Bokura no Yuuki (1997)

Bokura no Yuuki is an incredibly compelling, complicated, somewhat eerie drama with an all-star cast (largely before they were stars).

Two teens (played by the Kinki Kids) sneak into a city they believe to be under lock-down after a massive earthquake. While there, they find there was no earthquake. The entire city has been quarantined by the government, due to a mysterious illness that has infected and killed every adult. Now that they've entered, they're trapped.

The children of this city, trapped in what amounts to post-apocalyptic circumstances, struggle to survive and war over limited resources and territory. The few remaining teens attempt to establish order and negotiate with the government that has abandoned them.

Bokura no Yuuki is an amazing survival tale with a level of intensity rarely seen in prime-time dramas. The story is very well constructed and paced. It is suspenseful, but also takes the time to develop each character and relationship.

The cast is mostly children, but they do a beautiful job portraying the many emotions in this drama: mourning, emotional upheaval, frustration, betrayal, childlike naivety and hope...

I can't say enough good things about this drama, although I will provide one warning. The first episode is misleading because the old-fashioned technology feels very "dated". The first episode turned me off the series initially, but when I pushed through to the second episode, I was thoroughly hooked. It is now among my very favorite dramas.

As an aside, this is MatsuJun's first acting role! At age 13/14, he's ridiculously adorable.

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