Reviews · 22. October 2025
Romantics Anonymous (Netflix) is the drama equivalent of a warm smile and a comforting hug. At only eight episodes, the story is cute, satisfying and perfect for bingeing. It also made me want to both make and eat chocolate 😊 The drama features an Asian ensemble cast, with Shun Oguri as Sosuke, a man with a trauma-related anxiety condition that renders him unable to have physical contact with others, and Han Hyo Joo as Hana, a woman who has eye contact anxiety. I was relieved by how the show...
Reviews · 14. October 2025
Love stories between teachers and students can be problematic. Thankfully, Learning To Love (Netflix) is different. Yes, Ogawa Manami is a teacher and, yes, she offers to teach Takamori Taiga how to write Kanji. And, yes, there is a relatively significant age gap between them. However, there is no power imbalance and each helps the other to grow. I adored Learning to Love. It is thoughtfully directed and beautifully performed – particularly by the leads, Kimura Fumino and Murakami Raul Maito....
Reviews · 09. October 2025
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...
Reviews · 14. August 2025
Featuring powerful, authentic performances and exciting, inspirational creativity, Glass Heart (Netflix) reminds us how music can bring people together no matter how alone they might feel. I was hooked from the opening episode of Glass Heart and particularly appreciated the show’s visual depiction of sound. I then fell in love with drummer, Akane Saijo. Wonderfully portrayed by Yu Miyazaki, this is a character with energy and heart to spare. I confess that I was less interested in musical...