This review may contain spoilers
Overall Disappointing
In the first episode, I was genuinely impressed by how the two actorsportrayed their respective characters, I felt like they really captured the essence of their characters and was instantly interested. But as the episodes went on, that initial magic felt like it was starting to fade. Their performances began to swing between underacting and overacting, and they lost the depth that had drawn me in.
Kazuma (Sakurai Yuki) was just… tough to watch. His portrayal of anger came off as awkward, and I actually found myself pausing the show to cringe before continuing.
Ren (Takamatsu Aloha) was better, but that might be because his character mostly moped around acting pitiful. Still, it felt like a newbie actor was given a lead role, I don't know if he actually is a rookie, but that's certainly how it came across to me.
That said, I really appreciated how the story handled Kazuma's line, "I only see Ren." It wasn't just a casual first meeting, it was a reunion after ten years of longing, worry, and caring from a distance. A whole decade of holding onto a feeling that finally became real.
The development of Ren's character resonated with me. He fearlessly stated his sexual orientation to save his beloved, yet his unresolved trauma prevented him from fully embracing himself. Ren's self-doubt and perpetual quest for redemption left him unable to fully accept love, even when it stood at his doorstep, simple and unconditional.
The plot boldly connects romance with social issues—parental pressure, exploitation of women, perpetrators' impunity, and the stigmatization of homosexuality as mere lust. But its reliance on the “love heals all” trope feels frustratingly clichéd. While the drama doesn’t shy away from ugliness, it fails to explore the real psychological process of overcoming or living with trauma.
Overall, as someone who didn’t read the manga and just dove head first, I was completely disappointed. The plot had potential in the beginning but was ruined by weak acting and clichés. In the end, there's just no point to the whole story. What is it about? There were interesting dynamics set up at the beginning, with hints of Ren's depression and trauma, but it goes nowhere. It feels like the author is trying to generate artificial and pointless drama that ends up not going anywhere and instead deflates like a sad balloon that wandered away during a party and deflated in some dark corner.
AND WHY DID THE CHILD ACTORS HAVE MORE SEXUAL TENSION THAN THE ADULTS??? Like come on?? The child actors had a literal sex scene and the adults had a subliminal sex scene and afterwards didn't even cuddle, they were so far apart it didn't even seem like they wanted to be there!!!
Kazuma (Sakurai Yuki) was just… tough to watch. His portrayal of anger came off as awkward, and I actually found myself pausing the show to cringe before continuing.
Ren (Takamatsu Aloha) was better, but that might be because his character mostly moped around acting pitiful. Still, it felt like a newbie actor was given a lead role, I don't know if he actually is a rookie, but that's certainly how it came across to me.
That said, I really appreciated how the story handled Kazuma's line, "I only see Ren." It wasn't just a casual first meeting, it was a reunion after ten years of longing, worry, and caring from a distance. A whole decade of holding onto a feeling that finally became real.
The development of Ren's character resonated with me. He fearlessly stated his sexual orientation to save his beloved, yet his unresolved trauma prevented him from fully embracing himself. Ren's self-doubt and perpetual quest for redemption left him unable to fully accept love, even when it stood at his doorstep, simple and unconditional.
The plot boldly connects romance with social issues—parental pressure, exploitation of women, perpetrators' impunity, and the stigmatization of homosexuality as mere lust. But its reliance on the “love heals all” trope feels frustratingly clichéd. While the drama doesn’t shy away from ugliness, it fails to explore the real psychological process of overcoming or living with trauma.
Overall, as someone who didn’t read the manga and just dove head first, I was completely disappointed. The plot had potential in the beginning but was ruined by weak acting and clichés. In the end, there's just no point to the whole story. What is it about? There were interesting dynamics set up at the beginning, with hints of Ren's depression and trauma, but it goes nowhere. It feels like the author is trying to generate artificial and pointless drama that ends up not going anywhere and instead deflates like a sad balloon that wandered away during a party and deflated in some dark corner.
AND WHY DID THE CHILD ACTORS HAVE MORE SEXUAL TENSION THAN THE ADULTS??? Like come on?? The child actors had a literal sex scene and the adults had a subliminal sex scene and afterwards didn't even cuddle, they were so far apart it didn't even seem like they wanted to be there!!!
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