First Love

First Love (Netflix) is a hauntingly beautiful drama about first and second chance love.

Written and directed by Kanchiku Yuri, the show is both visually stunning and impressively constructed - with flashbacks that inform how we view events in the present day.

Inspired by two Hikaru Utada songs, "First Love" and "Hatsukoi”, the drama features poignant performances from Mitsushima Hikari as adult Noguchi Yae and Satoh Takeru as adult Namiki Harumichi and joyful portrayals of the character’s younger selves by Yagi Rikako and Kido Taisei.

Alongside its moving love story, First Love examines societal issues, references historical events, highlights the power of memory and explores the concept of fate. It also introduces some familiar drama tropes, some of which work better than others.

One of the drama’s most powerful themes is the positive and lasting impact we can all have, often unknowingly, on others. First Love will stay with me for a long time.