Exceeded Expectations

Completely exceeded my expectations, especially for it only being 4 episodes...

The story was well written for the time of each episode, they definitely could've delved deeper into their relationship and the way the couple lived their life throughout the show - but it didn't deter from my overall enjoyment of the series.

I absolutely adored the first episode, my favourite by far - It was so cute and made my heart happy and warm.

The actors did a phenomenal job portraying their characters throughout their lives; the struggles and reality that comes with age is something that will hit us all eventually, so seeing how they portrayed the difference between childhood innocence to societal expectations was realistically executed in my opinion.

This brings me on the breakup, whilst it was easy to hate Akira for what he did and how he did it, I can't say I don't understand why he chose to break it off. From the beginning, we saw how his parents put the expectation of a 'normal' life onto their son, furthermore pressured by the indifferent attitude of his older sister. His point of view, although completely unfair to Yuki, was one I completely understood.
The exhaustion that came with trying to appeal to societal expectations, understanding his true feelings and dealing with it head-on is a step that not many closeted LGBTQIA+ people can take - so I'm beyond happy that we got to see this and their reunion.

The music throughout this show was so good, enough to have me looking through Spotify for the soundtrack - especially the intro song (Go Through, Grow Through by Ryu Matsuyama)

I went on to read the manga after I finished the show, which left the story bittersweet for me but added to the overall realism it depicts.
Definitely recommended to those who enjoy a sweet romance, played through the struggles of modern-day expectations.

Read More