This review may contain spoilers
The beauty of this story is in the details
This is my number one drama of the year and I wrote long analyses after every episode diving into its metaphors, symbolism, and Easter eggs (I also spent a lot of time squeeing over how much I love Manami and Taiga). But it's taken me a long time to write this review because there's so much to talk about that I'm struggling to condense it into a few paragraphs.
I'm going to start by quoting another MDL'er:
"True to its name, Learning to Love is exactly that: a lesson in the imperfect grace of love. Two imperfect souls meet, not to magically complete each other, but to challenge, inspire, and even hurt each other until, through their confusion and misunderstandings, they discover the raw humanity in each other. Their story isn't about perfection, it's about growth, vulnerability, and the delicate beauty of choosing each other anyway." - Upoma
Even though this drama only has 11 episodes, it may require some patience from you at the start. Episode 1 presents us with an unlikeable, obsessive FL, a broken and predatory ML, tragic backstories and enraging side characters. There's also a 12 year age gap which may put off some people. Yet somehow I found myself rooting for this unlikely couple right from the start. I think it's because even when the leads are at their worst, you can still see the core of humanity they possess and empathize with their struggles.
This quote from a Japanese review of Learning to Love beautifully summarizes the premise and describes the circumstances that suffocate and traumatize Manami and Taiga:
"Aimi grew up at age 35 under the shackles of her father, the epitome of patriarchy and paternalism. She works as a teacher at a Catholic girls' school, and is thoroughly confined to the shackles of being a "serious and chaste woman" both at home and at work. She once tried to fly out of her cage by falling in love, but it didn't work out and she ended up attempting suicide.
"Kaworu is his stage name; his real name is Takamori Taiga. He has a learning disability that makes it extremely difficult for him to read and write, and he cannot even write his own name properly....He grew up being told that his inability to study is his own fault, and it is difficult for him to recognize the opportunity gap that has resulted from not receiving education or careful training. He has survived in the nightlife world by relying on his looks, physical attractiveness, and ability to communicate verbally without using letters, but he too has lived his life believing that his only occupation is to exaggerate his "masculinity."
"At first glance, the worlds in which the two characters live seem to be contrasting, but they are very similar in the sense that they are made to believe that they have no choice but to live by exaggerating the roles of men and women. The audience unconsciously accepts the gradual twist that Juliet and Romeo, who thought they lived in different worlds, are actually trapped in the same world, and find themselves rooting for the couple's love."
This drama was written and directed with deep care and compassion for the damaged people it depicts. The genius of the story is in the details: things like the color scheme, lighting, sound design, costuming and props. Because our leads are unable to voice their dreams and desires without condemnation, it's almost as if the environment becomes a Greek chorus narrating the story for those of us in the audience who are paying attention.
A wonderful example of this is the role the color red plays in the storytelling. The most obvious example is Kaoru’s suit, which represents desire, danger, and emotions burning out of control. But red also makes an unexpected appearance at Manami’s school, as it is color of the altar cloth underneath a pure white Virgin Mary statue, representing desire that she is suppressing under a pristine facade. Red is also the color of the pencil Manami gifts Taiga and of the train that takes them to their date at the beach. So red can represent a destructive and transgressive desire but also a desire for love and a better life.
An amazing use of red along with a clever metaphor is the Korean tteokbokki vendor outside of Taiga's apartment. In a brief scene in episode 1, a woman wearing a red headband yells at the vendor asking why he only sells soy sauce flavor (in Korea, tteokbokki is eaten with a spicy red sauce). The vendor replies "People prefer it that way!" In other words, people prefer the false thing over the authentic thing. But the woman wearing a red headband shows us that for some people the desire for the real thing is still present. It's a metaphoric representation of the world that Manami and Taiga are trapped in.
Finally I want to give a shout-out to the actors, especially our leads. Fumino Kimura is a respected actress with more than a decade of experience in the industry and she delivers a character who seems on the verge of drowning who desperately reaches out to he only person who makes her feel like she can breathe. By contrast, Raul is an idol and model who only has three acting credits. But he brings a heart wrenching vulnerability to Taiga, as well a charisma and appearance that makes him entirely believable as a man who is a top earner at a host club. I also want to mention Nakajima Ayumu as Kawahara, Manami's scummy fiance. He starts out as a character you love to hate but then goes through a growth arc of his own and the actor does a brilliant job of bringing out all the character's facets. He's also funny as hell.
My one real critique of this drama: the last episode felt very rushed and even though there were things in it that I loved, other things felt too melodramatic. I especially wish we'd gotten more time to process Taiga's trauma in that last episode because it felt as though scenes were missing before we hit the final scene. But overall the drama moved me so much and many other people feel the same way.
If you want to learn more about the symbolism in the drama I suggest you read through the discussion threads for each episode: https://kisskh.at/discussions/793096-ai-no-gakko
I'm going to start by quoting another MDL'er:
"True to its name, Learning to Love is exactly that: a lesson in the imperfect grace of love. Two imperfect souls meet, not to magically complete each other, but to challenge, inspire, and even hurt each other until, through their confusion and misunderstandings, they discover the raw humanity in each other. Their story isn't about perfection, it's about growth, vulnerability, and the delicate beauty of choosing each other anyway." - Upoma
Even though this drama only has 11 episodes, it may require some patience from you at the start. Episode 1 presents us with an unlikeable, obsessive FL, a broken and predatory ML, tragic backstories and enraging side characters. There's also a 12 year age gap which may put off some people. Yet somehow I found myself rooting for this unlikely couple right from the start. I think it's because even when the leads are at their worst, you can still see the core of humanity they possess and empathize with their struggles.
This quote from a Japanese review of Learning to Love beautifully summarizes the premise and describes the circumstances that suffocate and traumatize Manami and Taiga:
"Aimi grew up at age 35 under the shackles of her father, the epitome of patriarchy and paternalism. She works as a teacher at a Catholic girls' school, and is thoroughly confined to the shackles of being a "serious and chaste woman" both at home and at work. She once tried to fly out of her cage by falling in love, but it didn't work out and she ended up attempting suicide.
"Kaworu is his stage name; his real name is Takamori Taiga. He has a learning disability that makes it extremely difficult for him to read and write, and he cannot even write his own name properly....He grew up being told that his inability to study is his own fault, and it is difficult for him to recognize the opportunity gap that has resulted from not receiving education or careful training. He has survived in the nightlife world by relying on his looks, physical attractiveness, and ability to communicate verbally without using letters, but he too has lived his life believing that his only occupation is to exaggerate his "masculinity."
"At first glance, the worlds in which the two characters live seem to be contrasting, but they are very similar in the sense that they are made to believe that they have no choice but to live by exaggerating the roles of men and women. The audience unconsciously accepts the gradual twist that Juliet and Romeo, who thought they lived in different worlds, are actually trapped in the same world, and find themselves rooting for the couple's love."
This drama was written and directed with deep care and compassion for the damaged people it depicts. The genius of the story is in the details: things like the color scheme, lighting, sound design, costuming and props. Because our leads are unable to voice their dreams and desires without condemnation, it's almost as if the environment becomes a Greek chorus narrating the story for those of us in the audience who are paying attention.
A wonderful example of this is the role the color red plays in the storytelling. The most obvious example is Kaoru’s suit, which represents desire, danger, and emotions burning out of control. But red also makes an unexpected appearance at Manami’s school, as it is color of the altar cloth underneath a pure white Virgin Mary statue, representing desire that she is suppressing under a pristine facade. Red is also the color of the pencil Manami gifts Taiga and of the train that takes them to their date at the beach. So red can represent a destructive and transgressive desire but also a desire for love and a better life.
An amazing use of red along with a clever metaphor is the Korean tteokbokki vendor outside of Taiga's apartment. In a brief scene in episode 1, a woman wearing a red headband yells at the vendor asking why he only sells soy sauce flavor (in Korea, tteokbokki is eaten with a spicy red sauce). The vendor replies "People prefer it that way!" In other words, people prefer the false thing over the authentic thing. But the woman wearing a red headband shows us that for some people the desire for the real thing is still present. It's a metaphoric representation of the world that Manami and Taiga are trapped in.
Finally I want to give a shout-out to the actors, especially our leads. Fumino Kimura is a respected actress with more than a decade of experience in the industry and she delivers a character who seems on the verge of drowning who desperately reaches out to he only person who makes her feel like she can breathe. By contrast, Raul is an idol and model who only has three acting credits. But he brings a heart wrenching vulnerability to Taiga, as well a charisma and appearance that makes him entirely believable as a man who is a top earner at a host club. I also want to mention Nakajima Ayumu as Kawahara, Manami's scummy fiance. He starts out as a character you love to hate but then goes through a growth arc of his own and the actor does a brilliant job of bringing out all the character's facets. He's also funny as hell.
My one real critique of this drama: the last episode felt very rushed and even though there were things in it that I loved, other things felt too melodramatic. I especially wish we'd gotten more time to process Taiga's trauma in that last episode because it felt as though scenes were missing before we hit the final scene. But overall the drama moved me so much and many other people feel the same way.
If you want to learn more about the symbolism in the drama I suggest you read through the discussion threads for each episode: https://kisskh.at/discussions/793096-ai-no-gakko
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