Shigatsu no Tokyo wa... (2023)

started off great but ended very badly

this story was very interesting to watch and I was very excited about how this drama will progress

the story was kind of messed up... like in the start it was great but by the 6 episode I was fully confused....
I liked the leads and the flashback were great
the kids did something bad and their families didn't treat it in a mature way and dealt with it in an even immature way than I expected
like really abandoning your child In an whole new country with a whole new language was the best they could do to teach ren what's right and wrong like wth
then kazumas mother literally hating on the ren and preventing ren from loving his son and then after a few episodes saying that "the moment I saw them together I knew that they were in love a very deep love that they can't be separated from" like what...
you can't change your mind just like that

And what the hell was the end like
the ren traumatic experience and trauma was healed just because ren got his lover back ?

AND WTH was the I'm not gay I just love him like bro what are you talking about grow up just accept it

and it was funny that while kazuma was crying just a tear drops from just one eye like what is that bro and the other eye isn't even wet

I'm a little annoyed

and his friend yagami like do you like him sir I don't understand ( I like that he's there to help ren )

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Beautiful, but not perfect.

Many of scenes are carefully put together with a painters eye to color and light. The nature of the daylight, the surroundings, clothing, etc. were clearly thought out. The placement of both characters and props within the frame was sensitive and thoughtful.

However, action scenes (especially running) were clumsy.

The story had a lot of potential, but didn't quite deliver, especially in the last episode. Kazuma's mother is a difficult role, and needed more work. Difficult to tell if this was the choice of actor, the acting or the directing. It might be easy to overlook since she occupies so little screen time, but since this drama focuses on the power of traumatic childhood experiences over adult lives, Kazuma's mother needed more attention. The ending falls flat in part because the last scenes with Kazuma's mother doesn't really work. Her facial expressions watching Ren in the hospital room communicate almost nothing. The scene with the three of them is disjointed. Those scenes need to work, that is to provide the audience with a new understanding , a new perspective on the past. Because children do pick up distorted messages during those childhood events, and part of finding peace is correcting those distortions. I think any rating between 6 and 8 is reasonable. I chose 8 because I loved the meticulous visuals.

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The story have a solid foundation, with compelling characters and an intriguing premise. However,

it seems as though the screenwriter failed to fully realize the potential of the story's trajectory. The plot points and character development are not fully explored, leaving the audience wanting more depth and complexity. With a more thorough execution of the story's arc, the narrative could have been more engaging and impactful.

The production value of the scenes left much to be desired. The settings often felt lackluster and uninspired, with a noticeable repetition of the same stage to represent various locations within the story. Additionally, the use of random locations to convey specific settings did not effectively immerse the audience in the narrative. Furthermore, the excessive reliance on flashbacks did not contribute meaningfully to the audience's understanding of the characters' stories, and instead, felt disjointed and distracting. As a result, the overall visual and storytelling impact of the production was diminished, leaving the audience feeling disconnected from the characters and their experiences.

very problematic underage scenes. honestly i couldn't bare my self to watch the episodes where the 2 main character that were still underage did such thing. and it really bothers me that they really use a real life 15 years old kid to play that.

i give my apreciation for Yuki as this is his 1st drama debut. he potraying the character nicely. a bit stiff here and there but none of them are giving "bad acting" vibe.

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love? nahh... rather it's obsession

where do i begin?? ohh boi... this is one of the dramas that i would love but also hate it..

The reason? well because it is too serious and dark.. whan it's romance I'm more into fluff(it shouldn't be cringe tho) and the dramas which are too serious and dark... make me horrified and traumatised(this could be a lil exaggerated)...
These types of dramas make me think a lil tooo deep about life and that's what I'm scared of the most because when I think deep.. it's too negatively deep

And this drama did that exactly... the two bois ohh Lord.. they just simply loved each other but one was going/about to go? down the wrong lane(sleeping with guysdespite being underage) because he couldn't be intimate with his crush (who is also his best friend) as he wasn't sure if he felt the same way too...

So he decided to satisfy(?) himself using others(?) sounds stupid buymt you'll understand once you're in that situation yourself... that's when the crush(kazuma) stepped in and asked ren to have sex with him instead.. and they did it.. at that very night kazuma became sick and was hospifalized
And Lord the hell ren had to go through criticisms from everyone., facing everything all one, thinking he is the cause of kazumas sickness and possibly death, living all alone in France with no one.. (idk if he would have survived if not for that yagami guy who was also Japanese)
And then they reunite... tackle their past together and live happily ever after..
And also I would like to mention that the scene where the couple talked with the mom was very emotional and i cried after watching that (although j would have liked it more if the mom directly said that she wants kazuma to be with her)

My take on this drama: a drama I would usually avoid but liked it anyways... I hated the acting it didn't feel natural.. I also did not think that it was strong love(as the mother mentions is 8th ep I guess).. rather it was obsession... why I think it's obsession.. well because nothing of the characters I believe never had any exposure to other people.. they were stuck on the past and were not ready to accept anyone else.. (tbh I can't explain clearly why I think it's obsession and not love.. but i feel that it's not love)

would I recommend it??? hell yeahhhh

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Interesting plot that could've been more in so many ways

The plot was actually good, you have the two Ml with a tragic backstory but messed up on the aftermath of reconnection cause of too much back and fourth-ing and some things doesn't make sense.

Mls chemistry was quite awkward but there are moments that are sweet. Both of them actually look good together but in a way seems forced cause of the way they act towards each other was in a way to not be seen as a couple which is like.. what's the point of the acting in a BL as a couple pair lol.

What I don't like about the series is too much recollection/flashbacks, the whole episode 6 was seriously just Kazuma reminiscing his memories with Ren. Also some scenarios where the emotion and facial expression doesn't fit and in a way did not deliver to the viewers like when ren was hyperventilating and kazuma on the coffee scene with yagami; additionally, I also find it odd that yagami was so close-minded with kazuma and talks to him with attitude, it wasn't explained well if he actually likes ren but it doesn't give him any reason to treat kazuma whom he only met once but maybe it's because of ren's experience but kazuma wasn't to blame but his lines says other wise. he's literally blaming a person for being hospitalized which is weird..
Including also the fact that when they were kids and almost a teenager, I know hormones are crazy but I don't see how they showed a consensual adult & kid going to a love hotel is right... the adult is clearly a pedophile. should've changed their age to be appropriate when it comes to consent. The antagonist co-worker guy, I forgot his name, there was not that much background of him other than being a rap... cant say it.

What I like, the kid actors, It really does feel like they were kids excluding them doing it at the age that is inappropriate.. I like their story, it was more in-depth and interesting than their story now being adults. The chemistry was nice as well, I felt the ride or die vibes, like they only matter to each other and the attraction.

See what I mean? It could've been more if they switched and added things to the story to make it understandable and not rush it! Both of the Ml are talented but maybe should've made them get closer to get rid of the awkwardness.

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needed a little more time

the story was interesting, and I’m frankly still surprised such young children were allowed to act in this. still, they conveyed the story and emotions very well. i found ren’s younger version to be done incredibly well.

as far as the series goes, I think it deserved more time/episodes. it was pretty complex, so it did suffer a little in terms of storytelling. there were too many wrinkles for the audience to truly feel like we got to know these characters or their stories completely. we learned quite a bit about ren, but the same can’t be said about kazuma. I would’ve liked a lot more story wise, but I do think this was very well done overall.

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Dislike
Most of the time it had me guessing at what was happening as not everything was too clear to me.
The ending was so rushed and wished it had taken the time to really develop what was happening and what the future held for us in mater life
The running sway scenes were too much with little explanation as to why he felt he had to do that

Like
It delved into real-life issues that society in the workplace and the abuse of power
There were some sweet moments that I really loved watching as they were intimate but not kissing all the time, especially the head rub
The flashbacks of their life as helped me understand the character's intentions and the person they turned out to be in life

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Manga is better

The beginning of the series was good, not a minute was wasted but in dragged towards the end just to rush the ending.
Liked that they showed their love story from 2 different timelines and the young actors did a decent job but most of the acting was not that great, Ren's friend is a good actor. The chemistry was lacking, the running scenes were really badly done and his mom was confused.
It did have some sweet and heart warming scenes, it was a cute love story, the characters tried to support each other as best they could. Liked that it had some dark themes.
It was ok, enjoyed it for what it was, was rooting for the characters to be together, if it had better actors it would have been a lot better.

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Tokyo in April Is.. Beautiful

Tokyo in April is.. is a Japanese BL series that is about Kazuma and Ren who have been friends for a very long time now but they have been separated when they had sex for the very first time with each other. I am not sure if I was able to relay that information correctly but they had sex but things turned awry so Ren developed fear of hurting Kazuma so much but little did he know is that even though he thought that Kazuma is not in love with him, Kazuma looked at him and wanted to really be with him. This is why when they met again, Kazuma easily agreed to be friends with benefits with Ren even though he just really wanted to be with him forever. This is an intense BL story and I think that they did not get enough credit with this one because it tackled very dark themes that needs to be talked about more often than not. The relationship of Ren and Kazuma is complicated and it is a bit darker than usual because there are themes like suicide, sexual assault, and more involved but what I love about this is that they handled it in a different way. They did not make light of it or disregard it immediately but what they is to show how important it is to have someone that you can rely on in moments that you need them. Their relationship is mostly shown in amazing montage of them staying at home being so sweet to each other. The chemistry of these two is pretty good. I love the scenes where they were just being sweet with each other. These scenes are the best parts of the show because it is giving the characters a good time to breath and be sweet with each other but, at the same time, it is giving the audience a chance to have moments with them and just invest with the relationship that we are seeing. This made us root for them so much more which I love so much. I love Ren and Kazuma and I seriously wanted them to be end game because of this. This is why when the story started to tackle the themes that we have, I was already invested with the relationship and wanted them to be together. I really do. The scene where Kazuma learned what really happened to Ren and the way that he responded to it somehow gave me so much hope that Ren will now have someone who will be there for him and will love him no matter what. It is just a beautiful moment. I am not sure why but it felt so romantic to see Kazuma finally fight for Ren after everything that Ren had to go through, he now has someone who he can rely on and loves him no matter what. This is why I fell in love with what ending. It is such a strong ending to a simply beautiful story.

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