Beautiful and Heartbreaking Love Story
Subjective Gut Rating - 8.75If 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
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Truly a Miracle Show
After watching the 1st ep , for a moment i thought about quitting, bcz of its lack of realism of kouchi's death, but hell i was so wrong, the following episodes really blew me up, as not only it has so great acting between leads, their love shown in their eyes, their expressions, their monologue, OST, kisses ans skinship, everything was exceptional. Even though i was somewhat expecting a Happy Ending during the last ep, as i hate tragedy, but still it is undeniably the best BL of this year, and maybe best Japanese BL too. Such a great story should not be missed.Was this review helpful to you?
Best JBL of the year
Not seeing this rated at least 9 is like a hate crime, there shouldn't even a rate for it it because it goes beyond numbers on how beautiful this is.I love every little parts of it. Every aspects of it is almost an excellence. Excellent story, excellent writing, excellent acting, excellent cinematography, excellent soundtrack
It also dethroned my top 1 bl. I will never forget this beautiful underrated masterpiece. It also keeps me wandering for weeks already.
This is a story that stays in your heart.
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At a loss here
I am not sure how to feel about this drama. The chemistry between the main leads got me hooked and kept me hooked. But I had my issues with the story. I’m not into stories with dead people and walking corpses. I find it creepy most of the time. And how the story unfolds until the end left me at a loss regarding some deeper meaning. After all the build up over the episodes this drama felt weirdly shallow after finishing it imho.(Review from 2022/12/19)
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UNDERRATED, this is perfect!
This is definitely one of the best Japanese BL, this drama needs more recognition!The whole drama is an art, is a masterpiece!
I love the acting from both leads, especially the iconic first meeting scene, which is very memorable for me.
It gives me butterflies everytime i watch that deep-gaze of each other.
I have watched a bunch of BL drama, and this is one of those with a unique and unusual plot within.
Also supported by the outstanding cinematography with a gloomy-melancholic tone.
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Simply Superb
This was so beautiful but heartbreaking💕 One of the best Japanese bl I have ever seen👍🇦🇺 The acting was fabulous and the story is sad but brave in the story telling👏👏👏 I love all Japanese BL and some are better than others and this one was a hidden masterpiece and thanks to all the actors and production team!Was this review helpful to you?
Japan series are an whole other level of quality
I don't like sad series or movies but this show is for sure an exception.I need to give it 10 stars because everything about this series is just perfect. It has amazing acting skills (you can feel their love through the way they look at each other), storyline, cinematography and the script which is extremely philosophical and meaningful. It's not the typical bl love story, it is completely different and unique. Makes you think about the meaning of life and how you should care and enjoy every little moment with the ones you love.
Japan deserves more recognition for their bl series, some of them really outstand from the other countries, this series is one of them. The ranking should be at least a 9!
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This review may contain spoilers
this is genius
okay. There are only a handful of BL series or films that I will never ever forget. This is one of them. The acting, the cinematography, the direction, the acting, the writing, everything. I watched it so many months ago and it still haunts me. I can't begin to describe how powerful and beautiful it is. You have to experience it. It's what BL should and could be.That being said I warn you that the end will gut you in ways you don't expect. Not dramatic but heart wrenching. Every time I see the title on World of BL or other places I tear up and move quickly on. If this is making you not want to see it, ignore me. Just warning you that you are in for something so rare and amazing and surprising.
I gave it 10's across the board but only a three for re-watching because I can't again without losing it and I don't know who could in their right mind. Maybe I can in time.
But it is a must see.
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We are each others’ number one, for all eternity
I’ve been spoiled and read several warnings about this show yet I still decided to brace it and see it for myself. Ahh yes, the reviews are all right, this drama hurts me so much. That’s why it has been raining so much since the pilot episode because they surely left us in tears. It was a good cry from a wonderful yet sorrowful love story.I was not expecting it to be in a supernatural and mystery genre. It was a short yet the most meaningful time for the main couple. The unforeseen accident was miserable but a miracle happened, Koichi became a living corpse and froze his own time. I love the creative reasoning behind the meaning of Eternal Yesterday as the title of the drama. The main characters are always and will always be living from the precious memories of the past. The recollection of Mitchan's moments with Koichi.
From the beginning until the end, this show never failed to burst me into tears. All the characters are so lovely and the way that they produced the story of the main characters is just heartwarming. I might be too late to finish this story but I will never regret sinking myself into one of the greatest romances that I’ve seen in all BLs.
“You’re still my number one. I love you the most.”
“Mitchan, thank you for the miracle.”
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This review may contain spoilers
love stayed longer than life allowed
eternal yesterday is not about ghosts or miracles—it's about the unbearable gentleness of holding someone who is slipping away, slowly, lovingly, and completely. it is about youth wrapped in the warmth of first love, and the cold that follows after.koichi and michan love each other with the quiet certainty only teenagers know—a kind of love untouched by shame, unafraid of truth. they fall not with fireworks, but with open palms and tender eyes. it's all so soft—until it begins to end.
koichi dies. and then he doesn't
he comes back, not fully alive, not fully gone—a miracle that feels more like a wound. he smiles, he talks, he stays. but with every passing day, the world forgets him. only michan remembers. only michan holds on.
and what is grief if not the act of remembering when no one else will?
there is something devastating in their devotion—not in tragedy, but in kindness. koichi loves michan enough to stay. michan loves koichi enough to let him go. this is a story where love is not proven by how long you hold on, but by how gently you release what was never yours to keep.
their story isn't fair. it isn't easy. but it's full of a kind of purity that hurts—the kind that only youth and first love can create. that ache of knowing you've found something real, and still having to say goodbye.
in the end, eternal yesterday is a love poem disguised as a ghost story. a soft ache that lingers in the chest. a reminder that sometimes love, no matter how brief or broken, is still real. still worth remembering.
they were just boys. but to each other, they were everything.
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This series have another color to the story
At first, i want to review each episode after i watch it immediately. However, after watching the 3rd episode i couldn't gather my will power to stop watching and review it. Instead, i keep going from the 4th episode until finish.This week i watch a few different series back to back. So when i watched the 1st episode I thought it will be another generic love story where the main characters are the opposite of each other. One is popular and chatty and the other are gloomy and quiet. But the storey give a twist at the 2nd episode which makes me wonder for the rest of the story.
I like this series because it gives another eye opener story to me.
This is a story where you know it'll be a bit of sad ending but also makes you want to watch the rest of the story. (note: i'm not a fan of sad ending)
Both the main character reminds me that they're can change. Koichi is very bright and always put others before him also he tends to bring himself to cheer others even when he's not. but at the end of the story he changed. he realized that he can have a variety of emotions. and Oumi also changed. he relized he can be a warmth to someone and he can stop building walls around him.
my selfish opinion for this series : if this series has a happy ending i'd give it 9 stars for sure
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isn't a love story, but a hope story,
A masterpiece, damm I can't deny I LOVE the soundtrack and all the sounds effects of the serie, reminds me the sounds of Evangelion and thats WONDERFUL, because they are both masterpieces, I really cannot deny that they catch me, and the drama is sad, that's undeniable. But the colors of the story are incredible, I feel a mix of good and bad feelings watching this two beautiful and talents guys (of course the story is something more than the romance, I know about all that stuff, but let's focus on the romance). The actors did a great job, the lead roles too, the production was amazing, I really wish they took the direction of ep 4, but I'm satisfield with the end, I cry, I smile, it's hard to put in words, is so deep and lovely at the same time, the main point isn't a love story, but a hope story, that's why is totally catching.Was this review helpful to you?
