It's one of the dramas where the drama is actually better than the novel.

If you're looking for a dark psychological drama where the thrill never ends, this is it.

I remember watching this drama years ago, but it still remained my favorite Japanese drama of all times. The acting of the casts (even when they were kids) were absolutely wonderful and I remember sitting in the edge fearing for the leads at all times. A lot of things could actually have been avoided had they not pile up secrets after secrets, which end up swallowing them in a quagmire of despair and could also cause you to pull your own hair in frustration.

But, what the characters did are understandable when you look at it from their perspective. There are times where I felt really bad for the ML but the FL and ML are truly horrible and broken but relatable people, which makes this an enchanting psychological thriller and emotional rollercoaster. Haruka Ayase shone really well in this series, and she portrayed Yukiho really well as a flawed, selfish, independent, perfectionist woman who seemed to be envious and heartless but at the end still relatable. I half despise and related with her at the same time. I also really like the detective character (despite how he is sometimes annoying) as he is after all, a part of their journey, and a necessary plot-mover.

It's a series where you can't help but understand the troubles of each character and where you'd eventually think that it's all just a result of bad decisions and ugly circumstances. Story can sometimes be too coincidental and unrealistic, but still good and well-paced.

This drama made me cry a lot because it has lots of moving scenes and wonderful acting. I like the references to Gone with the wind and the poetic beauty of the series but it becomes a little too much sometimes and because the FL is nothing like Scarlet except for her realism and selfishness (let alone the male lead, who the series try to portray as Rhett, but instead is an Ashley at best).

This is not a drama you should watch when you're depressed because its dark. But, it's a drama with a good lesson in it, and that is to be honest and pay for your sins instead of running away from it.