First Love: Hatsukoi (2022)

The first j-drama that gets a 10

What a beautiful romantic drama. Great music, lovely story, very visually appealing cinematography.
The star was of course the young protagonist ??. He brought the story alive with his youthful grin, mischief, and love at first sight. This drama totally blew me away only because of his happy chirpy face!,
Every other performer was also wonderful.
Also great to see a happy family after a long time. Most Asian dramas have their stars from orphanages or have nagging mothers who want them to get married or rich parents who are mean to their kids. This was soooooo refreshing to see kind loving parents.

Great job here, the full team!! Nicely done ????

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The Perfect Japanese Love Story

In three words: Do Not Miss. You Won't Regret. No plot spoilers: rest assured you may well be mesmerised by the impact of this masterpiece. Beautifully arranged with parallel timelines, necessary realism (sex scenes) in a few places, gentle emotive score and soundtrack, and 'less is more' editing, direction and acting across every aspect of this film. Allow yourself to be swept up across the storyline, and prepare to give your heart to the young lovers and their older counterparts. The thinking person's sex symbol, Mister Micro Expressions himself, Takeru Satoh, delivers a compelling role of profound masculine sensitivity and restrained passion that will define acting craftsmanship for years to come. Do real men cry? Yes, they do. If you are not familiar with Takeru and his body of acting work, do yourself a favour. Viewers may well hold their breath until most of the way into the last hour.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry said: 'Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.' The same applies to this emotional masterpiece. It is the perfect length, story, acting and direction that will in time, define modern Japanese drama. You Will Love.

Personally, very few shows or films deserve near perfect ratings. This one kept your reviewer wondering until the very last 20 minutes, and provides deep thought for the remainder of the day.

All of us live with the question of 'what if...?" and this series explores what we do when the heart and mind open together.
Feel free to explore my other reviews to discover more exceptional Asian dramas. Thank you. ~Fumiyawagi

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Hikaru Utada's sensational songs gave us a gem

I will refer to Harumichi as Haru in this review. When I started watching this show I was in the mindset that they would give us a bittersweet ending. Infact if the story ended at episode 8 I wouldn't mind. It was bittersweet but felt much more realistic than the real ending. I loved the acting of the main leads and their younger selves in this show. Haru is a character who is a delinquent during his high school years. However he changes after his encounter with Yae. Both of them are each other's first love. They sprinkled the sweet and tender moments between them throughout the show. But then the tragedy strikes. Yae gets into an accident and loses her memories of few years especially the ones she spent with Haru. Yae's mother who keeps her daughter away from Haru (and justifiably so) results in their seperation. Yae gets married to a doctor and gets pregnant with a son, Tsuzuru. One of the things I really loved about the show is Haru's bond with his deaf sister Yu. Knowing Japan and it's obsession to incest I was surprised to see such a beautiful sibling relationship. But I guess it's much more prevalent in anime. Also speaking of Yu I loved her and Haru's best friend Bonji's short love story. The way he freaking proposed to Yu was really adorable. It was such a heartwarming moment. I also liked that they showed how Haru tried to get over Yae with Tsunemi, although it didn't work. I liked they dedicated an episode to her and how she met Haru. It was also nice to see that they didn't just put her there for a plot point. Tsunemi is nyctophobic and that made her a much deeper character. Haru's development from a delinquent to a man who will protect the country was wonderful to see. There are things that I did not like in the show. I didn't care about Tsuzuru's love story. That's not to say he himself was a bad character. But his love interest didn't feel anything special. I didn't care for their resolution. While I love episode 9 because it shows us the start of the main relationship of the show I can't help but wonder episode 8 was a better ending. Although episode 9 ties up all the loose ends of the show. It's nice to see a happy ending in a show full of heartbreaks. I am thankful to this show for introducing me to a wonderful song.

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LIFE IS FULL OF SPECIAL AND MEANINGFUL ENCOUNTERS !!!

It just left me speechless !!! I want to try to pour all my love for this show but I'm short of words ??

This story had been told manytimes ,it's not something new but the beauty lies in the execution of this drama . screenplay ,performances ,music and notably cinematography were ideal and perfect !

I was witnessing the story that was happening infront of me for real .


NOTE: It is very simple ,ordinary and so real but that's life . some might find it repetitive and boring but for me it's one of those well made dramas which make you cry ,smile and root for the people in it . I repeat it's so perfect in every sense


I want to pour my love and can write like essays about it but right now I'm just numb and still tearing up ? cuz i just finished this

I don't know it make sense or not but I wanted to kill the FL's mother for real ??? .She literally spoiled her daughter's life with her own hands .Though she did that with good deed but yeah .
I better stop it here ..... I just love love love the leads ? :(

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I watched this drama simply because it's inspired by Utada Hikaru's First Love. I love that song. I was hoping for a more melodramatic story with a happy ending, but I didn't get what I expected. The first two episodes show promise, but anything after that feels slow. The drama alternates between now and the past. The side character story is not interesting and boring to me. Sadly the drama fell flat for me. I guess I was expecting a more rollercoaster ride of emotion for this drama, but it failed to bring out any emotion (except for bore.. is that even an emotion? :)). I couldn't even connect the Utada Hikaru song with the two main characters, which is such a disappointment. But this is just my personal opinion.

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The Song - First Love - by Utada Hikaru Got Me!

I was drawn to this drama because of the song "First Love" by Utada Hikaru -- SO MANY MEMORIES...

I decided to watch this drama because of the song which I heard when the trailer flashed.

I would say that I actually kind of like this drama but it is a little too slow-moving for me... I think it could be one of those "healing" types of dramas (yet again). The acting is pretty good. I think the young version of the FL is very attractive. She has an X-factor of sorts but the young version of the ML seems a bit too dorky and he smokes too much for my liking. I have dropped this for now but, I may pick it up again. :) As it's just 9 episodes long, I think that I can, perhaps, find time for it? I'm not sure... I do prefer dramas with more of a Fun Element and more of a Dramatic Element though. :)

The OST for this drama should be good though. Going to listen to First Love by Utada Hikaru again and reminisce.

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C'est universel. Un premier amour, nous en avons tous connu. Que cela soit en culotte courte ou sur les banc de l'école. Ce battement de coeur désordonné, qui illuminait nos journées, rythmait nos soirée.
C'est l'essence de ce drama. Un premier amour maladroit, touchant et d'une pureté absolue. Ni mystère. Ni rebondissement.
Et pourtant, cela fonctionne. Encore. Et toujours.
On sourit. Des étoiles pleins les yeux. L'histoire touchante de ce premier amour nous émeut. Pas une seule fois, je n'ai douté de la fin de cet amour. Ennuyant? Que nenni,

Le scénario est simple mais astucieusement construit autour d'un enchevêtrement de passé et de présent. C'est redoutablement efficace, permettant au spectateur de suivre simultanément leur hier et le résultat immédiat sur leur présent.
Nous survolons à chaque minute des flashbacks semés tout autour d'eux. L'atmosphère y est donc léger, illuminant l'écran de leur histoire et de leur douleur. Ici, ce n'est pas seulement une question de premier amour mais aussi de choix et de décision qui nous forgent. Les protagonistes suivent ce chemin difficile qu'est la vie et nous serions tenté de penser qu'ils ont pris la mauvaise décision, mais cela serait dénier ces moments où ils ont su construire ou un mariage ou une relation. Bien sûr, parfois, cela ne dure pas. Cela se finit parfois par une rupture. Un divorce. Ces aléas à la vie si nécessaire. Afin d'avancer et de comprendre. La valeur d'un premier amour.
Je crierais pas à l'extraordinaire, pas en ce qui me concerne, mais j'ai pris beaucoup de plaisir à suivre ce drama. Je n'ai certes pas eu des papillons au ventre ou de coeur en émoi, cependant, la douceur des épisodes m'ont bercé et j'avoue avoir eu une pensée nostalgique à mon premier amour.

Je ne vous cacherai pas que Satoh Takeru est la raison qui m'a mené ici, j'ai pu tout de même apprécié le jeu de Mitsushima Hikari mais surtout de Yagi Rikako et de Kido Taisei. Ils ont su me transmettre leurs émotions à travers un jeu sincère.

Drama léger où est banni toute frustration, nous suivons avec simplicité un amour qui aura duré envers et contre tous.

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Hermosa historia y muy recomendable, es una lástima que caiga en tantos clichés.

¡Hola, gente bella! Mi reseña de esta semana está llegando un poco tarde por ✨cosas✨, pero lo importante es que tarde pero seguro.

En esta ocasión les voy a estar hablando de "First Love", un jdrama de Netflix muy bonito en el que seguimos el primer amor inolvidable de una pareja. Ellos se conocieron por primera vez en la década de 1990 y crecieron juntos en la década de 2000, pero la vida los terminó separando. Ahora, varios años después, se reencuentran por pura casualidad.

Esta serie, inspirada en dos canciones de Hikaru Utada, terminó siendo muy linda. La historia es sencilla, pero preciosa, y los actores, que son Takeru Sato (Harumichi) y Hikari Mitsushima (Yae), están impecables (sobre todo ella, que actúa increíble y encima su personaje es lo más dulce y hermoso que hay). Para colmo mechan todo el tiempo escenas del pasado, de cuando ellos eran adolescentes y estaban juntos, con escenas del presente, así podemos ir armando de a poco el rompecabezas de lo que realmente pasó entre ellos.

Hablando de las escenas del pasado, fueron mis favoritas por mucho. Si amé a la Yae adulta, el Harumichi joven tiene mi amor para siempre, porque es la cosita más cute que haya visto en mi vida (me saco el sombrero ante Taisei Kido, quien lo interpreta). Real que ver todo su romance desde que se conocen hasta que se separan fue extremadamente disfrutable, yo solo quería que fueran felices por siempre jamás.

Por si fuera poco el apartado técnico es muy bueno: visualmente es un jdrama re cuidado, las canciones están muy buenas, los vestuarios me gustaron un montón y un largo etcétera.

Creo que lo único que tengo para criticarle, que igual no es poco, es que caen en dos clichés enormes que ya me tienen un poco harta (uno está relacionado con el motivo de la separación y el otro con el final). ¿Estas cosas arruinaron la serie para mí? No, pero sí hicieron que no terminara de amarla a pesar de que todo lo demás está súper bien.

En fin, no es una dorama súper dinámico, pero al menos para mí no aburre en ningún momento y en general el concepto me pareció bastante bonito y original, así que yo lo recomiendo mucho a pesar de todo.

•IG DE RESEÑAS CORTAS: @altoplottwist

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You are always gonna be my love

Esse é o dorama mais lindo que já vi! Sem defeitos!
História muito bem desenvolvida, que te prende e trás um mistos de sensações. Estou simplesmente apaixonada por esta obra-prima. E toda ligação das músicas da Utada Hikaru com a história.
De fato, ela se apaixonou duas vezes por ele, porque sempre o amou. E ele nunca deixou de amar, mesmo sem as memórias. Este é o verdadeiro significado de almas gêmeas e destino, tem pessoas que estão destinadas e não importa o quanto você goste dela, ela já tem sua pessoa.
A protagonista recuperando suas memórias e perseguindo seus sonhos foi tão perfeito, e ainda fazendo isso com o amor de sua vida.

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Romance sans guimauve, personnages réalistes sans noirceur, à consommer sans modération

J'ai toujours trouvé les Japonais très forts dans ce genre d’histoire sans vrais rebondissements, avec seulement la peinture délicate et sensible des sentiments, des états d’âme, et la description toute en nuance de la psychologie des personnages et de leur évolution.

Là, je dois dire que c’est particulièrement réussi ! Si vous voulez un drama doudou (mais pas niais, pas sirupeux, ) avec une maîtrise parfaite des clichés du genre (amnésie, séparation, retrouvailles improbables) qui passent comme crème, comme on dit, il est pour vous. Rien ne semble artificiellement ajouté, ou mis en avant pour créer un faux suspens. Chaque situation s’inscrit dans l’histoire d’une façon parfaitement logique et rationnelle, et même ce que je déteste le plus, le « je t’aime mais je te quitte », est exactement à sa place et justifié par l’intelligence et la générosité du personnage, et non par le souci d’installer un faux rebondissement. 
Le scénario très habile nous transporte sans cesse du passé au présent, de l’adolescence à l’âge adulte,  allant un peu plus en profondeur  à chaque fois. Les ellipses sont toujours très bien placées, n’apportant pas d’explications inutiles suivant l’épouse arrive chez sa mère avec sa valise… On a tout compris, ce qui se passe, et pourquoi ça se passe sans y passer 3 épisodes !! Toutes les pièces se mettent en place peu à peu pour aboutir à la conclusion finale. 
Et la fin !!! Une petite merveille de bonheur ! Je défie quiconque de ne pas avoir un sourire jusqu’aux oreilles à la fin ! 

Je conseille, je conseille !!!! je CONSEILLE ! 

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Une pépite de douceur

Un des plus beaux dramas japonais que j’ai vu jusqu'à maintenant.
En cette fin d’année et période de fêtes, ce fut une magnifique surprise. Le jeu des acteurs est juste et touchante que ce soit dans les périodes actuelles ou passées. Sato Takeru est toujours aussi bon, et sa compagne à l’écran, que je découvre, est vraiment d’une douceur désarmante. Les acteurs qui jouent leurs rôles plus jeunes sont aussi excellents. L’OST est très belle et en accord avec le drama. L’histoire réserve quelques petits rebondissements, et c’est un concentré de douceur, bien mené et avec un très belle réalisation. On se laisse porter sans difficulté.
A découvrir.

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Eu também quero um primeiro amor.

E foi com esse sentimento que finalizei "first love", em reencontrar meu primeiro amor fracassado e viver um lindo romance na atualidade. Meu coração se encheu de alegria ao ver as diversas cenas do Harumichi e da Yae na adolescência, eles me fizeram tão feliz. Já na fase adulta, eu chorei muito mesmo, muito devido a carga emocional que os atores deram aos personagens, que foi incrível e fascinante. Quero destacar o modo pelo qual a história foi contada, sem pontas soltas ou situações criadas pra que as coisas dessem certo, isso me deixou muito imersa na história e fez com que eu maratonasse, o que não foi bom, já que me sentia extremamente triste e com a energia sugada após cada episódio. Quero realmente assistir novamente, foi uma experiência incrível.

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