Predetermined sadness and a grief never coped with
This is a sad story, with a sad beginning and, unsurprisingly, a foreseeable sad ending. I sort of liked the plot, but I am rather indecisive regarding the acting. The story is just a miracle which happened due to love. So far so good. It becomes clear from the onset that this miracle has an expiration date and that it is all about coping with sadden loss. The idea is rather genuine, but the realization quite stylized in a typical Japanese manga fashion. Unfortunately, the developing of the characters (mainly of the one left behind) is unsatisfying - after 8 episodes the mourning lover has not come to terms with what happened, in fact he has not really progressed at all. If the story had some comic instances in-between, I might had forgiven this, but alas this is not the case. So we are left with an unresolved emotional burden (no catharsis, no absolution, no new hope). Perhaps, if the penultimate scene replaced the last one, we would at least have been left with a shimmer of hope.Generally, the story feeds on the emotional distress induced by the sadness of the event (but not the ensuing plot), offers a predetermined unavoidable course of events. It generally falls under the definition of a kitsch movie/series, namely one that gives no food for thought and just evokes tears through pre-chewed emotions (very much like your typical tele-novella, simply in a more artistic Japanese style).
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A beautiful yet bittersweet story, one about love, death, and learning to let go
I was really surprised, 8 short episodes of stories, yet every single one filled me with such strong emotions. Koichi and Mitsuru's relationship is just absolutely beautiful, from their first time meeting, to their last farewell. I was blown away by their amazing acting, the way they could portray such strong emotions, how they managed to capture the complex characters and emotions.This series portrayed the stages of grief through Mitsuru's experiences after Koichi's 'death', and it was amazing. Mitsuru tries as hard as he could to hold on, and Koichi also tries as hard as he could to humour Mitsuru. But afterall, everything must come to an end. It was when they both came to the realisation - that this could no longer go on - that my heart utterly shattered into pieces for them, yet i was glad, so very glad it happened.
Indeed, the one who gets left behind always suffers more than the one who leaves, and while Mitsuru did let go knowing that Koichi was suffering too, he promised to never forget Koichi. He will always love him, and Koichi will always be his number one. And that itself is maturing, learning to let go, and to treasure what they had. Perhaps Mitsuru will meet and see Koichi's spirit in the future as he did his mother, perhaps Mitsuru may find and love another, but his memories with Koichi will forever be precious.
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Familiar BL Theme Leads to Dead End
Well, I was really looking forward to a final episode where Mitsuru wakes up from a dream to find Koichi really isn't dead. But you really can't have a same gender love story without one (or both) of the heroes dying a violent death or living out their lives in misery and loneliness. Here we get both cliches. That kills any re-watch value for me. But I'll give the writer credit for the dad accepting the same-sex romance of his son without question or the usual parental hysterics. Yuki Matsumura gives the stand-out performance as Mitsuru's dad, with a lovely speech in the final episode. As for the two leads, Sora Inoue is a bit too stoic for me. He seems disinterested in nearly every scene. He does get one good crying scene at the end, but even that's a bit too subtle. Fortunately, his love interest Koichi (Rio Komiya) steps up to do the heavy lifting in the kissing scenes. These actors look good together so I'd give them a look in a better story. The music may be the best part of this show. It's simple but on point in every scene. I rewatched sections just to hear the music again. The theme of dead partners has become a bit of a cliche in boy love dramas. As these are written for girls, I assume the message to guys is -- get back to dating girls or you'll end up lonely and miserable chasing after your dead boyfriend. We probably need more guys to write these Y stories to impart more empathic plots.Was this review helpful to you?
A gem...but not everyone's cup of tea!
People saying its disturbing... With the living corpse and all. And yet, they watch vampire shows and movies with no problem. Vampires are DEAD too! It's fiction so treat it as such🙄 Anyway... Yeah, it was a beautiful drama, great actors and chemistry, great work behind the cameras... Everything was masterfully done. I gave it an 9 for the ending. Even tho i'm good with a sad ending because it gives life a little spice, im still a sucker for happy-endings,so yeah... I know i expected it to be sad, but there still was a teenie tiny hope that some other miracle might happen. So yeah... Worth the watch, but keep a box of tissues near-the tears are gonna flood. 👍🏻👍🏻👌🏻Was this review helpful to you?
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Ahh my first bl drama. I didn't even knew it was a tragic bl but like after episode 1 i found out it was a tragic story i usually don't like tragic story but i was so fascinated by watching them together i watched the whole series..if i put it. simply it's a great drama .. but the accident scene where koichi gets hit by truck the blood on koichi wasn't really looking realistic but i wouldn't cut any points for that because i simply adore them. ..gosh i fell in love with rio koimya(koichi) ..<3 not gonna lie i cried my eyes out when koichi disappeared.. lol my whole pillow was soaked with tears Was this review helpful to you?
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A Metaphor For Mourning, Regret, Coping, and Letting Go.
Many people when reading the summary for this drama may find the concept silly, but the show uses it masterfully to show how different people cope with death.The biggest thing in the drama is forgetting about someone when they're gone, how many people will forget you, but there will always be at least one person who will never forget. By the end, Mitsuru is unable to forget Koichi and is unable to move on, forever holding on to a lingering sadness.
One of my favourite messages from this series, said by Mitsuru's father, is that you don't have to force yourself to heal. It's always good to try to move on, to heal, but sometimes, a lot of times realistically, it's impossible and that's okay.
This series has become one of my favourites and is one of the very few dramas that has actually made me cry. I'm a sucker when it comes to death metaphors in shows, so this one really hits the spot. This is a short review, but I don't have much to say besides you should really watch this drama, for its message is one many people need to see and hear.
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Probably the best Drama I've ever watched
What makes this drama so special and unique is the way the sense of loss, the worry of forgetting our loved one and the silent mourning was illustrated. Both actors expressed so many feelings with their facial expressions, especially in scenes like the first kiss. It really caught my breath. The setting and the association with the rain is also super nice. I'm going to watch this drama again because it gave me tremendous comfort with the openness about this heavy subject (loss, fear, death). It was an unique experience.Was this review helpful to you?
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Impactful, important and very heartbreaking
This series shattered my heart into a million pieces over and over again.STORY - It's all about Koichi's realization that he cannot hold onto the world and Mitsuru forever and him feeling guilty about this and struggling to accept it until the last episode. Mitsuru's narrative really dives into what all grieving people must feel except it's even more painful for him as he has to slowly endure watching Koichi slip away from him and watch his grip on the world slowly get weaker until he has to let go. It is not just a love story but one about life and death and the crossover. It is super impactful and overwhelmingly sad and I'm sure many people endured the same but I just found myself crying along with them every episode.
ACTING - The actors did an indescribably good job at portraying the character's raw emotions and pains. It was honestly beautiful to watch and it didn't feel like I was watching a series but more like two actual people's story. I don't think anyone could have done it better and I'm grateful for that.
Music - The official soundtrack for this series went so well with the storyline that at first I didn't quite register it as for some reason it didn't feel like a soundtrack but more the emotions embodied into a song if that makes any sense whatsoever. In the final episode it really hit me hard.
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Dear reader, this series is a Tearjerker, watch own your own risk.
What can I say I'm speechless or you can say out of words. I just wanna hug koichi & michchan. They're adorable, I was just bored and looking for something to watch and eventually i found this series. At first i really liked the name," Eternal yesterday " I think it's quite interesting. I didn't aspect anything before watching this but when i completed this series i left with one question "what am i living for" "what's the purpose of my life" I hate sad endings but still I completed this series I felt the Emptiness inside of me. I already knew about the sad ending. I felt very bad for michchan. Another gem from Japan. Don't think about anything just watch. And I promise you will cry your eyes out.Was this review helpful to you?
UNCONVENTIONAL ROMANCE ?
Eien No KinouThis is an unconventional romance series based on a novel. You can tell cinematography is simple but grasped the mellow mood of a tragic romance between two young students.
I find this to be soft, quirky, emotional, and at times, low-key comical series.
The BGM blended wonderfully with the mood of the scenes without causing any distraction
support cast did their job of moving the story forward, and unlike many romantic shows where a side character upstages the protagonists, in this series they are all interconnected and contributed to the story. The series could’ve had an extra episode or two, because the climax leaves you feeling a little empty, like we deserved some more.
If you are a crier, grab some tissues and be prepared for a heart-breaking wistful ending.
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Unexpectedly good for this kind of theme
Even though I am the kind of person who is a sucker for stories with sad endings and supernatural themes, I think it would be unfair if I won't give this a 10/10. This series is excellent in terms of delivery of something that they want to portray which is grief. I could say this could still BL romance because we cannot deny the warmth, love, and authenticity that the two main characters have portrayed. I just loved how the story didn't focus in romance like we usually see from other bls. It was such a brave thing how they tackled this depressing theme but managed to still deliver a beautiful ending.Aside from the story, the acting and chemistry between the actors were very natural. Especially Sora, his eyes speak and expressions speak. Rio also delivered a great job of an excellent portrayal of the cheerful and lively character of Koichi.
Lastly, the ost was one of the ops I couldn't skip, and I just also checked the lyrics behind the song, and I didn't expect how the lyrics fit so much in the story
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Couldn't help but watch
Through the "tear jerker" warnings, I forced myself to watch this and I'm so glad I did. I honestly feel like this could've been a comedy in some parts. There were some cute and quirky moments I just felt made the series more lovable than sad with all the happy energy from our MC. Overall, it's an amazing series with a cute cast and heartfelt story that is greatly enjoyable. Death is inevitable but if it comes after we've been able to experience life's little sweet gifts, I feel it makes it so much more bearable.Enjoy!
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