His - Koi Suru Tsumori Nante Nakatta (2019)

Unforgettable coming of age series!

Going into "His - I Didn't Think I Would Fall in Love", I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, as the reviews were certainly mixed, waning negative. I even considered skipping it due to some of the criticism that I heard, but having watched it three times now, I'm so incredibly thankful I didn't. This series is a true, true, gem. The feeling I was left with after I watched it for the first time was something I don't think I'll ever forget, it just struck such a profound chord with me that I just can't fully explain.

Before I delve specifically into the story, characters, etc., I'd like to give a few disclaimers for those planning to watch this series:
1. "His - I Didn't Think I Would Fall in Love" is a coming of age story first, and a romance second. If you're looking for a story with tons of gooey romantic fluff and lovey-dovey scenes, this series may not be fully satisfying to you (that's not to say there aren't plenty share of sweet moments, but it's definitely not the focus). However, if you're looking for a beautiful coming of age story about courage, growth, and self acceptance, you've come to the right place.
2. I have NOT seen the sequel film to this series, but from what I've heard, the characters and story bare essentially no similarities, so if you've already seen the film and you're anticipating this series as a prequel to that story, I urge you to look at this as a separate project.

Now that that's out of the way, here are my individual thoughts!

Story - Definitely a little slow at first, but once it gets going, it really hits. There's not too much to say here, as the story is definitely not the driving factor with this series, especially with the length being so short. In fact, I personally feel like this drama would've worked much much better as a film.

Characters/acting - This is where the show really really shines for me. Most of the criticism I saw prior to watching "His" was that the characters, especially the two leads, where bland and one dimensional/unrealistic. Personally, I couldn't disagree more. In my opinion, Nagisa, Shun, Chika, and Ako are some of the most realistically written and acted teenage characters in any drama I've seen thus far. I really loved the conclusions they were all able to individually reach by the end of the series, particularly Nagisa's, which, without giving to much away, resulted in one of the most genuinely heartbreaking representations of internalized homophobia I've ever seen on screen, but I'll go into that more later.

Rewatch value: Although watching this series for the first time is really something else, the rewatch value is also extremely high. The simplicity of the story paired with the genuine emotion of the characters creates make this series absolutely timeless. You're unlikely to get anything new on rewatches with this one, but if you're looking for a nostalgic cozy feeling, you will most certainly get that.

FINAL VERDICT:
If you can't tell, I'm absolutely in love with this drama. The atmosphere, the characters, the score, the acting, it just all works for me. Not to mention the honest and genuine representation of young queer individuals, whose sexuality is not only acknowledged, but openly discussed and explored. Based on the comments and reviews I've seen, it's clearly not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but to those of you looking for a well-acted, nostalgic, queer coming of age story, I personally cannot recommend this series enough!

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Nostalgia done right

Japanese series tend to be very good at creating a sense of nostalgia and belonging to the places and stories in their series, his is no exception. With a cold filter, slightly saturated colors and a wardrobe and styling that couldn't be more perfect, this is a clear indicator of when the series takes place, i.e. in 2006. The actors are all quite young, and are all incredibly convincing in their roles, the relationships between them automatically make the series much better to watch and follow
you are put into their lives, how they behave, personalities, interests, they are all REAL people. Coupled with magnificent cinematography and a sweet and simple story, this easily becomes one of my favorite series ever. It is so much more than just a bl, mainly because the romance between nagisa and shun is not the main theme, but rather how this affects those around them, and how it makes them grow and develop together. Nagisa's relationship with his own orientation is so realistic and it hurts my heart to think about his past, and why he behaves the way he does. It's simply wonderful to see how all the characters evolve and develop together, both shun and nagisa who discover their feelings for each other, and chika and ako who really mature throughout the show. I really only wish the series was a bit longer, if it had been 8-10 episodes I really think it would have been perfect, even though the series has incredibly good pacing, I think it would really benefit from having a bit more time to go on, to really emphasize both nagisa and shun's feelings. Basically, this series is gorgeous and i haven't been able to stop thinking about it since i started watching it, it is such an easy watch and definetely worth your time! <3

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It's a simple yet beautifully told story

I finished watching the series yesterday and it was an enjoyable experience. What I loved most about this series was that it was very natural- the relationship and gradual sort of development of the main cast. It was not so much romantic as it is more of a sort of 'coming of age' and beginning of a relationship story line but there were definitely a lot of heart warming moments. In these sort of adolescent to growing up stories you see the characters learn a lot about themselves and life even and so it was inspiring and interesting to watch this process. "I didn't think I would fall in love" is a weird title but so fitting and this process of falling in love, the pacing, in my opinion was just perfect. I really wanted to see their relationship blossom and see what would happen so I kept watching and wanting to see more.

I recommend if you like plots that are not too dramatic and just a simple love story. My biggest criticism was probably the abruptness/uncertainty of the end but there is another series that follows this one so this makes sense why they chose to end it the way they did. The acting was very nice as they played roles of high school going to university age very well. I will definitely be rewatching this again in the future to make my heart feel all warm and fuzzy again. Young love :')

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It's refreshing because of the female lead not being a bitch but supportive to the male lead characters. No dying, no depression, no heartbreaks. Just two young men trying to understand their feelings for each other in a short span of summer vacation. The drama sails in its own waves taking you to an emotional journey. The end of the story is also beautiful.

My favourite character is the leading lady's father. Once you watch the drama, you would know why. It's not easy to be in his position but he tries to take everything with a grain of salt.

Is it a must-watch? Well, not really unless you want to enjoy a much less complicated BL story. The drama is rather slow with the absence of shocking moments. Love is shown evolved naturally. I recommend it none the less.

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A heartfelt and relatable love story .

The male leads are very interior and not outwardly emotive. I appreciated seeing introverted people represented as main characters, however, I do wish there was more done to convey the intensity of their inner feelings at this uniquely turbulent point in their lives.

The performance of the female leads was convincing, and their perspective were well integrated into the story.

Not a huge production budget, but seemed to do well with what they had.
Very tight casting, effective use of music and filmed on location at Enoshima, where the story is set.

This is the first J-drama I have watched!

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Mixed feelings about this one, but overall a well made short series

This one was short and sweet. The storyline had a huge potential, with the actors having a seemingly great chemistry, but was unfortunately not harvested. It seemed to stretch a bit too long and there were unnecessary scenes which added little to nothing to the storyline. This led to there being less time left for an ending, making it seem forced and unnatural. Instead, adding more scenes for storyline development or even just the acceleration of this very plot would've proved to be excellent.
It had some beautiful meanings and concepts or stereotypes handled. Such as the "sex-taboo" in Japan or other Asian countries. Or the lack of awareness about the LGBTQ+ community itself like Nagisa pointed out. "After reaching puberty, a kid starts to feel attraction towards the opposite sex." Etc.
The chemistry was so amazing at certain points that it left you with a feeling of wanting more. Which was left unfulfilled, but still a sweet aftertaste. Maybe adding a bit more of character background even to Shun's role would serve the purpose! Almost felt like Shun was nonchalant throughout except for the part where they searched for the keys together.
The funniest part though, for me, was the mom's technique for getting over breakups. HILARIOUS X"D

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A must watch

I watched the drama(prequel) about how they met when they were 17 in fujisawa and thru this found live. A few years pass and they are graduating college when nagisa breaks Shun hearts and tells him theirs no future. Nagisa get married as told and has a daughter. Shun disappears and is happy in the countryside until nagisa shows up with his 6yo daughter sora and tells Shun he's sorry and misses him. Shun at first doesn't except him as he was hurt really bad, but nagisa tries to reconnect with him and asks his wife for a divorce and takes sora with him. Then slowly trouble begins as his wife shows up trying to take there dtr by force and in court as she fights for custody, they show that sora wants to stay with her dad and Shun. While growing up sora didn't feel any different of not having a mom, but that that people couldn't understand they love the saw way. All these countries need to open up there eyes and see we are all different but are also all human. This drama/movie gives a beautiful story about acceptence, forgiveness and how society can slowly adjust. A must see

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A Cute Wholesome Story, But Needed A Boost

So this was a really cute story! I liked the beach vibes and surfing in it. We follow the characters Shun and Nagisa as they figure out their feelings for each other. I actually didn't expect Nagisa to have such a big role in this, I thought he initially would just be the love interest character. But he actually becomes the main character by the end and its more his story than Shun's! That was cool and I loved seeing him come to terms with his sexuality. Baby I too find mens back muscles attractive, its a thing lol!

However, because the focus shifted towards Nagisa so much and because of the 5 episode time constraint. Shun kinda got pushed to the back more and I didn't get as attached to him. Which was unfortunate and could've been solved with more time. Both girls (Chika and Ako) were alright. I liked Ako a lot more because Chika was alittle too much at points. However, I did understand their points of view and empathized.

I also have a bone to pick with Japanese LGBTQ stuff. They tend to not include any type of physical intimacy in these gay romance stories and that's just dumb. If you're gonna do one, DO IT FULLY! It's part of love and relationships ya'll. You showed Nagisa and Chika kiss in the show but couldn't show the end couple do anything except hug? Lame. It gave me "Cherry Magic" flashbacks again and its frustrating! I'm gonna have to see how the sequel movie measures up, they are older in that so it better up the stakes!

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I definitely didn't watch this series to see chika's point of view.

the ending was really undeveloped, as if they wanted to end the mini series so badly, and I also found that the story of the two lovers was not very well written and elaborated and really not highlighted enough and put in the shade of chika's stories as if this movie was all about her. I definitely didn't watch this series to see chika's point of view, her love for him and her broken heart towards Nigasa. But for igawa and Nigasa, we know much more about her, and she appeared much more than the two main actors. It's quite sad.
but i still rated the story high because if it had been better developed, it would have been amazing. two friends meeting and getting closer and closer with more details and character development would have been the best drama possible, especially since the actors are great and the cinematography was just the right kind of vibe to make it a good series.

Oh. Also, many complain that there is not enough "action", they are HIGH SCHOOLERS, go to sleep.

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