HANDS DOWN THE BEST SERIES OF 2025 (this is a tough one to beat)
Alrighty so this is my first time EVER writing a review, however I feel compelled to after viewing this masterpiece. (This is purely how I feel so if you disagree with me.. it's totally fine!)First things first... Boom's ACTING! I mean boy can he act his heart out! Boom's onscreen presence as Akin truly garnered by attention. The way in which he expressed himself in every scene (especially the emotional ones) made me feel for his character and the struggles that he goes through within the series (ngl plenty of tears were shed). It's like he takes us on this journey with him wherein we get to see how isolated and alone he once was... that is until he met Jin. But in all seriousness though, Boom made his character very flawed, very human which I truly appreciate as it gives us a glimpse of the harsh realities for most actors out there who have been in the industry for so long, expecting to remain on top, yet are threatened by newcomers. I'm really looking forward to seeing him in more projects, cause he definitely needs more exposure!
Moving on to our surprising scene stealer, Smart.. now he definitely held his own throughout the series as Jin. To be honest, I was not quite sure about how the dynamic of Jin and Akin would play out in the first few episodes, but my doubts were instantly cast aside as the series progressed. As Jin, you could really see his thoughts and feelings expressed through his eyes (referring to when his bangs were not covering his eyes... I feel the need to call out his hair stylist fr). In the beginning he appeared really cute and aloof (aka that wooden boy phase), but whenever he showed anger or sadness, there's an aura that can't be explained (like ep 6 for instance iykyk). As a viewer, you could really feel Jin's compassion... *coughs* or passion towards Akin, like being his support system, wanting to be on his level to be "worthy" enough to be with him and have the power and means to protect him (hey, if that ain't love idk what is :/). Though Smart has not been in many projects unlike his acting partner, he did a fantastic job playing the role of Jin and I only wish him the best throughout his acting career.
As for the supporting characters, Johnny and Naru, I can't really decipher their dynamic for now since they have not gotten as much screentime together, but I can see some banter going on... would love to see their relationship develop further. Though Johnny is most definitely a POS (he still needs to be accountable for what HE did to Akin... still upset about that), I want to see how he could grow as a character, now that Naru (sweet baby boy) is going to be a part of it.
Also who can forget about P'Jade... best friend, manager, companion ever! He truly is one of the MVPs of this series, helping out Akin solve his mistakes (there were truly many) and standing by him through the ups and downs of his career. He is such a gem and I'd like to see him happy as well.. with his mystery partner (s2 please come faster!).
Now I can't really say a lot about the plot following the original manga (tbh I watched a few episodes of the anime but dropped it.. just was not my cup of tea), though I can tell that the writers have chosen a different route in depicting the relationship between Jin and Akin as well as handling other difficult topics. Kudos to them for producing a series that follows the same template, yet adds different elements to make the series fresher, interesting and more palatable for audiences. I'm sure they wanted every component to be perfect and their hard work really shows!
Alas it is the end of my review... needless to say I thoroughly LOVED this show (we fans need more series like this). I'm going to miss being excited for Thursdays again *sigh*... Till the next review :)
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A Lesson Well Taught
There are countless series that showcase age-gap relationships or that of host culture, however none quite feel as captivating and nuanced as this one. On the surface, Ai no, Gakkou may be your standard Japanese drama, but after unraveling all the layers through each episode, it shows a higher level of depth and complexity that makes the audience feel for the characters, as flawed as they are. Although the main focus of the series revolves around the blossoming relationship/romance between Manami and Kaoru, there are many characters at play with their own agendas to get themselves ahead to achieve their goals.(WILL CONTINUE AFTER SERIES CONCLUDES)
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