It's been a while since I had a tearjerker show and I'm glad that this was the one. First off, wonderful storyline by Sumino Yoru, and direction by Tsukikawa Sho. His direction gave me a very fulfilling 2 hours packed with emotions and was handled very well through his skills and cast.

The story flits between flashbacks and current day scenes, not a revolutionary technique, but the director weaves the scenes perfectly through the cinematography and music alike. The OST was subtle and lead to good scene transitions, especially the major one near the end - it's still going on in my head 2 hours after I watched the show.

I personally wasn't that into the lead actress at the start but her bright smile that remained thematic throughout the show slowly won me over and I have to say, damn she is great at tugging at the audience. The lead actor (both the younger and older) showed how the character matured through the 12 years in between. Side characters weren't that heavily emphasised on the show, but their appearances were not done without a good closing at the end.

Overall, the skillful directions and great cast brought together a wonderful bittersweet romance story that screams ?? all over.

BTW I have not read the light novel before this so my opinions are just based on this being a movie on its own.