35 reviews · average 7.7 / 10
doramanoai · 4 Mar 2012
I watched the whole thing and I liked it well enough, but I couldn't get past the age gap and all the lying. Psychologically interesting perhaps, but overall a bit messed up. I really like the main actor, though.
gorgeousxoxo · 24 Jun 2011
I was looking for an Asian drama that would be about a teacher and student falling in love. Normally I watch Korean dramas so I was excited when I read the plot about this story. I found many dramas that would have been perfect to watch if only the older lover wasn't a female. I am not too keen about relationships where the woman is older. And it had become irritating watching series that are romantic comedies. I love the romantic part, but I wanted a serious tone. That is what this series has to offer.
If anyone know about another series where there's an older man (teacher or not) that falls in love with a younger woman who loves him back, please let me know! Doesn't matter what country it is from, even if it isn't even Asian, just as long as it is translated in English. I have seen a few and loved them.
*SPOILERS*
A little about what I thought of the characters.
Doctor Tachibana Yuriko (Mano Azusa): I don't know if anyone else thought so or not, but I was just disgusted by the doctor. She was sick and twisted. She completely took advantage of her patient's illness. Honestly from the beginning I got a weird feeling about her and thought she had a major thing for him. Then they show a scene where they are having sexual intercourse and I almost vomited.
Machida Hina (Ueto Aya): She's adorable! I didn't like the parts where she was immature and seemed a bit obsessive, but she ended up maturing. I would have been angry too if I found out I was lied to and in fact wasn't dying. But I also would have been jumping for joy (for myself) and sad at the same time because my lover didn't have much time left.
Koga Ikumi (Fujiki Naohito): This guy was gorgeous! Lol aside from that...I felt so bad for him near the end. He became happy and then torn. Then again you reap what you sow. His whole world came crashing down after Machida told him she didn't want to be with him anymore. Then he became even more dependant on that vile doctor. I imagined he lived in the end.
Kudo Beniko (Sonim): Seemingly the cool, rebellious girl in the beginning, she's truly a lonely girl on the inside. She was tricked by Kamiya. She even decided to degrade herself for him by doing prostitution. If it wasn't for Fujimura, she would have lost her virtue.
Fujimura Tomoki (Kyomoto Masaki): I was surpised to find out this actor was a rockstar. He had a more classy image in the series. Well, physically that is. In the drama he was basically a rapist who decided to make at least one right after (was it a decade?) a period of wrongs. I was rooting for him and Beniko, but he ended up dying because that lunatic Kamiya killed him.
Kamiya Yuji (Narimiya Hiroki): So this actor is supposed to famous? Egh his character was a straight out freak. He was, "pyscho of 2003". I wanted to punch him plenty a time. He is childish and demented.
Ezawa Mami (Aoi Yu): Irritant of a person, thinking she had the world in her hands. Then her world came tumbling down. She was the one who switched the fake blade with a real one that killed Fujimura. As much as she tried to act mature and like a sex kitten, she was completely the opposite.
ester_grace · 14 Dec 2010
Twist n unique love story
jdoramadotcom · 4 Nov 2010
Aya Ueto is such an upbeat, spirited personality that she can't help but lift the mood of KOU KOU KYOUSHI - or at least that's the way it turns out. The complicated relationship between a high school student and math teacher with issues has a limp narrative and moments of angst.
What's missing is the kind of dramatic tension that would make this more diverting, though there's decent acting (and a plot that develops too slowly).
haana · 29 Oct 2010
I do not like when people just write, the story not good, music not good and keep repeating the same thing. Without a reason why.
I personally liked this drama. Most people complained about the music, they used the original score for the first or "prequel" 1993 version of this series. She is a folk singer. I did not like or hate the music it's just old. They used it from her 1976 album. But they just used this one song for the entire series.
The story itself is slow paced and character driven.
I liked the connection between Hina and her sensei I felt it was a deeper love even though the sensei's doctor says it is dependence confused for love. But I think this series tries to define what love really is. Sensei is lonely and Hina is lonely is it two people being lonely and meeting and needing each other, is that need and dependence love?. Or do you fall in love first than that feeling of dependence grows from that?
SPOILERS BELOW:
This series poses a lot of questions and push a lot of boundaries. It has characters using others in mental and emotional games for their own pleasure. Using love as a tool for their own benefit. Such as the host "Yuji" using "Beniko" and playing with her love for him to get her to drop out of school and prostitute herself to give him money so he can be the number one host. And Fujimura playing the game with "Yuji" to repent for his sins because of the inability to love after his loss that made him do his own sinful experiments.
Every character had their own emotional problem, something they try to use other's to fix for them.
Like Sensei's doctor who had an ailing husband who spent his last dying months with his mistress. So the doctor Koga Sensei as a replacement for her husband to nurse him before his death to fill the emptiness of not being wanted by her husband. She wanted to feel needed.
Than Koga lying to Hina when she misunderstood and thought she was dying when it was Koga. He felt lonely without someone understanding how he felt he wanted to share his pain as he said "mirror reflection of himself". Going threw the same emotional pain he is. He needed someone to understand him. But as I watched their characters developed I felt it was genuine love. Their common interactions felt easy and comfortable. They didn't need a sexual relationship they had a strong emotional bond beyond anything physical.
My only complaint is they left the ending ambiguous for your own interpretation.
She was alone but she spoke of miracles. Miracles as in he is alive or the topic of meeting again in space as carbon matter?
makusu · 6 Oct 2007
Many people gave this drama bad ratings mainly due to the fact that its messed up and twisted. If you don't like to watch messed up things, than don't watch it.
My overall experience watching this drama wasn't at all boring, it was worth it. My only concern is that it started of pretty slow and unconvincing, but, as the drama progresses, you do eventually become some what attached to some of the characters in this drama. Twisted in a lot of ways, sad in most cases, but thats something I don't mind watching at all.
RECOMMENDED.
monmon · 9 Dec 2006
OMG.
I finished this drama for 1 years. Because it has DUMB storyline and I don't like it.
I finished this drama just because I love Aya Ueto & Naohito.
If they were not the main actress + actor here, i can say that this drama SUCKS...
dekatrain · 31 Oct 2006
This is an intriguing story; although the concept was centred around a teacher's love for a student and vise versa, for me it was the psychological aspect of the story that I became soon drawn too. Taken at face value as another "forbidden love"-type romance this will not satisfy you, as it is too dark in terms of its theme to allow you to enjoy it as that sort of drama. However, I think the unique twists that come about, although perhaps slightly incomprehendable, bring up strong questions about love as a virtue - is it based on need? Can it be overshadowed by guilt? Can those suffering a terrible past come to resolution? But perhaps one of the most interesting characters you'll see and the most brilliantly portrayed is Fujimura-sensei - a man with a terrible past, facing a life of guilt and covering his true persona with a "mask". You also see that his protection of Sonim's character brings dangerously closer to the horrids of his past, and it was this guy's character that kept me on the edge of my seat.
zoglog · 6 Sep 2006
Quite an interesting show with some intruigue. The show is more of a social criticism on many aspects of Japan that I find quite worth analyzing. Either way the show is really character driven and is one of the only noirish Jdrama's I've seen.
rinarina · 27 Aug 2006
The story is not so good, at first Aya kept saying the she's in love with Fujiki but then after she knew the truth she's getting hurt and ignored Fujiki. The doctor also in love with Fujiki, and the ending is unexplained. Aya's acting is not good, I prefer Kyoko Fukada to cast in this drama. The soundtrack also not good, I don't know who was singing for the soundtrack but her voice is not so good.
Wynter · 5 Aug 2006
This drama is really dark and although I enjoy dark-themed plots, this one failed to actually gworkh as a good story. The actual premise of the show is good: a man is dying and alone, and wants someone in the world to share in his pain. However, the premise cannot erase all the issues this drama has.
The sensei, who happens to be the main character, is too annoying to be a lead character. His very character turns me off. Hefs selfish and frustrating and itfs really hard to sympathize with him. Even in the last few episodes, when the show FINALLY starts to get a little bit good, itfs hard to feel anything for the sensei at all. Hefs soc argh!
The only character in the entire show who was even a bit convincing is Beniko (played by Sonim). She was great and you actually felt for her. Watching this show is a waste of time, but if you do, watch it for Sonimfs character.
kirei_lanford · 13 Jun 2006
Ive just watching it today. I can only say this,, You wouldn't know the deepest feeling someone has. Only the person himself knew. But love never lie. You should never asking of regretting the love you once felt. Have faith , don't ever doubt it. Even Beniko still love that asshole *forgot his name* and still belive that oneday he would change *and he did change after all*. Real love is different... It's always shine so brightly that not even death could separate. I know this kinda silly, but i too sometimes wondering about that,, about love and death... i believe love wouldn't fade away no matter what happens, coz love is so wonderful. It's the sugar of life ^^.
For this dorama, Ill give 8/10.. several weaknesses come from aya ueto herself (i found her acting to be just mediocre), though i like fujiki's emotional struggle. Sometimes there are unlogical things, but anyway it's just film... One thing about the ending, i feel a bit strange about fujimura, his trouble are too complex for me,, that i feel he's not really normal at all. That made me confused from being sympathy or odd for him. And one more thing, although sounded silly, i wanted Hina to know the mathematical formula about meeting after life that koga once solved. I know this look ridiculous, but after thinking what personality that koga has, i realized that this is one way of him to express his feeling for Hina and how he's changed by her presence, considering on how logical person he is. and that's all...
megumi s. · 2 May 2006
i loved it, but i understand totally why it got a lot of low ratings. it's really hard to stomach. all the characters except for Aya Ueto and Sonim's characters are really demented. it's not meant to be logical, which one should keep in mind if they decide to take this drama on. it was meant to be dark and twisted, exploring how deceitful humans can be in the face of desperation... and cynicism. however for me, i couldn't stop watching! it's gripping with so many twists and turns.... all the actors/actresses did an amazing, convincing job. i expected it to be mostly a mushy, romantic drama but in fact it had a lot more than that.
KA_JK79 · 20 Apr 2006
i guess it wouldn't be fair for me to rate it since i stopped watchin it after ep 2 or somewhere like that.. i like nao + aya, but the storyline just doesn't seem to make much sense to me, and it's surprising how every character in the drama annoys me.
iamhuzhe · 5 Feb 2006
First time saw Ueto Aya was in "my little chef" as a supporting role, not much outstanding.
In this drama, which has all the traditional j-drama elements: impending death, forbidden love, sterotypedly "strong" Hina, "evil" force, etc., though cleverly synthesized, Ueto Aya's performance is surprisingly great. (Not so much running on the street scene, which is so typical of j-drama. they can even be sorted by miles run by the leading character on the screen :)
I am not so sure about the definition of "dark" drama. I think it still has some humor in it, where the scene at the amusement park, Aya climbed up the roller coaster to get the balloon and her teacher mistakenly though that she would commit suicide. Very funny :)
Overall, great performance, good plot. worth watching
Kam · 8 Jan 2006
Barring the first episode, which didn't know what the hell it wanted to be (what was up with the cheap J-Horror segment towards the end!?), the series is uniformly excellent . Despite this, the writing is a mixed bag, though. On one hand there's the improbable plot (you learn to swallow it quickly), on the other the entire puerile rape/host/vengeful teacher story arc, and then you have a mature and methodical character study that does a great job of delving into isolation and the difference between dependence and actual love. I was touched in particular by how forgiving and resilient the character of Hina was; she's able to cope with things that would cripple any lesser soul. The ending is deliciously ambiguous, so much so that when I think about it, at times I find it uplifting, and at others utterly distressing. What a morbid and bittersweet story.
Tatakau · 20 Sep 2005
Very dark and surreal drama, complete different from what I originally thought this was going to be like, I can't say that it made me cry but there were sad and teary eye'd moments. A very interesting and plot twist ridden piece of drama. I only give it a 9 becuase it didn't fully emotionally get to me, glad I watched this.
Shindou · 14 Sep 2005
Based on the first five episodes, I must say I've never been so disgusted with almost every single character in the jdrama. With its somewhat twisted plot, it was definitely difficult to finish. Fortunately, the ending episodes redeems the show somewhat and to an extent, provides some justification for the characters' personalities. Psychologically speaking, this jdrama is a very interesting study into human behaviour but it is definitely not a jdrama I'd recommend for light watching.
madsky · 29 Apr 2005
This drama was a lot different than any other drama I'd ever seen, it was pretty dark. But I loved it. I loved the interaction between Hina (Ueto) and Koga-sensei (Fujiki), they were fantastic in these roles. I liked the (weird!) plotline with Beniko (Sonim), Fujimura-sensei (Kyomoto), and Yuji (Narimiya) too. I think I should mention Narimiya played Yuji brilliantly. The plot was really unpredictable, it turned out to be so different than I had originally imagined.
I know that what Koga did was horrible, but he just wanted someone to understand what he was feeling. No one in the right state of mind would do that, and because of his fatal illness, he obviously wasn't. Anyways, a great drama, with a sad ending.
youhei_mito · 16 Apr 2005
seriously a drama so screwed, not even the fabulous fujiki naohito can save this one ;P bought this drama due to the rave reviews, now i spend time wondering where or who to stash this drama to rather than watching it.
nevertheless, this drama has achieved many first-timers in my vast collection of j-dramas though: -
1. first time every single character in the drama can be downright annoying
2. first time fujiki naohito can be less-than-charming
3. first time a doctor can be so disgustingly twisted into convincing her patient to be pessimistic
4. first time a teacher would lie to his student about her so-called death & be so nonchalant about it
5. first time a drama theme song can actually send eerie waves down my back (sounds like soundtrack for a freak horror movie)
in 3 episodes flat, these are the impressions i got. wonder how long the list could be if i finished it? o-o