Slow and aimless and fails to introduce new conflicts...

I knew from the first episode this show probably was not for me. I kept watching because 'secret longing' is a favorite character trope of mine, and if this show had a defining theme it's 'secret longing.'

But, even all the yearning and pained glances, couldn't keep me watching this. The conflicts are highly typical from the school portion: 'failure to communicate' 'absentee parents' and 'being looked down for being poor' and the adult portion: 'failure to communicate' 'insecurities and jealousies regarding failure/success.'

There's a lot of nostalgia for their school years that feels unearned. Indeed the flashbacks pick moments from all five years of their relationship and yet don't show any relationship development. No stray touches or being able to communicate in an easier way; there's no sense that the relationship was ever lived in.

A five year 'everyday relationship' is more than studying and a few school pranks and awkward and stilted interactions. But that's all we got in five hours, five hours is double the length of a movie!

Perhaps for some, the warm familiarity and predictability paired with better budget and cinematography is enough. For me, it felt too much like drifting without a compass.