Chugakusei Nikki

It's really annoying that if you watch one k- or j- drama Netfix start to suggest them in an intrusive way and won't stop forever it feels. So I detected this show and was intrigued by the idea of it. A bit. I hesitated watching it because I feared they ruined the story.

The first episodes were promising and I liked the characters except of this girl with the mask on her chin, I did not understand the purpose. Well maybe I don't have to because I'm far beyond teenage age ;) Can someone explain? Also I'm with the boy- I didn't see Hijiri as a teacher for middle schoolers. When she said to him she loved her class I literally winced. Maybe because I´m too old for this.

But the drama, oh the drama! Full of wonderful, stereotypical "coincidences" and poetic sundowns. Those are the four stars. They ruined the plot after the three years gap. Everyone was so possessed by the past, I mean, hello? Why should a teacher explain her past to unrelated parents and excuses herself, as if she actually did something to harm their children? And is gossiping the new way of living? The only reasonable person was Mrs. Haraguchi. Hijiri should have chosen her.

When I started it, I didn't know what to expect from the story ( I thought boy would be 18 and even if he had feelings for the teacher, he would confess after few years or something) but boom, not at all like it, everything happens so quickly.

The teacher is very sweet, friendly and cheerful ( trying her best ) and the student ( 15 years old) is complicated ( haha not bad personality, little tired of family drama I guess ). I was in shock how their relationship gradually built ( it is definitely shocking).

I believe if the teacher was more strict, such situation would not arise ( she literally fell for him instantly which seems disappointing, like one should atleast have discipline and professionalism).

The storyline takes many unpredictable turns so it's interesting. It was definitely not at all boring ( a good binge watch) but I believe the concept is very controversial.

Basically she is a teacher with " passion" for teaching. At the age of "15" she shd have guided her student to complete his education at any cost first and then think about other things. When she realizes infatuation of one of her students aged 15, she was ,"25" quite old enough to understand the implications. In due course too she just gives her love as "excuse" as her co worker rightly points out. Age gap might not be deterrent but in that case both shd be ADULTS with their heads firmly on their shoulders. Here the boy is still high schooler? Fanning his feelings is CRIMINAL. She shd have refrained and guided him properly as TEACHER. Rather than doing the correct thing she keeps on justifying her misendevour. Plus she had her ex by her side who has been shown to be a dependable rational person. Rather than going with him this selfish in late 20s teacher keeps on seducing her student!

Irrational and criminal!

It seems that rather director WANTS it this way just for (?) cheap sensationalism.

Another May-December or Noona romance story, but I would like to comment on parent-children relationship depicted in this film that stood out for me. What kind of a frustrated parent it takes to deliberately inflict pain on their child? One parent deliberates on depriving their unborn baby of the father, another parent torments their child prioritising the parent's own emotional needs, the third parent torments their child by hiding father's letters and prohibiting the budding feelings of love, and the fourth parent at some point alienates their own adult child. Are we dealing with some massive phenomenon of emotional abuse of children in the family or is it a cultural "thing" or perhaps generational? "You aren't wrong about this. You only did what any parent would do. [...] It's OK. People always grow stronger through hardships. They are all precious experiences. It's sure to help in his life ahead." What kind of philosophy is this, furthermore, coming from the lips of a teacher? What is OK or precious about it?

So the story develops against this backdrop with the hope for the future that somehow children who go through this will acquire cognitive sophistication to navigate interpersonal relationship.

In my 24 years of existence, I've never experienced romantic love... but somehow I feel like I just did after watching Meet Me After School.

Watching this has been an absolute emotional roller coaster for me. Despite the fact that I have different views regarding the topic that it tackled, the story managed to make me sympathize for Hijiri and Akira. The way the story unfolded was very realistic. The theme wasn't glamorized at all and both of the main characters dealt with the repercussions of being in such predicament, and the supporting characters' reactions were all logical and fairly reasonable.

There were 3 things I truly loved the most about this series. First would be the stellar performances of the cast members (Kasumi I'm a new fan!). They all brought something to the table and I really loved their chemistry with each other, especially Kasamu with Kenshi. There were scenes between their characters that were so arresting (no pun intended lol) and melancholic that I kept replaying. I also loved Haraguchi and her empowering speeches to Hijiri. Second would be the gorgeous cinematography that showcased the picturesqueness of rural Japan that made me wish I resided there. And last but definitely not the least, would be the catchy OST and melodious background scores that captured the scenes- the series overall- perfectly.

10/10 for all the distress and butterflies. Will definitely be rewatching.