well i finished this a lil bit ago but forgot to write one so here we go........

well first off, the first episode was hands down the BEST FIRST EPISODE, that i had seen in awhile. so i agree with the general consensus, this show started off with a bang. and like everyone else i agree, the ending didn't have quite the same "POP' that the beginning had. this by no means lessens the enjoyability of this drama, i liked this very much. but the ending by no means qualified in my mind for the beginning that this drama had.

plotwise, the elements were brilliant, 5 themes, each a important issue of life: love, liberation, solitude, contradition, agony. it brings to light issues and provides a glimpse into the reality of the issues it presents, you see things as they actually are, no sugar coating. despite it being a representation, it is not that far off from how things actually are, and for that it is commendable.

one comment on the complaints about the ending. apparently it was to be different, but due to the popularity of some of the scenes, the ending was changed around a bit. i think this was a mistake as many of oyu prolly think, because not only did it change their original intentions, it took away the ability to develop some things, and some things were DEFINATELY missed or not elaborated on.

and with such i go into the different elements of the drama

Plot: it was a good idea, but of course could be improved. could have been developed more, the ending seemed rushed, possibly due to what i mentioned before. by no means bad, just improvable

Acting: we had BIG names here. BIG BIG BIG names. 1 litre of tears male lead fame. Ueno Juri of Nodame Cantabile fame. come to think of it, there were ALOT of nodame cantabile people xD. we had big names here. Ueno Juri was JAWDROPPING. she played her part amazingly. a definate split from her ditzy aloof nodame character and for that i give her major propz.

Music: Utada Hikaru sings the opening. enough said. just kidding, there's more. i'm a sucker for orchestrations, and it didn't disappoint, i listen to the songs alot

Conclusion: i liked it, but it coulda been improved. alot of dramas coulda been improved. but it's not a bad drama, on the contrary i liked it alot. it delved into issues that aren't brought up alot, and thus was unique for doing that. the actors did good, but more development woulda been nice. conclusion? watch it, that's all.