Notes
Sap, sap, sap, I understood that much.
Sixty episodes! Even at 25 minutes each, this still clocks in at 25 hours--the longest drama I've ever watched. Add that to the fact that I watched the whole thing raw, understanding maybe 40% if I was lucky, and it still kept me interested. The downside? Slow archs. Like Fuji and Shiika's family drama, plus they're already two points of the love square, plus lots and lots of flashbacks. Overall, a quick enough pace to suit the storyline, but as expected for a drama this long, some episodes are dispensible.
An is a typical friendly, sweet heroine, almost neurotic at times. Daigo is a typical nice guy hero with his moments of passion. Supporting cast was quite Korean in characterization. More than a few cardboards thrown in for love geometry, and raging parents and jilted friends aplenty. They grew out of it well enough, but I didn't find myself siding with anyone when it came to confrontations.
Classic first love story, nothing too groundbreaking.
Very satisfying ending, though I'll admit the necessary break ups were a little too convenient. You expect it, heck, you wish for it, but then you feel really cynical when they actually happen. None the less, a
great ending kiss and a sea of nice memories.
Location scouts hit gold on this one. I have an urban bias when it comes to cinematography, but here, we had some beautiful sprawling countryside. Bridges, rivers, fields, and forests... like some runaway paradise. Direction was standard, but the warmth and richness of the setting really made it fly.
The theme song is the main heartbeat, and it gets air time at least twice every episode. It has all the appropriate strings and beats of a drama song, and Shibasaki Kou's distinctive croon is effective as ever, but the melody isn't quite strong enough for me. I'm being really picky, but after hearing it 60+ times, I kept being reminded that they were just a few notes short of a better melody. BGM, however, no complaints. Would have liked more pianos, but I guess every romance drama can't keep having the same old.
Three sets of chemistry to rate! This is a real treat for me. Each set of actors gets their own score, even though the amount of material to judge from is significantly varied from couple to couple. I'll try my best to contextualize it.
Izumisawa Yuuki and Miyama Karen, all of 13 and 10 years old when they made this drama. And these two aren't just some kids they plucked off the street--they're pros. They were completely comfortable on camera (and with each other), no shred of awkwardness anywhere. Karen's even a Gazer, which impressed me to speechlessness at the end of episode five. I can't wait for these two to grow up and start bagging leads.
Sano Kazuma and Kobayashi Ryoko, who had the most to deliver. They had to do the falling in love, the breaking up, the getting back together, the fights, the sex, the crying, the bliss,
all the ups and downs of their relationship, and they were amazingly convincing by the end of it all. They had a decent kiss (and maybe five fake ones, but I'll take what I can), and some good hugs, though you know they probably dissolved into laughter as soon as the director yelled cut. Very companionable and natural with each other.
Takezai Terunosuke and Sato Megumi, who didn't have the benefit (or burden) of that much interaction. There's no way they could have continued at the level that Kazuma and Ryoko had, so they had a noticeable disconnect, story-wise and acting-wise. The fact that Terunosuke never really seemed like "Daigo" to me probably didn't help. It's not his fault, but he and Sano Kazuma look nothing alike--different bone structures, different body types, different voices... it just wasn't continuous. Overall, this couple scraped by a 7, but didn't land an 8. Somehow they did manage to pull out a great ending kiss, though. Figure that one out.
Apple's Tier Ranking: 2nd
