Chastity High

A fight for love, and more..

"Renai battle royale" was pretty good, and I think it was really deeper than a simple highschool romance.

- If you didn't see the drama :
This is not the best drama you'll see this year, but it's worth the watch. It's really thrilling and the main couple is really cute. The OST are amazing and the cast so good.
So I think it's worth your time.


- If you've seen the drama :

Here are some thoughts I have about it and I'd like to discuss :

* love is universal

The drama depicts many kinds of different love, not only teen love. Student-teacher relationships, adultery, homosexual love, friendship, maternal love... the drama shows love is universal and complex. It also advocates for "gay love" to be recognized as love, what resonates in a Japanese society where the homosexual marriage is still not recognized. I loved the drama for the way it makes us dive into teen love.
"experiencing love is part of growing up as a teenager"

*no-dating rule in Japanese highschool

In 2022, a female Japanese student sued her highschool for expelling her because she broke the no-dating rule enforced, she won the trial. When you think about it, Renai Battle royale is therefore quite realistic in a still conservative society where dating is sometimes banned in schools.

*two heroes fight for love

If the first reason for the female lead to be the love keeper is money, the implication of the male lead changes their fight in a fight for love. The main couple is so cute, their scenes so tender, I just loved their romance. The lead actress was just perfect and so good at facial expression, like she literally broke my heart. The male lead is so cute and makes their love a sweet, heartwarming relationship.

*protecting teen girls

The drama also denounce the way teen girls tend to suffer more in relationships. The headteacher says it multiple times, and there is also the story of Ema, whose boyfriend ran away after finding out she is pregnant, and the similar story of the headteacher 's friend who killed herself. The drama advocate for protecting teens and supporting them in their relationship instead of restraining them. It also makes the watcher think about the way (japanese) society sees girls who have sex or get pregnant.

note : I'm not a native English speaker, I apologize if any kinds of mistakes were to be found in this text.

these are just assumptions made by me, which you can totally disagree with.

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After putting it off for so long, I finally watched it.. I heard it was inspired by real event.. A weird one to be honest, but definitely not the weirdest out there.. Truthfully, there wasn’t a lot I felt for the drama emotionally.. Its just a decent one time watch.. Nothing more, Nothing less..

What I liked about the drama is how it explores morality.. It doesn’t just say this is right or this is wrong.. Instead it pushes you to think about the reasons behind each action.. Is it really wrong to break the rules if those rules are unfair to begin with?? Is love a crime if it means staying true to yourself?? I also liked how in this drama falling for someone wasn’t just a romantic moment, it was an act of courage.. And choosing to hold onto that love despite the consequences became a statement..

Miyase Ryubi was good and definitely charming.. Mikami Ai on the other hand, while she had her moments, she felt a bit unconvincing overall.. She felt too bland at times and She is a Bad Crier.. The rest of the cast did a solid job though.. For me, Sawa stood out the most apart from the main leads.. Her character growth, the way she recognized her own shortcomings and learned to accept them, was portrayed really well..

The first few episodes are addictive.. But the story is just chaos by the end.. The subplots felt underdeveloped.. The rushed legal battle was unsatisfying.. And the finale My Life, My Rules honestly fell flat..

It was unsettling to watch the ML’s brother being intimate with a minor and his fiancee casually flirting with a student.. The fact that these adult characters were involved with minors and the narrative barely acknowledged how inappropriate that is, was really uncomfortable.. The fiancee's behaviour, It felt like the show treated it as something normal.. It doesnt make it any right just because they were not physically involved..

And why was the fact that Kanda leaked their images underplayed?? While Ayami admitted her mistake and genuinely tried to make up for it, Kanda literally backstabbed them.. And yet after that one scene it was barely addressed.. On top of that the fact that he was a total pervert who stalked her and took her photos was never brought up.. It felt like the story just brushed it off.. Which was frustrating..

Overall.. Chastity High has a unique inspiration.. But the premise and the path it takes are familiar and something we have seen plenty of times before.. Even the conclusion felt underwhelming.. In the end its just another high school drama with a rebellious edge.. Totally worth a one time watch but nothing more..

P.S.. Loved the OST.. The music was really good and definitely deserves some appreciation..

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