Switched

Yet another binge watching series!!! Amazing acting by Kaya Kiyohara !!! Must Watch!!!

I'm not a teenager, and much like another reviewer here, it was suggested to me because I watched Erased on Netflix, and after watching that I felt like binging on some Japanese dramas.

That being said, this is something I'd make my daughters watch when they're teenagers, as the series aims to give the watchers a sense of empathy for both sides of the coin. You feel bad for the unpopular girl and understand her actions, but you also feel bad for the popular girl because the switch takes her away from her family and friends.

The popular girl does NOT become instantly shy in the unpopular girls body, the person who said that must not have paid much attention. She only becomes less outgoing because people will not pay attention to her and think she is weird, which is what the series does well at, creating a sense of empathy and understanding.

Miu Tomita was especially convincing in this teen fantasy-drama. I hope to watch more of her work. Actually, the entire cast was superb. Some of the scarier scenes were disturbingly realistic. This series conveys some valuable life lessons and I'd most highly recommend it for school-age viewers.

At first I was worried this would be a thin teenage drama with body switching as the main plot but I soon became so engrossed in the story. Be forewarned though, this drama carries a very heavy theme of self-harm (viewers discretion advised as some very direct self-harm scenes are depicted very realistically).

Firstly, the story is so captivating as it gets rolling. There are no wasted moments and even less filler. My biggest complaint of many Korean and Chinese drama is the fact that they are too long and filled with unnecessary filler (annoying with story is compromised for profit). Switched, however, is perfectly balanced. You have the fantasy, romance and a lot of focus on seeking the inward beauty.

Secondly, this cast is quite amazing. I never seen any of them in any other shows, but am I very pleased with the performance. It is tough to portray one character, even tougher when you have to portray another character trapped inside another (wow this sentence confused even me haha, but if you have seen Switched you would understand.).

Overall, great drama! Binge-worthy! It's only 6 episodes (I actually would have loved if it were 10 episodes actually.)

I was hooked from the first episode. Good story line. The background music was weird and annoying at times as it did not suit the situation.