Karinanose

When I was watching this show, all I could think of was "I wish I came across this show earlier in my life."

A story with a title like this, you expect to eyeroll at the contrivances and silly over the top melodrama. However this show felt different in what it was trying to get across.
The show wasn't so much about the love triangles and tension. It was more about the story of moving towards a path in life that you can be happy about.

When the story reached its finale points, I felt that I grew along side the characters. Each one felt like they overcame something large in their lives. Oto gained her independence and strength. Ren allowed himself to express his feelings. Rihoko allowed herself to be herself. Konatsu gained her confidence. Haruta gained self esteem. Asahi gained compassion and understanding. I really enjoyed each characters arc. I liked how each of them were allowed breathing room to expand their characters. No matter how they got there, their actions made more sense as the show went on.

I felt that the characterization was on point for the majority of the show. It's funny because I'm used to Kengo being a heel in his roles and was surprised to see him as a quiet reluctant man. But then the swerve hit and I was like "ahh there it is!" Arimura was my favourite part of the show. But I'm biased towards her. She tends to run a through a gamut of emotions in all her roles. I really liked her chemistry with the cast. Especially with Kengo, they had amazing body language chemistry. Kentarou felt a little scattered but when you start to realize his character's quirks, it makes it more reasonable.

Aoi felt really great in her portrayal of someone who judges others because of her own weaknesses. With Mitsuki, I loved how her character didn't become catty or violent. The fact that she settled into the chill friend was amazing. And finally Takahiro, he felt nuanced. At first I didn't really like him. As the show went on I stayed feeling really bad for him. Then I felt like he was being too uncaring but the I was back on his side later. It felt like a rollercoaster with his character. Special shout out to Issey playing the guy with a chip on his shoulder and Mei Nagano as a cute support.

Also just a mention about the show's great mirroring. There's a good amount of scenes mirroring how similar the stories of Oto and Ren are. From what they are doing when they are texting to how they perceive people. It really showed an unspoken bond between the characters. I also liked how paper played a role in emotional damage.

It was also kinda funny because I heard the piano score and recently came off of "Umi no Hajimari"only to say to myself "This sounds so similar... " only to find out its the same composer. So if you enjoyed that Soundtrack, it's more or less the same.

The cinematography was fine for what it was. I particularly enjoyed many of the overhead shots and nights capes. The opening moments of episode 1 was also an interesting way of introducing everyone. There's some lighting issues with the general Japan way of doing the blown out sunlit characters. Either the that, it was good. A good thing about the camera work was it was always sort of moving. It created an engaging flow. There some conversations hurt by the camera however jumping back and forth so much between characters.

Overall a really piercing watch. I think I cried every episode(The mom's note 😭). But a lot of things just hit so strongly. I think because the main core of the show is the struggle to make something of yourself. And that's something we all can relate to.


P. S that ending song is one of the sweetest songs I've heard. After you finish the series, watch the music video.