I used to watch this underneath my blanket as I did not want anyone to think that I'd gone insane by seeing my demonic grin.

Highly recommended for anyone looking for some quick and fluffy drama with angelic and innocent characters.

With a meagre 22 minutes, Kieta Hatsukoi delivers a fulfilling tale of friendship, romance and comedy that was perfect to ease my tensions and bring a smile to my face. I can't remember a single episode where I didn't stop grinning. It was a form of relief after a week's worth of classes and provided me comfort while I was away from home.

***A small caveat: this drama is really good if you are interested in Character Analysis. The story goes around in circles without major developments, which is, frankly, frustrating. The final two episodes were the weakest, in my opinion.

☆ In the traditional way of Japanese Manga, the story begins with a very diminutive incident of an eraser being borrowed by Aoki Sota, who had a crush on his deskmate Hashimoto-san. Unfortunately, this silly eraser had the name of another student, "Ida". When the eraser takes a tumble to the floor, Ida sees his name on it and Aoki lies about it to protect Hashimoto-san's feelings. And thus begins a tale of misunderstandings and lies. Worse, Aoki is terrified after he finds himself falling for Ida.

☆ Pretty sure that such kids and circumstances might exist only in fictional high schools. When I was in highschool, half of my classmates were raccoons. This drama has the purest, angel-like characters whom I couldn't help but love.
Aoki was a really chaotic character, but I related to his reactions a lot. Hashimoto-san, who has her own parallel storyline, is never once a nuisance, but was truly kind and empathetic about everything.
A very silly premise to begin with, but the very essence of the story goes far more deeper than we see.

There was nothing over the top or expensive about the drama's production, which is plain and simple. But, the convincing performances of the actors, directing and the very humble story pulled me in. There might be a million stories out there that follow the exact same plot, but what makes them stand out is their execution, which was neat and precise.

☆ Now… the very backbone of Kieta Hatsukoi lies in the slow, yet steady character and relationship development. It's personally my first time seeing a character such as Ida Kosuke. He was truly kind and thoughtful, but was unflinchingly veracious. I related to his feeling of being unable to understand the concept of dating or "liking" somebody. There were often times I wondered how things would work out, and Ida literally spelled out what I couldn't express in words. His concern for his friends and classmates, his willingness to give the unknown a try and his care for Aoki were truly heartwarming to watch.

Aoki was much more self aware than Ida, focussing on minute troubles and attempting to be empathetic towards everyone. He was dramatic, going as far as getting inside a plastic trash bag and hiding himself under his hood. Scenes adapted right from the manga came to life, thanks to the immaculate portrayal of the chaotic character by Michida Shunsuke.
I reflected a lot when it came to Aoki, too. He was deeply connected to his emotions and learnt from his friends. His over the top antics and reactions added more humour and liveliness.
While Aoki was more honest and careful , he wasn't reticent when it came to confronting his own doubts about his relationship.

Hashimoto-san and Akkun, despite being secondary characters, are quite pivotal for the flow of the story. Their relationship with the leads and their own storylines, combined with their individual personalities inserted more flavour to it. And a shoutout for Ida's childhood friends and volleyball team, who, albeit not having much screen time, managed to show the depth of their friendship.

☆ The BGM, staying true to the comical genre of the drama, was often funny. There were only two songs featured and I have had them on repeat since the first time I heard them. Both Aoki and Ida belong to Idol Groups, Naniwa Danshi and Snowmen. Coincidentally, despite not being released exclusively for the drama, the lyrics were apt for the plot.

Overall, a really soft drama to enjoy and obsess over.