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Bad for my sleep cycle, good for my heart
This drama in one word: comforting.I keep returning to it whenever I feel down, sometimes even rewatching the entire thing in one go (my sleep cycle be damned).
The story itself is a classic tale of mastering a craft, with a clear progression that feels natural (Reminicent of sports stories).
The characters are endearing, their struggles both authentic and relatable. They are all different and distinct – and yet still somehow fit together perfectly.
The rivals-to-friends-to-go-partners-for-life is perfect, I kid you not. The way the characters spoke of eachother, looked at eachother, cared for eachother (often without the other person knowing) is everything I did not know I needed (They are OBSSESED with eachother and so am I).
The game of Go is used as a plotdevice with PURPOSE, reflecting both character relationships (and their evolution) as well as inner and outer conflict. I started out knowing nothing of the game and now know a little.
Straight after watching it, I read the manga (which I also adored). Now all I need is watch the Anime – and to find something to replace the Hikaru-No-Go shaped hole in my heart lol
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Delinquents with hearts of gold
I was browsing my favourite dramas (one of which is School 2013) here on MDL when I saw this remake.I am not above admitting that I squealed (and proceeded to watch all the episodes released).
They made some changes to the original while keeping the most important parts. The change is just enough to make the story seem new to me, without straying too far from the core of the story. I also really like what they did about the class in order to add tension and conflict. (I do however sense that a bit of nuance from the characters have been removed, but I'll take it for what it is.)
The acting is top-notch (the guy who plays Shin? Brilliant. I somehow love Shin even more than in the original). The love-hate relationship is, so far well-executed (I'm at ep 4), especially due to the acting.
The feel of the show is gritty in a way I adore.
Note: you need to suspend some disbelief regarding head-injuries. Most of the characters would be badly concussed in ep 1 if it was entirely realistic. It does have great entertaiment value, no matter how over the top it might be.
Note: they made a character explicitly autistic and I actually quite appreciate the representation. The way the characters act towards this character is slightly infantilizing, the acting quite heavyhanded– BUT they are KIND towards him and welcome him as a treasured member of the friendgroup. And that is really heart-warming, I think, and actually made me feel good about my own autism.
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