Transition

You are welcome! I'm envious of you for being able to understand most of the Japanese. I have watched quite a lot of Japanese dramas but I still can't watch anything without subtitles.

I'm watching it with Chinese subtitles on Maplestage. They have 6 episodes out so far.

Haha. I thought that was funny too.

Those who liked the original version will like this, I believe :)

I have watched the Taiwanese version (the original version), the Korean one and now 6 episodes of this Japanese version, surprisingly I like the Japanese version the best so far. Don't get me wrong I really liked the Taiwanese one with Ariel and Bolin but the Japanese one is more focused on the two leads instead of giving screentime to the other supporting characters like the female leads' siblings and male lead's mom's love interest, which gives it a better pace.

I think the vibe and look of the Japanese counterparts Adachi Rika and Shirasu Jin is similiar to Ariel Lin and Bolin Chen, actually I think they have come the closest out of the four different versions. The chemistry is great too (the two have collaborated before) and they look compatible together. I really enjoy watching them together on-screen.

I also like how the scriptwriters chose names that sound like the original names, Yo and IshiDa Ren in this version and You Qing and Da Ren in the Taiwanese version.

As for the story and the dialogues, the Japanese version is following more closely to the original one compared to the Korean one (the Korean version changed a little bit too much which is perhaps why it didn't touch me).
The Japanese one changed a bit of the details but kept the "meaning of the scenes":

[NOTE! SPOILERS AHEAD]

*Yo's birthday present was an octopus instead of a square-headed lion.
*Yo is washing pots and pans instead of toilets when she is upset.
*The younger guy isn't homosexual but he has a wife and children already.
*Ren doesn't work at the airport and has an elder sister instead of a younger sister.

As I said before I like how this version is staying true to the original but for the ending I hope they could make a little change to it. I didn't like how they made the choice easy for You Qing by making Ding Li Wei cheat on her again. I would have liked her to make the decision on her own to cancel their wedding because she realized that the one she has loved all along was Da Ren.

I'm looking forward to the rest of the drama. I hope this version will have the song that the male lead wrote for the female lead.

I agree with you. Luckily the Gang didn't appear during the second half of the drama. As for the 2nd male lead, he is a bit different from the usual 2nd male leads in other dramas too. [SPOILERS AHEAD] he never confessed to Ke Ai so the drama ended without her knowing that he liked her.

I don't think there's a OST album for this drama. Most of the songs can be found on Eric Chou's latest album "Freedom".

Hehe. It is actually more than a love triangle. Zi Hao (the male lead), the lawyer (Xiao Gang) and Zhen Yi (the 2nd female lead) all like Ke Ai (the female lead).

If you are looking for a drama without villains, annoying 2nd female/male leads or parents, different character set-up where the female lead is the calmer one and the male lead being the childish one and the one who is madly in love with the female lead, then you should really give this drama a try. It has funny, romantic and also touching moments. The chemistry between the leads Amber An and Bruce Hung is awesome. Both on- and off-screen. They are so childish and funny together. You should watch the BTS and their interactions on IG. It is hard to not ship them after having watched all that. As for the characters themselves, Yang Zi Hao's love for Chang Ke Ai is really precious and rare. They have become one of my favourites.

Yes, perhaps due to the controversial topic?

Here's the result for all three "departments" of voting one for the readers, one for TV reporters and then one for the judges. If Kasumi had gotten the most votes among the tv reporters then she would have gotten the award.

最優秀作品賞 Best Drama　
1.中学聖日記 Chugakusei Nikki
2.今日から俺は
3.大恋愛

讀者票 The readers'votes
1.中学聖日記 Chugakusei Nikki
2.今日から俺は
3.僕とシッポと神楽坂
4.大恋愛
5.ドロ刑

TV記者票 TV reporters'votes
1.中学聖日記 Chugakusei Nikki
2.今日から俺は
3.大恋愛
4.獣になれない私たち
5.下町ロケット

審查員票 Jury members' votes
1.昭和元禄落語心中
2.大恋愛
3.今日から俺は
3.下町ロケット
5.西郷どん
5.ブラックスキャンダル

主演女優賞 Best Actress
1.戸田恵梨香
2.有村架純 Arimura Kasumi
3.新垣結衣

讀者票
1.有村架純(中学聖日記) Arimura Kasumi
2.戸田恵梨香(大恋愛)
3.新垣結衣(獣になれない私たち)
4.米倉涼子(リーガルV)
5.高畑充希(忘却のサチコ)

TV記者票
1.戸田恵梨香(大恋愛)
2.有村架純(中学聖日記) Arimura Kasumi
3.新垣結衣(獣になれない私たち)
4.米倉涼子(リーガルV)
5.田中麗奈(ぬけまいる～女三人伊勢参り)

審查員票
1.戸田恵梨香(大恋愛)
2.米倉涼子(リーガルV)
3.新垣結衣(獣になれない私たち)
4.有村架純(中学聖日記) Arimura Kasumi
5.山口紗弥加(ブラックスキャンダル)

助演男優賞 Best Supporting Actor
1.岡田健史 Okada Kenshi
2.ムロツヨシ
3.伊藤健太郎　

讀者票
1.岡田健史(中学聖日記) Okada Kenshi
2.ムロツヨシ(大恋愛)
3.伊藤健太郎(今日から俺は)
4.小瀧望(僕とシッポと神楽坂)
5.遠藤憲一(ドロ刑)

TV記者票
1.岡田健史(中学聖日記) Okada Kenshi
2.ムロツヨシ(大恋愛)
3.伊藤健太郎(今日から俺は) 3.太賀(今日から俺は) 5.林遣都(リーガルV)

審查員票
1.ムロツヨシ(今日から俺は)
1.ムロツヨシ(大恋愛)
1.山崎育三郎(昭和元禄落語心中)
4.伊藤健太郎(今日から俺は)
5.林遣都(リーガルV)
5.瑛太(西郷どん)

助演女優賞 Best Supporting Actress
1.吉田羊 Yoshida Yoh
2.黒木華
3.橋本環奈

讀者票
1.吉田羊(中学聖日記) Yoshida Yoh
2.清野菜名(今日から俺は) 3.広末涼子(僕とシッポと神楽坂)
4.橋本環奈(今日から俺は) 5.夏川結衣(中学聖日記)

TV記者票
1.橋本環奈(今日から俺は) 2.黒木華(獣になれない私たち)
3.吉田羊(中学聖日記) Yoshida Yoh
4.清野菜名(今日から俺は) 5.伊藤沙莉(獣になれない私たち)

審查員票
1.黒木華(西郷どん) 1.黒木華(獣になれない私たち)
1.広瀬アリス(ハラスメントゲーム)
4.清野菜名(今日から俺は) 4.菜々緒(リーガルV)
4.イモトアヤコ(下町ロケット)

主題曲賞 Best Themesong
Uru「プロローグ」

讀者票
1.Uru「プロローグ」(中学聖日記)
2.今日俺バンド「男の勲章」(今日から俺は)
3.嵐「君のうた」(僕とシッポと神楽坂)
4.back number「オールドファッション」(大恋愛) 5.Sexy Zone「カラクリだらけのテンダネス」(ドロ刑)

TV記者票
1.Uru「プロローグ」(中学聖日記)
2.今日俺バンド「男の勲章」(今日から俺は) 3.back number「オールドファッション」(大恋愛) 4.あいみょん「今夜このまま」(獣になれない私たち)
5.ビッケブランカ「まっしろ」(獣になれない私たち)

審查員票
1.ゆず「マボロシ」(昭和元禄落語心中)
2.今日俺バンド「男の勲章」(今日から俺は)
3.平井堅「half of me」(黄昏流星群)
4.Uru「プロローグ」(中学聖日記)
5.ビッケブランカ「まっしろ」(獣になれない私たち)
5.嵐「君のうた」(僕とシッポと神楽坂)
5.back number「オールドファッション」(大恋愛) 5.コブクロ「風をみつめて」(ハラスメントゲーム)

Wow. Nice observation! I realized that 聖 (Hijiri's name) was in the title but I didn't realize that Akira's name consisted of 3 日.

Thank you for sharing the result! I just saw the good news on Kasumi's IG and was about to post it here but you were a step ahead. Congratulations to the cast and crew of Chugakusei Nikki! Four awards in total :) It is a pity that Kasumi didn't get the Best Actress award but I believe she wasn't disappointed as her opponents are strong (Toda Erika was really good in Dairen Ai) and Erika is also someone who she herself really like and respect too.

Btw, if there was an award for best cinematography I believe Chugakusei Nikki would have gotten the award too. The cinematography in here was beautiful. Last time I got this amazed was for "All for N" which had the same team as CN.

If anyone is hesitating on watching this drama for whatever reason. Please do give it a chance. Japan had many good dramas in 2018 and this drama was my absolute favourite.

[NOTE: Spoilers ahead]
It had many funny moments but also sweet and touching moments. Ayase Haruka was very good. Her character might be robot-like but the way she said her lines and showed the emotions-that-Akiko-was-trying-to-hide (her jealousy when seeing her husband and his deceased wife's pictures and her anger when Miyuki lied to her about her exam etc) were portrayed very well. Takenouchi Yutaka was good too as the nice and sweet husband and dad. It is a pity that he was only in the first half of the drama. As for the role of the daughter Miyuki, I think both the child version and the teenage version were good choices too. Their acting were natural and some of their expressions were alike so you would feel that it is the same person despite the time-skip and change of actress. I really like the relationship between Akiko and Miyuki, how they are always doing what is the best for each other and always think of each other. Although they aren't bloodrelated but the bond and love they share aren't any different from that.

It is the lead actor Ben Wu. The song is called 愛你剛剛好。

Arimura Kasumi has a baby face. I still remember seeing her for the first time as a supporting role in SPEC (2010) when she was 17. She still looks as young as back then. That's why a lot of people don't feel the age difference between her and Kenshi.

I understand exactly what you mean. That scene you mentioned, the raining scene in the car and other scenes where they don't exactly have any physical contact or intimacy but just by their body language and their eye expressions you can already feel their emotions boiling inside of them and your heart can't help but skip a beat for them. And when things don't go well for them you will feel down. Rom-coms can be entertaining and easy to watch but they aren't able to affect your emotions in the same way as Chugakusei Nikki has managed to do. I think the story, the portrayal by Kasumi and Kenshi as well as the good chemistry between them are the factors behind this.

Thank you so much for sharing the clip with us! :) I really appreciate it a lot. It helps the withdrawal that I have had since the drama ended. Or perhaps it just makes the withdrawal worse? :p Nevertheless, I'm happy that we get to see more of Hijiri and Akira.

Btw, does anyone else think Hijiri (Kasumi) has a really cute and contagious laugh?

Haha. I thought the same thing. They were like hugging, separating to look at each other and touching forehead with forehead, hugging again and separating to look at each other again and I was like "Okay, enough! Kiss now!" but that never happened. Haha. But with that said I still think this scene is very sweet. I like how Hijiri was caressing his cheek and neck and the-forhead-bumping. Seeing their smiles and that they ended up together is enough to make me satisfied.

Here are some Jdramas that I really like: "Dear Sister" (sisterhood, romance), "One Litre of Tears" (tragic real-life story), "Proposal Daisakusen" (romance, timetravel) and "Limit" (surviving, schooldrama). If you want to watch more dramas of the same team as Chugakusei Nikki there are "Unnatural" (crime, pathology) and "N No Tame Ni/All for N (mystery).

As for anime movie, I like "Your Name".

Thank you for the information! I hope we would get more scenes of Hijiri and Akira! Yes, the best would be of the last episode (to be specific the last scene) :)

Downtown Rocket 2 (another TBS drama) that ended yesterday will be having a SP next year. I'm hoping the same for Chugakusei Nikki.