I have seen the Korean original and all (Chinese, Thai, and now Japanese) adaptions of this story, and I liked all of them. None of them were perfect, but I appreciate each one’s cultural style and artistic differences. If I were to pick a favorite, I would not be able to do so since there were elements in each that I liked a lot. Overall, the great mix of comedy, romance, and drama in the different versions resulted in good entertainment for me. This Japanese adaptation was different because it was more lightweight and less draggy due to the condensed storyline. However, a shorter version meant less time spent on character development. Also, some poignant or meaningful scenes were left out that hit the sweet spots in the other versions. That said, the drama still managed to follow the original storyline pretty closely, and whatever deviations made more sense.

For those who have not seen the original or any of its adaptations, the plot is based on the classic and over-used "Childhood Love" trope. It is a story of how two people, despite lies and mistaken identities, still manage to find their first loves in the end. This story is truly a sweet rom-com, and in this Japanese version that is faster-paced, you will feel less angst during the prolonged misunderstanding on the ML's part and less frustration at the noble idiocy on the FL's side. However, with a lot more episodes, the other versions did a better job showing how the ML slowly fell for the FL.

In all versions, the ML was a jerk at first, but my favorite one was Nakajima Kento's portrayal of Hasebe Sosuke. Visually, I find him most appealing, with his sharp gazes transitioning nicely into boyish heart-melting looks. His smiles were truly disarming! Also, Sosuke was much less mean compared to the other versions. His angry or stern attitude towards the FL was tempered by his confusion and struggle to fight against the attraction he felt towards her, even when he thought he had already found his childhood sweetheart.

Also, I thought I would not get the second male lead syndrome in such a short series, but Akaso Eiji as Higuchi Takuya still won my heart. His good looks, his cool and supportive character, and the chemistry between the FL and him still caused me to root for him. I wish there was an alternate version where Higuchi had his happy ending with Sato.

In this version, the FL seemed the most natural without exaggerated freckles, bad teeth or ugly glasses. She looked normal, albeit a little unkempt and dowdy with her masculine clothing and lack of attention to her appearance. However, she was still pretty and cute, especially when she smiled. I love how Koshiba Fuka acted as Sato Ai, and her portrayal of the FL was the least cringey among all the drama versions.

As for Risa, the best friend, I find the character in this version, the most selfish and could have benefitted more with some further development. Still, Yui Sakuma did a good job and she is lovely. Reminds me of Anne Hathaway, visually.

The acting was great across the board, but it was difficult to note stellar performances when the story moved so quickly.

There's not much skinship, but the actual kisses were good, especially the last episode! The main leads were so cute together, and once they became a couple, the sweetness factor increased. I wish there was more kissing because they looked comfortable and natural when they did kiss.

There were not many songs played in the drama and mostly were instrumental. The theme song was fun and reflected the cute tone throughout the drama. The other was the more romantic song used a lot during the meaningful scenes. It definitely heightened the mood for me. For posterity, I have listed those two here:

1) 夏の午後はコバルト / Awesome City Club
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHDIX-RNgSY

2) Summer Hydrangea / Sexy Zone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_a6SXtlEQB0

Overall, do give this drama a try! The sweetness, the silliness, the laughter, the terrific cast, the lovely ending - there's enough to keep you entertained on a weekend binge!