I have to say, I didn't like it QUITE as much as the movie, but I still liked it. This series had more filler than the movie, and there were a lot of storylines going on. There were also multiple instances of misunderstandings, and I wondered if the main couple would EVER get together! The FL seemed more docile here than in the movie, always apologizing. I was concerned about the ML, but I thought he was perfect. Baby face, his eyes really expressed his feelings for her, and he was a pleasure to watch. There were a couple of instances of over-the-top acting, which I have come to expect in J-dramas, but it was from people that had relatively small parts.

I loved the graphics at the beginning of every episode, and the village they lived in was lovely. I really liked the scenes where they were walking the neighborhoods, talking.

I appreciated the music as well, not for the songs, necessarily, but they used tinkling bells in quiet scenes, that for some reason I found very effective.

The storyline was great. There were multiple couples, and I liked the story of each of them, because they were so different. First love; long-lasting hidden love; forbidden love. Each had their strengths.

But I have to say that the friendships really shone. Getting acquainted, developing friendships, overcoming difficulties, and then the uncertainty and fear associated with leaving your insulated life and heading out into the big world. Would these friendships stand the test of time? I teared up a number of times with the goodbyes. I would have liked to have seen where they all ended up, but other than that, it was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon.

***After re-watching this, I had to lower my rating slightly. FL had too little self-esteem and couldn't believe that anyone could like her. She was too quick to believe lies, but couldn't believe when the ML was telling her how he felt about her. This resulted in multiple episodes of me talking to the TV, telling her to get over herself and listen up! She still felt this way after the friendships that she had developed and even THEY were telling her how the ML felt. I felt like it wasted a lot of time, and made me worried for their ability to communicate with one another in the future, if she was always going to go to the worst-case scenario.