The series has everything that life brings – the good, the bad, the ugly and the fluffy moments. I really like how they incorporate so many different emotions and events into one consistent story, with a start and an end.

Kazuma & Ren: the two have history together. I wasn’t really sure what to expect from their backstory, but I definitely got more than that. The two of them have had feelings for each other for a very long time. To me, Kazuma seemed like a mess – he is mature but a bit childish, smart and insightful but also kind of dense and impulsive. I don’t necessarily think this is bad, just a bit confusing as I never knew what to expect from him in any given situation. Ren is also a mess, but in a different sense. He has been through a lot and his guilt is something that has been eating him alive. Even if his guilt is misplaced. He appears anxious and seems like he finds it hard to make friends and open to people but is fairly good at masking it. A lot of Ren’s actions might be confusing to some viewers, but knowing his story, it makes a lot of sense why he reacts and acts the way he does. The two might start in a weird place when they meet again, but as the episodes pass, we cannot deny them caring about each other strongly. And not just in a sexual or just a friendly way.

I am going to be honest and say that I didn’t fully believe the actors when they tried to show emotions. Some of the crying scenes were more about it looking aesthetic than they were about making it look like the person was actually crying. The chemistry between the two characters was not the best either. I am not sure if this is due to the way the characters were written or due to the way actors acted it out.

Some side characters did leave me confused as to what actually was their role. One such character is Yagami, Ren’s friend. I feel like there is a lot about him that is left unclear. Same with Hide. As for the boys’ parents… they can get lost. That’s all I have to say on the topic.

I think the production value was not the best at times. There are a few scenes that were both shot and edited in a weird manner. The number of flashbacks we get is a bit ridiculous. I don’t mind the few flashbacks to the past, so we can learn what happened with the boys. But then we get flashbacks to things we have just seen like 5 min ago or in the last episode. Which was unnecessary. And I think that made the series choppy. So instead of focusing on the story’s progression, we are focused on flashbacks and repeating what just happened.

The series puts a lot of importance on nostalgia, on the feelings we / they had when younger. And I think that really shinned through nicely. Even the colors used were there to evoke those feelings in us.

The series started on a high, but the ending was mediocre. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great either. And I don’t mean the story of Kazuma and Ren.