Chinese novels about teenagers are either about their painful experience of abortion or a sweet love relationship. They never include how teenagers grow through a meaningful journey that aims to search for their real self and finally achieve maturity. This drama is clearly one of the best in describing that process, since the script was written by one of my favourite screenwriter, Shinji Nojima. In the 90s, he wrote so many scripts talking about teenagers. Therefore, when he was writing this script, he was already skilled.
Takki was one of the most popular Johnny's idol at that time. I'm a huge fan of Majo No Jouken, both in terms of how delicate the script is and how amazingly handsome Takki was in it. He successfully played that role of seducing the main leading female to get out of her normal life, comfort zone. Not all male actors could achieve that.
But this drama is few years after that one. His appearance kind of changed compares to how he was in Majo No Jouken. It either had to do with his makeup or his natural growth. Anyway, it fits into this drama so well.
Manato wasn't that kind of crazily handsome character. He was just a normal high schoolboy. He felt insecure, which represented by his non-prescription glasses. That insecurity might turn into an inferiority complex. That inferiority complex could turn into anger or a "violence". For example, he took out a knife in front of the people who bullied him and shocked everyone.
He wasn't confident at all in terms of love relationships. That's why he at the start, he didn't inform Yui about his feeling towards her, and he wouldn't worry about being a "cherry".
If Manato was performed by that crazily handsome Takki in Majo no jouken, I don't think it would be convincing. It was how sensitive, insecure, not confident he was shaped this character. And I think Takki did a perfect job in this drama.
I like Yui so much. I like her personality, her courage and her confidence. At least from the outside, she was completely different from Manato. In this drama, she was described as the girl who would eat the strawberry directly if she ate the shortcake. That's why she and Manato could cure each other.
I will always remember his speech at his's graduation. He said something like "We were born for love, not for feeling pain".
