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Good Lessons about Love and Life, if you have an open mind.
Both FL and ML did an excellent job acting; range of emotions. OST was good, but nothing stood out. Interesting story, which wasn't about normalizing pedophilia, but how to handle a young person being attracted to an adult, without belittling their feelings. The show reminded us that communication and trust are the most important factors in any relationship, and without that it will fail. It taught us about being honest with ourselves. There was decent character growth with Hijiri and Akira.SPOILER ALERT:
What I REALLY didn't like was that they started the ML as a grade school/ middle school kid. He didn't even look close to that. It added a very weird element to the story. If they had started the ML as a high school guy, then as college/university, it would've been more believable. It was like the middle school portion became too long, with unnecessary drama moments, which would've been better used during the high school arc.
Meeting the Father of Akira moment, wasn't impactful at all. Akira's mother with her lies and suspicions didn't come across as a loving mother just looking out for her son. It seemed like she was more narcissistic and too controlling. The writers failed in this aspect, unless they were trying to paint Akira's mother as not a good person.
Overall it was a decent watch, no over the top sexual moments either. Re-watchable.
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This is now my all-time favorite Japanese drama, and my favorite last 2018 in dead heat with the Korean drama Hundred Million Stars from the Sky (which is an adaptation of a JDorama). This drama hits all the right notes- the acting is stellar, the cinematography gorgeous, the soundtrack piercing, the writing sharp and contemplative. This is now my favorite love story (at least in dramaland). Some people may doubt Suenaga Hijiri and Kuroiwa Akira’s love for each other- but for me it was too real, too intense, too sure. There was absolutely no doubt that they loved each other- because does love really need an explanation all the time? ? And despite the questions raised on morality especially in the first half of the series, the characters (especially Hijiri) did their very best to do the right thing. Sure the characters were flawed, they're human after all, but they struggled to stay on the right path and emerged as better persons by the end of the series.
I’ve always loved Arimura Kasumi, but damn the rookie Okada Kenshi! He truly is the star of the show. He deserves the monicker “the last Super Rookie of the Heisei Period” through and through. Not only is he super handsome, but he’s super talented as well. Okada was spellbinding from the first second he showed up onscreen. It’s hard to believe that he’s only 19 and that this is his very first acting job! He will surely go a long way (Yamazaki Kento, Sakaguchi Kentaro, Arata Mackenyu, Fukushi Sota must all be shaking from worry now hahaha) and will be a big star in no time! He reached 500k followers on IG after only 2 days and 1 post a few weeks ago! Props, too, to the supporting characters especially the formidable Yoshida You- I couldn’t imagine Haraguchi Ritsu being played by a different actress. It's nice to see her and Arimura in another heartwarming project after Flying Colors.
So to my fellow Asian drama fangirls (and boys, too), don’t be put off by the synopsis, Chugakusei Nikki is so much more than just a story about forbidden love. I forgot how many times I cried while (re-)watching the drama, but it’s all worth it. Trust me, you’ll thank me after! VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
I regret coming way too late to the thread party. I wish I were able to join the discussions more actively when it was airing, but at least it spared me the agony of waiting for subbed episodes as I’ve read in the comments. I've always been just a silent lurker and I'm not even a member here. I was compelled to join and post a review by this gem of a drama!
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I feel kinda conflicted how I feel about it, maybe I should’ve waited until I’ve processed it and thought about it properly.. But then I doubt I would’ve written a review..
First off, If this was the other way around where a Male is older than the female, I don’t think it would’ve had the same affect on some people, as we’re “used” to men being older..
But it still doesn’t make it right, does it?
You can see the struggle within Hiriji, and she does try to run away from her feelings.. But she’s this quiet shy type who doesn’t seem to have a backbone.. (that annoyed me)
Akira is very determined and forceful in expressing himself, so I could see why she fell for him..
Her boyfriend was this, wishy washy type guy, and she didn’t really know where she stands with him..
So if any guy’s reading this, girls like men who know what they want.. MEN, not teenagers..
As a mother of a boy, I could relate to Akira’s mum very much.,
My fave character was Haraguchi, and the actress did an amazing job portraying her..
Overall, I don’t think I’d want to watch another similar type story, because in the real world, women like her end up in prison.. And I felt very annoyed and frustrated watching it.. Because the whole time, all I had in the back of my mind was “this is wrong”..
But the acting, scenery, music made it worthwhile!
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I thought it would be sugar-coated as what I have seen to most stories with this kind, with the male lead doing such swoon-worthy gestures, but no, it did much more than that. Akira's love and adoration for his teacher is fascinating to see. Yes, he's stubborn, rebellious and immature, but that's what a normal teenager would behave. While Hijiri's inner turmoil will make you emphatize with her more. She knew that she's already attracted to Akira but she just kept on brushing it off and tried not to reciprocate that overwhelming affection ( except that one moment when everything is just too much). But the heart wants what it wants. That's the thing that the drama really did right, the execution and portrayal of their romance wherein you wouldn't see it as sensual and disturbing. It highlighted the genuineness of their feelings and how it came to that point where they're in now.
I also like that the story didn't condone and promote this kind of relationship and give us a glimpse to the consequences and what would others feel witnessing something like this blossom, like how Hijiri's friend kept on pointing out how wrong it is to fall for your student and how Akira's mom lose it when she learned that her son is in love with his teacher. Most of the characters are grey wherein you truly can't hate one, but instead pity and emphatize with them for we sometimes see their actions as something that would likely do because it's too mundane and didn't truly deviate with real life instances.
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Unpredictable, odd and will probably help you experience you a whole range of emotions...
To tell you the truth, yes it did bother me to see a 25 year old woman fall in love with a 15 year old, however this drama is good that way it does not in any way tell us the viewers that it is okay for a 25 year old to act upon her feelings for her 15 year old student, and actually shows some pretty realistic turns of events as well as keeps viewers on their toes.This drama had me feeling a whole range of emotions,no heart fluttering cuteness but rage, disappointment and the occasional come on... it did have me at odds with myself feeling conflicting emotions and hopes... But also had me thinking damn that woman is cool, not the female lead she was not cool at any moment of the show but the second female lead was slightly eccentric and though I did not always agree with her I loved her coolness.
The female lead is portrayed as the complete appifanny of goodness with just that one pretty big flaw of falling in love with her student. If it weren't for that she would easyslie have been a candidate for citizen/teacher of the year... or maybe dubbed a saint of some sort.
The male lead is a stubborn, lost soul and a teenager as teenager are... but actually sweet and pretty cute. His mom is one of those people who only sees fault in others and fails completely to take responsibility for her own actions. I loved her in the beginning but grew to hate her as the story went on.
I liked how they portrayed the harm of gossip, neglekt, bad parenting and all together the love children often have for even the most abusive parents when they are kids. I also liked the lack of predictability most of the time.
All in all pretty ok...
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Be open-minded about this taboo topic and you will find a beautiful story
Completed - 3/20/2022Before you start watching this drama, you should know that it's about a forbidden love story between a 25-year old teacher and a 15-year old student. If you have a problem with this and can't be open-minded enough to appreciate this drama, it's best to not watch it.
I am usually not a big fan of infidelity, older woman/younger man tropes and such a taboo topic. But reading some of the reviews, I am willing to give it a try and not to judge a book by its cover. I am so glad I did. This is a beautiful and emotional story about growth, consequences and life's challenges. It doesn't gloss over the fact that this is a taboo subject and that it's not accepted by family, friends and society.
It is without a doubt that our female lead, Suenaga Hijiri, should not have reciprocated her feelings and really put a stop to all of this. She's a teacher after all. However, as the story continues, it's really hard not to root for Kuroiwa Akira to grow up faster, so that they can be together officially.
I really like the fact that the drama does not portray Kuroiwa as super mature and use that to justify this romance. The drama did a great job in showcasing the emotions of a 15 year-old teenage boy. He's passionate, impulsive, immature but oh so in love. He doesn't know what to do with his feelings. His love blinded him from seeing anything else, thus, creating all sorts of problems. Actor Okada Kenshi did such an amazing job in showing raw emotions with his eyes. I see innocence and uncontrolled passion. Although Kuroiwa has matured as an 18-year old, he is not quite mature enough to handle all of his emotions. His mother is correct that he could be so out-of-control when it comes to Suenaga. He doesn't know how to act and respond maturely and is unaware of the consequences to his actions in the adult world. But I do applaud him for still having the self-control to not get too physical with Suenaga. I really enjoy seeing him grow up from a 15 year-old impulsive teen, to finally realizing what he needs to do as a 18-year old, and then as a 23 year-old.
Suenaga also has changed throughout the drama. As an inexperienced and young teacher, she is unable to do the right thing and control her feelings. She should have put a stop to all that until Kuroiwa is 20 years old. Because of her decision, she has to face the aftermath and consequences throughout the rest of the drama. The drama never makes this taboo romance to be all rainbows and roses. There are realistic consequences, and some very serious/extreme ones courtesy of Kuroiwa's mother. The drama does surprise me towards the end with the decision Suenaga made regarding the pledge, and I'm glad she did what she had to do, and finally realized what's best for both Kuroiwa and her.
As much as I root for the leads to be together, I can totally understand where Kuroiwa's mother is coming from. While watching this drama, I asked myself what I would do if I was his mom. I might not have used such drastic (surprising) measures at the end, but there's no way in hell I would approve my son's relationship with his teacher. It could be difficult to watch how Kuroiwa's mom treat Suenaga, but watchers have to understand where she's coming from.
Lastly, I also enjoy the secondary romance and how it all develops. Machida Keita is just as handsome as ever, and this drama came out before the popular "Cherry Magic". I enjoy his dynamic with both Suenaga and Haraguchi Ritsu in two very different relationships. Haraguchi is such a badass female character. She's so cool, eccentric but caring in her own ways.
I would have loved to see the 23 year-old Kuroiwa a little more and have a longer ending/epilogue but I am satisfied.
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Unexpected emotional rollercoaster
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.
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An interesting watch
In classic Japanese style, they just picked the most unique story from the bunch.The premise itself is very interesting. The drama portrays the consequences of going against social norms and loving someone you shouldn't. The portrayal is as real as it gets yet beautiful in its own regard. The love between the leads is something that I would consider to be as true and real as it gets. As in the male lead, he feeling of love and the emotions for a teenager are very well expressed and thoughtfully portrayed and play an important role in the story(as it should). For the teacher, she really played the role of a responsible teacher and adult yet occasionally getting swayed by her emotions which is a very real thing. People might dislike the male lead's mother due to her being such a strong resistance in the story, however her character was a very real depiction of a real life mother(specially a single mother with a single child).
The cinematography is classic japanese, simple yet beautiful and always revolving around life.
The music though is really good and adds to the overall feels of the story and also makes it memorable for a long long time.
Excellent production quality.
Overall the story is worth experiencing. If you have some spare time, or you are in search of something unique, give this a go and you will definitely like it(if not love it).
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A paradox of a show
This drama is a mystery to me.I find it incredibly surreal how a show, where every single character without any exception is absolutely unbearable, can still leave you glued to the screen from start to finish.
There are some of the most cringeworthy moments in the history of motion pictures in this show. To the point where you'd want to poke your eyes out with a Bic pen. Yet still, you are somehow constantly left wondering about what happens next, and sometimes even rooting for some of the above-mentioned unbearable characters.
Maybe under some hypno spell secretly inserted by the show-makers, or maybe because I'm, unbeknownst to myself, a masochist, I was somewhat rooting for the male lead. Even despite his personality and its consistently representative obtuse expression on his face, having assured him first place in the contest for 'Being more punchable than a sandbag'."
I wish I knew before starting this show that I would be thrown down to the worst hell of all for an MDLr. That being the agony of choice: do I give it a 10 or a 1?
I guess this show is one of those paradoxes of the universe that will forever bug the brains of humanity. Beautifully awful and awfully beautiful. And since witnessing a paradox is bound to be a memorable experience for just anyone, I surely do recommend trying to watch it.
But be prepared, you're up for a very unusual, to say the least, ride.
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What I hated the most of this drama are:
- That annoying mother of Kuroiwa
- Also the mom of Hijiri was something
- Dramatic to the point of tacking help frompolice
- how the character of Kawai has became of a real loser
I love to watch noona romance genre or student teacher genre stories but was very painful they didn't had even a moment of happinnes, well at least thy got together in the end that's what counts
I wish there were more scenes of them together when he became a proper adult but sadly they just showed some seconds not more
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Del por qué un adolescente no es buen interés amoroso para un adulto.
Primero que nada voy a expresar meramente mi opinión respecto de este drama. No, no apruebo las relaciones amorosas entre un adulto y un mocoso, no las veo románticas y considero que no es correcto romantizarlas."Chuugakusei Nikki" (o en español "Diario de secundaria"), es la historia de Hijiri Suenaga, una maestra novata de 25 años que es hecha tutora de un grupo de tercer grado de secundaria en alguna escuela de alguna localidad en Kanagawa. Como buena novata tiene cierto grado de inocencia y muchas carencias como docente frente a grupo; pero como escribió un muy buen ensayo sobre la "clase de profesora que desea ser", la vicedirectora de la institución la planta como tutora, ¿por qué chin**dos no?
Como es "inocente y pura", el problemático alumno del tercer grado del que es tutora, Akira Kuroiwa, pierde la cabeza con un flechazo de cupido y en un arranque de ira adolescente se la cachetea en un pasillo de la escuela dejándola "out", pero desde ahí ella no se lo puede sacar de la cabeza por una razón u otra. ¿No es súper romántico? Bueno, por si esto no fuera poco, el mocoso en cuestión se decide a "confesarle su amor" a gritos en la escuela (¿por qué no?, ¡viva la juventud, car*jo!), el último trancazo que nuestra dramática heroína necesitaba para encender sus luces de alarma emocional.
De ahí comienza el bucle de mentiras que Hijiri se la pasa diciéndole a otros buscando engañarse a sí misma sobre la situación. Jamás maneja correctamente la situación pisando el suelo como ADULTO, y peor todavía como PROFESORA, con responsabilidad social y moral. Sin contar la cantidad de berrinches y manotazos al viento que el "maduro" héroe en brillante armadura 10 años menor que ella se la pasa dando toda la serie; dando muestra fiel de lo fiable que puede ser como pareja ilegal de nuestra heorína profesora-pedófila.
No conforme con esto, la mujer es como sarricida; ya que todas las vidas que toca terminan desmoroándose a cierto grado, una a una: el ex prometido, sus padres, la madre del mocoso, la ex alumna enamorada del mocoso, su amiga Chizuru que logra encontrarle trabajo en la escuela donde trabaja, y la lista sigue.
Actuaciones excelentes porque los actores logran conmover y transmitir lo enfermo de la trama en sí; cada personaje se hace sentir, y pasas de sentir pena por Kawai Shotaro a tenerle lástima por cómo maneja su propia situación a consecuencia de la indecisión y tumbos que va dando Hijiri, por ejemplo.
Desde la perspectiva de una docente de secundaria (que es lo que soy), la historia es enferma, absurda y el personaje de Hijiri pasa de ser absurdo y ridículo a ser completamente estúpido, hasta el capítulo 11 cuando comprende la triste realidad de Akira: ES UN MOCOSO.
Como mujer, como profesora, como ser humano, considero que esta clase de historias buscan romantizar una triste realidad que está extendiéndose lentamente a nivel mundial; buscando hacernos cada vez más permisivos y tolerantes a ello. Sin embargo, como expresé en el párrafo anterior, un adolescente no es un adulto ni legal, ni física, ni moralmente hablando, y como tal, es inestable emocionalmente y dependiente; buscar que las relaciones amorosas con esa brecha de edad sean vistas amigablemente por la sociedad, es enfermo por decir lo menos.
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The wrong kind of problematic!
You wanna see a beautiful love story between an adult and a child? Congratulations, you've found it...I think everybody who decides to watch this after reading the synopsis expects to be confronted with a seriously messed-up plot and expects to feel disgusted with the female teacher who catches feelings for the 15-year-old student. And while I did think that the teacher was completely inappropiate and should have been banned from ever teaching again, I was also thinking that this scenario should have been depicted in a much more scandelous way just to show how truly problematic the leads' romance is. Instead this series really tried to depict this unacceptable scenario in the most acceptable way possible and delivered us a romantic love story.
Going into this, I wanted problematic characters and forbidden love, yes, but I was hoping for it not to be romanticized. They definitey addressed the problem of such a taboo relationship and its negative effects on the child, but in the end, the whole message of the show still was "If it's true love, it's gonna work out anyway" and that's not a good way to deal with kind of issue.
My biggest problem about this series was the FL. Apart from the fact that she was boring as hell and had no consistant or interesting character traits, I was really repulsed by the way she stood up for her feelings for the underage boy. Also, the people around her, apart from the pair of mothers of the FL and ML, did not react appropiately to this messed-up couple. A romance between a 15-year-old and a 25-year-old is unacceptable and the fact that this woman fell for a child is not something that can be forgiven or forgotten even if they give us multiple timeskips.
But despite my many complaints, I gave it a relatively good score of 7/10 because of the sheer fact that I was very entertained by this series. As I was watching it, I kept needing to know what happens next and though I did not enjoy the side couple nor the direction they took with the main couple's journey, I was kept on my toes the whole time and that explains my rating.
Anyway, despite the producer's obvious attempts to make the audience root for their relationship and understand their unconditional love for each other, I found myself really hoping for them to not end up together, no matter how many years passed, because let's face it, who in their right mind can root for this kind of romance?
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