Hirugao is one of those dramas that makes you feel bleak and empty after you watch it. Everything about this drama is bleak and depressing, but I found the way it was presented absolutely beautiful and the performances elevate it significantly.

It definitely does not romanticize adultery in anyway shape or form. I find it shows how innocently it starts off and how many people never expect it to hurt the people they love, but in the end destroys everything and everyone around them. You see how the characters feel insignificant and how that leads to the adultery but also how their marriage partners feel. You don't feel like our cheating protagonists are on a pedestal; I found myself chiding the characters for their selfishness even if their partners weren't the best to them. One of the best aspects was how the children were affected. I think children are always the biggest losers in a divorce. I found it very interesting that every character (including minor characters) were affected by infidelity one way or another and how it affected them.

Although the story was definitely slow, I weirdly didn't want to drop this drama. Someone in the drama said that the 2nd half of this drama ramps up, and I guess I read into it too much but it's more of a slow escalation. I wouldn't expect any craziness but it escalates for sure.

The acting in this drama in this drama is phenomenal. Like absolutely brings the script to another level. The characters feel like human beings, morally grey and layered. Even the people we're not supposed to root for have their moments throughout the drama. I cannot emphasize how good the acting is.

Rikako is my favorite character by far. I think it was because she was so nonchalant about her cheating and when you see how it compares to her love for her children and her family. She and her partner in the show had this amazing chemistry and there's this one scene that broke me and drove me to tears. Her acting props are incredible.

Sawa was a character I pitied and found myself feeling sorry for. By no means am I saying she was a victim, but I think seeing her grow feelings for the ML and how in despair she was trapped in the marriage, I could see how she acted the way she did.

To be honest, watching this drama really made me think if marriage is ever really worth it. It definitely puts a damper on the idea. I don't think I would ever rewatch this again.

My score is lower than I would want to give it simply because it was slow.