I'm really not used to jdrama formats, and faces, so it took me a while to invested in this. by eps4 or 5 I realized that this is more than just "Kokoro Kurosawa changing her life's path and going through a new foreign one"..

usually in kdramas they'd focus on the main lead and the romance, so this was a nice fresh outlook. it was about more than just Kokoro Kurosawa and the mains, it was about more than just one mangaka and yet it was not episodic.

Kokoro Kurosawa is the only bright bubbly character that's acceptable! she was a ray of sunshine, a force to be reckoned with, she set her goals and worked hard to achieve them, she was clueless but she was not afraid to ask for help and though her coworkers started off rough around the edges they soon became her colleagues she could depend on while they also admired and acknowledged her presence.
I honestly think a kdrama can never achieve this..
also, I adore her, but her outfits were so awful! they were like an old kindergarten teacher's outfits xD also the guys' hairs were a disaster xD

Iokibe Kei was cold but he was a great character and a great mentor and I shipped him with the restaurant owner xD. Koizumi Jun;s growth was so admirable and he matched so well with Kokoro Kurosawa, tbh the only acceptable partner for a cute sunshine should be a cute sunshine and not the cold jerk xD

I found the stories and their connections really heartwarming and well made, but the delivery kinda felt lacking. they had too many character and too little time, tbh I want a 2nd season ;(


p.s I never rewatch stuff, and I don't think jdrama OSTs are as extravagant as kdramas..