Transition

I hope for a more satisfying ending too. As I have mentioned before in another post, I didn't like how the scriptwriter made it easy for You Qing to leave Li Wei for Da Ren by making LW cheat again. I'd have liked her to make the choice herself because she realized the one she loved all along was Da Ren. So hopefully, this version will "fix that mistake". Regarding Satomi, if you are interested to watch her dramas, I'd recommend "Unnatural" (crime drama surrounding pathologists) and "Dear Sister" (about sisterhood). She has starred in some popular romcoms too like "Rich Man Poor Woman" and "From Five To Nine" but I only found them decent.

I understand what you mean about Ren being too upbeat and outspoken. Hm, could it be because the actor Shirasu Jin didn't watch the original version as reference? He admitted that he added a bit of himself in the character. I also like how Yo is nicer than You Qing and that she is more willing to admit her mistakes? I don't know if I remember correctly but wasn't it always Da Ren who made compromises while You Qing was just stubborn? :p. I think the cast choice was quite good when it comes to their appearance and chemistry (I like how Jin and Rika are the same age and seem to be quite close off-screen too, based on their interactions on IG) but I remember when the casting news came out a lot of the Taiwanese netizens thought Ishihara Satomi would have made a good Yo/You Qing. I get what they mean, not only do Satomi resemble Ariel Lin but also the way they talk/act is similiar.

I agree. The raw emotions, the chemistry between the leads and also the flaws of the characters are what made it stand out among the other "idol" dramas. Like you said it isn't perfect but I think it is still one of the best Asian drama I have watched. The songs in there were really nice too. I have put them in my playlist again now when I'm following the Japanese version. Speaking of this version what are your thoughts about it and the cast selection? I'm curious to know what fans of the original version think :)

Thanks for your reply :)! It was 8 years ago I saw the Taiwanese version so I have forgotten quite a lot of things from the drama.

I hope this version won't wait till the last episode till the leads get together. I would like to see more of them as a couple. If you are planning to watch Proposal Daisakusen then I recommend the Japanese version over the others. :)

You are welcome! :) Episode 11 and 12 will be out on this site (Maplestage) on Monday. I feel you. The wait is tough but that's part of the fun too I guess. Binge-watching a drama doesn't give you the same feeling as when you are following a drama for 2 months. I also prefer this version over the original so far for the same reason as you. The focus is more on the main couple so the pace is better. The main leads look good together and have nice chemistry too.

The streaming site is called Maplestage. https://maplestage.com/show/我可能不會愛你JP

I understand what you mean. The female lead is too oblivious to the male lead's feelings to her and also her own feelings to him. Her personality and actions aren't exactly very likeable either. Many of the audience say that they have this love-and-hate "relationship" with this role. I personally think that the female lead in this version is a bit more mild compared to You Qing. She isn't always the more dominant one in the friendship with the male lead. The chemistry is there and the pace in this one is better than the two previous versions. Perhaps worth a try afterall?

From what I know the Taiwanese version is an original story so I'm not sure what the member above mean when s/he said that this is a remake of another drama. So to make it clear, this drama is a Japanese remake of "In Time With You", a Taiwanese drama from 2011.

That's true. I'm a bit contradicting. I really like watching these best-friends-turn-lovers dramas such as this one and Proposal Daisakusen but at the same time I get frustrated watching them. Haha. It is most likely like you said. The buildup is what makes it fun. How they finally end up and watching them be happy when they finally get together. Haha. I also like the fact that Ren no longer says the line "I can't love you yet" but is being true to his feelings for her.

I just watched episode 9 and 10 with Chinese subtitles. Here are some of my thoughts. [NOTE! These are spoilers if you are following the drama with English subtitles.]

If my memories serve me right this version is still following the Taiwanese one closely. These things are alike in both versions: The present to Ren/Da Ren is a pen, the scenes between Yo and Ryusei/You Qing and Li Wei, Da Ren/Ren being offered a chance to work overseas (although they changed the destination) etc.
What I absolutely like is the fact that they kept the song in this version, the song Ren/Da Ren wrote for Yo/You Qing. The Korean one didn't keep this part.

What I don't remember from the Taiwanese version though is did Da Ren (Ren) also say to You Qing (Yo) that he wants to take responsibilty for making her heart flutter for the ex-boyfriend again (since she thinks he was the one who gave him her new phonenumber) and Yo irritatingly asked "How? Don't tell me by marrying me?" And he said yes.
The other thing I don't remember is, did her ex-boyfriend also delete Da Ren's voice-message to You Qing where he confessed he likes her before he went overseas?
Did Da Ren get sick too and You Qing came to take care of him?

Yes, I don't like this Ryusei guy either but if he and the ex-girlfriend Maki are catalysts to Ren and Yo's relationship than I'm also for it. Out of two though I prefer Maki. She was just clingy but not a bad person. The same can't be said about him (if they follow the original). As the other versions I don't like Yo during this phase. Her stubborness and the way she is still dwelling on her past relationship is frustrating to watch. I hope this version won't drag on this part.

In Japan the age for becoming an adult is 20. I have read some news that said they are considering to change it to 18. I don't know if it will be approved though.

I see. Yes, the story itself is good so with it as a base the chance of the dramas to become unbearable to watch is low. I liked all three versions (Taiwanese, Korean and Japanese) but so far I like the Japanese one the best.

I agree with you on everything you said. Speaking of the other versions, how many of them have you watched and which one is your favourite? I'm just curious :)

I was thinking of Yo too when his sister talked about loving a person with flaws. As Yo herself acknowledge too her personality isn't well-liked among guys but Ren still loves her for who she is. This made me reflect on something the two have said. He said he disliked her the most when she was together with her ex because she seemed unlike herself. As Ren said to her in episode 5 it is important that you can be natural when you are together with your boyfriend. Then Yo countered with then it is like dating a friend. Ren asked her something like: "You can't do that (date) a friend?". So I think except for Yo's fear of losing her best friend I think what makes her oblivious to Ren's feelings is she thinks love is when the person makes your heart flutter and makes you nervous and concious of your appearance. However, in my opinion I think the more longlasting love is like her relationship with Ren. It may not be the passionate and intense type but there's more "foundation" to their relationship.

As for Ren's breakdown I don't really remember if the original had that. I don't know if they will follow as closely to the original from now on either. So let's see how it will turn out. I agree with you though that it would be nice if we could see Ren rely on Yo too.

The latter (not talking to each other) would be sad since Ren and Yo have known each other for so long and are best friends. To lose a best friend would be horrible. That's also this fear of losing her/him that is pulling them back. Ren's sister is so wise with her words. I like the comparison she made regarding her failed marriage and Ren's relationship with his junior. "Not bad" isn't love and it won't be enough to keep their relationship going.

I have watched this with Chinese subtitles and they translated this line of Ren's to "I can't love you yet." which seems to match his feelings more since it is obvious that he already loves her so the "I don't love you yet" seems not as fitting. I like your interpretation though that he is trying to keep his feelings in check by telling himself (or rather lie to himself) that he doesn't love her.

I'm also confused regarding that line. Is Ren perhaps trying to convince himself that he doesn't love her? It seems to me though that he is well aware of himself liking her. The second alternative is like you said that he is saying that from Yo's point of view, that he thinks she doesn't love him yet.
I think the Chinese subtitles translated it as " I can't love you yet", if I remember correctly. If that's what he said then perhaps he meant he can't love her yet because he thinks she doesn't feel the same towards him? But then the official English title of this drama is "I Don't Love You Yet". Haha, so the conclusion is I still don't know what he meant with that line.

In this article the leads Adachi Rika and Shirasu Jin talked a little about the original version of the drama "In Time With You". Rika said she has watched it before and found it very interesting but it is exactly because of this that she found it challenging to jump out of "the frame" that the original had. She also said that the story and ideas are similar to the original but that they have added Japanese elements to it. Jin has only watched the first few episodes when he knew he got the job. He explained it wasn't because he didn't like it. He was afraid that his portrayal was going to get affected by Li Da Ren. He revealed that there's a little bit of himself that he has put into this version of the character.
https://www.ettoday.net/dalemon/post/44803