This show was first broadcasted in Indonesia in the mid 1990s, years after it became a hit everywhere else in Asia. I was unable to see it then, though I had heard great things about it (although many Indonesians who were into J-Drama preferred Ordinary People to Tokyo Love Story).

In mid 2016, Waku Waku Japan, a local Japanese tribute channel in our cable network began showing 'legendary' shows from Japan, including 101 Proposals, Long Vacation, Last Christmas, and Tokyo Love Story. I was fortunate to catch it, after viewing and completing 101 Proposals. I had heard it was about love triangles between school friends, and that the ending was particularly and popularly disappointing to its viewers. This 'insight' lowered my expectations, especially after having experienced 101 Proposal's top notch drama series. I was able to revisit the series when Waku Waku Japan showed it again early this year, and this time I saw it with a more attentive gaze. The second time around it justified the reason why this drama series were effectively heartbreaking, and explains why it was immensely popular. I hope the producers are considering a sequel with the original cast, as the Manga version just did such early 2016.

The story in short was about love relationships between country boy Nagao Kanji, who just arrived in Tokyo following the foot steps of his friends only to be entangled romantically with Akana Rika a vivacious beauty with a lonely existence. Along the way, feelings for his high school sweetheart Sekiguchi Satomi reemerged, which pushed Kanji towards a crossroad; who shall he choose, or has a choice been determined all along?

Surprisingly, I was blown away. How? First, I was glad the series didn't run long, although at its end I ended up wanting more. One naturally roots for Rika, essentially falling for her charm and forthright nature. But when her world crashed, you will get carried away and want to cry with her. Second, each series were solid individually and each delivered key storylines that fit well with each other. Initially I wished it showed more of cosmopolitan Tokyo, but the office and apartment settings worked just as well because we need to feel close to the characters, we need to be at home with them, to feel their vulnerability during their most private moments. Here the director is clever by 'directing' subtle nuances of the character's facial expression, in particular the sad smile that Kanji produces every time he is exhausted of not being able to reciprocate Rika's love for him is--or the sudden change from vibrancy to gentleness, when Rika lovingly called 'Kanchi.'

Third, I was impressed at how well and in-depth the characterization was, particularly on Akana Rika, played masterfully by the 'then' rising Suzuki Honami. Either the director was brilliant or it was Ms. Suzuki's performance was downright genius, as she successfully embodied the schizophrenia of the city through her feistiness, ever energetic cheerfulness as her facade for loneliness and mania, ever longing to escape through romantic notions of life. Yes, that may seem shallow, but by living through the stories and characters you feel Rika's pain. Kanji demonstrated clearly that his heart was big enough to care for Satomi even though she was with Mikami, his best friend from home. Rika's admiration turned to attraction, and soon enough to love. You relate with her when this is shattered. You admire her more when she demonstrate that her love for Kanji is deep enough to make a drastic decision.

These simple allegories of love affairs were played well into the backdrop of complicated love stories. The love drama cleverly triggers particular emotions via thoughtful pauses and silences, where we find the seemingly cheerful yet depressive nature of Rika swarms the impenetrable yet deep Nagao Kanji. That's how we viewers were pulled in.

The music was my fourth reason to applaud this series. I could not get tired to Oda Kazamusa's ode to romantic love, but Toshifumi Hinata's piano serenades, particularly Rika's theme and the ending theme Goodnight Heartache all echoes the heart brakes and pain. The music completes the love narrative that pulls the audience further into the story, as if the soundtrack played were the background music of our lives. Even though this is fantasy, the sentimentality feels real, and for drama that is what matters.

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