Chugakusei Nikki

As a retired teacher, I had little sympathy for the FL. Laws are there for a reason & if she was a male we would probably think he deserved gaol time. As an inexperienced teacher, I hold the head teacher responsible as she wasn't given much support. She knew of the rumours about the boy & didn't council him, nor did she remove the young teacher out of harm's way. Later she gave her a reference, even though she knew the FL had to accept the responsibility as the adult. It seemed like the students were getting away with a lot, such as the one spreading the rumours online.

Just because the ML was the aggressor in most instances, the moment she got off the bus after the fireworks, she became legally responsible. Love doesn't trump child protection.

I give it to the young teacher as she tried to start a new life, but the internet does not allow that these days. Teaching was something she shouldn't have pursued, but she wasn't charged with a crime. Surely the educational system would alert schools about the sexual misconduct.

The other characters were quite bizarre at times. The fiancé kept being swayed between the 2 women. Haraguchi, the fiancé's boss, was very interfering in her advice, which caused more trouble at times. The ML's mother didn't seem to have a great relationship with him to start, so she resorted to trying to control him rather than dialogue. The friend group were just confused teenagers.

I know why they ended this like they did, but I would like to know what happened to the relationship 10 years down the track. They would have felt they had to stay together no matter what after all they went through.

This drama deals with the taboo of not only age gap and forbidden love but also with having a relationship with a minor. I won't review this drama based on my own views on the matter, as it didn't glorify it, but just presented the story and the tragedy of their love. So, emotion wise, this one was strong at that area. Especially at the begining, however, it got boring towards the end and the pace slowed down as well. I also enjoyed the presentation of the how everyone else viewed their choices as well as the emotional struggles the two leads had to deal with. In addition, the performances were really good and the cinematography on point for this drama.

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.

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.

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.