First Love: Hatsukoi (2022)

Hīkari hits another homer

This was my first Asian Drama after a break of a year or so, and what a winner! I watched it for the beautiful and talented Mitsushima Hikari, and she did not disappoint. Her performance was superb, especially the complex, nuances of the relationship between her character and her character's son. The growth and healing of THAT relationship was almost the "second couple" of the story, a love story in its own right.

Of course, it was the reconnection with the eponymous First Love that made the Drama the sweet and beautiful experience that it was, and rather than try to dissect or analyse it, I will just say, "watch it - right to the VERY end', as other reviewers have noted.

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The first j-drama that gets a 10

What a beautiful romantic drama. Great music, lovely story, very visually appealing cinematography.
The star was of course the young protagonist 👏👏. He brought the story alive with his youthful grin, mischief, and love at first sight. This drama totally blew me away only because of his happy chirpy face!,
Every other performer was also wonderful.
Also great to see a happy family after a long time. Most Asian dramas have their stars from orphanages or have nagging mothers who want them to get married or rich parents who are mean to their kids. This was soooooo refreshing to see kind loving parents.

Great job here, the full team!! Nicely done 💕💕💖🤍

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Forceful Fateful encounters

I am always skeptical about watching a Japanese drama.......They are capable of making a perfectly fine love story into a tragic ending one or not so great love story into somehow workable piece. So i read a lot of comments before staring this and 80% of the comments are positive.....so i gave it a go.......

Let's talk about the story first....... Was it unique , NO? Was it memorable, NO? Was it worth your time, Probably yes.....
This story spans from leads highschool till all way to their late 30s. They are each other's first love, how sweet it is......But here comes the 1st cliche , Amnesia ........Damn!!!! FL conveniently just forgets her years with the ML...lol.....Later she falls in love with some other guy and marries him and they have a son together...... But she gets divorce with him for some silly reason. In every household , every in laws looks down on the other...but to get divorce over that...hmmmm....i mean, FL didn't do anything when she found out her husband is cheating on her but decided to divorce him when her mother in law insulted her mom. Ok.....This mom of FL's, she single handedly destroyed her daughters life because she wanted her daughter to lead a life different from hers. FL's misery for 20 years was because of this mom's single decision of keeping the leads away from each other....I don't know why people forget that getting rich on our own is different than marrying into a rich household. Obviously the poor will be looked down upon.

Acting by the cast: ML's younger version is the only memorable character for me.....His acting was by far superior than all the senior actors combined. Rest all did a good job, i might forget about them in a day or 2.

Casting: Cast for the ML (Harumichi) , both the actors(young and the old) looked more or less similar but not the FL. Their faces are so different , i don't know who approved them to be cast as younger and older version of Yae. No doubt both are good looking but not similar looking at all.

Cons:
1) Many viewers have pointed out many discrepancy in timeliness but i didn't note down that in particular because there were many time jumps in just 5 mins of a scene. Something else stood out for me....The actor who has played Yae's ex-husband is the same guy. There is no young and old version for him. He dates the younger version of the FL but after marriage she has magically turned into the older version, lol.....

2) I still didn't understand the motive behind Harumichi looking for Yae after 20 years in tokyo. I mean, after he found her, he flirted with her, made her fall for him, kissed her and when she confessed her feelings he left her and went abroad...i mean, why? Didn't he love her so he looked for her , so he broke up with his gf then why did he reject her ??? This is beyond me.....

3) Yae's memories came back just by listening to one song. I mean, she was just one song away from her lost memories. lol....

I feel life is short and the leads just spent 23 years in pushing and pulling. Last 3 years is totally on the ML, god knows why he rejected her....Writers attempt in showing the play of fate was little irritating. Thank god, this was just 9 episode series......

Will I watch this again, No....Will i recommend this to other, maybe....

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There are two ways to live in this world

There are two ways to live in this world - one is relying on free will, believing that everything that happens is due to human actions in the past. The second is believing in the theory of destiny: everything that happens is a gift of predestined fate. And whether it was destiny that led me to wander the internet waiting for a good film and then without hesitation watch "First Love," or free will that urged me to spend 8 hours on Yae and Namiki's love story, clearly, this was still a truly wonderful gift.

Slow and deliberate, "Hatsukoi" initially paints a somewhat melancholic and quiet scene, with frames of imagery mixed with nostalgia and sorrow. That is maturity - the yellowish film tone, scenes focusing on poetic times - late afternoon or late night, on empty highways, the night shifts of the two main characters, the curves and dim streetlights. But then surprisingly, stories interspersed with the breath of past youth, and "First Love" takes us back to the naive dreams of the 2000s, when the female lead Noguchi Yae had not yet become a divorced taxi driver with a child, when the male lead Namiki Haruimichi was still healthy and not yet a security guard at the Aurora building. Then they were nothing but young people full of dreams, they had nothing but the madness of being 15, 16 years old. Loving someone seemed like everything, confessions of love spoken like lifetime promises.

"People have a 1/6,000,000 chance to meet their soulmate, so our meeting is already a miracle."

I feel so fortunate that the film wasn't just a single movie. The way each episode explores a different story in their lives, bringing a piece and then carefully attaching them to the overall picture, takes viewers to each color patch of the grand puzzle. Therefore, not only divided between school days and adulthood, the film explores the aspects of missed opportunities, the floating skies in between. Not just tears and smiles, the story reflected before us also has quiet head tilts, wistful sighs, questions of why, "if-then" propositions full of incompleteness. A slight laugh, a bow of the head, cherry blossoms falling, Hokkaido snow melting, memories disappearing like a passing breeze.

Although the film doesn't tell a particularly gentle love story - how could it be normal when two people who love each other by destiny must miss each other because of fate, because Yae lost her memory of her first love in a car accident, because Namiki still remembered her for so many years, embracing a hopeless piece of love while watching his youth slip away, the weathering storms taking away his rebelliousness. Focusing on contrasting scenes, the silences, the way stories are suggested from tiny details that have surprising influence, along with scenes as gentle as the inherent appearance of the countryside, the bustling crowds with flashes of suffocating loneliness in Tokyo, the wonderful love of the main couple relies on fate to overcome fate itself.

Because:
"Every meeting and parting is perhaps guided by destiny. Anything that happens is an unchangeable piece in life."

Then, after missing twenty years, full of changes that had occurred, they meet again, so that the boy who once dreamed of joining the air force to be cool, to protect his loved ones, now retired, returned as a middle-aged man preparing for marriage again, could hear the voice of the former driver who once dreamed of becoming a flight attendant, among 2 million people living in Tokyo, the glamorous capital.
"Airplanes have a speed called V1, that speed divides fate. When flying below this speed, you can cancel the takeoff. But once you exceed this speed, no matter what, you must fly. Life perhaps has a few important moments like that. What do you want? Face the unpredictable wind? Or wait for favorable winds and fly with them."

While asking Tsuzura, perhaps he was asking himself. Whether he should wait for that wind to come, or step up, "cut his nails beautifully" to seize the opportunity that comes, and "don't forget to paint them cute" as little Uta said. Not only telling the past, present, future in parallel, the film tells many different stories revolving around many characters, relationships that overlap yet go alongside, like family relationships, choices that later make people wonder if they were the right ones, partings that at the time people didn't know were goodbyes, sadness people don't know why they feel. Just that, but "First Love" has told a long, complete, and truly clever story. Every action or word, emotion and choice of the characters is reasonable for them, and takes the story to different turns, but also like the image of the curve we encounter at the beginning of the film, throughout Yae's taxi rides, going along with our steps wandering with the characters, destiny leads us in circles, the starting point ultimately blends with the ending point. Perhaps that is the artistic intention of the filmmakers, to show us that even if we go in the wrong direction or get lost, even if "continuing on a path we know is wrong is hell," just keep going, and naturally, as if inevitable, as if predestined, going full circle, people who love each other will meet. Miracles, divine, God, destiny, First Love closes with love, perhaps finally. Yae becomes a flight attendant, Namiki is a pilot, Tsuzura and Uta become the best artists. She regains the memory of her youthful love, he finds her smile again, they find each other, go together, fly together with dreams thought to be gathering dust, thought to have gone forever with the journeys back and forth, the winding roads extending endlessly through the years, through Tokyo's smoke and dust. And the film also ends there. Ending at a new beginning.

Honestly, from the first introductory words, my expectations for the film soared high, I knew this would be a film very suitable for me, and fortunately, the film met my expectations. Well-rounded acting, polished dialogue, cinematography, filming art, scene construction, vibe creation and sound, lighting – it wasn't difficult to touch my sensitivity to beauty, sadness, eternity. It's wonderful to observe the light of stars, like seeing the past, I guess everyone has a story, a past to remember, whether bland or bitter, yet all are miraculous pieces of life that we cannot change and wouldn't want to change. Although the film focuses on the story of the two main characters, what happens around them are also memories worth cherishing, like her fleeting romance with the doctor, Ms. Tsunemi's regrettable relationship, their parents' stories, family matters, their siblings. All create a truly beautiful picture for me to admire, look at, feel, and change my own picture. And I really didn't want the film to end so quickly!

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watched 11/24-25

when i first saw the trailer i knew i was definitely going to be tuning in tho i do not know much of hikaru utada's songs, the trailer was enough to get me hooked. fist love stories may be cliche but it's a classic and if it's done well then im sold! what made me interest to even watch was the early 2000s/late 1990s setting (tho they can absolutely be heartbreaking - looking at you 2521 and 20th century girl) and the cinematography, let alone i had never seen a drama based on a song before. on an 'overall' note, the drama does not only touch on the main first love storyline, but as well as a youthful coming of age story of two people you see growing up and how it unfolds. it's also a story about a mother who works two jobs day and night to support her family. its about teenagers having dreams and goals of their own. it's about a man and woman finding themselves years later. i loved this drama on how it would give us a certain 'piece of the puzzle' then showing the backstory leading up to the exact 'moment'. i tried veryyy hard to avoid spoilers and the way yae (FL) got into the car crash and HER GETTING AMNSESIA??? had me shocked because i know the way dramas try to work around the trope and it sometimes does not end up as good as it should have been, but let me say that if yae never regained her memories with harumichi i would be pissed off and im so glad they did not do them dirty <3 i also loved harumichis relationship with his family (especially w/ his sister)

the cinematography was breathtaking, every shot was so beautifully done - i think one of the best this year! as well as the writing, it was so inspiring sometimes. the soundtrack was great as always i think using 'first love' by hikaru utada was a perfect option for a drama based on it. rewatch value 3/5, not bad i think i see myself rewatching on a cold or rainy day when im sad or bored a year from now since its such a quick watch anyways. it really sucks how little promo there's been for the drama but i better see more people watching so it gets higher ratings and im very content this was my first japanese drama for 2022!!

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encounters and disagreements

To begin with, I should say that I cried a lot, I was extremely moved by many moments.
At first I discovered the drama because of the music and every time it played I would burst into tears. When you catch the references throughout the series it's very emotional, like the strawberry scene, when you notice the fish scene...
I believe a lot in destiny, and that was exactly the case, I identified with the story a few times, and when I realized it, it was a new reason to cry.
It hurt deep in my soul to see all the time they wasted, the dreams they gave up on realizing, hurts to know everything she could have been, what they could have been if her mother hadn't done that, and then her mother still comes with the hypocritical talk that her (the mother's) fate was terrible? Everything was her fault and hers alone (it made me very angry).
I cried really hard in the scene where she was working cleaning while watching the flight attendants pass by, living the life she dreamed of living.
To top it off, I found the ending extremely rushed, it could have shown her meeting his family, her son discovering his mother's story. I was happy that they made their dreams come true. But I found the son's romance with the dancer a bit drawn out, I understand that because of that he got a lot closer to his mother and Namiki, but I found it so boring (It seemed like they were trying to promote some career, it wasn't natural).
Namiki is the embodiment of my ideal type, and their story is the most perfect thing, all the encounters and disagreements brought them together on the same path. It was emotional to discover the moment they fell in love for the first time they teenagers were the most perfect and cute thing).

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Hikaru Utada's sensational songs gave us a gem

I will refer to Harumichi as Haru in this review. When I started watching this show I was in the mindset that they would give us a bittersweet ending. Infact if the story ended at episode 8 I wouldn't mind. It was bittersweet but felt much more realistic than the real ending. I loved the acting of the main leads and their younger selves in this show. Haru is a character who is a delinquent during his high school years. However he changes after his encounter with Yae. Both of them are each other's first love. They sprinkled the sweet and tender moments between them throughout the show. But then the tragedy strikes. Yae gets into an accident and loses her memories of few years especially the ones she spent with Haru. Yae's mother who keeps her daughter away from Haru (and justifiably so) results in their seperation. Yae gets married to a doctor and gets pregnant with a son, Tsuzuru. One of the things I really loved about the show is Haru's bond with his deaf sister Yu. Knowing Japan and it's obsession to incest I was surprised to see such a beautiful sibling relationship. But I guess it's much more prevalent in anime. Also speaking of Yu I loved her and Haru's best friend Bonji's short love story. The way he freaking proposed to Yu was really adorable. It was such a heartwarming moment. I also liked that they showed how Haru tried to get over Yae with Tsunemi, although it didn't work. I liked they dedicated an episode to her and how she met Haru. It was also nice to see that they didn't just put her there for a plot point. Tsunemi is nyctophobic and that made her a much deeper character. Haru's development from a delinquent to a man who will protect the country was wonderful to see. There are things that I did not like in the show. I didn't care about Tsuzuru's love story. That's not to say he himself was a bad character. But his love interest didn't feel anything special. I didn't care for their resolution. While I love episode 9 because it shows us the start of the main relationship of the show I can't help but wonder episode 8 was a better ending. Although episode 9 ties up all the loose ends of the show. It's nice to see a happy ending in a show full of heartbreaks. I am thankful to this show for introducing me to a wonderful song.

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Great Acting, Lacking in Writing

LIKES:
Colour palate, cinematography, landscapes and location settings, lighting, are all very good.
Acting: Young Harumichi (Kido Taisei), FL (Hikari Mitsushima), ML (Takaru Sato), young Yae (Rikako Yagi), were all excellent showing emotion and fitting their characters.
The concept of the story: First Love, the kind you can’t forget even as an adult and want to find again.
The sign language used was nice to see too.
Sound Track was okay, but needed more from the 90s to fit the story. The music didn’t overpower the voices of the actors and actresses. I did like the music tracks used to show Tsuzuru’s music production talent.

DISLIKES:
Production: once again no film stabilizer and it was extremely annoying and unnecessary for the camera to be shaking!

Editing: some of the sequences were out of order for showing the past when the main characters were teenagers.

Props: CDs, CD player, movie references, had wrong year if it’s supposed to match the song release. Some of the “costumes” were not the correct era.

Writing: Plot holes, cliches and a totally stupid (X-rated or should be) sex scene thrown in. KassyFan27 gives a lot of insight into the messy writing. Amnesia as a plot device, to explain Yae’s memory gaps… ridiculous or just lazy writing. Side characters that didn’t add to the story or help with character growth. Yae seemed to have character growth but not so much with Mr. Namiki.


OVERALL: I power watched it all in one night. I did like it, although it had some slow spots (pacing issues). Some stand out acting by a few people. I would recommend it if you like Melodramas or the ML & FL, but I won’t watch it again, (even though Takaru Sato looks very good in a uniform).

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100% worth watching if you enjoy romance

The male leads (both the teen and the adult) were just absolutely phenomenal in this show. The teenage girl and the adult woman FL didn't look much alike and that was honestly distracting.
Some of the camera shots looked like paintings, especially at the beginning of each episode where they'd show the title. The still shot with the title was always absolutely beautiful.
It's not comedy, but-- like life-- there were some funny parts.
It's mostly sad, with a bit of hopeful and happy. I do have to say, I didn't understand the hero's reasoning in episode 8, it make no sense to me. Nor did the heroine's choices right after. It would've been good if they'd talked to someone to spell it out for the audience.

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Honestly.... a mixed bag.

I loved how Hatsukoi's trailer promised a modern touch despite all the old-school (read: classic) tropes. Never thought, the one characteristic of this drama that I looked forward to the most, would turn out to be so polarizing for me. The quiet and mellow narrative quality struck out to me as akin to an indie-movie. Which isn't problematic per se, but I would have still preferred my 'big moments' to be delivered as punchy and gut-wrenching. Dialing down the dramatic tension did disservice to what should have felt cathartic. It's certainly not how dramas would choose to deliver them.

Which brings me to my next point. I find the down-to-earth tones of a good slice-of-life j-dorama particularly endearing. However, for a 'fated' love story such as Hatsukoi, I question whether inundating the viewers with the mundanity, humdrum and the hardships of Yae's daily life was really the correct decision. The background noise from the never-ending series of details keeps us from fully realizing that the biggest tragedy in her life was indeed forgetting Harumichi (aka her first love).
Yes, her life is sh*tty, we get it. The writers didn't have to make it the 'bigger story to tell', is all I'm saying.

As for Harumichi, I was somehow hoping his defense background would have a part to play in how miserable and difficult his life has been too. But aside from a brief mention of a back-injury he received on the line-of-duty, and the Sendai Earthquake which doesn't play out exactly how you'd imagine in an angsty love-story... his character arc feels inconclusive because of details and events which add up to nothing. Again, I wish the writer did not undersell the 'real tragedy' of his first love being forgotten. And that his character background was realized to a fuller potential.

The movie-like treatment isn't entirely all negative though. Hatsukoi's strengths lie mainly in its cinematic narrative structure and I quickly ended up being a fan of its non-chronological storytelling. It lends a modern flair to melodrama-stories of the past with lengthy flashback arcs. The camera-language is beyond beautiful and the snowy Hokkaido landscapes were absolutely dream-like! The hardware department of the production has aced it, and viewers can clearly see where the money went! I enjoyed the performance of the younger actors, who were downright adorable (and sold the story more than the senior actors imo). The writer also cleverly sprinkles red-herrings throughout the early episodes, which kept me guessing from 'are Harumichi & Yae dating in the present or just heading their separate ways?' to 'is Tsuzuru Harumichi's son, and if so, how?' Made for an engaging watch, despite the obvious story flaws.
Bonus: the theme song (First Love by Utada Hikaru) isn't played to death, thankfully! :D


In conclusion, Hatsukoi is a good one-time watch, and even more so, if you aren't exactly a fan of old-school dramas. From a technical point-of-view, the drama appears super polished. My extremely biased POV is only a result of over-expectation, and anticipating the drama for TWO years.
However, it is my advice to ardent fans of the classics... you would miss those emotionally hard-hitting moments and the grandeur of larger-than-life love stories. Stick to Winter Sonata instead, if you wish to ugly-cry!

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