Okay so let me just say this first: I do not support student teacher relationships. And yet I found myself rooting for them and having my heart wrenched all throughout this drama. Some things I want to state are that this is not a lust fueled relationship nor are they having romantic meetings in between classes. Nor is the female lead 'grooming' (which is a very serious world and has strong sexual implications) the male lead. The relationship isn't normalized either and the female lead spends the whole second half of the drama taking accountability for her mistakes.

Now that I got that out of the way lets talk about the beauty of this drama. First of all the acting was executed perfectly by the whole cast throughout the drama. Especially in Jdrama's i find that a lot of acting goes over the top and it seems to remind you that you are watching a drama but that was not the case here. It felt like I was really looking over these people's daily lives. The leads chemistry is so strong, which makes the story even more heartbreaking when you feel their emotions. Every time they are together it feels like you are looking in on a private interaction and the micro expressions really sell you every scene.

The cinematography was beautiful and unlike any other Japanese drama or any drama that I've seen for that matter. There were these strange moments in the first few episodes where the shot would change into a black and white one anytime the character wanted to have a mini monologue which just stopped in the second half of the drama which was strange. There is also this weird fishbowl effect that happens occasionally which I don't understand the creative intent behind, but it only happens a few times so it's not a big deal.

Lastly and perhaps the most pivotal aspect of this drama is the OST. It is literally so beautiful and the music is used just the right amount. My favorite song is Prologue by the singer Uru and whenever it comes on I want to cry. It is so beautiful and whenever it came on during the scenes between Akira and Hijiri I started to tear up or cry outright. It was utilized just the right amount and whenever it did it hit you in your heart like an arrow. The lyrics of the song also perfectly fit the tone of the story that when I hear it I feel like I'm experiencing a highlight reel of the drama again. I love this song so much and it makes me so emotional that I can't add it to my car playlist lol.

So for people like me who are apprehensive about watching this drama because of the subject matter I would say give it a chance. Obviously not everyone will like it or approve of their love (as we see in the drama) but its not predatory as some people make it out to be.if anything it taught me more about healthy love and selflessness than most dramas that are made today. If you don't like it you can just stop but if I had not given this drama a chance I feel that I would really have missed out on a life changing story.

I give it a high rewatch value and I plan to watch it again but man it really took it out of me I need something easy to digest so my emotions can recharge I'm exhausted okay bye go watch it

PS - The male lead is so FINe. I haven't ever seen him in anything before but now I am tempted to go through his whole filmography damn. Also FL was very cute too.