Meet Me after School

Open you heart, and you'll see it has more to offer.

Clarification : First of all, I do like me a good Older FL younger ML love story but of course keep it Legal.

Thoughts: Although I do not support it, I can understand it. It was definitely immature of her and him to do such things but the story and writing tackled this situation quite well actually.
This show has much more to it than it says.
The story is surprisingly wholesome and well done, tho I wish some parts were different but it's not my story is it haha.
Overall I'm happy with how it turned out and yes, it was worth my time. Whenever I review something I always think if a show will be worth my time and Chugakusei Nikki certainly was, so do give it a shot!

Story: As mentioned, they tackled it pretty well. I love the wholesomeness of the show and how it can also be very serious when it needs to.
Maybe if they just decided to wait until Akira is 18 and out of high school things would've been different.
I kind of wished to see the main leads relationship more but oh well.
The story of the second leads were developed nicely too, although the second ML was kind of annoying.

Music: I've always liked Japanese songs so I've definitely heard of the singer (Uru) of the main OST.

The music is so good!! Even now I still have it playing in my playlist haha just can't get enough of it!

No complaints on the OST but they did overuse it a little. I wish they had just one other song to fill the gaps instead of repeating it in scenes that were important.

Background music were good, they were subtle but add just enough effect to the scenes.

Casts and Acting:
I LOVE THE CASTS! Arimura Kasumi is just absolutely adorable!

They all did a good job portraying their characters, it didn't forced.

Overview:
Overall it is a wonderful show that will play with your heart. Beautiful shots and beautiful casts too!

Open your heart to it, and give it time.

Don't go in with a decided mind that you're just going to hate.... like why watch it then?

The story definitely has a lot more to offer than what it is so do check it out!

I genuinely enjoyed it and hope this review helps!

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Oh so close, but not close enough

*sigh* Japan tricked me again. I have literally only found like 3 Jdramas that are swoon worthy. Everything else is just bittersweet with an emphasis on the bitter. This was one of them, until the last 2 episodes. While there are many types of love, I will NEVER believe you can truly be in love with someone and they be in love with you but they still separate because "love can't overcome everything". Yes love can overcome everything. It's not easy, but its not the love part thats not easy, its the choices you make, the sacrifices you make for love. I'm not talking about maybe being in love, I'm talking about your soulmate love. This had a lot of that but, they switched it at the end to "lets become better people first". I can understand that to an extent, but not the way this drama did it with a contract at the end.

I totally agree having a relationship with a minor is bad and a big no no. I do not think she was at fault for swaying him at all. Meaning, they didn't show or suggest she did in any way. He was very aggressive towards her in the beginning and running hot later as well. Yes, he was 15, so its somewhat understandable. But, also, so what? Are we not holding teenagers responsible for their emotional actions at all just because they are young? That's ridiculous to me.

If you want to talk about power dynamics, lets talk about it. The teacher is pretty small and not strong. Physically, he can over take her. Her power as a teach/adult was full on challenged from episode 1. Yes, she should have reported the slap he gave her in the hallway. But what would they have done? Nothing. They would have asked that she let it go. Which was what they did when that other kid spread harmful rumors about her on the website. It impacted her job and life. She was told to let it slide by the head of the school.

Being a pedophile means you like children in an inappropriate way. She did and does not! The way they wrote it was "right soulmate at the wrong time". She did not act on anything and tried to stay clear of him. Again, he was the aggressor in all of these situations. You couldn't even tell she had any feelings for him until she slightly admitted it half way through the seires.
Yes, it is wrong.

Now that's out of the way.

I really wish she would have stuck to her decision to be with him and not sign that stupid contract. To me, that was stupid. They ended up together anyway. It would have been a whole lot better if they just talked it through and said they were going to become better people and to "wait for me" kind of deal. Instead, they literally said "bye bye" to each other like they would never see each other again. Stupid.

When are they going to make a drama that really does stick to "to hell with everyone else, I'm not giving up my soulmate."? Thats what I was really hoping for in this. That is what they kept acting like. But instead we get a lot of promises of them both saying and acting like they will be together no matter what, to then throw it out the window, and then at the very last 15 seconds get back together. *sigh*

The mother of the teen was insufferable. I didn't empathize with the teacher he was in love with, I was fully feeling the teen when I watched this because I have also felt that way in those years. My mother did a similar thing to me and I think it's crazy. Rather than getting angry and dismissing your teens feelings, you should try and reach out more and understand. Telling someone not to feel or that they are wrong about how they feel won't change a persons feelings, it will only make them hide them. And when he was 18, ugh, her getting the police involved at that point was dumb and controlling. If she really had an issue with it, she should have called them when he was 15 to report it.
She said many times that he was acting crazy before that teacher even showed up.
That teacher literally gave him a goal and purpose when he had no direction in the beginning.

Love can overcome anything with the right person and no one can ever tell me any different.

The only reason I'm giving it 7 is because they got together at the end. If they didn't get together, I would have given it a 1. There were some good and endearing parts that really touched me, but mostly skippable moments when they weren't together, which was a lot of it.

Just my opinion. Not judging anyone else. If you are looking for a great romance drama, this isn't it. Still, I'd say try it. See if you like it. Maybe you will.

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Forbidden Love, Excruciating Bliss

Story was good. Pain factor was too high for just 3 small parts of good moments. It's almost not worth going through all that trouble. I wish they developed her falling for him more because I don't see at which point it happened but next thing I knew there were confessions. Also wish the story started off in high school rather than middle school as the welling of emotions would make more sense and less creepy that a teacher likes a student. Wish they showed mom's reaction at the end. The ending could have been more heartfelt considering their ordeal. Overall good binge watch, great acting, good chemistry just a few missed points here and there.

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I liked it. :) The story dragged a bit since the main plot revolves most of the time around the prevention of the relationship.
IMHO they found a good story-balance for this specific topic. It could've been easily the prequel for an R-rated movie, but it wasn't. The topic was clearly the character development of all characters. They did well on that part.
To be more specific: They emphasized on the standpoint of the mother to prevent the relationship over the whole storyline and didn't move an inch apart here. In the end, the mother won and the characters under discussion accepted it.
Yes, in the end, they got each other, but that's okay from the story perspective, since they loved each other. It's better this way, than a suicide ending.

For the other parts:
- the filming was OK and typical for a J-Drama. The image quality and colors are bad. It looks like they used a bigger camcorder to film it. From a visual POV this is a no go, but it's IMHO the charm of J-Dramas as well. Since the focus lies on the story, this is fine.
- At first, I disiked the second female lead, but the character did a 180 ° spin and supported the female lead directly and in a friendly way. I liked that.
- The music was quite good, as expected. In contrary to the visuals, J-Dramas emphasize often on the music to get a mood across to the viewer (or listener). It worked here as well.

Would I rewatch it?
No. I usually don't rewatch many shows and only the best or those I really really _really_ liked. Since the story dragged a bit and most of it revolves around the prohibition of the relationship, I can't say it's "fun" to watch. There are also not many scenes included which make me want to see them again. If it was R-rated - yes, then the rewatch value would increase, but that would be a complete different show. Let's be happy to see normal take on this topic, watch it once and let it be.

8.5/10. Slightly better than good average.

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A love song..

I am not a big fan of JDramas as I usually find the cast quite disappointing in comparison to the beautiful creatures seen in the anime version and the story line very melancholic .
But this show and its cast has literally swept me off my feet. It’s not an airy romance - all light and bright. The tone is quite somber but each scene is so precious and is beautifully woven in to the show. Some scenes are reminiscent of the beautiful moments seen in Anime - the rain falling on the grass, on the windscreen, the almost kiss in episode two, etc etc. Simply beautiful.
The heroine is good, doesn’t get on your nerves. The fiancé and his boss are nice. The diamond in the crown would be the hero - he is utterly gorgeous, good specs in comparison to the usual tall lean gangly types, super expressive and so charismatic ... He makes one feel each and every emotions of his. I ALSO fell in love with him :-). Last but not the least, the excellent chemistry between the main leads, the tension... you can almost hear it.
There is nothing in this show that feels untoward or nasty.
Hats off to the director who has captured those tiny moments and emotions between the main leads and made it so special.
I am absolutely looking forward to seeing what happens in the future.
An absolute must watch....

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Ehh I need to watch something that will cheer me now.!
I like the drama. I really really like it. It's very realistic but also heart breaking and it went in a direction I didn't expect at all.

My sister watched this drama before I did and she was talking about not liking the male lead's acting..but I don't know, I actually like it. :P ? His acting was a wee bit awkward a few times in the first few episodes but I liked it a lot later. Plus I think his awkwardness suited his character.
Hopefully Okada Kenshi will get more drama roles in the future..*-*

I liked how Hijiri's and Akira's characters matured in the span of those 3 years. It made me like them much more. It was wrong of Hijiri to have a thing with a minor while she had a fiance, but I still couldn't help hoping they'd get to be happy together someday. Their love for each other is so pure and honest. *sigh*
Although it's a forbidden love story between an older woman and a younger boy, it wasn't at all creepy or weird. Hijiri didn't get attracted to Akira because he's young. Why she liked him had nothing to do with his age so don't be mistaken and think she's a pedophilie!

And I really like Akira's mother's character. She's exaxtly how a concerned parent would be. Even though Hijiri and Akira were serious about each other, I can understand why she'd want to keep them apart even though it's heartbreaking to watch.

Anyway, overall I loved the drama! Usually I find it a bit awkward to watch older woman/younger man love stories, but this one is really good. Like I said before, it didn't feel weird or creepy at all when watching it. :)

And that theme song suits the drama so well..love it!?

The reason I gave a 5/10 for the watch value is cause I'm not so sure if I can rewatch this again. It's certainly a good drama but not really a cheerful one..

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chasing the dream

So let's get this out of the way, Yes the age gap is considered against society. Yes it's a power imbalance and yes it's messed up.
But does the story make up for it?
Well...

The main problem with this show is the side romance is miles above the main story. Arimura does a fantastic job portraying the emotions that should be present... But the script and character moments do nothing to help out the situation. Honestly the chemistry between Suenaga and Kuroiwa was right from the beginning was nonsensical. Sudden young love happens in real life but this one felt like there was no real build up between both of them. It was just Akira mainly doing all the chasing with Suenaga only relenting after she realized she liked him too. But all we really had with those sorts of interactions were long stares and the occasional pull aways. It didn't feel like they were amounting to much of anything. I was actually kinda annoyed about how it played out.

When they got together, it felt really hollow. Like Suenaga really had no reason to like him other then him saying he liked her and him staring at her all the time. I just didn't feel the mutual romance. So then Suenaga comes off really poorly cause then it's like she only likes him because he showed interest. You can sort of tell there's a spark missing inside Hijiri but it's never expanded upon before anything happens.

It did not help that I didn't think Akira wasn't very well acted. I get he's supposed to be an awkward 15 year old. But every scene he was in, I couldn't believe him at all. It all felt so stinted and awkward. During scenes where he was chasing her and showing emotions, even then it felt like he was only at 20% of what he could probably do. Sometimes it was comically slow. Kawai her fiance as well was just not present. All I got from him was he was just trying to do the right thing but wouldn't listen. But again no chemistry to begin with. I guess that's the point but it certainly did not do him any favors. I think in all there was only one scene where I felt they were a couple and it was a character moment when they were walking down a street taking about how plain he is. Now the real star of this show however is Haraguchi and Kuroiwa San.

Haraguchi had a deeply nuanced performance. I thought everything about her was easily the better story. She was a strong archetype with many faults but owned up to them. Her love for Kawai was earnest and respectable. She had real good reasons for her love and for her inner feelings all fleshed out through the interactions she faced and it felt like a natural progression. She fell for his whole hearted reliability and unjudgemental attitude towards her. You feel super bad for her when she doesn't get reciprocated but you don't get that for the other characters. Her interactions with every meeting felt like they were important discussions where she was trying to get people to pursue things the right way. She just felt like a person who wanted the best for everyone despite her demeanor.

Kuroiwa San was also a stand out performance . Her feelings and emotions came out as genuine distress and it really carried her interactions. It felt as if she was the real Mom and was looking out for her son's best interest. She also had a great trauma backstory to tie together the characters faults and triumphs. The twist also made it better. You could tell her character arc was of redemption to right the wrongs of the past in her son. Then you get the generational trauma thing and it all fits together.

I also felt really bad for Iwasaki. She got pushed around so much. Yes, what she did was vindictive and also a like selfish but give her a break she's a young teen who had a crush on a boy who didn't reciprocate. There was no good ground for her character to move forward next to realizing she's lost to Suenaga. But the end thankfully she seemed to have moved forward.

The camerawork is really sorta simple. There's some alright compositions but they went crazy with the fisheye allegory. I'm assuming it was meant to show the emotional distance between characters but it was used so much it just became jarring. I'm wondering if the manga used these shots frequently and it was to imitate it? The soft ambient night lighting scenes were good. I liked those ones but daylight scenes needed work. I'm not sure if it was the restoration on Netflix's release but it started to look really green in scenes as if they applied a filter to counter act reddish or yellow tones?

The music was just ok. Uru's end theme is fantastic, but most of Uru's music is. The piano version that is sprinkled throughout was also easy to listen too and does the typical job of playing when something important happens lol. But either then that it wasn't really anything special to talk about.

The story takes a really big swerve in the middle. It was welcome change of pace. I would of liked that to have been the main story as the forbidden romance became less a thing and the aftermath became was much more interesting then the original plot. The Tachibana family story in particular
seemed to have taken over the majority of the second half. I was invested in that one. The blackmailing against Suenaga was an interesting topic to pull with the mother's backstory.

The second half of the series had a much better plot play out and fleshed out the motivations better.. however I still thought to myself that Hijiri's motivations and actions had no real logistical reasonings. Like her character arc was good, but it was very difficult to think of what actions that led her there. For being the main character I felt like we are made to feel bad for her. But there's no backstory to really put her there. She just sorta exists to be a plot device. By the end too they were just throwing in random swerves like the ending of episode 11 was so late in the show. That's where I feel this series lost me. I enjoyed the ending but it's hard for me to recommend this.

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Quite captivating despite not being fully onboard with the romance because of writing issues

This drama features a forbidden romance between a 25 years old teacher and her 15 years old student. Given the stake of the romance, the unethical and taboo aspect to it, it was quite a gripping and angsty watch. There were some captivating parts but I never went fully onboard with the romance because of the writing issues.

Indeed, the scenario fails to provide reasonable explanation for them falling in love with each other. All along the drama, they don't spend enough time together and don't share that much of a strong bond (based on trauma nor shared passion) to really make sense of their love. At no point of the story, there is sufficient steam to justify their connection by implying it is just rather lust than love. It does not feel like lust, it certainly feel like love from both side but there is no convincing background and reason behind it...Especially given all the risks they face, for the teacher especially.

At least the script does condemn their behaviors and does not try to apologize their actions. They are in the wrong in the eye of the society and they bring pain to their loved ones while following that path. However, I wish the writing went a bit more crazier in terms of passion and feelings, in order as a viewer to better understand (not meaning approve) the rationale being their love and why they have chosen that painful road. Maybe if they had both much more trauma in their life at the time they met, would it have been better in terms of building the romance. Not saying that it can be justified, but if they shared more moments together of comfort and bonding, it would have made the romance more believable.

Regarding the cast, it is the debut role of Mizukami Koshi. I think the casting team did a good job to cast an actor that was around 18-19 years old to play the part as it made the romance a bit more palatable than if they casted a 15 years old teen to play the role. Can it be considered as a cope out or an easy way to make it more romantic than it should be given the context ? Maybe but it was a safe production choice. I will be curious to see more work of Mizukami Koshi, he felt a bit green in some of the more intense scenes but still was very charming and charismatic despite the flaws in acting. Arimura Kasumi whom acted has his counterpart in the role of the teacher did an alright job but nothing really outstanding or memorable.

I would recommend this to people that enjoy taboo and forbidden romance. It is for sure an interesting and captivatingly angsty story. I found the romance lacking on some aspects as I feel the build up lacked convincing background for the respective feelings of both main characters. Despite this big flaw, it is still an entertaining watch that is worth a try.

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why they fall in love? story lacks reasons... other that it's great drama

I don't judge it like pedophilia, there are many other teacher/student dramas too.
I have problem with reason - why he falls for her or she falls for him. Though this is really good, high quality drama, with amazing edit and cinematography, good acting and every reason to feel for characters, see chemistry, for me it's kind of misses something big/main from the beginning: ML is in love already in first ep, FL has feelings in 3rd ep, so soon we can't understand their reasons:

What he saw soo soon (almost without any interaction/communication), or what she saw while being in love with other and quite happy.
When you are getting married, really like/love your fiance, are happy and always smiling, there should be something really big to change it and start feeling for 15 year old (it's not only about taboo, but common things, understanding, which is more usual with same age people, and if there is big age/social gap there should be some big reasons, strong emotional changes, not only liking same poem, few meetings alone and hear "I love you" from teenager). Plus FL seems quite strong person, not usual naive/childish female from dramas, she knows what she wants, she really likes (I think loves, but I'm used to see in dramas when main lead then "discovers" that "it wasn't real love", because she/he was not main but second lead and real love should only be once in life and for main lead) her BF, so someone like her/in her situation there should be really big things to start changing feelings.

If they didn't rushed with main leads feelings, give them more time and reasons to see each other, feel, understand each other and then start loving, this would be perfect drama.

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