Lets first acknowledge the elephant in the room. Relationship between a teacher and student is fraught with ethical complexities due to power dynamics. As the series progressed I thought that I would accept it as fiction and move on but unfortunately, with the last couple of episodes, I am unable to ignore that discomfort. So this review will be based on the themes of the series.

Beyond the forbidden central romance, this is a coming-of-age story. We see the jouney of our titular character Toki. He starts of as a delinquent who is quick to anger and violence. Studies are the last thing on his mind but we see his character and outlook towards life change due to his interactions with other characters like Rise, Shinji and Takuya. He learns to take his life more seriously and values the relationships he has build with his schoolmates. Although, he starts having feelings for his homeroom teacher Sahara, he also respects him and challenges himself to change. Sahara, too goes through his own jorney of self-identification as he grapples with his past regrets.

As a teenager in school, Toki suffers from the same identity issues that people his age face. Toki post his delinquent phase, struggles with societal pressure and insecurities about his academic performance. He is visibly stressed about where he wants his future to navigate. He questions his feelings towards another individual and finds it difficult to show how caring he is towards the people that matter to him. Shinji too suffers from failure to communicate his true feelings for Todo resulting in them moving apart and losing all communication with each other.

Toki and Sahara, too find solace and strength in each other. Sahara helps Toki unleashing his best qualities while Toki helps Sahara accept his past and his failures and move ahead. They act as each others support system and are constantly looking after each other.

Hachimura Rintaro's portrayal of Toki makes this series the most entertaining. He succeeds in bringing a different charm to the character of a lovable, confused, tough but soft-hearted Toki. With an innocent countenance and a twinkle in his eye, he steals the show.

In conclusion, this series weaves together a compelling and emotionally resonant story about acceptance and the pursuit of happiness in the face of societal pressures. It speaks about rising above the past failures and turning over a new leaf.