Chastity High (2024)

A fight for love, and more..

"Renai battle royale" was pretty good, and I think it was really deeper than a simple highschool romance.

- If you didn't see the drama :
This is not the best drama you'll see this year, but it's worth the watch. It's really thrilling and the main couple is really cute. The OST are amazing and the cast so good.
So I think it's worth your time.


- If you've seen the drama :

Here are some thoughts I have about it and I'd like to discuss :

* love is universal

The drama depicts many kinds of different love, not only teen love. Student-teacher relationships, adultery, homosexual love, friendship, maternal love... the drama shows love is universal and complex. It also advocates for "gay love" to be recognized as love, what resonates in a Japanese society where the homosexual marriage is still not recognized. I loved the drama for the way it makes us dive into teen love.
"experiencing love is part of growing up as a teenager"

*no-dating rule in Japanese highschool

In 2022, a female Japanese student sued her highschool for expelling her because she broke the no-dating rule enforced, she won the trial. When you think about it, Renai Battle royale is therefore quite realistic in a still conservative society where dating is sometimes banned in schools.

*two heroes fight for love

If the first reason for the female lead to be the love keeper is money, the implication of the male lead changes their fight in a fight for love. The main couple is so cute, their scenes so tender, I just loved their romance. The lead actress was just perfect and so good at facial expression, like she literally broke my heart. The male lead is so cute and makes their love a sweet, heartwarming relationship.

*protecting teen girls

The drama also denounce the way teen girls tend to suffer more in relationships. The headteacher says it multiple times, and there is also the story of Ema, whose boyfriend ran away after finding out she is pregnant, and the similar story of the headteacher 's friend who killed herself. The drama advocate for protecting teens and supporting them in their relationship instead of restraining them. It also makes the watcher think about the way (japanese) society sees girls who have sex or get pregnant.

note : I'm not a native English speaker, I apologize if any kinds of mistakes were to be found in this text.

these are just assumptions made by me, which you can totally disagree with.

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SILLY? YES, BUT NECESSARY...

I started watching this drama with zero expectations. Honestly, the plan was just to kill some time, since it's just another high school Asian drama, right? But then, I found myself getting drawn in. Let me explain: Is the plot cliché and cheesy? Absolutely. Are some of the performances a bit over-the-top? Definitely. But despite that, it was executed so well, and it brought some genuinely valuable life lessons for today's youth—whether they’re from the East or the West.

Special shoutout to Mikami Ai, who brought a great vibe to her lead role, and Terajima Shinobu, the veteran actress who played the principal. She gave us some tough love and real lessons about the pain and recklessness of youth.

Overall, the takeaways from this first season align with what Whitney Houston's song "Greatest Love of All" says: "Before you can love someone else, you’ve got to love yourself first. You’re your own priority." Also, getting hurt and going through tough times might suck at first, but those are rare and valuable lessons for growing up.

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