For the reasons that many picked this up because of “It Started With a Kiss” vibes, I dropped it because it gave me ITSWAK vibes. I seriously dislike people (not just females) who don’t have the dignity and follow a guy around just because you saw him for like five seconds and devote five years of your life chasing that demon, ahem, I mean, dream. What if the guy’s married? What if the guy’s a junkie? And I hate the disparity of dumb, clingy female chasing, a good-looking, smart guy who thinks he’s all that, so it’s okay for him to be arrogant. Being a pathetic loser ain’t cute. Putting down someone isn’t hot. This is clearly an incurable case of toxic behavior.
I dropped this once after I watched a couple of episodes. Then I thought maybe I wasn’t giving this drama a fair chance, so I picked it up again. But no, I had to drop it halfway as my first instincts were right about this: It’s a vapid show about two people stuck in the feelings of their teenage years, but the years that passed didn’t add to their maturity (at least on the Female’s part).
Xu Qin is still under her mother’s thumb despite being a hotshot doctor. Also, the push-and-pull games she plays on Song Yan would also make me exhausted, even just by watching. I could not understand how a character, who has so much sass when confronting her colleagues, becomes like a cowardly cat with her tails stuck between her legs when she goes home. It looked like Wang Chu Ran had only two speeds, and I was lulled to sleep with her flat delivery.
And what the fahk are all those coincidences? Am I supposed to believe that after years of not meeting each other, all of a sudden they cross paths like every five minutes??? Really?? Is Xu Qin the only doctor in the city??? Is Song Yan the only firefighter in that area??? And all the safety protocols they seem to abandon, just so they can get a love shot between the two, is just making me shake my head vigorously that I could have suffered from whiplash.
I only stuck around for Vin Zhang’s character, but after he left the Fire Dept, there was no more reason for me to hold on. Even Yang Yang’s pretty boy face could not make me watch this long, drawn out drama which is more like a PSA for the front liners. Yes, it was commendable that it portrays the livelihood of firefighters and doctors, and how they make decisions that save countless of lives. But it wasn’t enough for me to continue the story.
Our society with double standards. 🙄🙄🙄Had this been the other way around people will be quick to say…
Not every country or culture defines minors as people under the age of 18. In the same token, one's country's laws is not the same as another country's. For example, in Japan, at the time this show was produced in 2021, individuals 13 years of age and over, can consent to sex even with somebody much older than them. Only in 2023, did Japan raise it to 16., which Issei, if he decides to have sex with Hayame, is still legally allowed to do so in the eyes of Japan's law. Others might not agree with this, but it is not a crime for them to do so.
Japan really knows how to do age-gap romance. This light-hearted drama, albeit formulaic, has its angsty moments. Bratty, spoiled high-schooler, meets a recently divorced woman who is down on her luck. Despite suddenly finding herself homeless and penniless, Hayame still is tenacious when it comes to doing what’s right and wrong. However, because of her unintentional destruction of someone else’s property, Hayama concedes to Issei’s dice game of life. Although Hayame is reluctant to play along with the outrageous requests, she sees no way out until she’s able to pay off her debt.
To no one’s surprise, Issei becomes enamored with the resilient Hayame. But so does Issei’s brother, to the consternation of many others fangirling over the inn’s young master. Though love triangles or love trains abound, we know who the end game will be. Although, I would have been equally fine if Seigo and Hayame end up together.
His love for Hayame spurred Issei’s character development, and there’s nothing cringey about wanting to become better (more responsible, more mature) in order to gain her affections. Issei’s grandmother and butler are adorable as supporting characters. Aside from the obvious references to the Cinderella-trope, this drama is a delightful, easy watch.
If you are expecting a Prince Charming and a Cinderella-story from this drama, don’t count on it. I get it that…
For instance, the inconsistent re-introduction of some characters who show up at odd times in the drama. I feel some characters are even under utilized (ahem, Tian Xiu Zhu) and just serve as props to the main leads, which is a sad fact because other stories could have been more developed.
For example, I would have been interested in how Ren Di’s band went from obscurity to popularity, or how her relationship with Xiao Liu evolved. Or even how Shu Miao took a legal path in her career, when she was a major part of Zhu Yun’s college days. Instead, we see such as useless POS like Zhi Jing be part of L&P board of directors and living prosperously, as if he weren’t the one tormenting Li Xun and Zhu Yun in their early days. Instead, Li Xun and his group were prohibited from joining competitions for years, while Zhi Jing could still pull strings despite being exposed in public.
Another case in point is that both male and female protagonists are unfailingly stubborn, sometimes to the point of infuriating, hardly giving leeway to anybody except to each other. They do this awkward dance where they are hot/cold towards each other, but with other people, they are self-righteous, if not selfish. I get it that Li Xun had a tough childhood, and Zhu Yun an over-protected one, but I wasn’t buying the cool-aid that because of their backstory, they expect the world to owe them something.
Yes, tenacity is good, ambitions are even better, but there’s a limit to which these things are met where it doesn’t adversely affect other people. Good news is, both Li Xun and Zhu Yun learned their lessons, over the course of their journey, to be more forgiving of others. Whereas Jian Hong failed, and in a karmic joke, life serves him an eff you, but Li Na, to her credit, stood by his side despite being given a reason to run for the hills.
Another case that baffled me is the fact that, Zhu Yun’s helicoptering mother, for all her scrutiny and apparently above-exceptional monitoring skills, failed to learn how her daughter ditched to study/work abroad to be with Li Xun, not once but twice is beyond me. I am not saying that I agree that the mother should control a full-grown adult who has her own right to choose, but I find this comically inconsistent. And how Zhu Yun, who is normally pushy when it comes to her boyfriend’s welfare, is suddenly timid at the sight of her mother. Also, the way Zhu Yun manipulates Tian Xiu Zhu to cover her whereabouts, without the latter getting anything in return but a “thank you”, wasn’t really supposed to be how “an innocent young lady” behaves.
The ending for me was anti-climactic, especially in the case of Zhi Jing. Are we supposed to forget how his behaviour drove his ex-girlfriend to suicide? How his deplorable actions indirectly caused the death of Li Xun’s sister? Though granted, he did not inflict the final blow, and her death was more a result of a string of coincidental events. Still, he had malicious intent and his lack of remorse didn’t justify the punishment he got, but fully deserved.
If you are expecting a Prince Charming and a Cinderella-story from this drama, don’t count on it. I get it that not all heroes wear capes, because this one just flicks a lighter but doesn’t smoke. Yes, Li Xun is a genius in his own right, but he could be less cocky and I would have been fine with it. Right at his heels, Zhu Yun attempts to tame this golden retriever by chasing after him, like she’s herself a dog that won’t let go of a bone.
The pacing is choppy, but manageable to watch. Cinematography and choice of music are good. The cast is diverse, so are the secondary characters, but all these good points do not negate the fact that I struggled to finish the show due to various factors. (In the Spoiler Reply below).
For all its flaws, the drama isn’t bad, but not that great either. I only finished this show because of the rave reviews, but I didn’t love it as much as I probably should have.
I should have known from the poster alone that this will not be some great masterpiece. But did I expect this one to be? Certainly not. I’m just curious how such a large age-gap romance will play out on the screen.
Well, the sinister but ill-timed sound track certainly was a letdown many times where I anticipated a stabbing or two to take place. So all that foreboding knife-wielding was really there just for show. Much like the various ASMR of gurgling and brushing of teeth were actually people just practicing oral hygiene and did not carry some sort of symbolism.
At one point, I even expected the romance between Shinobu and Chiaki to go south. And I am so okay with that, as they later both took on separate paths and lived without each other for years. But aside from Yuta the son, and maybe Okano the Magazine editor, the rest of the characters were frankly unlikeable. From the misogynistic ex-husband to Chiaki’s mother, both battling each other out for “The Worst Parent of the Decade” award.
Then, towards the end, where each of these characters started their own monologue to tell their own backstory, but more like an excuse for their shitty behavior, I almost lost it.
But like some other rubberneckers, I can’t help but be glued to the screen watching this train wreck of a romance go by.
I enjoyed this rom-com more than I expected. Perhaps it may be because of its short run typical of Japanese drama that allows all the essence to be compact without being draggy., unlike the long and drawn out fifty-episodic offerings from other countries.
First, it shows the typical Japanese work culture where everyone is worked to the bone and doing overtime is common and even expected. Shikamori Umi is no stranger to this and continues to run around until she reaches a limit.
Second, the drama demonstrates that change is possible when Umi gets recruited as an intern at an agency, where a very different and refreshing work culture has been established.
Suzuki Airi is a natural, transitioning from a bare-faced, exhausted employee to a spritely, newly motivated worker who wants to try her best at everything, even over-extending herself sometimes. But she realizes that just fell back into the habit of over-pleasing others.
Her coworkers, her new boss and especially Kazao, and even Hina manifest ideas that shape Umi’s worldview, in that working hard is commendable, but also is taking time for yourself. The cast was supportive of Umi’s endeavors and she finally learns to be independent.
This drama was delightful and gratifying. Also neat was the trivial fact that three of the male actors in this show were in other BL dramas that I’ve watched. I did not even recognize Izuka Kenta in that whatchamacallit hairstyle.
They should put "Clingy female lead" as tag so I would avoid this one. I'm struggling to finish, I should have listened to my own instincts and dropped it since the beginning.
2 
Xu Qin is still under her mother’s thumb despite being a hotshot doctor. Also, the push-and-pull games she plays on Song Yan would also make me exhausted, even just by watching. I could not understand how a character, who has so much sass when confronting her colleagues, becomes like a cowardly cat with her tails stuck between her legs when she goes home. It looked like Wang Chu Ran had only two speeds, and I was lulled to sleep with her flat delivery.
And what the fahk are all those coincidences? Am I supposed to believe that after years of not meeting each other, all of a sudden they cross paths like every five minutes??? Really?? Is Xu Qin the only doctor in the city??? Is Song Yan the only firefighter in that area??? And all the safety protocols they seem to abandon, just so they can get a love shot between the two, is just making me shake my head vigorously that I could have suffered from whiplash.
I only stuck around for Vin Zhang’s character, but after he left the Fire Dept, there was no more reason for me to hold on. Even Yang Yang’s pretty boy face could not make me watch this long, drawn out drama which is more like a PSA for the front liners. Yes, it was commendable that it portrays the livelihood of firefighters and doctors, and how they make decisions that save countless of lives. But it wasn’t enough for me to continue the story.
https://www.instagram.com/kctbldrama/reel/C1i5zHLr2rv/
Original source in Chinese:
https://x.com/cc816151014/status/1740782437603651982?s=20
https://www.instagram.com/kctbldrama/reel/C1i5zHLr2rv/
Original source in Chinese:
https://x.com/cc816151014/status/1740782437603651982?s=20
https://www.instagram.com/kctbldrama/reel/C1i5zHLr2rv/
Original source in Chinese:
https://x.com/cc816151014/status/1740782437603651982?s=20
https://www.instagram.com/kctbldrama/reel/C1i5zHLr2rv/
Original source in Chinese:
https://x.com/cc816151014/status/1740782437603651982?s=20
https://www.instagram.com/kctbldrama/reel/C1i5zHLr2rv/
Original source in Chinese:
https://x.com/cc816151014/status/1740782437603651982?s=20
https://www.instagram.com/kctbldrama/reel/C1i5zHLr2rv/
Original source in Chinese:
https://x.com/cc816151014/status/1740782437603651982?s=20
https://www.instagram.com/kctbldrama/reel/C1i5zHLr2rv/
Original source in Chinese:
https://x.com/cc816151014/status/1740782437603651982?s=20
To no one’s surprise, Issei becomes enamored with the resilient Hayame. But so does Issei’s brother, to the consternation of many others fangirling over the inn’s young master. Though love triangles or love trains abound, we know who the end game will be. Although, I would have been equally fine if Seigo and Hayame end up together.
His love for Hayame spurred Issei’s character development, and there’s nothing cringey about wanting to become better (more responsible, more mature) in order to gain her affections. Issei’s grandmother and butler are adorable as supporting characters. Aside from the obvious references to the Cinderella-trope, this drama is a delightful, easy watch.
For example, I would have been interested in how Ren Di’s band went from obscurity to popularity, or how her relationship with Xiao Liu evolved. Or even how Shu Miao took a legal path in her career, when she was a major part of Zhu Yun’s college days. Instead, we see such as useless POS like Zhi Jing be part of L&P board of directors and living prosperously, as if he weren’t the one tormenting Li Xun and Zhu Yun in their early days. Instead, Li Xun and his group were prohibited from joining competitions for years, while Zhi Jing could still pull strings despite being exposed in public.
Another case in point is that both male and female protagonists are unfailingly stubborn, sometimes to the point of infuriating, hardly giving leeway to anybody except to each other. They do this awkward dance where they are hot/cold towards each other, but with other people, they are self-righteous, if not selfish. I get it that Li Xun had a tough childhood, and Zhu Yun an over-protected one, but I wasn’t buying the cool-aid that because of their backstory, they expect the world to owe them something.
Yes, tenacity is good, ambitions are even better, but there’s a limit to which these things are met where it doesn’t adversely affect other people. Good news is, both Li Xun and Zhu Yun learned their lessons, over the course of their journey, to be more forgiving of others. Whereas Jian Hong failed, and in a karmic joke, life serves him an eff you, but Li Na, to her credit, stood by his side despite being given a reason to run for the hills.
Another case that baffled me is the fact that, Zhu Yun’s helicoptering mother, for all her scrutiny and apparently above-exceptional monitoring skills, failed to learn how her daughter ditched to study/work abroad to be with Li Xun, not once but twice is beyond me. I am not saying that I agree that the mother should control a full-grown adult who has her own right to choose, but I find this comically inconsistent. And how Zhu Yun, who is normally pushy when it comes to her boyfriend’s welfare, is suddenly timid at the sight of her mother. Also, the way Zhu Yun manipulates Tian Xiu Zhu to cover her whereabouts, without the latter getting anything in return but a “thank you”, wasn’t really supposed to be how “an innocent young lady” behaves.
The ending for me was anti-climactic, especially in the case of Zhi Jing. Are we supposed to forget how his behaviour drove his ex-girlfriend to suicide? How his deplorable actions indirectly caused the death of Li Xun’s sister? Though granted, he did not inflict the final blow, and her death was more a result of a string of coincidental events. Still, he had malicious intent and his lack of remorse didn’t justify the punishment he got, but fully deserved.
The pacing is choppy, but manageable to watch. Cinematography and choice of music are good. The cast is diverse, so are the secondary characters, but all these good points do not negate the fact that I struggled to finish the show due to various factors. (In the Spoiler Reply below).
For all its flaws, the drama isn’t bad, but not that great either. I only finished this show because of the rave reviews, but I didn’t love it as much as I probably should have.
Well, the sinister but ill-timed sound track certainly was a letdown many times where I anticipated a stabbing or two to take place. So all that foreboding knife-wielding was really there just for show. Much like the various ASMR of gurgling and brushing of teeth were actually people just practicing oral hygiene and did not carry some sort of symbolism.
At one point, I even expected the romance between Shinobu and Chiaki to go south. And I am so okay with that, as they later both took on separate paths and lived without each other for years. But aside from Yuta the son, and maybe Okano the Magazine editor, the rest of the characters were frankly unlikeable. From the misogynistic ex-husband to Chiaki’s mother, both battling each other out for “The Worst Parent of the Decade” award.
Then, towards the end, where each of these characters started their own monologue to tell their own backstory, but more like an excuse for their shitty behavior, I almost lost it.
But like some other rubberneckers, I can’t help but be glued to the screen watching this train wreck of a romance go by.
First, it shows the typical Japanese work culture where everyone is worked to the bone and doing overtime is common and even expected. Shikamori Umi is no stranger to this and continues to run around until she reaches a limit.
Second, the drama demonstrates that change is possible when Umi gets recruited as an intern at an agency, where a very different and refreshing work culture has been established.
Suzuki Airi is a natural, transitioning from a bare-faced, exhausted employee to a spritely, newly motivated worker who wants to try her best at everything, even over-extending herself sometimes. But she realizes that just fell back into the habit of over-pleasing others.
Her coworkers, her new boss and especially Kazao, and even Hina manifest ideas that shape Umi’s worldview, in that working hard is commendable, but also is taking time for yourself. The cast was supportive of Umi’s endeavors and she finally learns to be independent.
This drama was delightful and gratifying. Also neat was the trivial fact that three of the male actors in this show were in other BL dramas that I’ve watched. I did not even recognize Izuka Kenta in that whatchamacallit hairstyle.