This review may contain spoilers
Like a hot cup of chocolate on a rainy day
A close, realistic representation of the realities of growing up, understanding your parents, falling in love, growing apart, finding oneself, and learning what's truly important.
The series did not fall short of clichés, love triangle (it's a love square, actually) and the usual misunderstandings among the couples, but the amount added is just quite right that it does not leave a bad taste, at all.
One of the best things about the series is that the characters, and this is not entirely limited to the leads, are written with depth, which did not incarcerate them to a specific character archetype—a good case of deviation from the usual youth drama formulas.
The female lead is one of the best written female leads I've encountered. She may be the usual innocent, shy at first, goody-two-shoes, hardworking female lead type, but what is different about her is her emotional maturity. She is not book smart but is able to navigate life with wisdom.
The male lead is the usual happy-go-lucky, "bad" student, carefree, and sporty heartthrob, but he’s also someone who consistently grows as an individual. Something I appreciate about how the male lead's character is written is how he is not deprived of ignorance, vulnerability, and stumbling blocks in his life that he cannot overcome alone despite his male lead role, underlining that he is actually young, imperfect, and still needs growth and guidance along with other peers his age.
As a couple, they do not shy away from openly expressing affection and discontent, acknowledging defeats and gaps in their personal life and relationship. Their growth as a couple is so beautiful and heartwarming and it is portrayed without much pretense.
The secondary characters did not get left behind in the story department as they were written well, too. The selfishness of second female lead and the grit of the second male lead are actually just the perfect representation of the bubble we built around ourselves when we were young.
The perseverance of both the secondary characters that scrapped their elbows and knees is, in fact, redirection in life that intended to lead them to where they should be—this realistically mirrors a type of love you can only look back fondly on, but something that must be left behind.
There is some heaviness on the themes as the series tackles death, social status, family background, family roles, grief, loss, unrealized dreams, and finding purpose and identity, but they're conveyed gently that it feels like you're sitting down and catching up with an old friend, talking about the beautiful old days, sharing wisdoms in life, laughing about the things you cried about, and sighing, yet bracing yourself, for what's yet to come—all these while cooped up somewhere nice and warm with a cup of hot chocolate, as you wait for the rain outside to pass. This, with a really good music playing in the background (OST is also really, really good!).
We haven’t reached the half of 2025 and yet I found one of the best youth dramas, and not just of this year.
Watching this gave me a pinch in the heart, as it made me recall my youth that I can never take back.
Watching the characters finally learning how to “go home” after soldiering on as adults in the real world gives me a wishful thinking that maybe, I’ll get to go home myself someday. That the right things and people will find me eventually without trying too hard.
The series did not fall short of clichés, love triangle (it's a love square, actually) and the usual misunderstandings among the couples, but the amount added is just quite right that it does not leave a bad taste, at all.
One of the best things about the series is that the characters, and this is not entirely limited to the leads, are written with depth, which did not incarcerate them to a specific character archetype—a good case of deviation from the usual youth drama formulas.
The female lead is one of the best written female leads I've encountered. She may be the usual innocent, shy at first, goody-two-shoes, hardworking female lead type, but what is different about her is her emotional maturity. She is not book smart but is able to navigate life with wisdom.
The male lead is the usual happy-go-lucky, "bad" student, carefree, and sporty heartthrob, but he’s also someone who consistently grows as an individual. Something I appreciate about how the male lead's character is written is how he is not deprived of ignorance, vulnerability, and stumbling blocks in his life that he cannot overcome alone despite his male lead role, underlining that he is actually young, imperfect, and still needs growth and guidance along with other peers his age.
As a couple, they do not shy away from openly expressing affection and discontent, acknowledging defeats and gaps in their personal life and relationship. Their growth as a couple is so beautiful and heartwarming and it is portrayed without much pretense.
The secondary characters did not get left behind in the story department as they were written well, too. The selfishness of second female lead and the grit of the second male lead are actually just the perfect representation of the bubble we built around ourselves when we were young.
The perseverance of both the secondary characters that scrapped their elbows and knees is, in fact, redirection in life that intended to lead them to where they should be—this realistically mirrors a type of love you can only look back fondly on, but something that must be left behind.
There is some heaviness on the themes as the series tackles death, social status, family background, family roles, grief, loss, unrealized dreams, and finding purpose and identity, but they're conveyed gently that it feels like you're sitting down and catching up with an old friend, talking about the beautiful old days, sharing wisdoms in life, laughing about the things you cried about, and sighing, yet bracing yourself, for what's yet to come—all these while cooped up somewhere nice and warm with a cup of hot chocolate, as you wait for the rain outside to pass. This, with a really good music playing in the background (OST is also really, really good!).
We haven’t reached the half of 2025 and yet I found one of the best youth dramas, and not just of this year.
Watching this gave me a pinch in the heart, as it made me recall my youth that I can never take back.
Watching the characters finally learning how to “go home” after soldiering on as adults in the real world gives me a wishful thinking that maybe, I’ll get to go home myself someday. That the right things and people will find me eventually without trying too hard.
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