Taisetsu na Koto wa Subete Kimi ga Oshiete Kureta (2011)

First of all- Japanese really know how to make dramas. They really know how to hit you right on the spot. 'You Taught Me All The Important Things' is a very accurate name for it. If I had to describe it as briefly as possible- I would say this is literally about learning the important things in life, and how these situations or lessons can help you grow up.

We get to see the story in two parts- one where the story begins and other six months later. It had me entertained, frustrated, depressed and happy. But only when a story manages in getting the right reactions out of you, you can say it was successful. And this definitely was. I was on a ride with all its characters throughout the span of 10 episodes. I can't believe how quickly it ended.

It has one of the most well-shot emotional scenes I have seen in dramas yet. The last two episodes had moments which had me close to tears. Some scenes were plain beautiful. Plus, the dialogues are exceptionally well-written. The OST was also great. Pink is one of my favourite singers and I liked the songs they picked. The background score is beyond amazing. I will keep listening to it until I get bored.

This is the kind of drama that you either love or hate. It might require some patience towards the middle of the story, but it is all worth it in the end. The plot loses its colour in this part, but I still wanted to know what would happen. I was very invested in the characters. Though its ending is predictable, it is difficult to guess anything in between. The writer will manage to provide you with a good twist every other episode.

It has some pretty solid characters. It reminded me of how humans really are like. All characters act in a way that would turn you off, but at the end of the day they are presented as very ordinary human beings. And that is how we all are- flawed. And we all make mistakes. This is exactly what the characters do- they screw up, but they also learn from their mistakes and move on. The character depth of Hikari was tremendous. She is initially presented as a thoughtless, immature bad girl to us. But in fact, she is lonely and has serious abandonment issues. I really loved how she grew up by the end. Also, the struggle of Natsumi touched me. She shows how important it is to keep fighting and never give up hope. On the other hand, I was pissed at Shuji. He was hard to like till the end. He has some good things about him too, but the bad ones really annoyed me.

There were some scenes of the school which didn't get through me. I don't know how it is in Japan, but isn't the private matter of teachers to not be discussed with the students? I didn't get why Shuji was so openly talking about his personal problems with the students. That was super weird. Maybe it had to with his honesty? I am confused about that.

As for the ending- it was perfect. Just how things should have been. This is the first ending that left me totally satisfied because it provided closure to each and every character. And every one got what they wanted. What better way than this to end a drama?

So, this drama is not just for light viewing. Unless you have the patience to sit through a story where you can't enjoy unless you think- this isn't for you. If you're up for complex stories, then go ahead. It will surely not let you down.

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