Quick Review #31: "Haru ni nattara"

Title: Haru ni nattara / 春になったら

Rating: 8.5 /10

Recommended for: 

Those who like heartwarming slice-of-life stories without an overdose of emotions and are fans of the cast especially Nao, Kinashi Noritake and Hamada Gaku

Liked:

- Although the story was headed towards an inevitable bittersweet ending, I liked how there was never an overdose of emotions nor exaggerated outpouring of drama just to squeeze tears out from the viewers. Everything happened smoothly and as normally as you would expect to happen in real life. Even the final farewell was handled with such peacefulness because you don't get to see the painful goodbye on the death bed. No doubt I was just an observer from the sidelines, it was easy to immerse myself into the story and set me thinking about how I would react or do when placed in a similar situation. Much food for thought and yet moving at the same time.

- The acting from the cast was natural and made the characters very endearing in their own ways despite them being flawed at the same time. This level of authenticity was a great boost in seeing the cast as the characters they played. I was especially impressed by the chemistry that Nao and Kinashi Noritake showed as father-and-daughter particularly towards the end when they showed how deeply they cared for each other and wished for each other's well-being. Hamada Gaku excels in this type of role as a clumsy, kind yet talented in his own way guy so he managed to deliver a good performance as expected.

- The theme song by Fukuyama Masaharu which is titled "Hitomi" i.e. Nao's character name fits the drama so well. This probably had to do with the fact that the lyrics were tailored to reflect the thoughts that Hitomi and her father had for each other so it really brought out a nice yet bittersweet vibe.

Disliked: 

- I wouldn't say that there was anything I disliked about this drama but it is still a bit shy of being a perfect 10 drama for me, somehow. I think that it might be better if the supporting cast had a bit more airtime to flesh out their characters which might be interesting to watch. However, I get it that the focus was more on Hitomi and the two important men in her life so it can't be helped if something had to go for the greater interest.