell us how Micchan and Koichi met and fell in love. Koichi’s accident was introduced in the first episode and it’s not hard to guess how the story is going to end. Despite that, when I got to the final episode, all the emotions hit me hard.
Koichi is a lovely character and it’s very easy to like him when he was first introduced. Micchan, on the other hand, as the quiet one, took me a tiny bit longer. But I’ve come to love his character through his experiences, inner monologues and the emotions he felt for Koichi. The acting for both leads is great. I can feel their initial attraction for each other and unspoken spokens and heartaches throughout the drama. Both actors, Komiyo Rio and Inoue Sora, are easy on the eyes, so that doesn’t hurt.
I’ve always loved the use of silence in Japanese dramas without manipulating the audience’s emotions with music and songs. The quietness invites the actors to really express themselves through their acting. This is so evident during the quiet and intimate moments in the last episode. Since this is not a cute and fluffy drama, but more of a melodrama, the pacing is slower and some viewers might not like it. Because the drama is so short (8 eps at 20 mins each), the slower pace did not bother me.
My only criticism of the drama is the subplot of the teachers. It felt a little out-of-place and only serves the purpose of that one scene in the classroom with the biology teacher. I wish their story was a little more fleshed out and not out-of-the-blue.
“Eternal Yesterday” is a miracle that provides Micchan and Koichi time to prepare themselves, treasure their time and properly grieve. Each moment spent together is a gift and I’ve enjoyed this heartbreaking journey with them very much. In the last scene, I truly wish Micchan can find another number one in his life. The ending theme in the last episode feels like the ‘alternate’ happy ending that I want for them.
Completed: 7/22/2023 - Review #334
Was this review helpful to you?
