Netflix brings a Japanese series- First Love (初恋), that is filled with heartfelt romance that you cannot help but swoon over through the 9 episodes. Directed and written by Yuri Kanchiku, the show stars Hikari Mitsushima, Takeru Satoh, Rikako Yagi, Taisei Kido, Kaho, Minami, Towa Araki, Gaku Hamada, and Aoi Yamada, alongside other cast members.
The show brings the moving love story of fateful lovers whose story takes drastic twists and turns until they come face to face once again. Passing through hard times and challenges that break them apart, will fate bring them together again?
Netflix’s synopsis of the series reads:
Young, free and madly in love. As teenagers, the world was their oyster — but as adults, their lives seem dimmer, like a very important piece is missing.
-First Love Review contains No spoilers-
First Love is a show that will bring you all kinds of emotions related to falling in love for the first time and this can be felt in just 9 episodes because that is how long the story will last. The show has really brought out the silliness you feel when you fall in love the first time and also brings the strong emotions that challenge all odds to last long.
The series really does bring some good feelings to the table along with the heartbreaking ones, but that is more or less expected from the romance genre to keep things moving. And while there were some very predictable moments in the show, I have to say that the show did not fail to keep me entertained and hooked.
The actors have all done a wonderful job of bringing out the emotions of an unforgettable first love, and this holds for all the young as well as the older cast members. The transitions between the past and the present have also been done very beautifully, however, you may find it a little confusing at certain times.
To add to the love shared between the two leads, I have also loved the moments of maternal love that have been brought out in the show. Yae Noguchi plays the role of a daughter and mother which shows she brings out a beautiful kind of love in both these roles. Especially when it comes to her son, she really gives her best as she shows her strength while working hard in any way she can.
I have to compliment the subtitles, which bring the beauty of this film for us all and the dubbed versions are also not bad, making it even better for those who don’t want their eyes running behind the subtitles.
What really surprised me was that the show is based on the Japanese singer Hikaru Utada’s songs- First Love and Hatsukoi which are played in the series and really make you want to listen to them.
Finally, the tearful end fills our hearts with love while their innocent seed filled with their feelings really does spurt into a beautiful tree even when forgotten where it was kept; just like the squirrels that Yae Noguchi mentions to Harumichi Namiki.
Summing Up: First Love
This is a lovely story for all those moments when you just want to feel and believe in love, and the role fate plays in bringing two hearts together. And while those predictable moments just make you want to skip, sticking to the end is a better option as there is more than just a love story in this show.
Altogether, this is definitely a show that you should check out as it slowly makes you believe in fate. Don’t forget to let us know what you think in the comments below!
Watch First Love on Netflix.
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