skinnypenguin

Bromance Interrupted

I was expecting a typical angsty teen drama with two boys interested in the same girl, and it delivered in a lackluster storyline. This story was that, but on a repeat cycle. It was obvious, to me. from the beginning who Sei would end up with. She meets Taiyo in class and has a bad first encounter with him. Later, she makes friends with Mizuki who notices her love of stars and introduces her to the Astronomy Club that Taiyo also belongs to. I knew that there was another girl lurking in their past who was bound to make an appearance and she did in the character of Saki, a middle school friend i who was a member of the original Astronomy Club trio.

Saki's return pushes Sei to recognize her feelings or at least has her questioning them. The boys also have to face the past and their love triangle. The three were friends in middle school and Saki liked Taiyo, but was jealous that he paid more attention to to Mizuki. She kissed Mizuki because she was jealous and purposefully hurt Taiyo. What plays out when Saki returns is that she expects to pick up where she left off. She was a manipulative bulldozer, playing on Taiyo's guilt for a past incident, none of which was his fault. The decision she made to stand in the rain, knowing she has a heart condition was her own. Had he shown up, they would still have been in the rain and he couldn't have changed anything, especially as a middle school student. She tries to pull him back to her side, playing up her illness in a very selfish way and even admits she refused surgery because of the complications and her remaining ill would keep Taiyo by her side.

There isn't much in the way of original storyline nor character growth other than Sei making peace with her bullies as they encourage her. It ended the way it started - rather underwhelming.

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Top Form is one of the best series of 2025.

There are very few dramas of any genre that I have wanted to start watching again immediately after I have finished the series. Top Form is among that handful. It was a wonderful production from the casting to the soundtrack and everything in between. The only thing it lacked was a much better script and storyline. The music enhanced the emotions and complimented the scenes rather than detracted from them. This in and of itself is a rare feat.

The chemistry between Boom and Smart on screen was palpable and this pairing was magical. It felt real and raw, messy and intense. It often felt as if they forgot they were being filmed during their scenes and were just being themselves. Their expressions, words and touches were so realistic, I felt like I was intruding on their intimacy. Although Smart is younger and relatively new to acting, his portrayal of Jin was full of emotion, intensity and maturity. Boom has age and experience in his corner, but this was truly his breakout role and he showed that he was a true male lead, full of complexity and emotion. Once Jin realized the depth of his feelings for Akin he was unstoppable in his pursuit for love and this sometimes felt a little too obsessive.

This drama was not by any means perfect, but was really, really good. I found some of the storyline distracting at times, such as the introduction of Naru and his inclusion in The Sexiest Man vote. Really? It also gave us some insight into the world of actors and the demands the industry and fans place on them. It is not glamorous, but cutthroat and manipulative. Thankfully our leads managed to shine through all of these setbacks. The stalker incident should have been written more critically and not treated as a dust up. The sabotage and manipulation by SIGMA, as well as the homophobia deserved more attention and accountability in the plot. None of this was acceptable, and was definitely criminal.

I also ugly cried a few times during the series. Obviously during the angsty scenes between Boom and Smart. I am a sucker for good romance and a happily ever after. I found myself tearing up in the last episode when they got caught up in a sensual moment. The emotions on their faces and the background music were beautiful. I’MIN’s Fallen City was absolutely perfect. Kudos to the production team!!

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