Addictive and fantastic
I decided to watch this drama when it was announced because I wanted to see my baby Raul, I've been following him since he was little and I feel like a proud parent watching this lil cutie grows taller and taller.Now the story was also nice and i was surprised I loved it that much, but tbh I totally forgot about it for a while and then started it on a whim.
It's very addictive, once I started it I couldn't stop and binge watched the whole thing in a couple of days, it definitely deserves more hype.
Story was amazing and the cast and characters were great, the only thing I didn't like was how they stretched the end, it could be ended with less episodes and it would still be great, besides they didn't even solve his problem with his mother nor did we learn who is his father and why did he end up like that...
Also the very last scene was unnecessary, too dramatic and sad out of no where which messed up the balanced mood of the drama.
Acting was great, I loved all the characters, even the overbearing and dominating father, I could understand his actions to some extent even if I completely disagree with him.
The only character I hated was the ML mother, she was a bit too much.
I wish the FL best friend got a partner, she had good chemistry with 2 characters (won't say who cause spoilers) but I understand they wanted to focus on the leads relationship more and I liked that.
I would recommend this drama because it really deserves more recognition ~~
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Unfortunately, never got onboard as much as I wanted with the romance
This age gap love story between a young host and a teacher who became his tutor had everything to seduce me. I enjoyed the first half of it with the focus on learning and the night life topic providing a very griping context for the romance. I found fascinating the Kanji writing and learning issues discussion. I found interesting the way the characters were built : deeply flawed and mostly unlikable because it was understandable given their background. I also liked the OST overall and the production value, even if there were some awkward editing with abrupt fade to black between scenes.However, I never managed to get fully onboard with their romance. I believed in the tutoring relationship and found it even very touching. However I was never convinced by the romantic chemistry. I think it is part linked to poor casting of the two main characters as well as storytelling. Indeed, they never showcased real intimacy between the main leads as their relationship remained very pure, which given the respective age and job of both characters felt strange. In addition to not offering satisfying romance opportunities to the couple, the scenario also derailed quite a bit as it provided to the antagonists too quick change of heart and undeserved redemption.
I am left to ponder if another casting for the main actor and actress would have helped in making the romance more palatable and the relationship feel more passionate despite the flaws in the scenario. Here some of their scenes felt very fake and lacking in the more romantic as well as more angsty moments.
I would not recommend this to people as I feel there are better "older woman/younger man romance" out there. Maybe with another cast and without the scenario derailing in an over the top way, I would be less severe with my criticism of the series.
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Learning to live
This drama has all the main elements of a typical romantic comedy, but it covers topics you may not expect to find. Overcoming a learning disability, navigating social norms and when life collides with them, and dealing with difficult family relationships are some of the main themes we get to dive into. Some moments are a bit over-the-top, and some story elements remain underdeveloped, but it's an overall pleasing watch compared to many rom coms out there.At the story's heart are two seemingly very different people from very different walks of life who connect deeply with each other - brought to life by Kimura Fumino and a surprisingly compelling Murakami Raul Maito. Bolstered by a strong soundtrack and a memorable supporting cast, this is one drama to check out this year if you love romantic comedy but with a poignant message (or several) attached to it.
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This review may contain spoilers
A compelling age-gap drama.
I'm a big fan of age-gap noona romances, so I was excited to watch this drama. After now completing it, I would say that I found it an enjoyable but flawed drama. In my judgement, it deserves a higher MDL score than what it currently has (7.8), but it certainly isn't the masterpiece that some reviewers suggest that it is.I found the story to be quite compelling and I really wanted to know where it was heading. I found the character of Ogawa Manami to be entirely believable, but the character of Takamori Taiga less so. Some of the support characters were just walking stereotypes - especially Manami's father (the evil mysoginistic psychologically abusive parent) and her fiancé (the cheating manipulative scheming controlling partner). The later transitions of these two characters from pieces of shit to supportive, upstanding citizens was far too sudden and consequently not really believable. Also, neither of them "earned" their redemptions - they just decided to stop being evil. For some reason, writers struggle to write compelling and emotionally rewarding redemption arcs for characters, which is a shame.
The production was generally of a high standard, but the editing was weird. At times it seemed like random scenes were just shown one after the other, separated by an annoyingly long blackscreen trying to soften the jarring caused by the editing decisions.
One thing that Japanese dramas often get wrong in my opinion is the balance between angst and feel good moments, and this drama suffered from that imbalance. Too much angst, and too few happy, feel-good moments for my taste.
The ending was much less satisying that it could have been. It seemed rushed, and it was disappointing that the writers chose to have Taiga regress so much after we watched such character growth from him. After watching him physically throw Manami out of his room, my advice to her is to leave him. He's immature and volatile. He's also indifferent to her feelings, something that she should be warey of after seeing her sexist father belittle and ignore her mother for years. I love Noona romances, but I NEED the younger male to have (or develop) the maturity to deserve to be with the older woman. In my judgement, Taiga didn't do this and unless he grows up a LOT and quickly, their relationship has little chance of lasting.
My score: 8.5/10
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What a Wonderful Experience of a Drama
I knew I would like this, but I’m still shocked at just how much I enjoyed it. This wasn’t just a drama, it was an experience.It’s a forbidden romance on the surface, yet it’s so much more than that. I felt so many things while watching — anger, sadness, empathy, joy, it was insane. What stood out the most was how human every character was. Even the so-called “villains” weren’t one-dimensional; they’re the kind of people you might actually encounter in real life. And while that doesn’t excuse their actions, it made them painfully real.
The story follows Takamori Taiga (also known as Kaori), a 23 year old illiterate host, and Ogawa Manami, a 35 year old teacher. Their paths cross when one of her students gets mixed up with the hosts, and from there begins what I’d call an “almost perfect romance.” She promises to teach him how to read and write, something he missed out on as a child, in exchange of learning how to love, and through that, the two slowly grow closer. But of course, a host and a teacher being together is socially unacceptable, and their relationship is full of tension and judgment from those around them.
Both leads are deeply flawed, and while I can’t personally relate to all of their struggles, I felt incredibly attached to them. Watching them teach and learn from one another was so moving — lessons that most people “normally” would have learned already, yet for them it became a way of truly connecting.
As for the side characters:
Her father — I hated him. I get where he was coming from, but everything he stood for made me furious. Honestly, seeing him triggered so much rage I had to skip a few scenes for my own peace of mind. Maybe because I’ve had those kinds of men in my own life, it hit too close to home.
Her mother — A victim herself, and sadly unable to protect her daughter from becoming another victim. I didn’t hate her, though she definitely could have done better.
The fiancé — Trash. Yes, his actions made me dislike him. But he had growth and I appreciate that. At best, he and FL needed to be together just long enough to realize they weren’t meant for each other.
ML’s mother — Not a terrible person, but an absent one, which in its own way made her a terrible mother. Her neglect left him unloved and vulnerable.
FL’s friend — She crossed lines, yes, but I understood her.
The hosts — I actually liked them. They were rivals in a sense, but also friends — bonded in a world where backgrounds didn’t matter.
Sakura Eita — I liked him a lot honestly, he was like a guide for FL.
Overall, I’d give this an 8.7/10 (rounded to 8.5). It could have been a solid 9.5 if not for the underwhelming last episode. The ending just didn’t live up to the weight of everything that came before.
Still, this drama made me feel so much, challenged me to think about society and its prejudices, and gave me characters I’ll remember for a long time. Flawed, messy, human, and that’s what made it beautiful.
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A Lesson Well Taught
There are countless series that showcase age-gap relationships or that of host culture, however none quite feel as captivating and nuanced as this one. On the surface, Ai no, Gakkou may be your standard Japanese drama, but after unraveling all the layers through each episode, it shows a higher level of depth and complexity that makes the audience feel for the characters, as flawed as they are. Although the main focus of the series revolves around the blossoming relationship/romance between Manami and Kaoru, there are many characters at play with their own agendas to get themselves ahead to achieve their goals.(WILL CONTINUE AFTER SERIES CONCLUDES)
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Love in the Wake of Weakness
The storyline was excellent — heartfelt, deep, and full of quiet lessons. It’s about a young man who works at a host club and a teacher who slowly learn not only to love each other but also to love themselves.The male lead’s character really stood out to me. He struggles with dyslexia, yet hides it behind charm, humor, and smooth talk — especially around the women who visit the club. There’s something both sad and admirable about that mask he wears.
The female lead, on the other hand, comes across as a bit too innocent at times, which did frustrate me here and there. But then I reminded myself — this is Japanese culture, and her quiet restraint reflects that. She’s not weak, just shaped by her world.
Now, the father — what a piece of work. Overbearing, controlling, and completely self-absorbed. Everything he claims to do for his daughter is really just to make himself feel good. The mother seems fragile at first, but when she finally reaches her breaking point, she becomes stronger than anyone expected. Her journey was one of my favorite parts — she doesn’t just ask for a divorce; she reclaims her voice.
The second male and female lead also add layers to the story, giving it more heart and balance. And I wish the screenwriter had explored more of the backstory between the male lead’s mother and the host club owner — their past love had real potential to deepen the story even further.
Overall, Learning to Love is a beautiful drama about growth born from weakness — how even in brokenness, people can find the courage to change and love again.
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Loving Someone Doesn't Mean Looking For Happiness
A romance drama with unique premise. Centered on a woman who's a teacher of girl's school. Once, her student get in a trouble, her student caught in a bar, named The Joker, and she spent almost a hundred million yen through her parent's card. The teacher was asked by her parents to solve the problem. But, she was trapped by one of the host on there.The tale of forbidden love also the different shape of every love that every single person has on their own life. The true love that beyond the normal norms and social justice. Everyone could describe the love as it was a something strange, but the one who fell for it will always have an excuse of their own stuff.
Honestly, I barely enjoyed the age-gap themed. But, surprisingly, I enjoying this more than I expected. The premise was indeed unique, but how they crafted it as a natural and realistic one have already mesmerized me. It seize me up through the show as far as it runs.
The mature romance that nothing cringe left behind, the problem solving that too-far realistic, the dynamic chemistry that natural. Oh I guess, I just watched the romance documentary, instead a dorama, by how far the naturality they served for. Japan always have the best realistic plot I've ever seen. Too realistic that somehow sick, yet addicted.
I love the way they don't make an excuse of "exploitating woman" or "womanizer" in this dorama. Also the main topic of "night's club" was barely got the right excuse. They serving the very make sense reason, the way they have almost many negative perspective towards it. But, they also serving their positive one too, with nothing exaggerate. Just giving both point of view, and let the audience choose which one they'd take out to.
The cinematography, the back song, even the scenery, they looks so simple. Nothing spectacular at all. But indeed some shot looks pretty eye pleasing. It's not a bad tho, at least for me.
All in all, this dorama was stunned by the unique plot and how they crafted it with well enough. Don't expect something "Wow" technical visual or sound design, but the screenplay itself was enough to make you sit since the very first second it played. Just give it a try, if you love a mature romance!
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A female lead with a bad attitude that leaves a trail of destruction in her path.. Yikes!
So the story started off setting the scene of how pathetic and weak the female lead was, she stalked her ex fiance and tried to kill herself when he rejected her. We then moved onto the arranged marriage bit with her rascal of a new fiance who was a bit of a scumbag but had a decent redemption arc and showed growth. I’m really not sure why people think this is so good because the female lead was horrendous, she had a bad attitude towards everybody, including her best friend who was always trying to help her. I get her father was overbearing but she literally couldn’t give a crap about anybody but her own feelings and the dodgy host who was the male lead. I get people like to see flawed characters but she was just too selfish and self absorbed and she didn’t give a crap about anybody else apart from our own feelings. I’m glad I fast forwarded through most of it because it was rubbish.Was this review helpful to you?
Good drama but rushed to the end.
A Good drama but it was rushed to the end. Could have made a small story for the second leads also the school girl. What happened to the teacher's parents, his mom... so much of the plot left to be filled. But overall I'd still watch this even with all these things missing. The role played by the female lead was just amazing.Was this review helpful to you?
Beautifully well crafted
It was so nice to see that writers can still put effort into crafting a josei drama, after seeing a series of very underwhelming ones. The female lead acts her age and even if she's less in experienced in romance, she's not just constantly flustered and like a child around the male lead and the age gap is evident in reactions and other instances. They have a wonderful dynamic, great supporting characters, especially their friends and while it does feel like their love progressed quickly, it doesn't take away from the fact that this is a genuinely enjoyable slice of life romance and I look forward to watching the last three episodes.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Learning to Love? More like, Learning to Leave.
I usually have a soft spot for noona romances — something about older-woman-younger-man dynamics hits that sweet mix of maturity and yearning. But this one just didn’t click. I made it past the halfway mark hoping the emotional core would finally show up, but the pacing and editing made it impossible to stay invested. Every scene faded out like it was afraid to commit, and the constant cuts made the story feel like someone stitched together a bunch of half-scenes and called it a drama.Now, about the male lead — I’m not saying he’s unattractive. He’s got that clean, polished “Smart-from-Top Form” appeal. But there’s a certain aesthetic — the ultra-smooth, almost lip-filler-adjacent kind — that just doesn’t resonate with me. It’s purely a matter of taste, of course, but I tend to connect more with performances than symmetry — and here, neither the prettiness nor the chemistry filled that gap.
And don’t even get me started on the fiancé. Why is this man spending more time talking to Manami’s friend than to Manami herself? It felt bizarrely misplaced, like the show forgot who his fiancée actually was.
Manami ended up being the least likeable for me. Her arc had potential, but the way she handled the breakup—absolutely not. The guy was already struggling, and instead of respecting Kaoru’s space, she bulldozed right over it. What made it worse was how the show framed it like some grand romantic gesture, when really it just made her look emotionally tone-deaf. I actually thought the breakup was a rare moment of mutual clarity—finally, something adult. But then she immediately backtracks, ignoring everything they’d just agreed on. She’s the older one here, supposedly the more grounded one, yet she completely disregards Kaoru’s boundaries like they were optional. At that point, I was out. I couldn’t root for them anymore, and I definitely wasn’t going to stick around to watch the show pretend that was growth.
By the time I dropped it, it wasn’t out of anger, just fatigue. The setup had promise, but the execution felt like it was trying to mean something without ever earning it. Sometimes, the most grown-up thing you can do — both in love and in viewing — is just move on.
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