Quick Review #17: Hatsukoi no akuma (Summer 2022)

Title: Hatsukoi no akuma 初恋の悪魔

Season: Summer 2022

Broadcast by: NTV

Rating: 7.5/10

Recommended for: fans of Sakamoto Yuji and the cast as well as those who like to ponder over the meaning of the lines

Liked:

- The acting from the cast. To begin with, I like the 4 main actors so it was a joy seeing them in action together. The chemistry between them got even better as their characters' friendship developed. Nakano Taiga and Matsuoka Mayu were the stars from the beginning to the midpoint while Hayashi Kento was the highlight towards the end. It was a pity though that Emoto Tasuku's role didn't get much of an opportunity to shine especially since Kotori's romance with Hattori didn't amount to much in the end.

- The subtlety of the gestures and actions rather than using words to illustrate a point or reflect the relationships and closeness between characters. It felt like being in a detective game where you had to look for clues such as body language to understand what was going on beyond what was spoken.

Disliked: 

- I would say that this drama can be quite polarising. Sakamoto Yuji's dramas are not that easy to understand at times with lots of dialogue in the conversations between characters so the subtlety this time can be a double-edged sword. You can either love or hate it. And till the end, I still wonder about the meaning of the title. I've thought of various interpretations but none of them seem that convincing even to myself. Thus, I am left wondering, so what exactly have I watched for the past 3 months?

- The dialogue this time didn't resonate as much with me as compared to some of his works like "Quartet" and "Omameda Towako" where there were countless quotable quotes and developments which hit close to my heart. Maybe it's the genre this time (the case solving wasn't challenging intellectually but I guess it never was meant to be), or maybe it's the setting that wasn't so engaging but I remember that I wasn't particularly satisfied nor fond of this drama after watching the first episode. There were some notable highlights as the season progressed but somehow, I never got to the stage of being "excited" or "fond" of this drama. Much as I think the characters were endearing in their own ways, I just felt that the story was decent but lacking at the same time.