Shigatsu no Tokyo wa... (2023)

Beautiful, but not perfect.

Many of scenes are carefully put together with a painters eye to color and light. The nature of the daylight, the surroundings, clothing, etc. were clearly thought out. The placement of both characters and props within the frame was sensitive and thoughtful.

However, action scenes (especially running) were clumsy.

The story had a lot of potential, but didn't quite deliver, especially in the last episode. Kazuma's mother is a difficult role, and needed more work. Difficult to tell if this was the choice of actor, the acting or the directing. It might be easy to overlook since she occupies so little screen time, but since this drama focuses on the power of traumatic childhood experiences over adult lives, Kazuma's mother needed more attention. The ending falls flat in part because the last scenes with Kazuma's mother doesn't really work. Her facial expressions watching Ren in the hospital room communicate almost nothing. The scene with the three of them is disjointed. Those scenes need to work, that is to provide the audience with a new understanding , a new perspective on the past. Because children do pick up distorted messages during those childhood events, and part of finding peace is correcting those distortions. I think any rating between 6 and 8 is reasonable. I chose 8 because I loved the meticulous visuals.

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The story have a solid foundation, with compelling characters and an intriguing premise. However,

it seems as though the screenwriter failed to fully realize the potential of the story's trajectory. The plot points and character development are not fully explored, leaving the audience wanting more depth and complexity. With a more thorough execution of the story's arc, the narrative could have been more engaging and impactful.

The production value of the scenes left much to be desired. The settings often felt lackluster and uninspired, with a noticeable repetition of the same stage to represent various locations within the story. Additionally, the use of random locations to convey specific settings did not effectively immerse the audience in the narrative. Furthermore, the excessive reliance on flashbacks did not contribute meaningfully to the audience's understanding of the characters' stories, and instead, felt disjointed and distracting. As a result, the overall visual and storytelling impact of the production was diminished, leaving the audience feeling disconnected from the characters and their experiences.

very problematic underage scenes. honestly i couldn't bare my self to watch the episodes where the 2 main character that were still underage did such thing. and it really bothers me that they really use a real life 15 years old kid to play that.

i give my apreciation for Yuki as this is his 1st drama debut. he potraying the character nicely. a bit stiff here and there but none of them are giving "bad acting" vibe.

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love? nahh... rather it's obsession

where do i begin?? ohh boi... this is one of the dramas that i would love but also hate it..

The reason? well because it is too serious and dark.. whan it's romance I'm more into fluff(it shouldn't be cringe tho) and the dramas which are too serious and dark... make me horrified and traumatised(this could be a lil exaggerated)...
These types of dramas make me think a lil tooo deep about life and that's what I'm scared of the most because when I think deep.. it's too negatively deep

And this drama did that exactly... the two bois ohh Lord.. they just simply loved each other but one was going/about to go? down the wrong lane(sleeping with guysdespite being underage) because he couldn't be intimate with his crush (who is also his best friend) as he wasn't sure if he felt the same way too...

So he decided to satisfy(?) himself using others(?) sounds stupid buymt you'll understand once you're in that situation yourself... that's when the crush(kazuma) stepped in and asked ren to have sex with him instead.. and they did it.. at that very night kazuma became sick and was hospifalized
And Lord the hell ren had to go through criticisms from everyone., facing everything all one, thinking he is the cause of kazumas sickness and possibly death, living all alone in France with no one.. (idk if he would have survived if not for that yagami guy who was also Japanese)
And then they reunite... tackle their past together and live happily ever after..
And also I would like to mention that the scene where the couple talked with the mom was very emotional and i cried after watching that (although j would have liked it more if the mom directly said that she wants kazuma to be with her)

My take on this drama: a drama I would usually avoid but liked it anyways... I hated the acting it didn't feel natural.. I also did not think that it was strong love(as the mother mentions is 8th ep I guess).. rather it was obsession... why I think it's obsession.. well because nothing of the characters I believe never had any exposure to other people.. they were stuck on the past and were not ready to accept anyone else.. (tbh I can't explain clearly why I think it's obsession and not love.. but i feel that it's not love)

would I recommend it??? hell yeahhhh

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Interesting plot that could've been more in so many ways

The plot was actually good, you have the two Ml with a tragic backstory but messed up on the aftermath of reconnection cause of too much back and fourth-ing and some things doesn't make sense.

Mls chemistry was quite awkward but there are moments that are sweet. Both of them actually look good together but in a way seems forced cause of the way they act towards each other was in a way to not be seen as a couple which is like.. what's the point of the acting in a BL as a couple pair lol.

What I don't like about the series is too much recollection/flashbacks, the whole episode 6 was seriously just Kazuma reminiscing his memories with Ren. Also some scenarios where the emotion and facial expression doesn't fit and in a way did not deliver to the viewers like when ren was hyperventilating and kazuma on the coffee scene with yagami; additionally, I also find it odd that yagami was so close-minded with kazuma and talks to him with attitude, it wasn't explained well if he actually likes ren but it doesn't give him any reason to treat kazuma whom he only met once but maybe it's because of ren's experience but kazuma wasn't to blame but his lines says other wise. he's literally blaming a person for being hospitalized which is weird..
Including also the fact that when they were kids and almost a teenager, I know hormones are crazy but I don't see how they showed a consensual adult & kid going to a love hotel is right... the adult is clearly a pedophile. should've changed their age to be appropriate when it comes to consent. The antagonist co-worker guy, I forgot his name, there was not that much background of him other than being a rap... cant say it.

What I like, the kid actors, It really does feel like they were kids excluding them doing it at the age that is inappropriate.. I like their story, it was more in-depth and interesting than their story now being adults. The chemistry was nice as well, I felt the ride or die vibes, like they only matter to each other and the attraction.

See what I mean? It could've been more if they switched and added things to the story to make it understandable and not rush it! Both of the Ml are talented but maybe should've made them get closer to get rid of the awkwardness.

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needed a little more time

the story was interesting, and I’m frankly still surprised such young children were allowed to act in this. still, they conveyed the story and emotions very well. i found ren’s younger version to be done incredibly well.

as far as the series goes, I think it deserved more time/episodes. it was pretty complex, so it did suffer a little in terms of storytelling. there were too many wrinkles for the audience to truly feel like we got to know these characters or their stories completely. we learned quite a bit about ren, but the same can’t be said about kazuma. I would’ve liked a lot more story wise, but I do think this was very well done overall.

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Dislike
Most of the time it had me guessing at what was happening as not everything was too clear to me.
The ending was so rushed and wished it had taken the time to really develop what was happening and what the future held for us in mater life
The running sway scenes were too much with little explanation as to why he felt he had to do that

Like
It delved into real-life issues that society in the workplace and the abuse of power
There were some sweet moments that I really loved watching as they were intimate but not kissing all the time, especially the head rub
The flashbacks of their life as helped me understand the character's intentions and the person they turned out to be in life

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Dissapointments All Around

**Brief Synopsis**
B (Employee): Kazuma
T (Employee): Ren

- Beginning: B and T are childhood best friends but fell apart and lost contact for 10 years. T was B’s first love and T is in love with B. T tries to remain friendly and impartial but one night, they ended up sleeping together. This changes the nature of their relationship.

- Middle: After that night, they became friends with benefits because neither of them want this intimacy to end. Despite being friends with benefits, they begin living together, spending all their free time together, acting like real lovers. B is just happy to be with T, no matter what their relationship is.

- End: After going through a series of challenges at work, the series ends with T finally confessing his feelings to B and expressing his worries that B will one day leave him. B reassures him he will not leave.

**My Opinion**

WHAT I LIKED ABOUT IT:
- There aren’t much angst, mostly because the show is so short. B and T never breaks up or misunderstand each other. Any worries are talked out.

WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE ABOUT IT:
- The show is only 8 episodes and yet seemed to touch upon many deep topics that were quickly introduced and quickly resolved. For a short show like this, I feel it’s better to concentrate on the relationship side of things. As for the relationship, I feel we didn’t have enough time to get to know these two, no build ups, no tensions, no reasons why they fell for each other. Under these circumstances, it’s really difficult to root them on.
- The flashbacks doesn’t seem to help me understand the couple at all. And there are way too many flashbacks and they can come out of no where.
- The acting is just plain sometimes, as if the actors were just reading off a script instead of acting out the scene. The directing is just weird sometimes and the lighting and cinematography is just subpar.
- The lack of chemistry between the actors. I don’t know why, it just doesn’t feel intimate or romantic. In the last scene, when B went to kiss T, I saw the latter shrink away a few times. I don’t know if it’s intentional or not, but it just feels weird between lovers who love each other very much. There is a lack of intimate scenes, which I accept, but the kissing scenes just feel off.
- Usage of miscommunication or misunderstanding as reason for best friends to lose contact for all these years is just so cliche.

**Conclusion**
It’s a very short show that I didn’t like.

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Authentic ans simple

That's a type of history that catch you at the first seconds and makes you heart cry for more, it's one most beautiful stories that I watch in 2023, in producion they do a good job that you see they really was engaged and not justing drop a new series, the acting was so good, like at all. All the actors did a good job, the main, the lead, the support every act add a layer to this so well tought out drama. They really makes me interest in read the mangá and for sure I will. The only weak point was the soundtrack, if they add just one strong song I would give a ten. The rewatch value is 10 for sure. I will comeback and I want more.

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