Olive C

Contrast is a really good yet delicate coming of age romance drama, It's a pity FOD decided to drop all episodes in one go in Japan which honestly killed the hype for the domestic audience and also did not give time for the production nor actors to promote and market the drama. I feel it would've gain more domestic popularity if it was aired normally.

I watched the drama without knowing the original source but the youth vibe of the story is captured beautifully. The two MC are likeable yet complex in their own ways. I thought the way the drama handle the grooming situation with Akira is done so realistically well that we, as the audience knows, Akira is never going to realize the damages Kanda had done to him. Akira was at a sensitive age when he feels like by simply existing hurts after being bullied by the boy he liked for being gay. He's young and depressed, and finally, he confides to his tutor Kanda who gives the awful advice of how he, a gay man himself, finds "balance" in life by sleeping with other men. They somehow gets into a secret relationship for years, and we can see how his so called "balance" only further destroy Akira's self esteem when he meets Kanata. He pushes him away despite their attraction because he feels like he's not strong nor pure. He's afraid he can't go through another painful rejection from a boy he likes again.

Kanata and Akira's relationship is full of angst and charms. One is fragile and other is doing all he can to show him love. This is one of those dynamics that is forever loved. The only thing I dislike is the drama giving us all this angst and a few minutes of them being together at the end only. It's probably the one thing JBL has been doing that everyone complains about, and I get that it's how a lot of romance manga are written but sometimes as a drama, it feels like the ending is not rewarding for after all the angst.