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Has a vibe, but suffers from tropes and bad changes from the original
I’ve seen the kdrama (and some but not all of the original Webtoon) this show is based on. On its own, the Japanese version has a vibe, I did like the overall direction, the shots and the actors. The Korean show is much better though, mainly because the Japanese show did some changes that I find questionable and regrettable.
(Spoilers are to all three, Webtoon, kdrama and jdrama)
Issue Nr 1 is changing the male lead from a fellow student to a teacher. Was this really necessary? It changes loads about their dynamic. In the kdrama the FL is a year above him but the same age. She helps him with anatomy, he assists her in her project as he was assigned to do so. It’s a same-level romance between two young, relatable people that have issues with finding themselves and navigating relationships.
In contrast, the jdrama ML is an established artist that FL looks up to, her teacher and direct superior at her student job. I hope I don’t have to elaborate why I don’t like that change.
Issue Nr. 2 is the super unnecessary terminal illness trope. Putting my personal distaste for that aside, it again changes the two main characters dynamic. In the kdrama and Webtoon the ML is simply a redflag with commitment issues. His old flame is there and butts heads with the FL, but she’s not the reason they can’t be together. In the jdrama however, he doesn’t immediately get with the female lead because his old flame is dying and emotionally blackmails the main lead into dating her for her last days. Not cool, not fun. It makes him boring because it means the main couples relationship issues are outside circumstances. Takes the spice out of it all, reduces the messaging and kills relatability. Additionally, its just not cute to use terminal illness as a plot device, I find it disrespectful to people actually suffering from it when it’s just used as tearjerker material
There are some other choices that I was more neutral on but I can’t help but wonder why the choices were being made, it says a lot about the culture.
Unfortunately some of them really are my biggest pet peeves with Japanese live action dramas and I wish I could talk to the writers and inform them of my grievances.
But it’s also not the worst I’ve seen, and since I do like the source material and enjoyed watching it, three stars.