Tokyo in April is... felt like it had a lot of potential but got lost along the way. It started out fairly strong, but the ending was weak. I also think a stronger cast would have helped it's case as well, not that they're terrible, just unable to convey some emotions effectively. Despite that, I do give it credit for tackling some serious issues and actually giving them the attention they deserved. Even with it's flaws, there were parts that were well done and I did enjoy aspects of it.

Tokyo in April is... has the feeling of a slice of life drama which I actually quite liked. It centers around Kazuma and Ren, two young men, who met and became friends when they were teens, but were then separated for 10 years before reuniting unexpectedly. The story follows them as their renewed friendship turns to friends with benefits and then develops from there but with drama and angst along the way because what would it be without those elements. Flashbacks are used liberally, some are effective and give necessary background and information, but there are a fair number that are unnecessary and either add nothing or the scene shown was one that happened recently and didn't need to be seen again. Numerous issues were tackled, rape and drugging playing a more central part in the story, but also sexual/workplace harassment, homophobia, and abandonment. Rather than just being issues that were added to cause further drama or problems for the characters, it felt like they were given the attention and respect they deserved. And while I appreciate those issues being addressed, several of them were tied to Sanada who felt like an unnecessary and unrealistic villain. Personally, I would have preferred for the drama to focus more on Kazuma and Ren overcoming their misunderstandings, addressing Ren's trauma and depression, and their healing. Sanada felt almost cartoonish in his villainy. I also found it incredibly unrealistic that he could have taken out Ren. Not only were the circumstances surrounding their encounter unbelievable, but the idea of Sanada, who was much shorter and drunk, being able to subdue Ren was laughable. The ending with Kazuma's mother was baffling because up until the point she stated that her only problem with the two of them was that they were underage when they had sex, it was implied that she took issue with them both being men. It made an already anticlimactic ending even more so.

Miscommunications and misunderstanding is the name of the game between our leads. They've been in love with each other essentially since they first met, but neither had the courage to speak those feelings prior to their separation. Now, 10 years later, there's the same issue. Though they eventually do become friends with benefits, neither is willing to speak his true feelings and so the misunderstanding continues on. Ren's reticence is more understandable. He was aware that he was gay and had feelings for Kazuma when they were teens and even tried to sound Kazuma out though with little success. After they have sex, the first time for both of them, Kazuma falls seriously ill and Ren takes the full blame leading to his family disowning him and shipping him off to France. The experience leaves him deeply scarred, but when he and Kazuma meet again, he hides all of this, keeping it to himself as much out of fear as in an effort to continue to protect Kazuma. Being with Kazuma makes him happy, but he never speaks his feelings and after an encounter with Kazuma's mother brings the past rolling back, he runs away for Kazuma's sake. That's a trope that really needs to die. Kazuma is a bit more complicated in that there's not a clear cut reason for why he doesn't voice his feelings for Ren. He clearly has feelings for Ren as a teen, but perhaps is less consciously aware of them. After his illness, he's shipped back to the US before meeting Ren 10 years later though evidently he did try to find Ren in the interim. But while he is very obviously still in love with Ren after all these years, he doesn't give voice to it. Perhaps it's out of fear, but I didn't feel like a good reason was given. Towards the beginning he repeatedly used the word friend, creating a distance between himself and Ren. If the gay for you trope wasn't so overused, I might not have minded it so much, but here it just felt cliche. So much of what happened could have been prevented if either one of them had simply communicated. Wanting to protect the one you love is understandable, but when it causes more problems, is it really worth it? They were only able to move forward once they were honest with each other and communicated.

The acting was subpart to say the least. Neither actor was emotionally believable in the more serious scenes and any scene where they had to cry, there seemed to be a focus more on aesthetics than actual emotion. As such, they failed to convey anything real and I truly felt nothing. It's disappointing because some scenes could have been quite powerful with better acting. Their chemistry was hit or miss. There were moments when I felt it, but there was a lot where I did not. The actors seemed uncomfortable with physical intimacy in some scenes which didn't help to lend credibility to their characters. While the actors portraying the characters as teens made a lot of people uncomfortable, I felt like that was partially the point and was a deliberate choice. I found them more compelling to watch than the adults. They seemed more comfortable with each other and had good chemistry. They also resembled their adult counterparts enough to be believable.

I found myself a bit disappointed in the production value. There were some scenes that were really beautifully shot, but there were more that were awkward or just ineffective. There was really nothing special about it. The music was also unimpressive. The opening and closing songs were okay, but not great, and the rest of the music was forgettable.

I had hopes that this drama was going to be better than it was and while I didn't hate it, I also didn't love it. It's a pity it couldn't maintain it's momentum of the beginning and instead just became a bit monotonous. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this drama, but given that it's so short, I also wouldn't discourage anyone from watching it either. It's an easy watch and if your expectations aren't too high, you might enjoy it.