Eien no Kino (2022)

it was not a love story

How shall I put it?
Everyone who has ever experienced grief in their life will relate to Mitchan narration. Main characters will take you through all the grief phases again. From the desire to spend a little bit more time together with your loved one who is not here anymore, when even one extra minute would be a the most desirable gift during your grieving journey; to being angry with the person who left, why they did it to you, how could they leave and let you be here all by yourself. But Mitchan got extremely lucky. He had a chance to experience parts of his grief, denial, huge love, hate together with the one who had to leave - Koichi. Does it make you jealous too?

Why we got so involved in such unrealistic story?
We all know - death is a final stop. But all of us secretly hope to be mistaken. And Eternal Yesterday gives us such opportunity to have a hope. Maybe one day it’s all gonna be a lie, and our loved ones will be here with us even though their hearts don’t work anymore. Eventually, it’s a beautiful metaphor - people you love aren’t truly dead until they are alive in your memory.

Name:
Eternal Yesterday - that’s how it feels to be disconnected from the real world after loosing the one you loved the most. Now you live only in the past when they were here with you. The smell of their perfume on the passing by stranger now feels like a knife directly in your heart. Their old t-shirt that you accidentally found in your wardrobe can bring all the memories back, and here you are sitting and reminiscing about old days on the floor in your bedroom again. You are re-living your yesterday, because tomorrow isn’t promising anymore without them.

Actors:
Fantastic fantastic fantastic cast. Both main actors did incredible job! Mitchan character grew and developed so well. And separate kudos for Koichi’s perspective in the end. All his actions and all his “sorry-s” made sense. Actors truly lived Mitchan’s and Koichi’s lifes.

Summary:
It was not a love story, it was one very special story about grief and precious time. Even though grief is inseparable from love.
I will definitely re-watch those series again and again. They are so heartbreaking, but yet so heartwarming. Our life is this special because it has an end, and Eternal Yesterday is our friendly reminder. Kiss, love, hug, express your feelings right now, because your perfect time may never come and unfortunately you won’t be given the same gift as Mitchan got.

And for all in grief - your pain will never go away, nor time will heal it. You will learn to co-exist with it and will learn to smile and love again. It was a beautiful message in the end.

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Definitely my no. 1 top bl so far; a supernatural teenage romance underrated masterpiece

(Apologies in advance for my grammatical errors, English is not my native language)

This series is a hidden gem—a supernatural teenage romance with hints of slice-of-life that unexpectedly gave me butterflies. Despite its melancholic tone, I found comfort and beauty in it. This drama is deeply underrated and deserves far more recognition. While it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, it’s much more than just a sad or tragic story within the BL or supernatural genre.

Story:
The series gently explores the stages of grief, and many reviews have praised how delicately this theme is handled, a sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with. Supernatural stories aren’t always universally appreciated, but this one portrays its fantasy elements in such a grounded, realistic way that it feels incredibly natural. It strikes a perfect balance between the real and the unreal, which is where its charm truly lies.

But what I want to highlight the most is the ideal relationship between Koichi and Micchan. As an introvert, I really appreciate that they told a story about a healthy relationship between an introvert and an extrovert. I admired Koichi for understanding and seeing the beauty in Micchan's silence. I appreciated that he didn’t rush things, from being friends to becoming lovers. Introverts need personal space, and I love how Koichi respected that. He never pushed Micchan, instead patiently waiting for him to become comfortable. Even though it was love at first sight for Koichi, he allowed Micchan to fall for him little by little—a form of courtship or unrequited loved rather that’s rarely seen these days. Besides his patience, Koichi became Micchan's protector and safe space. His love was so big and selfless that he always put Micchan's needs before his own.

While many already recognize how ideal Koichi is—his gentleness, patience, and protectiveness are green flags for anyone—Micchan deserves more credit than he receives. He may seem emotionless on the outside, but he’s compassionate inside. The novel shows even more of how much he loves Koichi, even after many years have passed. His eternal love—choosing Koichi every day—is a true testament to their love. Also, the emotional energy Koichi received from him in order his body to function proves Micchan’s deep love for Koichi. Moreover, watching someone you love slowly disappear was incredibly difficult for Micchan. These are all signs that Micchan loves Koichi just as much as Koichi loves him.

Their relationship gave me everything I could ask for—a gentle love that makes you feel safe, someone proud to have you, someone who sees something special in you that others don’t, a love that you didn’t expect to be reciprocated out of pure genuine intent. It’s a kind of love that’s irreplaceable, one that makes you feel like you’re always the first choice , a love that continues to choose you every day. It’s just heartbreaking that this relationship was taken away too soon.

Acting/Characters:
Komiya and Inoue did an incredible job portraying these characters. Their chemistry is exceptional, and they never failed to deliver everything we could want. Their comfort with each other, the soft and gentle intimacy, and the subtle nuances they portrayed were delightful. Even during intimate scenes, nothing felt over-sexualized. I also appreciated the focus on the main couple. Their chemistry, facial expressions, and line delivery felt perfect. Everything seemed so natural to me—there wasn’t a single moment that felt awkward or cringe-worthy.

Setting/Cinematography:
I loved the Japanese countryside vibe during summer. The breathtaking backgrounds and landscape scenes were beautiful and relaxing. Although the weather differs from the novel, as a pluviophile, I appreciated the switch to rain. It was lovely to see rain play a significant role in every chapter of their story—from their first meeting, the beginning of their relationship, Koichi's accident, and lastly, his farewell. It felt like the rain mirrored their emotional journey, like falling in love as they did.

Music:
This is the best OST I’ve heard so far. The opening and ending songs perfectly define their story, and I can’t help but get emotional every time I listen to them. The musical score used throughout the drama also fit beautifully.

Rewatch Value:
It may sound strange, but I would give the rewatch value a 10 out of 10. I have a deep appreciation for melancholic stories, and even though this one is sad, I find comfort in it each time I watch it.

Overall:
Despite its sad ending, the story concluded in the most beautiful way possible. The narration at the end was the most painfully beautiful one I’ve ever seen. This is probably the best BL I’ve watched so far. It gave me the poetry, gentleness, subtlety, and bittersweetness that I seek in dramas. It also gave me valuable life lessons. I’ll be forever grateful that I discovered this drama. It left me emotionally wrecked for weeks, but I don’t regret witnessing this beautiful masterpiece.

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Another Gem from the one and only JAPAN!

First off. For those of you who are weary about watching this, because it looks sad, well it is sad. If your heart can handle it, then I highly recommend this drama series. It’s a beautiful story and probably one of the best Japanese BLs and in general, BLs of this year. Acting and chemistry was on point and there were no evil or bad characters. Inoue Sora as Oumi Mitsuru and Komiya Rio as Yamada Koichi were the perfect pairing. The osts are very catchy and fit perfectly with the theme of the drama. I actually listen to them daily. One of the reasons why I enjoy watching dramas is because I get to discover new artists through the ost of the dramas. Anyways, highly highly recommend this series if you can handle sad endings. I will gladly rewatch this series in the future, despite it being a sad one. It’s the perfect drama to get me into the feels.

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A melancholically beautiful, heartbreaking and heartwarming tearjerker! + Underrated!

This series needs to be higher rated! The series is beautiful in terms of story and values despite its melancholic approach. It's a heart-breaking yet heart-warming series that teach us the values of life and grief. What's more, it makes us believe in eternal love even though the time of the couple is painfully short.
In terms of character development, the series shows a complete picture how love develops a person silently yet does not change that person. Koichi is still Koichi, Micchan is still Micchan but they become better versions of themselves - love and being loved.
Regarding casting, Komiya Rio and Inoue Sora excellently and vividly depict Koichi and Micchan. It's not exaggerating to say withouth Rio and Sora, the series wouldn't have been that successful and tearjerking. Chemistry overflowers and very good acting skills.
The director/ screen writer also did their best in telling us a story that is not just heartbreaking but heartfelt.
Please don't miss it!

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Thanks for the miracle

Before you even start this drama, don't try to find an explanation for all this supernatural stuff, just let yourself be carried away by the strength of their chemistry. This drama really gives meaning to the word "love".

The time between Mitsuri and Koichi is limited after the latter's accident. As a "living corpse", his future is uncertain and despite all that this implies, Mitsuru tries to remain as calm and rational as possible.

The contrast between the cheerful Koichi and the composed Mitsuru is one of the strengths of this story. It is clear why they fell in love with each other long before this event occurred that puts their story in perspective.

The drama will carry a sense of delicacy, discretion and melancholy throughout the episodes. Their relationship is one that doesn't need to be expressive to know that they love each other, their eye contact gives you butterflies, a feeling of sadness and happiness at the same time.

You will fall in love with Mitsuru's monologues which are poignant, sad, loving, he has such resilience. You will appreciate the message behind each dialogue, dialogues that make us accept grief, the grief of love, the grief of loss. When a simple conversation gives us hope, hope that there will be a tomorrow, hope that we will not be forgotten as long as our memory has a place in the heart of the beloved.

As a bonus, the OSTs are powerful, soft, catchy and accompany each scene very well.

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It pains me beautifully

This is the second time I write a review.

No one can explain about the supernatural thing happened in Eternal Yesterday, so I will just believe that the "miracle" that has never been used by Mitchan is working once he wished for having Koichi by his side. My friend called it "The Power of Love". I stick with that terms. Mitchan's affection moved Koichi. The man come back alive from dead because Mitchan, whose love is overflowing for him, had not ready yet to be left behind.

Everytime Mitchan called Koichi "a living corpse", I know that this young man realized that his boyfriend is dead because Mitchan is a smart kid, has quite proper knowledge about medical stuffs, but he could not accept it yet. For him, as long as Koichi is with him, it doesn't matter.

Wrapped with unusual supernatural phenomenon, the story itself is like a metaphor about grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. We can clearly see Mitchan's denial-depression phase. He tried to keep Koichi that is supposed to be no longer there anymore. This consumed him, made him feel uncomfortable, anxious, overprotective, restless, all the negative emotions. Until he accepted it.

Sigh. I was waiting for Mitchan to cry his heart out, to grief, to mourn for his loss, and he finally did it. I believe that Mitchan needs it to let go.

When we lost our loved one and finally accepted it, it doesn't mean we are not sad anymore. That's what Mitchan's Father trying to say: "You don't need to force yourself to heal". And Mitchan learned to live with his sadness.

The background story about how the two teenagers are actually longing for being loved the most by people around them, and find it in each other are so beautiful. We need one, only one, who loves us the most. And yes, it's a miracle when the feeling are mutual.

I have watched Komiya Rio's works before (Cinderella Complex; Takara & Amagi). He nailed this one! He doesn't let us think about him as his previous characters. Koichi is gentle, patient, cheerful, but he can blow up once he is frustrated and Rio performed this emotion very well.

This is the first time I've seen Inoue Sora on screen seriously. Before, I watched him in Abema, but that show is, you know ಠಿ⁠_⁠ಠ. Let me remind you to pay attention to his eyes while watching Eternal Yesterday everytime his inner voice takes part. His eyes are brilliant! It shows Mitchan's emotion clearly without words (because Mitchan is rarely talked, most of his emotional dynamics is told from his POV's narration).

When I thought the story is already sad enough, I was wrong. Wait until you listened to the music scores, also... The OP and ED soundtrack. Added with the drama's title, it is actually a full package of spoiler :')

I give the rewatch value 9.5/10 because I already rewatched it for more than 5 times already and still crying over it. I'll keep rewatching in my free time until I can not cry anymore.

Anyway, since this drama stimulates sadness and grief, if you think you cannot handle it, it's better not to even try reading any spoiler. From my experience, the comments on social media about the story of this drama series are also full of emotions. So, please understand your limit.

I had a good 8 weeks following this series. For all the tears that have rolled down my cheeks while watching this, I must say that this series will stick with me for a long time.

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