It had the best potential of all: the ability to create some unforgettable characters. And it truly managed to do so in the beginning, combining a good plot with some seriously beautiful moments, a good dose of weirdness which I'm partial to and great chemistry between the characters.
However, as it sometimes happens with drama crushes, at some point my love deflated. I can't even pinpoint the main reason for this change of heart. It may be the fact that the more I neared the end of it, the more I predicted almost every turn, or because some details became repetitive - and in a drama whose episodes are so short, there's not so much time to lose on the nth flashback. Most likely, I had been waiting for a characters' arc which never truly came, leaving me with that unpleasant feeling you get when, after waiting for hours for an icecream, you finally start eating it and it falls on the floor.
It is, however, a drama fully worth of the time spent on it. As I said, I watched the first 9 episodes with no interruption and a passion I had almost forgotten I possess. While the acting ability of all is not stellar, they certainly compensate with beautiful close-up shots and an amazing collective alchemy among the whole cast.
The music is terrific and perfectly chosen for each scene. I suspect it is partly responsible for my blind love for this drama.
I may rewatch this drama in the future. Not for the plot but for the pleasure of watching these young actors again.
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Story: Aside from loving the teen/school romance theme [Yuma and Tsubasa were pretty cute], I was mainly drawn in because of the mystery plot revolving around a certain classmate's death. As the story jumps between the past and present, the mystery begins to tie or "piece" all the main characters together and delve into their own personal lives and innermost feelings/secrets as they search for answers about their classmate's past. One thing I will say in advance is that you may love or hate the ending. I actually liked it, but the only thing I'm not completely satisfied with is that some questions were left unanswered. Nevertheless, the story itself is really engaging as there are so many twists and turns that have you guessing until the very end. You'll also find that the romance in this drama depicts a darker side of love as each character has their own secrets and struggles that prevent them from being true to the people around them or unable to let go.
Acting: I thought the acting was decent. There could've been a bit more improvement, but they still did a good job. I must say though that Nakayama Yuma played his distorted character Hikaru really well. I found myself charmed by him one minute, and chilled by him the next. Definitely a big step up from his Koishite Akuma days.
Music: Everything was great. The songs went nicely with the characters, I loved Yuma's opening song, and even the matchbox twenty song went well with the drama.
Rewatch Value: I'd probably watch this drama again because it was a refreshing take on a teen drama. I suppose the mystery being solved might not be as fun as the first time, but the relationships between the characters and the underlying messages about life makes it worthwhile to watch again. I'd say give this drama a chance if you like teen/school romance stories or mysteries =]
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Narumi Hikaru totally seduced me with his bad boy image, as he seduced Suga Mizuho. This is full of eye candy with up and coming Japanese actors I plan to see more of.
And it's short, episodes are only,(well MDL says 30) but I think they are only 25 minutes long.
Anyway Love Love It! it's a masterpiece..watch it :)
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Acting: Apart from the JE boys (Nakayama was the best and the other two did their best ^^), everyone else's acting pretty much sucked. Especially in the last episode where the girls were all cry-ie and huggie and squeally as they spoke - no thanks, go have your annoying moment somewhere else thanks. The main girl, omg her eyes always looked as if she was sleepy and unattentive! -__-
Music: LOVED IT ALL! Loved the opening Theme, loved the interjected songs (even though they were English) totally awesome!
Overall: Good. Very good at parts, loved the love story to begin with, wasn't so bothered about the actual main plot (finding info about the girl) but overall was good ^_^
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The story is a killer, I don't believe the plot summary gives it justice. It took hold of me and wouldn't let go. By the end of the 1st episode you are intrigued wanting to know more about the characters and where they are going to go from here. There is a mystery element that is not completely predicable, and the path that the characters walk is just as interesting and intriguing as the mystery.
Also to top it off it was a beautiful show the cinematography was amazing. As to the re watch value, I am not too sure about that. Now that I know they mystery however through out the show in the flashbacks there are little hints and references to future plot points and I personally would like to go back and see what I missed.
I would totally recommend this drama to anyone, it completely made my day today.
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Story: I just loved the plot. It was really interesting, since it wasn't all about love and romance but mainly because of the mystery around the actions of a certain classmate. It's one of those stories, where you can't be sure you have figured it out (and you probably haven't, and you'll find out the truth only in the end). Plus, it's not all about the main couple. Personally, I love romantic stories, and I would like a better ending for these two, but, oh well, it wasn't bad. Not lovey dovey but not bad or sad either.
+ point: the flashbacks. I love stories with flashbacks. A few short flashbacks are nice and interesting.
Acting: As I've already said, I watched the drama because of Nakayama Yuma and he was the only one I knew from the cast. Now, he was good, he portrayed his character really well and has definitely improved. As for the rest of the cast, they weren't bad, but there were scenes where you could see that most of them need some improvement. But they are all really young. :)
Music: I really liked it!! Really, really nice!
The opening song, by Nakayama Yuma is that typical j-pop song, probably most j-pop fans will like it. I personally listen to it all the time since I started watching the drama. Same goes for the song Parade by Matchbox Twenty, really really good choice as well.
Rewatch Value: I would probably rewatch the drama. It's a good teen drama. Of cource it won't be that interesting the second time, since we know what happens in the end, but personally I'd like to watch the main "couple" again. ^_^ I also liked the fact that the episodes are really short, so you don't get tired that easily.
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the story was amazing it wasn't just love, it was about the past the present, friendship, family and mysteries
I was rather upset with the ending thou, it was not what i expected I expected alot better ending for the excellant story so far
Music was outstanding, actors was outstanding and I would defently watch it again :)
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This is one of the dramas that cast a lot of Johnny's talents but I haven't even noticed that, as they definitely took the stride to give the audience a worthwhile watch. Some actors though need improvement still *ehem*Tsubasa-chan*ehem*, but overall they were convincing for me, though I would have not thought twice if higher-caliber actors were to be cast for this drama just to do justice for the roles. (Okay, kidding, maybe not for Narumi Hikaru's role :P)
Music is precious, it has lingering meanings attached to the drama, even the PV for the opening theme Missing Piece is connected to the drama's storyline!
Overall it's a teen school drama masterpiece, if not a drama masterpiece in itself. Will keep you coming back for more, if this is your type of romance and mystery.
(I'd have to let this out my chest for the first time though... MIZUHO FASHION! *0*)
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Bottom line the main two characters are terrible, but the supporting cast and the bigger plot line are actual pretty decent which is what keeps this drama a float.
The main actress (Honda Tsubsa) suffers from Kristen Stewart face. That may the the result of terrible character writing, but it's bothersome. The romance between Narumi and Suga was not well written and drug on to long. We get, you are both emotionally stunted, can we move on now?
However, the supporting cast is amazing. Great acting, and the smaller story lines are a lot more interesting.
The biggest plus of this drama is the episodes are short. If you have little time and just want a drama fix this will do. If you are finding it hard to make it through the first two episodes stick around for when the side characters emerge.
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Reason for watching - I decided to watch this drama because I was looking for a drama that is short (each episode here is around 25 minutes).
My Favorite character - Suga, for I'm more like her. Narumi, for I can't resist him and his intriguing personality.
Story - I usually don't watch mysteries. But I loved that this was set in and around high school.
The story is one of the strongest points of this drama. With an unusually cool heroine who prefers to be aloof lest she get hurt, I could relate to her. The drama revolves around a handful of characters who we get to know incident by incident. It has the perfect mix of romance and mystery and has an contemplatory tone to it too.
Acting/Cast - It's the first time I watched a japanese drama where I knew none of the actors. But I came to like all of them, especially Yuma and Honda. Even though the acting isn't what you'd call stellar, you can see that they've got room to grow in terms of expressing and emoting.
Characters - I loved Narumi and Suga. They were so well thought out characters and surprised me with their complexities. Narumi is a fascinating character and no wonder Suga was drawn to him. I just wished the romance part got more focus in the second half, but it's not something that detracts one's enjoyment of the story.
Music - I just loved the OST for Piece. Be it the Matchbox Twenty songs(Parade and I Will) or Nakayama Yuma's songs - Missing Piece and Mizu no Kaeru Basho(The Place The Water Returns To). The songs used in the background suits and enhance the mood of the drama perfectly.
Rewatch Value - I would definitely rewatch this drama after sometime. Just for the main couple. :D
Also, the cinematography is simply great.
Overall - It's one of the best jdramas I've watched. It is very underrated IMO and I hope it gets more love from viewers. Get on the bus and see where it takes you! You won't regret it. ;)
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I realized that this drama has very same director as my favorite show, Suzuki Sensei. Well, perhaps this guy is specialized himself at late night dramas like these. I even wondered maybe this guy also took Suzuki Sensei's cinematographer with him to do the job, since both dramas share same cinematography style. And they get the job done. However, it's seems directors job was weighed down by dismal acting abilities of most of the young actors and actresses, unlike in Suzuki Sensei. The actor playing Narumi is pretty inconsistent (sometimes acceptable, while some time others he just simply out of place). Most other casts are even worse. The actress playing Suga is good at acting cool, but her emotion bursts are nonexistent (cannot do good cry acting, for example). This character needs someone who is capability to do good nonverbal acting chops, so is some characters like Setouchi. Yanai-senpai's portrayal is badly executed, he is either overacting or just become wooden all the times. The worst is the actor playing the guy who just going insane after being told by Suga and cohorts. His acting is just very unnatural. Overall, only Origuchi and Suga's close friend are passable to my liking, but their parts are relatively small.
It could've been much, much better if producers are willing to invest more on casting. I believe it will do the tricks. Finally, I expect some of you guys will end up hitting "not helpful" button due to my blantant criticism, but this is what I've got.
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The story was interesting. We have a series of events that lead up to a dramatic conclusion. The story is what kept this drama alive so I definitely give this category the highest rating. Of course, if you're here for romance, you won't be getting much even though mydramalist tagged that genre. It a refreshing drama to watch after watching too many kdrama, thats for sure haha.
The acting and casting was pretty nice. I actually watched for Tsubasa Honda after watching her in Ao Haru Ride and I definitely sparked an interest in Nakayama Yuma while watching! However, I could not feel any attachment to them. I wish Hikaru got a bit of character development throughout the series. I mean what's the point of revealing his strange past, if you're not going to change anything about him. A SEASON 2 WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. For reals, there is a lot of work to do on these two leads and that somewhat open ending. (I will direct it if you are desperate Japan XD)
Loved the intro and the ending theme (both by Nakayama Yuma) was my favourite. It just has that Japanese feeling that I've missed. I even felt a bit nostalgic because it kinda sounds similar to Planetarium that was in Hana Yori Dango which I watched such a long time ago and LOVED LOVED LOVED. (Sorry for getting off topic and probably not even making sense :O )
I won't be re watching this one anytime soon. It's no fun watching mystery when you already know what's gonna happen.
Overall, it was a nice watch. It had an interesting story line and the chemistry between the leads was nice. A short series that you can finish in a couple days if you're anything like me (a binge watcher).
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