I was really surprised with this drama in every aspect. It's hard to figure out what you want to expect from a j-drama, as they are pretty much giving for everything. They are good at being camp, melancholic, just haven't seen it being done at one time. The way this drama is going is to be more mellow, and I find that completely correct based on the story that is being told.

So what is the story? Honestly I had no idea. I came into this hearing it was pretty good and expected to at least not get bored, I came out of it getting a lot more. The story is a lot more depressing and realistic than I expected, it was a punch to the gut when I first understood what this drama is really about.

You go into the drama the same way as the lead Jin, thinking Hirukawa is a delinquent and no good. Multiple people in his life warn him about 'ruining' himself by surrounding himself by the wrong people. It is sort of rich coming from the people that don't care to know him well enough, and as a result you can see just how lonely Jin is. From the outside you see a rich privileged kid that wants to succeed and is obsessed with getting good grades and appealing to the right people, on the other hand you have Hirukawa. Hirukawa is the textbook definition (from the outside) of the type of person that Jin should not be around. The drama gets this across several ways, so seeing the two of them get close admits all the internal dialogue just has the payoff of their scenes together leaving me on the edge of my seat. I understand that is why it feel so intimate, because you can see just how much is at stake for the both of them.

Jin has his whole life ahead of him, but he isn't selfish because he knows that. He recognizes the disingeuine acts of others.. especially when it comes to his parents. Each episode develops his character starting from that, as well as his relationship with Hirukawa. This drama is MUCH more than a romance, it's about a whole lot more than that. It isn't too on the nose with its themes, and the acting coming from the leads pulls the story along really well. Without the chemistry between the leads this drama would suck so bad, but luckily they are offering a lot more than just their visuals.

Hirukawa is abused by his father. He is clearly able to fight back for himself, but clears up why he hasn't and won't do that. Hirukawa isn't a delinquent or a scary person, he is misunderstood by everyone. The real story of this drama starts when Jin witnesses the abuse. Even when Jin knows this, he doesn't treat Hirukawa in any different way. Hirukawa is finding himself drawn to Jin because he doesn't have to put a wall up, he knows Jin has accepted him completely. Jin accepts the abuse is happening and doesn't push any boundaries, in fact the one who is holding himself back is Jin. It is sort of brilliant that Jin is the one still closeting himself so badly, where as he has nothing 'pathetic' happening to him in that way. Jin is just extremely tentative because of his privilege circumstances, where Hirukawa finds solace in his company because of his honesty.

The romance between them adds a whole other dynamic to this drama. It isn't cliche with how it does things, instead it is much more realistic. The attraction between the two is clearly there, and you can tell Hirukawa's lax attitude of it all is because he is trying to feign ignorance of his true feelings. He has been a 'nuisance' his whole life, so he doesn't want to get in Jin's way, but he also doesn't want to leave him alone? Why? Because he knows that Jin is a person in his life that makes him genuinely happy. It is when a story is able to be as simple as that, that the attraction doesn't have to spell it out for you, that it is just two people that make each other happy. The drama comes with the circumstances that are telling them to contradict their feelings. That they won't work for just as simple reasons. That they are both boys, that they have different lives, etc.

The tone of this drama handles the serious topics so well. I was also surprised to see that the abuse in Hirukawa's life is a strong part to the story, it wasn't there for shock value. It is shown how deeply that affects Hirukawa's attitude, but it hasn't made him a bitter person, in fact he wants to protect people.

What I am dreading is the time skip.. that will 100% happen. Hopefully there are no frustrating cliches brought in.. but so far this drama is wonderful.