I don't watch historical dramas— like, ever. I only watched sungwukan scandal or whatever it's name was because of my sister. The theme never appealed to me but I wanted to try something different. If you know the anime like I did, it works better to view the dramas as seperate. Sabura's personality is vastly different and it disappointed me at first, I even planned to drop it but when I finished the first episode I was so immersed, I was curious to watch where they would take it. Although Sabura is a coward here, he goes through beautifully crafted character development which I love. I came to find I liked Kikichou, another character who's personality really changed but gosh, it really worked. Their chemistry was great and she became one of my favorites. The soundtrack was great too.

The best thing about this drama is the ability to just draw you on. I was thrown off by them casting someone much older to play a teen but Oguri Shun made me believe in it. Then it being based on a manga, I was expecting it to be more goofy and over the top, but they handled everything so well and raw. The heartbreaking moments and comedy moments blended perfectly too with many memorable charaters.

I probably wouldn't rewatch this anytime soon for the sake of my heart