Glass Heart

can music carry the series?

this drama is carried by two things: the acting, and the music. unlike other people, i personally see music part is more of a weakness. the heavy reliance on music makes the dialogue between characters feel a bit monotone, especially since the story itself is quite straightforward and easy to follow. the performances especially by the lead actors are strong and give the story emotional weight in slice of life genre, making the characters believable and easy to connect with. also, their on screen chemistry is another highlight in this series. i'd recommend this drama to anyone who likes music centered stories with a tip of slice of life.

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Amazing journey in a crazy world of music!!

this drama really catched my attention from the very first moment of the raining scene where the deep passion for music prevails!! it was the starting point where Akane and Naoki met firstly and started this marvelous journey to make their wonderful music reaching everybody!!!

●Akane: I like in her personality that she doesn't give up easily though she was criticized by many fans of Tenblank that she is an unknown one and won't make the band working to do well with her presence but her insistence to always persisting on mastering to be the best drummer made her path to be successful that I liked all her scenes playing so hard and passionately drums but to be honest in the romantic part for her, I didn't like the fact that for the sake of loving Naoki, she brought him with her to write music though knowing music would destroy him after knowing about his health issue...

●Naoki: he is the major complete package star of this drama!! he is the pillar that gave the most shining parts of this show!! too simply he is marvelously performing music and singing perfectly!! he is having such rare beautiful and tender voice that would make everybody melting with his lyrics and living with his words...
I don't think I had ever seen any person who would be deeply addicted to writing songs even under the most hard situations and environment when he was facing serious medical problem or in the middle of deadly freezing weather!!! I would believe Naoki is a real music artist with his realistic and mind blowing acting!! I like his quirky side of character adding some fun to the show...
it was a great transition for once when after making the music his first priority in life to finally having mutual feelings for Akane...

●Sho: he is one of the most likeable person that I really think he gave the show its worthiness alongside Naoki!! I just admire that deep friendship he is cherishing with Naoki!! he is the savior, caring and considerate for his best friend, he is the one shining when playing guitar so passionately that I was surprised this actor would perform in such splendid way!!
I am in love with all the scenes of them together when they get to know each other at the start...

●Kazushi: though he wasn't in a good term with Naoki, considering him a rival in music and romance but I like his scenes when playing harmoniously music with the band but he couldn't deny that he was affected with the presence of Naoki all the way being in members of the same band...
he was impressive how caring for Akane though starting on the wrong foot but he meant to say to her that he liked her music when realizing that with time and noticing her crush for Naoki, I would have wished if they made Kazushi and Akane a couple together...

●Toya: just when looking at him singing with Naoki that was one of the best firing scenes that really was literally dazzling!! their interactions and chemistry are so captivating that I can feel the heat of living every single lyrics they are singing...
he is another hidden gem in this drama who played so amazingly that led to make it sucessful and worthy to watch and gave splendor for the show!!
I was surprised that he is the half brother of Naoki but the later played an important role to make the hostility fading away until reuniting together in a one marvelous scene of their great singing!!

the other supporting characters were so good and well choosen, they did a great job in acting... Yukino and Naoki played so good togther as duo in singing and really stole the attention!! I can't forget the jealousy of Akane when seeing them together but it is normal for such promising star like Naoki for showing girls are having crush on him making a complicated love triangle alongside the unrequited love of Kazushi for Akane...

I think that they should have added here Sho, Kazushi and Akane to the main characters alongside with Naoki cause thay play the same important roles as members of the same music band!! I like all the music albums of Tenblank that was so impressive and enjoyable to hear!!! all their concerts carried wonderful emotions like breaking the earth with their loud power of music that I can't get over them!!

I would say that I gave 8.5 rating for the reason of romantic part, though I like Akane with both Naoki and Kazushi but don't know feeling it was unpleasant to make it an unrequited love from only the side of Kazushi to end giving up on her after that and would be better if she gave a chance for a relationship with him instead of only clinging on Naoki and thinking that Kazushi could be a nice person to her... but anyway the romance part is a subplot and the focus majorly was on music!!

I felt the drama began so strongly and started to be more interesting in the three last episodes especially the final episode was heavenly magnificent like watching a live concert but wished if they showed us what happened to the medical issue of Naoki cause it ended shortly like missing this part which made me too giving this rating...

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this drama is just a gem!!

I started this kinda randomly because I saw Machida Keita in the cast and I found a gem!!

some of the reviews say that music is the true protagonist of the show, even overwhelming the plot at some point, but honestly as a music lover myself, I loved that so much focus was on the music. Honestly they did such a good job with the songs, the performances, the set-ups, it all felt kinda real and helped the immersion.

The band is AMAZING. it looks like they shouldn't work because they're the "i only play alone" type (save for Akane of course) but at the end of the series I love the bond they've crated among themselves.
And the visuals my GOD they all look so good and stylish every single scene, I wanted to cry with how beautiful everyone was (we won't talk about Akane's orange hair, that was a fever dream)
I thought my crush on Machida Keita couldn't get bigger but I was sO WRONG. Every scene in which he had a ponytail was a gift to humanity.
Satou Takeru played the role brilliantly. he really felt like a music genius all the time. And him always being in an overside winter coat, hoodie, or blanket and popping up from random spots on the floor was such a mood.
Kazushi my boy... the most stylish of them all. I wish he had more screen time!! He's such an interesting character, I am so weak for tsundere types, I can't believe he was a victim of the second male lead syndrome.
And Akane-chan!! She's such a pure and positive spirit, she brings so much joy and earnestness, you just can't help but root for her!!

Were there some overexagerated moments that felt a bit too cringe or stupid? yes, like lady manager locking Akane in a room and literally shipping her away because she was jealous. don't even let me start on the fact that Touya was stabbed and no one thought to call the police and find out who stabbed him and why?? and arrest him?? also, the dude was performing like his life depended on it on a hospital rooftop as if he didn't almost bleed to death the very same day,,,, man what about stiches??? ANYWAY, it's a drama so we'll forgive it

the only regret I have for this show is that I wished they expended on the characters more because they're so interesting and potentially and emotionally profound but why don't know much about them! we have lots of moments between Naoki and Akane but we barery know their backstory, let alone Kazushi's or Sho's.

Also, the ending: the last episode was epic with the concert and the duets with some familiar faces. I don't know why but it reminded me of the final section in the movie "Bohemian Rhapsody" where there's the whole Live Aid Queen performance and afterwards it ends like that, in this case letting you wonder what will happen to Naoki and if Tenblank will ever return. It felt a bit rushed, as it they chose the easiest way out not to deal with it :/

This was so long and messy but in any case, this show is amazing PLEASE GIVE IT A GO!!

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I will hardly get over it

Let me start with the negative sides (if there are any): it's true that the plot is rushed, maybe weak and the characters deserved more time to be better defined and described. Akane character could have been better written because too often she appears like the usual jdrama FL unable to do anything on her own and waiting for her Prince Charming to come and save her.
After this premise, here's why for me it's an absolute 10: the very first scene left me breathless and all songs are an explosion of emotions and power. The acting is top notch and Takeru Satoh shines as he always does in all the series I've seen.
It's like a long music video with a little story in between the singing and I find it perfectly balanced like this.
Few are the dramas that make me want to start over again once finished, but this is one of them. As soon as the last episode ended, I felt the urge to go back to that incredible first scene and the one in which Naoki and Toya sing together on the roof of the hospital.
Maybe too many things were left inresolved or poorly depicted, but they did the best with the time given and a longer series wouldn't have been so powerful and perfect as it is now.

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A Musical Drama That Hit All the Right Notes

I may be biased, but I haven’t seen a truly great musical drama in ages that had all the elements I love as a music enthusiast. Usually, these shows lean more on drama and less on music - but this one blew my mind.

Story - Refreshing! As a music enthusiast, I was instantly drawn in. Musicians often meet their bandmates just by jamming (even though finding someone that good isn’t very realistic - but hey, it’s a show). And I loved that 🥹.

The actors - Every single one of them nailed their roles.
Why does Jun remind me so much of Younghwa and also Shinwoo from You’re Beautiful? For both those characters, I had a second-lead syndrome 😭. But here, the ML definitely deserves Akane - no doubt about that.

The music - The entire OST was incredible. The writing and composing involved some amazing Japanese artists - a few of them are my personal favourites - so of course, I loved every single song. This show is basically a movie told through a concert, but it has a heart and soul. The storytelling was heartwarming and surprisingly deep - each song carried emotions only music can express better than dialogue. And even the dialogues were beautifully written.

I love how Aoki is portrayed as a crazy-ass musician prodigy who knows everything. I’ve known such people in real life, and trust me, it’s not always easy being around them - they got that right. The “never meet your idols” concept? Nailed it. I’ve seen musician friends meet theirs, and it didn’t go well.

Overall - This show made me laugh, but cry even more - both happy and sad tears. I loved the open ending because in my head, Tenblank is doing fine, having fan meets in Japan and gearing up for future concerts.

To the actors who actually trained for their roles in Tenblank, to the director, and to the entire team who made this show happen - a big, heartfelt thank you! ❤️

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Rock is not Dead

Let’s start by saying this drama was a breath of fresh air, it was heart warming and almost magical. Maybe, for me, nostalgic just because Beck is still one of my favorite movies and I love when Japan does band dramas/movies. But in each and every episode of this drama, several times, I would say to myself Rock is not dead or at least it is not Dead in Japan.
This drama had music as its main genre, I don’t even know if music can be described as a genre but if you watch it I’m sure that is what you will define the genre as well and it works.
I can say if the whole drama was just about the band and nothing of the others plot points was present, none of the personal conflicts, it would still be an amazing drama, they made music became the reason, the development, the main character and also an essential part of everything.
But when you add everything else of characters development and sub plots happening in the story this drama goes from being amazing to being fantastic, and it is a step up in the ladder.
I fell in love with all the characters in it, from the main one to the least important. All of them were so multidimensional and well portrayed, even if in the first glance they appeared very cliche they would do something that made them special.
Trying to say something about Sato Takeru portrayal of Naoki, is very hard, the more years pass the more acting I see of him, the more I fall in love. This man is charming as h**l, and I love everything he does, sorry I can’t be impractical at it.
All the members of the band did an amazing job, but my shout out goes to Takaishi Akari as Yukino, her character was so well made, so interesting, so refreshing and she was just a support role, and I wanted to see more of her.
Truly I wanted to see more of everything, the end of this drama left me wanting so much more, give me a season 2, 3, 4, 55 I will watch it all.
Talking about the soundtrack is a joke of so much perfect it was, it made me listen to it all and made me want to listen to my old playlist of my teenage years full of Myavi,l'arc en ciel, orange rang, high and might color, and everything I would listen from Japan.
And finally, if you ask me if I would rewatch it, I finished it 2 days ago, and I already think of watching again.

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Great, great, great...

Great show, great acting, great music, great chemistry and characters. I was captivated by this magic, I became a Tenblank fan in a minute. Great musicans and singers.
The series portrayed the personality and inner world of a true genius in a truly realistic way, In my mind, a genius, a true artist is exactly like Naoki Fujitani. Satoh Takeru gave a brilliant performance, his acting and performing arts were at such a high level, I have rarely seen anything like that earlier. Among other things, that's why this production worked so well. Satoh Takeru is a genius for me and his voice... amazing.
I loved all the characters, all the bandmates, Kazushi (he was my favorite, I secretly hoped Akane would choose him, even though I was happy for Akane and Fujitani's love), Takakoka, Akane, they were so loveable, cool, special and charismatic. I really liked how they connected each other, their unique stories that brought them together, and how they stood by each other until the end. The ups and downs, in joy and sorrow, in success and failure they were one family, one invincible team. I would definitely mention the roles of Toya and Yukino, they really fit into the story and made it even more interesting.
What's a bit negative is that I didn't feel a huge breakthrough with Akane's character, I often felt the character was a bit boring and didn't develop much. Akane's character could have had a lot more potential, but in the last part, she really came to life.
The series showed what the power and love of music really means, and how to make a huge impact.
Another plus point is that it was really nice to hear the familiar song (Hikaru U.-First love) from Satoh's previous successful series, I really like it when similar references appear in a series. :)
I am very grateful to the creators, the actors and the entire crew for this special and lasting experience. Music is the cure for everything.

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Maddeningly Good

This show made me mad. Not because it was bad or disappointing (like, frankly, so many of its peers), but because it got me. Hit me right in the heart, and I wasn't expecting it.

If you've read any of my reviews you'll know I carry a certain cynicism about Japanese live-action. I often find it to be cartoonish, awkward, and pointless. Countless experiences with shows like these has built up an armor for me, a way for me to relegate any new j-drama as a fun but ultimately shallow pass time, like a Netflix doc that stretches a few too many episodes. So I was caught completely off guard when Glass Heart demanded my attention immediately and didn't let go. Even a frankly cliche few opening minutes carried some magic in it, some hint of secret sauce which Netflix has been using to raise the bar on k-dramas in recent years. And as the show started to weave its plot, to develop its characters, to hint its themes, I was bewildered.

This show is undeniably a j-drama. Traces of their DNA is scattered across every episode: over-earnest protagonists, a genius male lead to outshine the rest, infectious angst, and abrupt monologues in which a character seems to blurt out their deepest complexities like a self psychiatrist. And yet here we find an extra layer of subtlety, a necessary injection of hope and ambition, and most importantly an idea. To make everything worthwhile they've managed to build the show around a group of core ideas, intrinsic facets of the human experience which bear exploring. My unshakeable hate for the "quirky genius ml showing fl the light" trope was finally toppled by the fascinating motif that "the sound of a genius makes ordinary people miserable." What a fascinating, resonant message. I'm so upset.

I have a friend who hates the movie Up. She calls it emotional manipulation. Finally I understand how she feels, because I was swept up so swiftly and completely into the emotions of this show that I couldn't help but feel offended by its audacity. It left me with the same hollow wonder that Your Name did, a certain gaping hole where a mountain of feeling had just carved its way through. I resent it. But I cannot deny that it is the foundation of a truly outstanding show. Well done.

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This show wrecked me (and that's a compliment)!

Now, is this show 'perfect'? Not quite-- there are admittedly some pretty unrealistic parts at times that do require viewers' suspension of disbelief to be in good healthy working order, LOL, and I wasn't fond of the spinny camerawork that's used (thankfully only just) a couple of times, either-- however, the characterization and relationships and emotion and just plain love that is woven throughout this are all quite powerful, and the overall production, music, and acting are at a quality level so insanely high that it's almost unreal (especially after finding out that whenever you can see the characters playing instruments, the actors were truly actually playing-- and had practiced incredibly hard for over a full year each before filming to be able to do so!), so I couldn't help but give it a full 10 overall even without complete-'perfection,' because this really is a masterpiece of labor and love.

Every actor was perfectly cast, but Takeru Satoh in particular (who also was actually the producer for this series!) was downright *incandescent* as the eccentric yet guileless and (usually) softly-caring musical savant who is the core that both the entire story as well as all the other characters revolve around-- he embodied that character so utterly that not only did I literally not even recognize him as the same actor who played Kenshin until I actually looked it up, but it was like the character didn't even exist and he just truly lived and breathed his soul (which is no surprise if you know about his supreme dedication to his roles-- to the point where he even *did his own stunts* in the Kenshin movies, which is just a flat-out *crazy* level of commitment in a work with that much {and that kind of} action!). And Keita Machida (who plays guitarist Sho), and Masaki Suda (who plays Toya, the leader of the band OVER CHROME), are also standout highlights in this already stellar cast.

As for the music, given its absolute importance for a work of this type, you'd fully expect it to be fantastic, and it truly is-- both the official TENBLANK tracks (which were released as an actual album in real life, and I'm really glad they did, because they're plenty great enough to want to listen to even on their own!) as well as all the various composing/jam sessions, collabs, piano playing, and even just background music throughout are all so darn good it's insane. I was alternately rocking out, getting goosebumps, holding back tears, and just plain stunned by its beauty in turns. This show's music is magic (and I have not stopped listening to it on loop since I watched it!).

As for the story: At first you'll think that it's going to be about the female lead character getting her dream back, then you'll think it's going to be about the male lead character forming a super-band and the typical story arc that sort of thing would take... however, it turns out that it's not really about any of that at all-- it's more about the beauty of music itself; and what a tangled web of affection and attachment can do to and for all the people wrapped within it; and what can make a person feel like living again; and finally fulfilling what one was born to do; and living each day to the fullest because there is no telling when it will end; and loving those around you purely, even if it hurts. And yes, sometimes the plot itself takes some extra-dramatic turns; however, even the parts that require suspension of disbelief somehow still worked here, because the themes are more important.

Now, to address some rather odd complaints that I've seen around here saying that the romance in this supposedly 'came out of nowhere' 'late in the show': Please be serious, guys... if you really didn't already fully assume that there was going to be a romance AFTER THE VERY OPENING SEQUENCE OF EPISODE 1 (where the FL and ML practically intertwined souls or somesuch through their music, LOL), then I'm sorry but I think you need to read some more shoujo manga to get a lock on the tropes, LOL, because it was honestly super obvious that they were going to be a thing right from the very start (and even *more* so when it was made perfectly clear that Sakamoto was a tsundere in episode 2 already-- because, again, knowing the tropes, it was also obvious that he'd of course then be the doomed secondary love interest, placing the ML as the definite endgame for the FL. BY EPISODE 2). And the romantic themes were plenty woven into the show in even more ways, as well, from a number of the ML's own comments and song lyrics to the fact that practically every character in the entire show (other than Mr. Tsundere Boy, obviously, plus of course the Overchrome bandmembers, who {along with a completely different connection to the ML that I won't spoil} have their own thing going on...), regardless of gender even, are either obsessed with the ML and/or his talent, or are just straight-(and not-so-straight-)up in love with him, or both! (Which, I mean, is perfectly understandable, LOL; as my viewing partner aptly put it, the ML truly is mesmerizing.) So yeah, it certainly didn't come out of nowhere; it was literally there the entire time.

Anyway, all that said: Given some of my hints about the themes mentioned before, you can probably guess that this is not a typical happy-ending type of show. And it wouldn't have been anyway, even if it hadn't had an open ending. Now, I usually hate open-style endings the most (I'd much rather have proper closure in a story instead, even if that means it's sad, though I do of course prefer happy endings over all other options); however, given the way the story goes, this was actually the very first time in my almost-four-decades of consuming media that a work ended with an open ending and I was actually glad it did-- because it really does end at the best possible place it could to still have a positive feeling of catharsis (even if there is also still a heartwrenching feeling underneath), and also make you continue thinking about the show for a long time afterwards. I felt wrecked at the end (in a good way)-- I believe my exact comments to my viewing partner were, "I am devastated. But it was so good!" And I actually immediately wanted to rewatch the whole show again!

TL;DR: Was it 'perfect'? No. But it's still a masterpiece. And for me that's what earns an overall rating of 10/10.

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I feel like it's a drama one can relate to...

I feel like it's a drama one can relate to even if you're simply an ordinary person. I don't know how to explain it but I feel like if we think deeply about it, there are characters in the show we can relate to somehow. We might not be geniuses nor talented individuals but we can relate on their struggles. The music just resonates deep inside. Personally, for some reason, I can relate on how we just simply wanted to be heard, although I don't know if the other viewers also can find this theme in the drama. It also made me think on how short but beautiful life can be internally. Sorry. I just want somewhere where I can write how much I love the drama. And how I wish that there could be more dramas like these. I love their bond. Or maybe I am simply biased because I love good music and band story. Although there are parts in the story that I might find a little bit cringey but the overall is actually good. The music, I can totally vibe in it. The actors' performances are all amazing and I admired them more for their dedication when I found out how they even attended lessons for these. I will rewatch it simply because I want to hear the music again and again and watch the artists perform. Also I like the emotional parts. Made me totally cry.

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Bello, significativo e pieno di bella musica ed immagini...ma

Un bel drama di stampo quasi occidentale sul mondo della musica con al centro un genio musicale e le persone che lo circondano tra cui una dolce batterista. Trama prevedibile ma sempre bella, con la giusta dose di dramma e musca....oggttivamente mi è piaciuto tanto e avrei voluto veramente amarlo, davvero, ma non sono riuscita a lasciarmi coinvolgere del tutto perchè non trovavo credibile l'attore protagonista. Ma non per colpa della sua recitazione, tengo a precisare. Ma perchè l'avevo appena visto in Marry my husband and An incurable case of love. Per me lui era Quei personaggi ancora nella mia mente. Così ho tenuto per il second lead più che per lui.

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