As someone who hates the poor girl/rich boy trope, the toxic male lead trope, the amnesia trope, the kidnapping trope, the disapproving parent trope, and more, I went into this adaptation of HYD with a lot of doubt and trepidation — especially since I'd watched several other versions before (BOF, 2018 MG, F4 Thailand in that order) and not really enjoyed them for a multitude of reasons, from cringy writing to weak acting.

To my surprise, this was actually really fun to watch, and dare I say it, this might be my favorite version of HYD that I've seen.

The main reason is really the two main leads, who not only had insane chemistry but also managed to balance serious dramatics with humor really well. Domyoji was really lovable despite his toxic flaws, and Makino was a particularly impressive, being a strong female lead who stood up for herself and her friends without ever coming across as being naive/stupid, brainlessly impulsive, judgmental, or wishy-washy (which had been my criticisms of other HYD FLs).

I think the pacing was also a benefit. The fact that there were so few episodes meant that annoying misunderstandings weren't dragged out; arcs flew by fast, making this a better adaptation for people who already have some knowledge of the original story. I do think, however, that if a viewer is going into this story blind, it might feel too fast, as there are a lot of subplots with new side characters that aren't really given time to marinate.

Basically I loved the main leads the most in this version, but the side characters better in the others. Nevertheless, I actually would recommend this! It's short, it's quick, and it's fun.

Link to my review of part 2: https://mydramalist.com/profile/7498003/reviews/280275