Ai no, Gakko. (2025)

I do not say this lightly - TOTAL MASTERPIECE.

I have seen over 400 dramas. I have given a 10 to a drama only ONE time. But I will say unequivocally right now, that this is one of the best asian dramas of all time, and not only will I award it my second 10 ever, but if I could I would give it an 11.

Learning To Love stands toe to toe with the heaviest hitters of drama like What Happened in Bali, A Million Stars Falling From the Sky, Meteor Garden, Goodbye My Princess, The Rose, Secret, Que Sera Sera, That Winter The Wind Blows, Scarlet Heart Ryeo, Yanxi Palace, Kleun Cheewit, Chugakusei Nikki, or Rise of the Phoenixes. This is so good it's hard to put into words, but for the sake of leaving a review, I will try not to go on too much and keep this brief... while still conveying the insane degree to which this show is both A) a really effing good watch and B) an incredible work of art.

Where to even start....

The main theme of the story is refracted in a hundred tiny ways all throughout -- each character and each action kind of mirrors possible past or future or parallel lives of the other characters in this incredible kalidescope where you can see how any character could 'there but for the grace of god' be another character, and they all reflect aspects of eachother while retaining a deep and unique individuality at the same time. It's so gorgeous how it's all laid out, and how everything subtly connects to everything else. It's just poetry. Every aspect of this drama transcends the sum of its parts in a myriad of fractals that would be impossible for me to describe in less than 10k words, so I'll spare you. Suffice it to say, it is just so damn good.

This leads into mentioning the cinematography which was classic, beautiful, balanced, powerful. Cinematography that actually added it's own voice to the story, like a narrator's voice in a really good book. Plus, it has that throwback feel we all crave and miss so much from classic asian dramas. We all complain that "they don't make em like they used to". Well, this IS like they used to make 'em. So much so, that when they mentioned "covid" at one point, it kind of threw me off for a minute, because this drama feels so much like one of the really good older dramas.

(And can I just mention here that the ost/bgm is a SLAVE to the story. It serves ONLY to accent the emotions carried in the scene, and it is just as perfectly executed as every other part of this production.)

The characters - all of them - are compelling and SO well-acted. A flawless ensemble, led by two fantastic actors that deftly carry the story and convey so many emotions... this was impeccable casting, and impeccable acting. I haven't been this impressed in a long time. This is where imo it stands above even major classics like Rise of the Phoenixes... Kimura Fumino and Murakami Raul Maito are doing double the lifting compared to Chen Kun and Ni Ni in RotP. I almost can't find an equivalent to compare them to, and they deserve to be considered among some of the best performances of all time.

The vibe of this drama has a very classic flavor, the emotional angst and tension is so palpable, so much happens in each episode, not a minute of screentime is wasted. Gives off an aura of 'A Million Stars Falling From The Sky'. And something really incredible happens as the episodes progress.... the story could end in so many different ways, or it could end on any scene itself and still be really really good. You know what's going to happen like a trainwreck in slow motion, and yet you don't actually know what's going to happen at ALL because there are so many possibilities for where the story could go, and as it hurtles toward it's inevitable ending, you still get the feeling like each new scene will hold some fresh magic in it. You get this incredible blend of dread and hope mixed together indistinguishably from one another, and it just relentlessly ratchets up and up through each episode as the possibilities for how it will end keep multiplying. Every character's psyche is peeled layer by painstaking layer and we are afraid and excited by what we will find at the core of each person. Each character is slowly and inexorably pushed towards their breaking point... the true selves they hide to the world have less and less room to hide... and it all feels so volatile and mysterious as you watch it unfold.

I am 1000% invested in this drama, I cannot say enough good things about it, and I cannot possibly recc it more to anyone prepared for a serious watch. This is gripping and angsty and a little bit of a hard watch, but so so so freaking good. Actors are just so incredible here. So much heart and soul are in this.... it feels like a masterclass in what an asian drama is supposed to be.

Leer más

Masterpiece of a drama

This is one of those rare dramas that unexpectedly draws you in and then make you obsess over the characters' happiness. There is a purity to the story that the main leads bring to the characters. Episode 1 immediately hooks you in with the cold open of Manami's diving scene. Then you're not sure if you like Kaoru, even though you're pretty sure he's the male lead. But by the end of the episode, you're firmly starting to root for the connection between Manami and Taiga. The obsession with the drama just takes off from there.

The OST is gorgeous, and the cinematography is unique. The drama is marketed as a story of "pure love," so you won't find a lot of steamy scenes despite the red light district setting. If you like tug-at-your-heartstrings feels and watching 2 characters from opposite sides of town fall in love in spite of the odds, do yourself a favor and start this series. Enjoy the ride and don't even try to guess how the story will go-- most likely it won't be what you expect, in a good way. I've also never seen so much growth and strength in characters before, even supporting ones.

As we are waiting for the last episode or 2, I know many of us are rewatching the released episodes over and over, because it's just that good. 15-year age be damned, it sounds alarming, but the characters of Kaoru/Taiga and Manami simply fit and match each other. So much so that they have most everyone from viewers to supporting characters rooting for them.

Leer más