Zii3

Healthy relationship dynamic, Good for one watch, Toki is the best.

(General spoilers only.) One of the few highschool-teacher stories I've seen (so far) with a truly well-balanced dynamic. How their strengths and weaknesses line up made them equals and they grow together. I found it sweet, endearing, and non-cringy. This is NOT a sexually charged, passionate, or taboo-focused story.

Overall light, sweet and easy fun that's good for one watch but isn't that memorable (except for Rintaro as Toki).

I really liked and greatly appreciated that Toki and Sahara communicated, supported/encouraged, and TRUSTED each other. They both had character growth and thrived with the attention and care of the other.

FYI: Japanese highschools are 3 years, so Toki being a second year student is equivalent to being a junior (third year) in the USA.

Rintaro as Toki was awesome and always fun to watch. Toki is bigger-than-life yet acted with nuance. Though Toki is wild in the physically over-dramatic Manga-style way (and often funny), multiple aspects of his personality and approach to things are admirable and even mature for his age. He is a 'doer' and doesn't think too deeply, yet he is thoughtful and puts effort into understanding others. He came across as an actual highschooler with a good heart who was a 3-dimensional character and not a caricature. He's sincere, straightforward, and totally lovable.

General Spoilers below.

There was an obvious balance in Toki and Sahara's personalities and their relationship that made their age gap a non-issue (for me anyway). Especially since they consciously kept their interactions PG, and Sahara had them wait until Toki graduated highschool before verbally making their romantic relationship official. There is a brief lip press at that time.

I mostly didn't mind the time spent on Sahara's past because it highlighted the differences between Nekoto and Toki and further demonstrated why Toki would make a good partner even though he's younger.

What I didn't like:

Takumi as Sahara was okay but not compelling. I liked him but didn't fall for him. He didn't do anything poorly, just didn't have much charisma and felt a little flat in his acting.

The school play bit made me cringe hard. It wasn't necessary and felt like pure contrivance to get an oops-kiss moment. The only thing that made it better than a trip-and-fall accident kiss was the humor of bigger-than-life Toki trying to act demurely as Snow White.

The end felt super rushed. There's a time jump, happy ending scene, and it's over. In that regard, I would have preferred less time spent on Nekoto to get more of Toki and Sahara (or even more of Todo's story since he kind of gets left out after halfway through).

The past connection was a simplistic, cliched, writing cop-out for tying things together. At least it was obvious from early on that it was coming due to little flashbacks and wasn't a complete surprise in the last episode as it is in so many shows.

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So Poorly Executed And Toxic Relationship

Through ep 5/8. Struggles with writing (dialogue, plot, and characters), acting, music, and heavy-handed makeup. It comes off like it's trying really hard but has ended up campy.

Max and Nat do have good chemistry, but that's not enough for me to think positively of this series.

Possible trigger warning if you've ever been in an emotionally abusive relationship, or with a narcissist, or someone who uses an illness to compell you to stay with them.

The script is juvenile. Dialogue is shallow, cliche, repetative, and awkwardly unnatural. Like, "Don't overthink things. It's probably nothing to worry about... You should take this time to really think about your feelings and things." But you just said to stop thinking? *Facepalm.

The plot is convoluted and requires a ridiculous amount of suspension of disbelief. There's a lot of generic/bad elevator music and it's really obvious in spots.

The main character Yi is a compulsive manipulator. It casts an uncomfortable shadow on all the romantic scenes thus far; it feels more like purely selfish coercion. Because of Yi's long-standing and blatent disregard of Khondiao's mental and emotional well-being, it's difficult for me to enjoy the pressured-seduction heavy plot (which is a trope I often enjoy). More on this under the "general spoilers" section at the bottom of review. I really didn't like the emotionally abusive way Yi treated Khondiao in Cutie Pie and he's just as bad here. Though he's supposedly trying to make up for his horrible past treatment, Yi's current approach still includes lies and misdirection, and is not respectful or even thoughtful of Khondiao. *His actions, both previous and current, do not match his sweet words.*

Nat shows some potential as an actor and I'd really like to see what he can do if given a decent script. I most enjoyed the moments when his character starts showing some backbone and pushing back. There's a fire behind his eyes that makes those moments engaging.

Max's acting hasn't improved from Cutie Pie. He postures a lot and his emotions stay on the surface in almost everything he does. In other words, he's not good at pretending. He doesn't internalize and embody what his character experiences.

I am impressed with NuNew; how he manages to infuse such sincerity into his few, inanely-written lines here is beyond me, lol.

Now onto the emotional (and sexual) manipulation. GENERAL SPOILERS below.
If Yi doesn't remember any of his relationship with Khondiao, then it's so not romantic for Yi to all of a sudden start getting heavily sexual with Khondiao. The audience may know that Yi's miraculously and quickly gotten his memories back, but Khondiao doesn't because Yi is purposefully keeping that from him. From that perspective Yi is just a guy, with no emotional attachment, trying to get into Khondiao's pants. And going after that hard. Yi forces attention on Khondiao, and while Khondiao tries to put up boundaries, he keeps relenting to the seduction and sweet-sounding words because he's trauma-bonded and co-dependant on Yi, thinks he loves him, and is touch-starved. When really, there has been nothing redeeming about their relationship for years (or ever).

The approach written for Yi to take in this series is not putting things to rights in a way that is at all respectful to Khondiao. I can't believe Yi truly loves him. To me there is nothing sweet in that dynamic.

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Gentle, sweet, and fluffy romance.

A vertically filmed micro drama (I rate these on their own sliding scale). The story focuses on the interactions between the main leads and how their relationship grows. There are no major interferences or crazy plot shenanigans. It's a gentle love story.

General Spoilers below. Expansion of synopsis that sets up the story at the bottom.

I would not consider this a steamy drama, though there are a couple moments of medium-high sexual tension, and a couple brief kisses with small to medium movements (where the lips touching are actually shown, unlike some of the other productions these two have done together that had none or were head-blocked). It is satisfying how the two characters look at each other, especially later on as the FL falls in love. Her smiles of joy and eyes filled with adoration were lovely and very believable. It was also fun to watch when she decided to woo her husband in return, and try to figure out how to entice him to take further steps with intimacy. The way she got a little embarrassed though nervously excited was adorable and also very realistic.

The ML is quietly steady and a little too perfect, lol, but the FL deserves it. He pampers the FL every single day, often with lots of gifts. He trusts, supports, and encourages the FL.

The actor of the SML deserves a special mention; he gives a fantastic performance! His character is not evil or sadistic, but he's not really likeable. He is a self-absorbed man and has been taking the attention of the FL for granted. While his temperament is not likeable and he is not good husband material, the acting and writing still manage to make him pitiable. It would be really easy to turn this character into a cartoonish caricature, but the actor is nuanced and believable in his delivery, and makes him feel like a real person.

A little more on the set-up synopsis (within the first 7 minutes):
The FL has been chasing the SML since highschool (10 years) and now works as one of his secretaries. They have an ambiguous relationship and one day the FL overhears him say, essentially, that he won't consider her for marriage because she's an adoptive daughter and not on the same level as his family. It's not shown how they meet, but the FL then drunkenly sleeps with the ML, who is another highschool classmate from a wealthy family that is now a CEO. Afterwards, the ML essentially asks her to "take responsibility" for him and marry to keep things above board in the public eye. He persuades her saying she can keep half his property after they divorce. A short while later, when explaining their quick marriage to another, the ML reveals that he has secretly loved the FL since highschool. The FL, however, believes he his just acting for show. Thus begins the story of the ML wooing his wife by showing his sincerity through actions.

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Well done and interesting dom-sub undertones between leads

(I rate vertically filmed micro dramas on their own sliding scale.)
A strong production and a very different story (at the time it came out, it has been repeated multiple times since). I didn't fast-forward anything. A darker/grim story (the main male antagonist, aka SML, is involved in human trafficking for sex and organ harvesting).

To me there were some strong dom-sub undertones in the dynamic between the leads all the way through; it was captivating. ML has the air of a predator but he's not sadistic. FL could be considered a rabbit but she's smarter/sharper than most. There are multiple moments of sexual tension and intimacy. After their first time, the FL mostly welcomes his advances and participates a bit. Kisses are mainly lip presses to small movements but often intense.

Expansion on synopsis:
A student intern needs money to pay for her dad's medical fees and decides to sell some eggs. She accidentally dials the number for the ML doctor who has her come over and scares her into promising not to sell eggs or organs ever. Later they run into each other when she's serving drinks at a bar and gets sexually assaulted and the ML saves her. The ML keeps being drawn to the FL and continues to help her out. The ML becomes the color in the FL's colorless world.

General spoilers below.
It did get a little old that the FL was so strongly swayed by the words of SFL and the ML's mother, determining she wasn't worthy of him and giving up on them instead of listening to the ML who said his world/life meant nothing without her.
I was happy to see in a flashback that the leads actually planned and worked together near the end.

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Okay but lacks follow-through on some aftermaths.

Okay for 1 watch but lacks details in general and follow-through on some aftermaths. The idea of the story is better than it's written/directed execution. 6 episodes.

The two spoilers that I discuss below and the complete lack of follow-up on them REALLY sours my feelings about this series. The flow of the story and editing were consistently choppy, but it raises some good issues and the acting is good (Kiko especially was very natural).

I don’t know if I would recommend this. It's a more realistic, adult story, which I appreciate. However, while it raises some good issues to think/talk about, it also doesn't properly address some of the things it brings up. It just doesn't quite feel finished or complete.

Other reviewers list the positives of the series well, so I won't reiterate. Because the story sensitively handles some other complex issues, it is especially disappointing that the two assaults get swept under the rug.

Spoilers on Trigger Warnings below.

Ep 1 & 2 uncut makes a little difference because there's more of Kiko and Mark's initial interactions during massages that show their growing attraction to each other. But the uncut versions of Ep 4-6 don't add much, except for a few more lines about getting tested and more shots of the rape scene in Ep 6.

Some of Kiko's distress about it is shown when he has flashbacks in Ep 6 but the rape issue is never addressed beyond that. It's not talked about, the perpetrator has no reprocussions (apart from feeling guilty), and Mark never comforts him despite Kiko's line that 'what happened was nothing I wanted' (approximate line, I don't remember the exact wording).

Instead, Mark aggressively goes after Kiko with a hand on his throat in a jealous rage. His scary physical abuse is also not addressed beyond Mark saying sorry for that day in general.

That scene also played up the imbalance in their relationship in an unsettling way; Mark holds all the power in and outside of work and is physically much stronger. At that time, the surest way for Kiko to have a good job and better way of life is to forgive Mark, at least to the extent where Kiko can continue working for him. Even if Kiko wants to forgive because of love, the fact that he doesn't have many options really casts a shadow over that decision.

A decent low-budget production. Apart from the editing, the only technical thing that was distracting was the lighting/coloring. Sometimes one angle would have a blue hue while another angle looked orange (of the same scene). Or the tint/filter on a shot would flicker.

Spoiler On The Ending:

The ending is abrupt; right after a pivitol decision is made by a character, all of a sudden the story jumps years ahead. The characters are in a good place and happy, but it didn't really feel satisfying because it didn't quite feel earned, if that makes sense. It feels like a fairytale ending slapped onto what was a more realistically-approached story. Kiko deserves it certainly, it's just that we aren't shown any of the couple working together to get to that point.

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Slow. Sky and NC Scenes Are Reasons To Watch.

The sceenplay is weak and slow. You could probably watch Ep 1 to get started then skip to Ep 5 or 6 without too much trouble because Ep 2-5 are repetitious and extremely slow burn. Ep 6 is when things start to get somewhat more interesting and emotional. I'm speed-watching about half of this and don't care that much about the two side couples.

The screenplay should have spent more time on the backstory because there's not enough weight and reason behind the brief flashback we get to believably be the crux of Venus's fallout with Sky.

The actor Tod playing Sky is surprisingly good, noticeably better than everyone else once the script actually gives him something with some layers to work with. He's got micro-facial expressions and nuances in face, body, and voice, especially when things are more emotional. He successfully tugged hard at my heartstrings even though the script is not well written. He has potential and I would be interested to see him act again, especially with a better script.

Once Sky and Venus get together there's even less plot but they actually act like boyfriends (unlike a lot of BLs where one partner acts disgusted by anything physical). Sky is in love and horny and they have a lot of sex. And a lot is shown. Someone commented somewhere that the show could have just been called "Sky in Venus", lol.

The two actors are pretty comfortable with each other but the chemistry feels one-sided; Tod successfully conveys attraction and desire (outside of intimate scenes as well as during) but Cheque struggles with this.

Cheque as Venus is pretty flat. It kind of works for the character (who's cautious and has his defensive walls high) but it's obvious that he's a newbie actor. He's not awful, but because he's lacking nuances he gets boring.

I may watch the intimate scenes here as a bandaid of sorts after watching an unsatisfying BL series with disguised homophobia (any where the "boyfriend" thinks physical, or even romantic, intimacy is gross).

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Languid Countryside Friendship

Cute and simple, but it used clichéd short-cuts to tell the story and was ultimately not that memorable. I didn't feel like I wasted my time on this, and it did bring a gentle smile to my face, but I won't watch it again. You might enjoy it if you're in the mood for something gentle, innocent, straightforward, sometimes cute, and with a focus on parental figures and finding purpose.

The acting was decent but the actors weren't given that much to work with. Most characters are pretty 1-dimensional. We learn more about Yamato by what other people say about him in exposition than anything else. That's telling and not showing a story, so it's hard to feel emotionally engaged with it. The main character, Mitsuomi, fairs a bit better because the story follows him, but his character arc is, sadly, very predictable with nothing new.

The pacing is languid, which suits the characterization of the countryside vs the city, but the end wraps up so quickly that there's a noticeable imbalance in the arc of the story, character, and relationship progression. The soft cinematography with naturescapes as cut scenes suits the mood, but I can easily see why some people find this movie too slow.

The lead actors are able to convey a basic, growing friendship with unexpected curiosity for more, but the screenplay gives them very little beyond that. The character interactions are written simply so there's not much depth to their self-discovery and not much sense of romance.

Using instrumental British Isle folk songs (like The Water Is Wide) for the background music was an interesting choice. It goes with the countryside theme, but it felt odd to me. Probably because my mind could'nt disassociate what I recognized from the culture it came from to let it blend fully with this Japanese story.

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Great Cinematography, Weaknesses With The Rest.

The cinematography was thoughtful, visually well-balanced, and frequently beautiful in composition (even with grittier settings). The rest of it was okay but had weaknesses and I won't watch again. I didn't feel like it was a waste of time though, so maybe give it a try if you're in the mood for something simple, short, indie, and overall sweet.

FYI: If you watch on YouTube the first episode is actually titled "Ep 0", NOT Ep 1! (At least that's how it is on the Jupiter Entertainment channel in the USA.)

What I loved: The cinematography.
What I liked: The sweet bit with the post-its and how comfortable the actors seemed in their intimate scenes.

The acting was decent but no one was compelling. The music was forgettable but not distracting either. I was glad with how it ended for everyone but I wasn't that emotionally invested.

The weaknesses:

There are six 13-22 min episodes and it's all over the place. The way the story jumps around (between couples and in time) is confusing and transitions are very abrupt. There's too much story for the time constraints. The plotlines and emotional arcs for the two main couples feel very rushed.

The hetero couple seemed so random and out of place; their brief and cryptic scenes didn't add anything of value. I couldn't figure out their purpose. The time on them would have been much better spent on the two main couples.

There is some awkwardness to the English subtitles that seem to be a translation issue so I'll give the script the benefit of the doubt on how natural the dialogue is. The content of what's said, though, is fairly simple and unmemorable (no really deep or moving conversations).

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Unrealistic plot but sweet, mature slow-burn romance.

(I rate vertical dramas on their own sliding scale.) General spoilers only.
I enjoyed watching the leads fall for each other through mutual respect blossoming into attraction. Though their relationship started as boss and subordinate, they both learned they could trust and depend on each other.

The leads are both into the 1-month waiting period of their divorces before they start letting themselves entertain the idea of liking the other more romantically (not knowing that they are, in fact, each other's "long-lost" spouses). Things start out professionally and then they try to keep it that way for a long time. They are also aware that the other thinks their own spouse hasn't treated them well. So, their relationship didn't feel immoral to me in this specific context.

As for the plot, it's the same as many others, and it's one I'm a little tired of. But I started watching because of Yang Han and ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would, though I did employ fast-forwarding at times. Is the plot ridiculous, yes, but I liked the romance anyway! It's slow-burn and not that steamy. There are more moments of romantic and sexual tension than there are kisses (but there are quite a few of those moments!).

I did really like the ML's internal dialogue about not blaming the kid for his mother's "cheating" (misunderstanding), and their interactions were really nice. The kid is written more like an 8-10 year old (than a 5 year old), but quite cute anyway.

If you are a stickler for logic, this story will drive you nuts. But if you can shrug off glaringly obvious plot contrivances, then give it a try. Just imagine it's an alternate reality where people can't make calls or send emails or letters outside of the country they are in. Also, that a woman has absolutely zero contact with her own family or her husband's family without him. That's the only way to explain why the leads never communicated for 6 whole years while the ML worked abroad immediately following the wedding night when the grandma's drugged both the leads so they would consumate their marriage. And that would explain why the ML's grandmother, and he himself, never knew that the FL was pregnant and gave birth to his child. And that the FL appears to have no relatives at all even though she had a grandmother at the wedding. Lol.

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Good twist on rebirth plot.

Vertically filmed micro drama (I rate these on their own sliding scale). General spoilers only below.
Okay for one watch, especially if a fan of one of the actors. The most interesting thing to me was the plot; it was different and intruiging to have both step-sisters reborn and retaining their memories! The leads are cute together and have some sweet moments, but the chemistry is a little flat and there's barely any physical closeness. The ML did a better job showing affection and some desire with his eyes. The FL felt like she was smiling at a good friend, but didn't quite reach an in-love feeling before the show ended. The show is only 65 minutes long though, so the screenplay did a fairly good job balancing all the plot elements given the time constraints. Ending is a little rushed, but it's complete and happy for the leads.

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Fun bickering dynamic but romantic progression was lacking.

A vertically filmed micro drama (I rate these on their own sliding scale). General Spoilers below.
Okay if a fan of the lead actors because the dynamic between their characters is uncommon and interesting. They kept me watching through annoying characters, tropes, and ridiculous plots.

The lead's disgruntled, impassioned bicking was mostly fun and it was endearing to see them transition slowly into seeing each other in a new light and caring about each other.

However, the romance ended up not being that satisfying because:
1) The last 1/4 focused on ridiculously crazy plot shenanigans instead of the growing feelings between the leads.
2) The interest felt lop-sided. Fairly early on the ML starts showing interest in the FL, softening towards, then being attracted to her, and wanting her to like him too. The FL's progression takes a lot longer to start, and it doesn't go as far. By the end, I only believe she's starting to be fond of him but not that she loves him. She shows no desire or physical attraction to him either other than stating that he's handsome. She doesn't even look tempted when the ML tries to kiss her.
3) There are no fully consentual or sweet kisses shown (like it's okay to show a kiss being forced on a woman but not okay to show her wanting a sweet kiss for herself). There are some sweet moments, but very little intimacy overall.
4) The ending is super rushed. Both grandpa's reveal the truth separately, there's plot craziness, and then the short ending scene.
5) The important last tender moment between the leads is ruined by the background sound. It sounds like someone over a loudspeaker giving a Christmas day speech. It's distracting and makes it difficult to hear the ML clearly as he professes his love.

It's a missed opportunity that the script doesn't have either character grapple with the confusion and possible internalized guilt for starting to love someone other than their childhood love. As a result, things (emotions and character logic) feel shallow. Also, the kids seemed about 6 years old when they met in the mountains, only had a short time together, promised to marry each other, haven't seen each other since, and yet are adament about staying chaste until the other can be found. It's not a believable set up at all.

The FL is overly competent except when the plot needs her to be a "regular girl". Example: she's a medical genius and a martial arts master, yet she can't shake of the ML when he makes a couple advances on her that she doesn't want (he doesn't push too far though).

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The leads are very good and kept me watching and rooting for them even though the plot got a bit repetative and drawn out. The couple of kiss scenes were electric with passionate, realistic embraces and kisses (with small to big movements).

A vertically filmed micro drama (I rate these on their own sliding scale).

General Spoilers below:

A high level of suspension of disbelief is needed for this story but it didn't really annoy me. There's multiple mistaken or missed identities. There is also a deranged 3rd wheel wanna-be who pretends to be the person the drugged ML slept with 3 years ago to pressure him into "being responsible for her" through marriage.

The ML's mother prompted the marriage between the ML and FL after she saved the FL one night. The ML doesn't really want a divorce but feels obligated to the SFL who he thinks lost her virginity to him and thinks was poisoned and sick for the past 3 years because of that night (she's faking it to manipulate his sympathy and guilt).

Unlike some dramas with a similar set up, the ML remains mostly likeable because he obviously cares about the FL but is conflicted and torn between what he wants (her) and what he has promised the SFL. He's frustrated and jealous that the FL has other men around her and just can't stop caring about her. The divorce gets signed but is never officially turned in.

The FL is smart, talented, and has a backbone. She pretends to love the ML to stay with him and cure him (hiding her medical genius identity for that never really makes sense, you just have to roll with it). After they part, she starts wishing the ML would put her first over the SFL, but is not a pushover and rebukes/rebuffs the ML when he can't commit to her fully. It seems both leads grew more feelings for each other than they realized while married.

Both the ML and FL have a couple of likeable friends.

There's some great karma for the coniving SFL (who twice drugs the ML in an attempt to sleep with him, luckily she's thwarted both times).

Happy ending with a brief kiss.

ML (not on MDL at the time I wrote this) is 張輻韜 Zhāng Yùn Tāo or Eric Zhang.

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Romance Is Believably Grown And Sweet.

General spoilers. (I rate vertically filmed dramas on their own sliding scale.) Good for one watch and the screenplay is better written than many vertical dramas, I just don't see myself re-watching it. The whole cast is good and there is melodrama but it's approached in a more grounded way than most. There's no excessive yelling, no violence or abuse, only one character that becomes mentally unhinged by the end but isn't a constant part of the plot, there are 3rd wheels but they eventually become respectful and wish the lead couple happiness, and the fiance and father of the mean-spirited girl are actually able to see her for who she is and distance themselves from her.

There are a lot of clichéd plotlines in the script, but none of them are dragged out and the focus remains on the romance of the two leads and how they get through things together. There is good chemistry between the leads, though I didn't find it electric, and a lot if sweetness. The way the two characters fall in love with each other as they spend time together is believable. There are multiple lip-press kisses with feelings (some shown, others head-blocked). The relationship is healthy and supportive, with the leads acting like adults, and once they get past a few initial jealous insecurities, they are trusting of each other.

Possible emotional trigger warnings: there were multiple chunks of time that the screenplay focused on mother's with incurable illnesses, head tumors, and grief.

SPOILER ON THE ENDING:

... ... ...
It is a happy ending with a short wedding.
... ... ...

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Constant Insults Equals Love, Apparently.

General spoilers only. Not sweet to me. The ML calls the FL an idiot, stupid, useless, hopeless, incompetent, a hag, etc throughout the ENTIRE show. He insults, demeans, and belittles. He shouts at her and berates her when she asks for help. He has a very small character arc at the end that was not enough to redeem him in my eyes.

The SML, however, was sweet, sincere in his interest, earnest in his love, encouraging, supportive, and accepting. The FL even says he made the world seem like it could be a nicer place!

It was so frustrating that the FL instead fell for the emotional abuse with crumbs of care (and cooked meals) that the ML dished out. It seems love is through the stomach after all (sarcasm). A lot of the FL's insecurities even stemmed from how the ML treated her at their previous job when she was a subordinate that he was nasty to. His excuse for treating her like sh*t is that he was unhappy forcing himself to work at a job he didn't like but was good at. Poor him (sarcasm). I don’t think that justifies the extent to which he behaved badly.

At least the FL grows a bit of a backbone and starts bickering back to the ML. I didn't feel romantic chemistry from that however.

I kept waiting for a turning point in the ML's behavior and an increase in romance, but the change was miniscule. The few kisses were dead-fish-kisses and one of them was 100% non-consentual (FL kissed ML while he was sleeping, which I find creepy).

This felt unsatisfying and a waste of time; I wish I had dropped it partway through instead of hoping for improvements in character growth that never came. The actors did a good job with what they were given, I just really disliked how the screenplay was written.

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Memorable. Ep 1-4 are very thoughtful & Ep 5-8 are more melodramatic.

General spoilers only. "You can't help if you fall for a boy or a girl, or someone else." About multiple characters who feel different from "normal" in various ways. Characters experience a lot of yearning and pining (a lot of it is romantic in nature though characters also yearn to fit in or to find their place in life too), internal struggles and insecurity, and waivering back & forth.

The two main characters are blood-related siblings, so this is best watched with a non-judgmental approach, otherwise you might want to skip this one. There is also an openly gay secondary character and a tertiary character who loves their step-sibling (not related by blood).

There are great messages explored throughout the screenplay about questioning societal norms, mores, and expectations (especially when it doesn't hurt others- the people who feel like outliers are the ones that are hurt by trying to conform to other's opinions), deciding what's right for one's self, not being passive in one's own life, and more in that vein.

Nothing is handled lightly, by the story as a whole or by the individual characters. Various concerns about each character's feelings and their situations are explored. There are voice-over thoughts from multiple characters.

This is NOT a spicy story. There is some skinship but not a lot, two light lip presses, and one brief scene near the end that only implies the two lead characters slept together.

Technically I would rate this a 7.5/10 overall, but there were a few things I loved about it, and it engaged my thoughts and emotions enough to be quite memorable so I'm giving it an 8/10.

The first half is well crafted and thoughtful. I would give Ep 1-4 a 9/10. The second half gets more melodramatic in ways that I found excessive at times and I would rate Ep 5-8 a 6/10; the plot starts feeling less realistic and increasingly stretches credulity. A couple of actions or reactions didn't feel quite in line with a character's previous build. Overall I still found it pretty satisfying though; it helped that the show starts at the end before going back in time so I already had an idea of how things were going to work out. That allowed me to mostly shrug off the frusterations in storytelling and character actions as I watched things unfold in the second half.

All of the actors (except the mother) were very well suited for their rolls. Suzuki Jin, Yamashita Mizuki, and Ito Asahi were especially enjoyable to watch and almost immediately got me invested in their characters. The mother, on the other hand, is extra in a way that is not written or acted particularly well. Which makes her even more annoying. Luckily she's not around much.

General Spoilers below.

The number of times people dramatically drop to the ground (in faints or illness) is ridiculous. I could handle one, but after that it breaks credulity.

I loved one of the internal thoughts of a character with unrequited love. The character being daunted by the difficulty and hopeless pain of it was so relatable; "You want to be best friends forever? Then I can't tell you forever."

FYI SIDE NOTE ON SUBTITLES:
I could only find this streaming in the USA on KissAsian (as a last resort) in February 2024. Ep 4-8 all had lagging subtitle issues. It would be fine for about the first 15min of every episode and then the rest would lag behind by multiple sentences.
So I recommend checking if this is going to happen in whatever platform you find it on before starting to avoid frusteration.

Edit: I ended up downloading the video and subtitle files on my computer in order to re-watch it properly.

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