Tatta Hitotsu no Koi (2006)

This is a very simple, almost mundane love story between a rich, spoiled girl and a poor but principled boy. Nothing new under the sun.
And yet, it's a little story not easily forgotten, one I fell in love with at first sight and rewatched with equal pleasure. To me, Nao and Hiroto are an assumption, one of those couples I have stored away like a cameo.

The progression of their love story is narrated with sweet candour, acted beautifully and without needless exaggerations. It's the first role I saw Kamenashi Kazuya working in and even though in the meantime he's matured, I still consider this to be his best interpretation. Ayase Haruka is so believable in her whimsical pouting one can't help becoming extremely fond of her too.
And although the plot may seem ordinary, the small details of their interaction, the friendship, Hiroto's narration in first person, their young enthusiasm and depth of emotions are memorable.

The music by Ike Yoshihiro is wonderful. Possibly the best drama original soundtrack ever.

I recommend this dorama to those who still remember their first love and will relate to it, and to those who have forgotten it, as a mean to recall its bitter-sweet flavour.
I have watched this drama... 4 times: no need to explain why I gave it a high re-watch mark.

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I originally watched this drama due to me being a fan of Kaname but this drama was seriously good. In all the other dramas there are always so many complications between every love story. Some characters can get quite annoying. The thing that I really loved about this one was that it's just a pure love story. There are not all those complications.

This drama can make you feel happy inside. It's quite addictive so you find that the drama starts and finishes before you know it, like a movie. It was such a sweet story and it didn't have any unnecessary side stories going on. It focused on the storyline and ended with you loving everything about it! A must watch drama.

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This drama has to be one of the best love stories ever. Right from the beginning I loved this drama. The storyline may seem done before, but the way the drama was written, it is anything but done before. The story is realistic. There weren't all sorts of obstacles placed in the way besides obvious ones everyone would face. The love between the two leads was so powerful and romantic. The cast did wonderful. I loved the male lead. His character portrayal was dead on. The love between the characters felt and looked real. The music for this drama was absolutely beautiful. I loved every song and felt that it went perfectly with the drama. This drama is totally worth rewatching! It was such a beautiful love story. This drama is totally underrated!! Overall, a magnificent love story more people need to see.

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Tatta Hitotsu no Koi is a drama that I have been putting off because it sounded like an overrated cliche. I was right about the cliche part but definitely not the overrated part. It is a great, classic pure story that is very pleasant to watch. It is definitely one of the greatest Jdramas of all time.

The feeling I got most of the times while watching was of that of a classic 60's Hollywood romance movie from a Japanese perspective. With a likable cast, an easy-flowing story and an outstanding music score, this drama qualifies as a classic in all aspects.

I loved the story. I was mesmerized with the story and its narration throughout its course. I actually tried to find out more about the writer Eriko Keitagawa and I will quote her here- "This classic love story enables those who are in the same generation to feel empathy, or be envious of the characters' lives; and the rest, who were once 20-year-olds, to reminisce about their own "Love of My Life."

I think what the writer said is exactly how you will end up feeling. Since I am the same age as those of the characters, I thought I could relate a lot to them. The interactions of the main couple and the way they acted was so realistic. I found myself envying them during the first half and felt empathy from them in the latter. If you ever had a first love, I am sure most you will find some similarity with this story. There are some heartwarming as well as sad and dramatic parts but it never gets unbearable. There weren't any exaggerated emotions or expressions and the drama continues its melancholic tone till the end.

The drama did drag as all dramas tend to do but I still feel that the writing remained the solid point till the end. I liked Kamenashi Kazuya in his role but his expressions became limited towards the end. He was very good for the majority of the part and was convincing in the role that he played. I really liked how his character was developed. He is a complicated guy and I found him unpredictable. Ayase Haruka wasn't extraordinary but she was sweet and graceful. I liked Erika Toda as her friend and this role was very different from what she usually plays. Rest of the secondary characters were just okay.

I have to mention the direction and cinematography of this drama. I never knew Yokohama was such a beautiful city. I would love to visit it sometime in the future. The direction was also one of the strongest points of the whole drama. It keeps you hooked. I loved that part where they go back to their high school and reminisce about their life then. I related very well with a lot of aspects from the story.

It was simple drama and I could say that it seemed like a toned-down version of Hana Yori Dango. It just reminded me a lot of that story because of the obstacles the couple have to face in order to stay together- which were along similar lines. I am glad I watched this because I was in the mood of some romance. However- as happens every time that I am invested in a drama this also left me tired due to the marathoning.

Last- the rewatch value is high because I loved the story to bits and will keep watching it till I get bored. This is a highly recommended drama!

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This is seriously my favorite drama. No matter how many I watch, I can't think of any of them as better then Tatta Hitotsu no Koi. I absolutely love it.



The whole story is beautiful. It's innocent, refreshing, a little bit exaggerated at times, but still wonderful. There's a rather unexplainable Titanic sort of feel to the entire drama, except, it doesn't end sad (in my opinion that feel comes from the music, which is amazing, by the way. I even put it on my iPod I love it so much.)



This may be a little spoiler-ish, not a lot, but just a little (talking about the personality of one of the main characters):

To some Nao may seem like a very selfish girl, who only thinks about herself, and I can understand that, but really when you think about it and really consider her life and imagine yourself in her position, can you blame her? Can you really say she should know better? And besides, doesn't she seem to grow up at the end?

-END-



Point is, I LOVE Tatta Hitotsu no Koi, and I highly recommended it. I've watched it too many times to count, and I plan to watch it again.

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I absolutely loved this drama! I finished it about a week ago and still think about it. It's a simple story - a story about an innocent first love. It's one of the things I really loved about it - it was just simple, cliched even, but told in such a sweet way that it had my heart fluttering throughout the whole drama. It didn't have any over the top dramatic moments, it was just...nice (:



The acting was great! I loved the cast! I've seen Kame in 4 dramas now - and this is by far my favorite role he was in, his character just feels so real, just like an ordinary guy. He had great chemistry with Ayase Haruka, too, which just made the drama even better. And the friends were great! I loved Kou [Tanaka Koki]! His character was so sweet and nervous - just one of those guys you can't hate. And Toda Erika did a good job as Nao's friend (:



The music is great! Beautiful! I loved the soundtrack - I downloaded it (: Some of the music is reminiscent to Titanic's theme as other reviewers have mentioned. Of course it doesn't sound exactly the same, but similar definitely (: And the song "Cool Whispers" is a really pretty song. It definitely added emotion to the drama. Also I loved the ending song by KAT-TUN ["Bokura No Machi De"].



Will I rewatch this? Most definitely, I can honestly say I can see myself watching this drama again over and over (:



Overall - It's an underrated drama but one that's most definitely worth watching! If you're looking for a sweet love story this is a perfect drama to watch! For those sweet heartwarming moments. It even had me crying at one point.



There are a few really cheesy moments to note, one especially in episode one, but don't let it keep you from watching it, really (:

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An innocent romance drama for the younger crowd. Kazuya does really well in his depressing loner roles and he just makes me like him so much! I really liked Haruka in Hotaru No Hikari so it was nice to see her in this. She plays naive and innocent really well. I really liked the friendships amongst the entire cast. It felt real. The relationship between Hiroto & Nao was refreshingly sweet. I smiled throughout most of the episodes. The last 2 episodes made my stomach turn though. I was so depressed but by the end of it all I was like what?! Haha so this drama is a really good romance that everyone should watch once.

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I was going to watch this anyway but a friend suggested that I watch it right away. The description does it justice. It is a very pure love story about two young people from seriously diverse backgrounds. I felt the acting was well done and I was happy to be at a place where I recognize the actors. Kamenashi Kazuya as Hiroto was wonderful and Ayase Haruka as Nao was a gem. This was not my first experience with both actors and I must say it will not be my last. All of the supporting actors were wonderful and seeing Toda Erica in an earlier work was a treat! The story definitely was about a pure love. Even the parents were tolerable in their pursuit of trying to make their daughter happy, there way. This really is a story worth watching! These 10 episodes went quickly. For once, too quickly!

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Liked:



The chemistry between Hiroto and his friends is good (feels like they've been buddies for years) and the friendship between Nao and Yuko also feels genuine, although I have to admit Yuko is a far better friend than Nao.



The acting is generally good although there are some 'fish-face' moments from Kame, but I'm not quite sure if this is because of the character he plays; there is a lot of subtlety in the character of Hiroto and body language and mannerisms play a large part in conveying his thoughts to the audience.



Nao on the other hand is childish and at times seems almost apathetic, but having seen some of Haruka's other work I am giving her the benefit of the doubt and saying it's the character that's a little 2-dimensional rather than the actress.





Didn't Like:



Hiroto's retrospective narration of the dorama is in the style of everything-seemed-good-at-the-time-but-little-did-we-know-certain-doom-awaited-us-just-around-the-corner (I think it's simply a hook to keep the audience interested when the relationship appears to be going well).



The most off-putting aspect of the dorama is by far the lengths Nao's family (especially her father and brother) go to in order to prevent her relationship with Hiroto. I think this goes beyond what is believable, even considering aspects of Nao's past which come to light.



Summary:



The dorama focusses largely on the relationship between Hiroto and Nao and the obstacles the thrown in their way as a result of their radically different circumstances and their families' skepticism. While these themes are definitely not new, I think they're explored in perhaps a more realistic way (for the most part) than in some other dramas.



I would recommend this dorama to anyone who at heart just wants a Love Story - you will get one. The ending is a little disappointing for those who would like a set-in-concrete-defintely-getting-married scenario, but the open-ending isn't nearly as bad as in some other doramas I have seen.



Tatta Hitotsu no Koi is one of my favourite dramas and I confess to having watched it (in its entirety, from start to finish) at least two or three times!



<< For my much longer review visit me at doramasan.wordpress.com >>

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I really don't have anything to add to the reviews that have already been written. I like the way this drama is presented. I like the total grit of real life edge that this drama has. However, that is also part of the problem. The story felt some what contrived while the directing and acting felt real. Part of me would have been happy with an all or nothing ending. The ending felt incomplete. I can't tell you exactly what ticked me off with out providing spoilers, but if you want to know, them PM me. It is the reason why the score is lower. I have plenty to write but it is all spoilers so I will just end it here.

The actors and actresses are good and cute. They are the reason why I kept watching.

The music is fine.

I won't rewatch this.

It is a pretty good romance. I think most people would probably like it more than me.

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