Having never seen the anime, or read the manga, I loved this. And I disagree 100% (and more if I could) with any commenters who said that Suzuki Jin's acting was disappointing in this. On the contrary, that young man is a freaking star in the making, and this drama helps to confirm that. His eyes, his facial expressions, the way he tightens up his chest and shoulders, the realizations that pass from inner monologues to outward expressions - all of it was authentic, with not a false note in sight. (Btw, for anyone who might need to hear this - anxiety can cause involuntary eye and facial twitches and for as much as Ue seemed to be on the verge of panic throughout the entire drama, it makes perfect sense that he would be a little twitchy at times.)

I read so much complaining about live action adaptations of manga and anime and partly I understand that - folks have a picture in their head when they read something and they get attached to it, and disappointed when it doesn't match what they had imagined. But each medium is different, and the creators should be allowed to interpret the story to fit the medium chosen. And each creation should get a chance to stand on its own, and say things its own way, but in the end fit within the trilogy, if you can call it that - of manga, anime, and live action. Carbon copies can be kind of boring, but totally different interpretations are risky as well. This drama had so many lovely and touching scenes, and I enjoyed them without having seen anything else before them. I got to experience the story for the first time, and it might even push me towards actually reading the manga or watching the anime if I wanted to see more. Good stories, and interesting live action productions of stories based on previously published works can propel us toward their source material without having to be the exact mirror copy of it.