I stay overwhelmed each week with all the bundle of strong emotions that this drama leaves me with. I find that I come in terms with all the emotions separately. Like one day I am happy with the couple's growing love and their growth along with their love and the very next day I keep feeling depressed at the whole situation and inevitability. I have concluded that its absolutely not possible for me to pursue other dramas while watching this one. I am emotionally too heavily invested in this story and have come to care about the main couple deeply. It's just such a beautiful drama. With my previous experience of Japanese dramas , something like this to come along is like a rare comet and the force in which it will move hearts is also equivalent to the comet's.
me tooooo, i'm so nervous. i freaked out at the very end when his mom showed up. i need to know what happened…
The thing is that their love is portrayed in a pure way. And that is the whole essence. They just genuinely fall in love with each other and are not just lusting for each other. But just coming in terms with their own hearts and trying to follow it if possible.
About them holding hands in front of her fiance and she doesn't flinch is because she has by then accepted the fact fully that she is really in love with Kuroiwa and their is no point in denying anymore. She wants to be honest finally with him and with herself more importantly and also because both of them are swept in emotions.
And she quickly tried to break the hand hold when Kuroiwa's mother appears because she is sorry for that. That being his teacher it is still irresponsible. But Kuroiwa doesn't let her hand go. He just wants everyone to just deal with it now.
I love how small actions and body language convey such great emotions. Its just how detailed this drama is.
me tooooo, i'm so nervous. i freaked out at the very end when his mom showed up. i need to know what happened…
Sorry guys for joining in late. I was very overwhelmed by the 4th episode. It satisfied me in all ways to what I was expecting and yet the end left me in despair.
So, to explain you on the beach Kuroiwa demands to know Hijiri's feelings clearly. And Hijiri keeps avoiding the question by giving reasons like she has a great fiance and that she is the one who is unfit for him. Kuroiwa is like I know all these facts. But I am fine with the current you just the way you are. So she dejectedly says that nothing is going to come out of this. Kuroiwa gets desperate and asks that 'just for today, stay with me and then I will give up on you'. She asks him "do what together?"and he says, he wants to be kind to her , forget about the teacher-student thing, or her fiance and he just wants to get to know her. So Hijiri says, if we do that, then the love will grow even more. So, he protests that that's fine, he doesn't want to forget her then and tries to stop her as she is walking away. But she dejectedly sits on the sand. She is too overwhelmed with emotions and sadness and says, don't call me 'Sensei', I don't have the qualification to be called that. And then he gets very sad and confused that she is refusing to convey her feelings and wonders if all this is becoming too much. In the end, he gives up and just asks her, what does she want to do? and as she is crying. she says she wants to go home. Then , he says that 'honestly, me too'. and gives her a hand and pulls her up. He daringly kisses her. And as soon as they part their lips he says 'is it okay to do it one more time' and surprised that Hijiri is with the sudden kiss, she feebly protests that 'Kuroiwa-kun...actually...............'and gauging that she is again going to worry about others he says that he doesn't care what the world thinks about them and that he just loves her. And swoops in for another kiss. This time Hijiri closes her eyes and accepts it. And then, he hugs her. Later, he is dropping her off , one- because she has only one shoe so she is wearing his, that he offers earlier. And he just wants to see her off. So, there is no way they were gonna sleep and all. Their love is still consumed with all the agonies and riddled with guilt. In that Kuroiwa just wants to get to know her and spend time with her just like a normal couple who wants to spend as much time together as possible; may it only be just talking.
So that's it . That's what happened and the happiness was fleeting for them as well as the audience like a ray of sunshine on a dark cloudy day.
that train scene about how hijiri almost wish for it, i never thought about it that way. i just thought she was…
The fact that she kept it in that position and not on her bag gave me that idea. Her expressions also sort of betrayed that it was completely natural to keep her hand that way. That's what I think.
ep3 was just plain awesome. this show is going beyond my expectations. i actually watched the ep twice once to…
You echoed my thoughts exactly. I am beyond impressed by Okada Kenshi. He is just spell binding. Also, the heartbreak is what even I am prepared for but I do positively hope that they will get together eventually. I may not move on at all if they don't.
Alas! I need to write about this. Apologies for this very long post. Let's just take a look at how beautiful and epic the train scene in ep 3 is: Hijiri gets a call from the headmaster that Kuroiwa actually hit Ebihara after finding that he was the one behind the malicious posts on the net and that he was the one who had stolen the login credentials. Kuroiwa is already sitting on the bench with a sunken expression and Hijiri looks at him with a new realization , walks towards him and sits next to him; always maintaining the distance between them. Hijiri looks confused and thinking to herself about what to say next. Kuroiwa starts talking about how he found his father's letter and how upset his mother was about it while all this time he had no idea about it. They hear the train approaching the station. Kuroiwa gets up, Hijiri desperately tries to console him. In her efforts she talks about the old "tanka" (short poem that is expected to convey deep meaning). I am currently not sure of the exact meaning of the tanka Hijiri narrates word by word. Hence, I would be looking at it once the subs are out. Hijiri sings the tanka in a soft voice and conveys that she wishes that once Kuroiwa understands the meaning of this poem he would be fine and he and his mother will connect with each other. Kuroiwa starts fretting whether his mother is in a critical situation Akira Kuroiwa(AK): "My mother is not in a critical situation, is she?" Hijiri Sensei (HS) : "ahhh, no....no...no, it’s just the exhaustion/anemia due to hard labor, that's what Jofu-san said....yes..........I am sorry". She is a bit flustered that she made Kuroiwa worry about his mother and apologizes somewhat awkwardly. Kuroiwa looks at her with amusement , pleased to see that Hijiri was trying to console him. His expression are absolutely great, the minute changes in his expression conveys his feelings of aww, pleased, shy and happiness so effectively. AK : “it’s a good song”. He shyly says this while stealing glances at Hijiri and them averting his eyes when Hijiri looks at him surprised.
The train arrives on the platform and Kuroiwa gets in. Just while he gets on the train, Hijiri runs to him. Kuroiwa turns around. Hijiri while standing outside the door entrance says : “Earlier, about Ebihara’s scene, don’t get into a fight or attack anyone………no matter what the situation ………even if it’s for my sake.”.
Kuroiwa quickly looks at her face after hearing the last words. All the while before he heard the last words, he was looking down in somewhat shamefulness. But the realization that she is asking him not to fight for her quickly triggers heavy emotions in him. Just then the doors of train begin closing and he is overcome by his emotions that he is going to part from her. He really really wants to be her. In a voluntary action he extends his arm to catch Hijiri’s hand and pulls her inside the train before the train door closes. Things happen so quickly that both of them don’t really have any idea about what is exactly happening. She crashes into his chest and the doors close behind her. Soon the train starts moving and they are both surprised to see the consequences. I love Kuroiwa’s subtle and dry exclamations. He just says ‘Ah’ looking around unable to believe what he just did and Hijiri is like ‘Ehh …..Ehhh’ unable to believe what just happened. The rest of the journey is spent in emotional turmoil, silly hopes (Hijiri almost wishes Kuroiwa would hold her hand and Kuroiwa is so conflicted over holding her hand and with great efforts gives up at the attempt) and lots of butterflies.
This scene was just perfection at all levels. I felt my heart going so tight that it was just about to explode. The complexity of emotions displayed is so heart-wrenching. The music is so extraordinarily beautiful and quickly escalates the scene to cause great emotional turmoil in the viewers hearts that the characters are feeling themselves. The acting and chemistry is just phenomenal from both the leads. At this point you just know that there is no going back for Hijiri and Akira. They are just hopelessly in love and all this is going to lead to great heartbreak. Hopefully after years following the separation they will still get together in the end. How do you even recover after that kind of love!
Can't get over the amount of symbolism this drama has. Would love to watch the entire drama again after it's finished…
Another, one that I realized later on while re-watching was the tennis scene in ep 2, where Ritsu Haraguchi is telling Shotaro Kawai that Hijiri probably feels the distance between them now that he is in Osaka because Hijiri refers to Shotaro as her goal when she meets his parents. She mentions that if he doesn't act quickly over it, before he notices it the distance between them will not be undo-able. And in the very next shot that Shotaro tries to hit the ball and miss-hits it and thinks jokingly "And I thought I could really get back ( to the ball)". Although, he is referring to his miss-hit it actually reflects on his relationship with Hijiri that is already at an unmendable stage.
yeah,,,, i also came across this video today on TBS youtube channel. Currently , I am digging everything related to this drama. And this gives a great picture of their life before meeting Hijiri sensei.
yay gob bless the subber, time to watch it again, with sub this time
We seem to be doing exactly the same thing!! :) I am glad that I am Japanese Language student. I almost always thought that japanese dramas were far too childish and resorted to korean dramas. Thank God, I discovered this and hoping it turns out to be a great drama at the end.
OMG and this is turning out to be one of the best dramas, Their is absolutely nothing vulgar about this drama. The way this story is executed is exceptional. The drama so far is beautiful beyond words, the actors, music, cinematography are stunning. i think I will not forget this for a long time to come. As a viewer I have already fallen for the male protagonist and dropped all the korean dramas I watching in parallel. I don't care anymore what happens with them. The chemistry between the leads here is intense beyond words. The male actor is just one heck of an actor.....you won't blink while watching him on-screen and this is no exaggeration. He is just that good.. You will miss a lot if you at least don't give this a try.
i rewatched it with sub.in beginning episode i see kuroiwa feeling's like wave.it came to shore whre hijiri stand…
nice analogy there, A wave coming and engulfing you in its force of innocence and pure love. Kuroiwa is that wave for Hijiri-sensei. She can't stop him. While all her defenses eventually break down , he wraps her completely in his arms (metaphorically, in his love). Even as a viewer I don't think I can resist it. Poor Hijiri-chan!
I liked how you have articulated all the aspects in this article. Personally, even I wouldn't dive into a drama that is melodramatic from the word go. But this one is unique. I started after coming across the rave reviews of acting and once I was in there was no going out. The main leads are simply outstanding and carry the drama beautifully. It is beautifully directed and even after the whole plot is laden in the first two episodes I am crazily addicted to this drama and the wait every week is killing (pains of watching ongoing dramas!). The whole drama unfolds beautifully. There is great development in characters which so often missing in the dramas these days; that you are rarely so personally invested in the characters.
About the Uncontrollably Fond comparison, I disagree. Honestly, I found that drama was mediocre. Even Kim Woo Bin's acting couldn't save that one. I couldn't care less and dropped it after several attempts of trying to like the drama for the OSTs at least.
About Seo Hyun's acting, I am surprised that some people think she is weak. Kim Jung Hyun is beyond stunning and no one would deny that. But Seo Hyun in my opinion is outstanding as well. I came in with practically no experience or expectations from her (not even a fan of SNSD). And I was bowled over. She is impressive, the recent transformation that her character went through was portrayed so stunningly that she is a good actress in my books and someone I would expect a lot in her next projects. I would agree if someone said that about Yoona but definitely not about Seo Hyun.
This has definitely been one of the top dramas this year and hopefully I will be able to say the same thing after its conclusion.
This sysnopis gave me some goblin feels, is it any good?
It's way better than Goblin. Sorry Goblin just didn't click with me and had to drop it after 10 episodes. Don't hate me for that. Just didn't care enough. This drama so far is very interesting and I have just been waiting for weekends.
About them holding hands in front of her fiance and she doesn't flinch is because she has by then accepted the fact fully that she is really in love with Kuroiwa and their is no point in denying anymore. She wants to be honest finally with him and with herself more importantly and also because both of them are swept in emotions.
And she quickly tried to break the hand hold when Kuroiwa's mother appears because she is sorry for that. That being his teacher it is still irresponsible. But Kuroiwa doesn't let her hand go. He just wants everyone to just deal with it now.
I love how small actions and body language convey such great emotions. Its just how detailed this drama is.
So, to explain you on the beach Kuroiwa demands to know Hijiri's feelings clearly. And Hijiri keeps avoiding the question by giving reasons like she has a great fiance and that she is the one who is unfit for him. Kuroiwa is like I know all these facts. But I am fine with the current you just the way you are. So she dejectedly says that nothing is going to come out of this. Kuroiwa gets desperate and asks that 'just for today, stay with me and then I will give up on you'. She asks him "do what together?"and he says, he wants to be kind to her , forget about the teacher-student thing, or her fiance and he just wants to get to know her. So Hijiri says, if we do that, then the love will grow even more. So, he protests that that's fine, he doesn't want to forget her then and tries to stop her as she is walking away. But she dejectedly sits on the sand. She is too overwhelmed with emotions and sadness and says, don't call me 'Sensei', I don't have the qualification to be called that. And then he gets very sad and confused that she is refusing to convey her feelings and wonders if all this is becoming too much. In the end, he gives up and just asks her, what does she want to do? and as she is crying. she says she wants to go home. Then , he says that 'honestly, me too'. and gives her a hand and pulls her up.
He daringly kisses her. And as soon as they part their lips he says 'is it okay to do it one more time' and surprised that Hijiri is with the sudden kiss, she feebly protests that 'Kuroiwa-kun...actually...............'and gauging that she is again going to worry about others he says that he doesn't care what the world thinks about them and that he just loves her. And swoops in for another kiss. This time Hijiri closes her eyes and accepts it. And then, he hugs her. Later, he is dropping her off , one- because she has only one shoe so she is wearing his, that he offers earlier. And he just wants to see her off. So, there is no way they were gonna sleep and all. Their love is still consumed with all the agonies and riddled with guilt. In that Kuroiwa just wants to get to know her and spend time with her just like a normal couple who wants to spend as much time together as possible; may it only be just talking.
So that's it . That's what happened and the happiness was fleeting for them as well as the audience like a ray of sunshine on a dark cloudy day.
Hijiri gets a call from the headmaster that Kuroiwa actually hit Ebihara after finding that he was the one behind the malicious posts on the net and that he was the one who had stolen the login credentials. Kuroiwa is already sitting on the bench with a sunken expression and Hijiri looks at him with a new realization , walks towards him and sits next to him; always maintaining the distance between them. Hijiri looks confused and thinking to herself about what to say next. Kuroiwa starts talking about how he found his father's letter and how upset his mother was about it while all this time he had no idea about it. They hear the train approaching the station. Kuroiwa gets up, Hijiri desperately tries to console him. In her efforts she talks about the old "tanka" (short poem that is expected to convey deep meaning). I am currently not sure of the exact meaning of the tanka Hijiri narrates word by word. Hence, I would be looking at it once the subs are out. Hijiri sings the tanka in a soft voice and conveys that she wishes that once Kuroiwa understands the meaning of this poem he would be fine and he and his mother will connect with each other.
Kuroiwa starts fretting whether his mother is in a critical situation
Akira Kuroiwa(AK): "My mother is not in a critical situation, is she?"
Hijiri Sensei (HS) : "ahhh, no....no...no, it’s just the exhaustion/anemia due to hard labor, that's what Jofu-san said....yes..........I am sorry". She is a bit flustered that she made Kuroiwa worry about his mother and apologizes somewhat awkwardly.
Kuroiwa looks at her with amusement , pleased to see that Hijiri was trying to console him. His expression are absolutely great, the minute changes in his expression conveys his feelings of aww, pleased, shy and happiness so effectively.
AK : “it’s a good song”. He shyly says this while stealing glances at Hijiri and them averting his eyes when Hijiri looks at him surprised.
The train arrives on the platform and Kuroiwa gets in. Just while he gets on the train, Hijiri runs to him. Kuroiwa turns around. Hijiri while standing outside the door entrance says : “Earlier, about Ebihara’s scene, don’t get into a fight or attack anyone………no matter what the situation ………even if it’s for my sake.”.
Kuroiwa quickly looks at her face after hearing the last words. All the while before he heard the last words, he was looking down in somewhat shamefulness. But the realization that she is asking him not to fight for her quickly triggers heavy emotions in him. Just then the doors of train begin closing and he is overcome by his emotions that he is going to part from her. He really really wants to be her. In a voluntary action he extends his arm to catch Hijiri’s hand and pulls her inside the train before the train door closes. Things happen so quickly that both of them don’t really have any idea about what is exactly happening. She crashes into his chest and the doors close behind her. Soon the train starts moving and they are both surprised to see the consequences. I love Kuroiwa’s subtle and dry exclamations. He just says ‘Ah’ looking around unable to believe what he just did and Hijiri is like ‘Ehh …..Ehhh’ unable to believe what just happened. The rest of the journey is spent in emotional turmoil, silly hopes (Hijiri almost wishes Kuroiwa would hold her hand and Kuroiwa is so conflicted over holding her hand and with great efforts gives up at the attempt) and lots of butterflies.
This scene was just perfection at all levels. I felt my heart going so tight that it was just about to explode. The complexity of emotions displayed is so heart-wrenching. The music is so extraordinarily beautiful and quickly escalates the scene to cause great emotional turmoil in the viewers hearts that the characters are feeling themselves. The acting and chemistry is just phenomenal from both the leads. At this point you just know that there is no going back for Hijiri and Akira. They are just hopelessly in love and all this is going to lead to great heartbreak. Hopefully after years following the separation they will still get together in the end. How do you even recover after that kind of love!
Thank God, I discovered this and hoping it turns out to be a great drama at the end.
About the Uncontrollably Fond comparison, I disagree. Honestly, I found that drama was mediocre. Even Kim Woo Bin's acting couldn't save that one. I couldn't care less and dropped it after several attempts of trying to like the drama for the OSTs at least.
About Seo Hyun's acting, I am surprised that some people think she is weak. Kim Jung Hyun is beyond stunning and no one would deny that. But Seo Hyun in my opinion is outstanding as well. I came in with practically no experience or expectations from her (not even a fan of SNSD). And I was bowled over. She is impressive, the recent transformation that her character went through was portrayed so stunningly that she is a good actress in my books and someone I would expect a lot in her next projects. I would agree if someone said that about Yoona but definitely not about Seo Hyun.
This has definitely been one of the top dramas this year and hopefully I will be able to say the same thing after its conclusion.