I don't have any problems with large age-gap relationships as long as the other person doesn't have a '-teen' in their age. I don't care if 18 is the legal age when it comes to the law because personally, I can't help but still see them as a kid. So with that, you can already guess what I felt about this drama.
Don't get me wrong, I liked the atmosphere that complements the beautiful scenery of the countryside and how it had the same vibes as N no Tame Ni and Saiai probably because of the same directors involved in these. Those are 2 of my favorite J-dramas because they really know how to capture the angst from longing for someone that everything else just fades away into irrelevance. So from that alone, I already understand why people liked this. The OST at the end was also good that I added it to my playlist lol. I also liked how the characters tested my mental fortitude because, in every episode, I found myself having a love-hate relationship with different characters, which really showed how it became successful in making me so absorbed with the progression of the story.
However, these are some of the things that didn't sit well with me. 1. They portrayed Hijiri and Akira's love as something pure and innocent but the time skip ending has this narrative of 'wait for a minor to be an adult' so that you can finally be allowed to be in a relationship with them. I'm sorry but the both of them hugging each other while holding the contract that served as a 'restraining order' for Hijiri was so ridiculous to me lmao 😭 2. I'd also like to add that just because they didn't have sex, it's already equated to pure love/innocence. This isn't any different from other minor-adult relationships that engage in sex because the presence or absence of it doesn't determine how pure they perceive their love for each other. 3. We also have to understand that in minor-adult relationships, there's already a difference in power dynamics. He was a rebellious 15-year-old boy who still didn't know his career aspirations while she was a 25-year-old teacher who was busy paying taxes and planning her wedding. They were treading on completely different stages of their lives when they first met so I understand Akira's mom for being so meddlesome in breaking them apart because there is a valid reason and this isn't just a Romeo and Juliet or 'us against the whole world' story that you want it to be. 4. Akira is literally a stalker... or are we unconsciously giving him a pass just because he's good-looking? 5. I won't forgive them for reducing Haraguchi's character to Kawai's second lead. Their initial relationship as colleagues was a breath of fresh air from the harrowing drama because they were just 2 adults who casually talked to each other over drinks after work. So inserting romance between the both of them felt forceful to me because they would have been better anyway without it.
Overall, I was still entertained. Aiko and Chizuru always left me stunned with their lines lol. I don't have the energy to binge-watch anymore but this made me click the next episode in a heartbeat. One of the unforgettable J-dramas for me :D
do you know where can i download the eng softsubs? i've been seeing hardsubbed videos but i prefer the raws because they're HD ;-; i really want to start watching this..
Don't get me wrong, I liked the atmosphere that complements the beautiful scenery of the countryside and how it had the same vibes as N no Tame Ni and Saiai probably because of the same directors involved in these. Those are 2 of my favorite J-dramas because they really know how to capture the angst from longing for someone that everything else just fades away into irrelevance. So from that alone, I already understand why people liked this. The OST at the end was also good that I added it to my playlist lol. I also liked how the characters tested my mental fortitude because, in every episode, I found myself having a love-hate relationship with different characters, which really showed how it became successful in making me so absorbed with the progression of the story.
However, these are some of the things that didn't sit well with me.
1. They portrayed Hijiri and Akira's love as something pure and innocent but the time skip ending has this narrative of 'wait for a minor to be an adult' so that you can finally be allowed to be in a relationship with them. I'm sorry but the both of them hugging each other while holding the contract that served as a 'restraining order' for Hijiri was so ridiculous to me lmao 😭
2. I'd also like to add that just because they didn't have sex, it's already equated to pure love/innocence. This isn't any different from other minor-adult relationships that engage in sex because the presence or absence of it doesn't determine how pure they perceive their love for each other.
3. We also have to understand that in minor-adult relationships, there's already a difference in power dynamics. He was a rebellious 15-year-old boy who still didn't know his career aspirations while she was a 25-year-old teacher who was busy paying taxes and planning her wedding. They were treading on completely different stages of their lives when they first met so I understand Akira's mom for being so meddlesome in breaking them apart because there is a valid reason and this isn't just a Romeo and Juliet or 'us against the whole world' story that you want it to be.
4. Akira is literally a stalker... or are we unconsciously giving him a pass just because he's good-looking?
5. I won't forgive them for reducing Haraguchi's character to Kawai's second lead. Their initial relationship as colleagues was a breath of fresh air from the harrowing drama because they were just 2 adults who casually talked to each other over drinks after work. So inserting romance between the both of them felt forceful to me because they would have been better anyway without it.
Overall, I was still entertained. Aiko and Chizuru always left me stunned with their lines lol. I don't have the energy to binge-watch anymore but this made me click the next episode in a heartbeat. One of the unforgettable J-dramas for me :D