I have to admit, I was already super excited for this special simply because I loved the original show. A lot of other jdrama specials tend to be kind of useless, so I was really glad that they attempted to fit this one into the plot of the original show, rather than just "recap" everything that happened.
I would say the story isn't quite as in depth as the series, but there is something that Next Innovation is shooting for, and that carries most of the special pretty well. The cast all returns flawlessly, and they've got even more chemistry now. Ishihara Satomi and Oguri Shun are squee-worthy and adorable, but also emotionally matched. When they argue, you feel it in your gut. When they smile at each other, you're heart's about to explode with happiness.
The music I down-graded because they re-use stuff from the show, when I kind of wished it had been all new music. miwa does a new tune, I believe, but it doesn't have a second version or anything fun like that.
I wouldn't say it's as re-watchable on its own, either, but if you watch it as another episode in the series it works great!
Basically I loved it for its pandering to fans of the original drama, but not necessarily as a stand alone piece. It's certainly cute, but definitely not as hard-hitting as the source. Worth watching after the fact, and as another episode, but as a special it doesn't feel very... special?
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