This drama has a lot to similarity to Itazura na Kiss: Love in Tokyo, Playful Kiss, etc. as you may have heard, and it’s true. The drama is about a boy and a girl that live together but must hide it from their school and anyone who would probably cause trouble for them about it. The girl is somewhat average and the guy is the most popular boy in school and they fall in love after living together. That’s the basic story.
Obviously there are differences, otherwise there’d be no point in watching this drama. The boy, Uehara, and the girl, Yoshikawa, are the only ones who live in the apartment together, so it’s just them. A difference that I really appreciate is that Yoshikawa has some common sense, so I found it much more bearable than Itazura na Kiss. It also has a realistic element because Yoshikawa doesn’t start out liking Uehara, but hates him because he’s so mean to the girls who confess to him. Because of this, the drama is able to make Yoshikawa a more likable girl since she doesn’t just like a guy due to his looks and shows us why she likes him. She also doesn’t jump to conclusions for every situation that comes up. Now for Uehara, I like how he’s super smart and despite being a cool character, he has his childish and air headed moments, giving him more appeal.
Another thing that I find fresh about this drama is that the girl that the main guy likes at first doesn’t ever try to break up the two nor does the main guy follow her with every chance he gets. Uehara’s first love,Yuri, is incredibly adorable to me and I found her quite entertaining until she constantly shows up at their door every time she has a problem with her husband. I absolutely hate when characters jump the gun about every little thing and cause so much trouble or unnecessary arguments. She does redeem herself though over time and it really helps that she’s trying to help Uehara and Yoshikawa get together instead of using Uehara to get over her issues.
Following the drama, you find yourself squealing at all the cute moments between Yoshikawa and Uehara, such as every time he attempts to rescue her. The way he teases her, such as when he first sees her in her ramen uniform, is definitely a cute characteristic for their relationship. Their special connection with Milk Pudding is simple, but its simplicity makes it so sweet. However, this is also one of the dramas where the second-lead syndrome is too strong. Yes, Uehara has his wonderful ikemen moments, but at the same time the character(NOT the actor) is constantly outshined by Daichi and Issei. Uehara is the tsundere type, but honestly after actually getting with Yoshikawa, he just becomes a jerk to her. Who the hell walks away when another guy is carrying their injured girlfriend? At least take your girlfriend off the guy’s hands. Not to mention Uehara should work on communicating problems with his girlfriend. And while this is going on, the other love interests are getting so much appeal.
First, you have Daichi, Yoshikawa’s childhood friend who’s been in love with her for 8 years. He’s the sweetheart/prince type. The guy is constantly there for Yoshikawa and helps her with whatever and whenever she asks. For Christmas, he tries to spend it with her alone, but when she falls sick, he rushes over and takes care of her. Then, when he realizes that the person she actually wants to be with is Uehara, he puts her to sleep and runs through the cold to Uehara, buys them the cake that Yoshikawa really wanted, and tells Uehara to go to her, all to give her a happy Christmas while sacrificing his own. His actions for the Valentine’s Day episode is one where most girls can’t help but fall for him. I wouldn’t be surprised if some guys fall for him too. Another appeal he had was how he tried to make her see him as a man, all those teasing of “Wanna ride on my bike? Just kidding!” could seriously give viewers heart attacks because of how ikemen he seemed. Finally his two confessions to Yoshikawa can leave you dead, they were so heartfelt, I screamed at her to go to him. (BONUS: His reaction to Yoshikawa and Uehara living together is priceless)
The third love actual interest is Issei, the ramen boy! From the very first time they meet, you already have a feeling this sadistic boy will like Yoshikawa at some point. He constantly teases her in a sweet way but still isn’t a tsundere, maybe a soft S though. “I like girls who are a little chubby and like to eat.” How do you not like him after hearing that? Sure he made a mistake by ‘lying’ to Yoshikawa for episode 17, but it seemed more like a mistake since his answer was one I’d think if I didn’t know the full situation either. He’s not close enough to Yoshikawa where she’d call him for help when things happen, but their interactions are always playful. His confession to Yoshikawa and how he helps her on the mountains when their flashlights die are seriously hard to not fan girl over.
Final Judgement and Recommendation:
The drama is really good and makes you want to know what happens next all the time, but the second-lead syndrome killed the main couple for me. If you liked Itazura na Kiss, I think you’d like this drama also. If you didn’t like it because of Kotoko, then I think you’ll be a lot more satisfied with this drama. People who want a sweet high school love story with lots of “kyun” moments, this is definitely the one. I don’t think this is on many sites, but I know for sure it’s on Netflix and KissAsian if you want to watch it.
stormborns
dededos
izzy806
tangentwithtanner
snowghoul
