You have to look beyond the title which has more layers of meaning than it superficially suggests. Sounded quite heavy but the beginning was very funny and well done with two (later three) characters but got heavy again later. It's a weird tale but sucks you in (if you see what I mine). The rushed ending I find rather too "neat" and unsatisfying. Further comment under spoiler. "Cuts" in film are an easy option to jump time. They are risky and don't always work. One positive message suggested to me is that you do not have to "do" or perform a job, activity, vocation or whatever to "prove" your value as a person. Music - less is sometimes more and imo it would have been more effective to leave it out at some intimate points. Not one I'm likely to re-watch. It made its point first time round. Overall I'd go with the majority opinion of 8/10.

Not important but the younger guy did not look Japanese - OK I know I should not "stereotype". Avoid if you object strongly to cigarettes.

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Very charming and "tasteful". Setting is nice. I would not say Shiina Kippei is exactly "very handsome" whatever his other talents. Takizawa Hideaki gives a whole new dimension to the English slang expression "stuffing your face". Can be quite funny, especially the caption "comments" on what's going on inside their heads. As I've watched I really like this series and it has been worthwhile sitting though some very poor filming but ep 8 just ceased half way through. It's such a pity a decent recording does not seem to be available but it was virtually impossible to watch from half way through until the last three episodes. Still, I'm glad I did persist. .Very neatly wrapped up. Lovely story. The "cake mix" of the characters was just right. Even the supporting characters - especially the grandma and Eiji's boxing manager/parent figure (they apparently had their own romance going towards the end) and the journalist lady, the mystery man, who turned out to be a police officer etc. The only negative was the way they copped out of the gay issue - at VERY great pains to assure the audience it was not a factor. Oh, dear. But if you like things a bit sentimental, you'll like this. Ten out of ten for the series itself and the actors.

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Very sensitively directed, with fun bits between the serious ones. Also a beautifully directed and produced example of movie art. I can't write more about the story or how it developed without making a spoiler. On homophobic prejudice, I thought Thailand was accepting of gays and gay lifestyle. From this movie it seems not. Is there anywhere a minority can really feel accepted? I don't say tolerated, any loving relationship deserves to be accepted on an equal basis. The two lead boys score top marks for acting as well as looks in my opinion. But the supporting cast was great too - even the camp gay teacher! One thing I don't get though is that one of the actors on the cover photo (see to the side) looks nothing like the actor in the movie?? I'll be looking out for more by these actors and director. Highly recommended to watch. Finally thanks to My Reading Manga for making this available, the only source I could find for a fault-free link.

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Very extracurricular! Not your usual school story

This is great drama brilliantly crafted all parts of the plot came together and worked out with surprise outcomes to the end〜 I binge watched last 3 episodes　〜but do not expect the usual school story of romance, bullying social and domestic problems、 this is tough unforgiving bloody and violent and shows the sordid underside of society with these not- yet -adult school students plunged into the adult storm of reality。 Some characaters〜 not the main leads〜 I found difficult to have any empathy with - these were just childish and caused all the trouble because they were the most confident they knew it all but actually least able to handle the dangerous world they trod into but I accept the actors played the part well to create those feelings in me. I do not think there was a single person not playing their part well. Knowing the plot I will not rewatch 〜only need one watch for message to hit through but highly recommend if you have strong stomach and strong mind to deal with this drama.

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original mystery treatment of the exam pressure trope

nearly dropped it after slow confusing episode 1 but after that it became EXTREMELY good mystery plot around the pressurised exam system but looked at very much from the teacher's viewpoint and examining their interactions, characters and motivations as well as how the students handle it 〜good example of Japanese drama taking an overused trope and seeing it from a new angle it has the best qualities of a mystery story in making you want to know what comes next and how the characters develop so I finished it very quickly〜you need to like following plot details and reading character, there is not so much action, but if you like a drama of this type the effort is worthwhile〜 ?

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likeable back-to-school fantasy

I am glad I disregarded the negative reviews to watch reLife〜for me this was a lovely thoughtful film、yes it is fantasy and repeats some typical episodes in Japanese school life like festival、 trip and so on but not dwelling on each of them too long and treating them within an original theme of so-to-say a person living inside while at the same time standing outside youth〜 yes it is fantasy but still has something to say to both young and older ages I believe。 its main weakness for me was the very ending with its just too neat and predictable ”resolution”。 This role suited Nakagawa well like other teen roles he has played and ”made his own” as I feel his screen presence very much has childlike freshness、 but maybe he has now reached his own graduation in real life （unfortunately not yet seen in his most recent role in the disappointing 「Oyabaka Seishun Hakusho」）and I will be interested to see how he makes the transition from ”youth” drama to ”adult”roles and hope he is successful without losing his youthful attractiveness〜

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sato〜 suzuki

this is an excellent but difficult filmー yes, it is about unconventional lifestyles, gender issues and these are especially problematic in Japan as until really recently this was not accepted as even human、 however after watching was this even the main point of the film I wondered? yes it is alright for adults to have choices however unconventional to their society, but also they must be honest with their children。for me this was perhaps the real point of the film。 my only criticism is the ending which for me was just too neatly tied together and especially the cute fade at the very end to suggest something like：” even after all this weird stuff you can still have a normal life” ~ for me that undermines the seriousness of the whole rest of the film, I know it is fiction but it does not have to be an unhappy ending to be a convincing ending。this is not intended to depreciate the merits of the film I just feel it was too easy option to leave this as the final take away〜
？music

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maybe not to everyone's "taste"

This drama started quite interesting and I admit I was hooked and the end was well done and surprising at end and I also liked the manga drawings over characaters at the end but for me finally it crossed the line from scary with flaky characaters to just sick〜 I do not really like these stories with psychopaths and seral killing [ it is scary how people like them so much it must be some primitive instinct buried deep in us all] so I take off 1 point perhaps unfairly considering how good it was as a drama〜but 十人十色 depends on your” taste” as you will see when you watchwww

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Really liked this. I like magic, supernatural and special effects although the political background story is unoriginal. In the middle it seemed to have too much "slapstick" comedy interfering with the plot but became more interesting when they allowed the story to develop. Yes there were many plot holes and as usual with these sageuk stories dragged out the ending over three episodes and it is giving nothing away to say everything ended all sweetness and light except for the big villain, however you have to go with the flow I think and just enjoy it as escapist drama if you like this kind of drama. I thought the chemistry of the characters was good and I was especially impressed U-Know acted well and looked good. One I enjoyed and looked forward to watching every evening but would not re-watch after knowing the story.

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Powerful Greek tragedy in Korea

Intelligent, powerful drama of revenge posing the question: is the act of revenge morally better than the bad act causing the revenge in the first place? with the added twist of two supposed upholders of the law (or justice? they are not necessarily the same) - a detective and a lawyer - set against each other. Both the male leads are excellent in their very contrasting characters. Joo Ji Hoon is masterly. Also the female leads (Haein and Seungha's supposed sister)and the love element play a crucial role in the story. Can't say more, would be a spoiler.Jung Dong Hwan was also notable as a menacing, machiavellian character in the background. After slowing down in the middle, which had me thinking of dropping it, this really picked up in the last third of the series and became terrifically gripping. Comparing it with the Japanese version, this is twice as long, which led to loss of dramatic tension in the middle, but giving it more space for character development and to explore the morality. Even so, it could imo still have been shorter and done so equally well. Still the quality of Greek tragedy comes across in both versions as events come full circle (watch where it ends). This drama gets really HEAVY, so be prepared for some real catharsis. For once the word drama has its real meaning.

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I thought it got off to a slow start, but developed into I feel the best Chinese BL drama. Just 0.5 off for that and wondering where it's going which nearly made me stop watching. It's very sweet and natural, as others have said, though Chinese productions tend to be raw at the edges and unsophisticated by Korean and Japanese standards. But they are handsome lads and the story keeps you watching, especially towards the end and the acting has a lot of passion. But where did the (brief) love triangle come from, I think I missed something at the beginning. ? and it's just getting interesting and with stories more than just a school drama when……….? Last episodes great BL romance but the ending…………eh?? eh??!! what happened??? ban for what??

PS Oh I should just say I hope they wore warm clothes beneath those track suit uniforms because I've been to Beijing and it gets d*** cold.

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This is a great drama judging from the first two episodes (which are the only ones I can find available). The settings are dated but none the worse for that, as the main drama works despite being 20 years old, as all good dramas transcend their period. The story is not original.But the main characters and actors are great, showing very well the attraction yet tension between two students of polar opposite, poor and advantaged, backgrounds within the local snobby elite high school - the pride and anger of the poor kid with a one-parent family, alcoholic father, determined to forge an identity without denying the reality of his background but pushing away friendship in the process; the bewilderment of the rich kid in rejecting the values of his father but also unable to cast off the burden due to lack of acceptance of his genuine search for friendship based on the person, not the social and material position. Main back music is the only negative from my viewpoint - an old British pop song dating I think from years before the series itself, not my style, too sentimental and gets on my nerves frankly and detracts from the drama which is definitely not sentimental but very realistic. I would re-watch the two episodes I've seen, but obviously this whole review is limited by unavailability of the remaining episodes. (I have to put all episodes seen or I apparently can't post the review!!) Would really like to see how this works out but the series is way back and there don't seem to be any other sources.

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Sensitive portrayal of young man/older woman love story complicated by driven career woman's pressures in the advertising business and rival adult admirers in the office. Advertising background interesting. Kamenashi excels at such a young age. The long hair, though, didn't really suit him IMHO. What was he - a teenage beachcomber or company aspirant? Much as it would be nice to combine both, it doesn't happen in the real world. It has enough twists and turns to keep you watching, although I had my doubts a corporate advertising background would excite me. The supporting characters were also good and believable, with some nice sub-plots. I took some time to get to the final episode because I always dislike things having to end. It was a good ending, however, slightly weepy in a good way but a realistic and well conceived HAPPY ending. I think it deserves a better overall score than 6.9, but it's the sort of series you enjoy watching once, unless you can't get enough of Kazuya Kamenashi, but I doubt I'd watch it again.

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Brilliant movie, hard hitting in all senses of the word, life in Korean schools in the 1970s makes English public schools of the time (though probably not the pre WW2 ones) look tame (e.g. I don't think in UK they used boys' heads as a billiard ball), with survival of the fittest apparently the guiding principle. There was a danger this would all seem over the top, but the movie felt very believable. I suppose there had to be "love interest" in it to give a reason for some of the testosterone expended in male rivalry. Thankfully it didn't dominate and the way it ended for the lead actor and his crush was again well done and believable. This may only appeal to those who like male coming-of-age and action type movies and can tolerate a fair amount of violent action. But of its type it's first rate.

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Really enjoyed this, the story is basically formulaic but given original development and neat twists (e.g. the comic smoking thread which actually reflected the characters nicely and so was part of the story, not just casual) and I found the acting and the interplay very effective and touching. The support roles at the workplace were good too. The workplace seemed casual beyond belief - is it really like that in Japanese offices? - but all part of the fantasy no doubt. The end part was a bit rushed but who cares, it was a happy ending - and convincing, not just contrived.

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