This drama first gets you because of the on-screen chemistry between the male and female leads. As the story unfolds, I kept wondering just how possible is it for love to develop between two people with a 10-year age gap, made even more unusual by the fact that it's the female teacher who's older. You can't help but wonder if what the teenage student felt is just a big crush that he'll outgrow. But the drama unfolds slowly for you to realize that this young chap is smart and thinks deeply. His affection for his teacher may have started when he was 15, but the intensity of those feelings did not diminish even after she disappeared from his life for 3 years. In fact, his love grew stronger, and more protective - not in a bad way, but becoming warm, loving and gentle. It took those 3 years for her - Hijiri - to finally admit to Akira that she loves him. One character that deserves mention is Akira's mother. If she had not stepped in and take those legal steps to ensure her son did not have any contact with Hijiri, their lives and their love may not have turned out that well. Another key character that is a turning point in Akira's maturity development is his dad. He's the one who makes Akira see what he has to do to convince his mum of his love for Hijiri. The depth and intensity of their feelings is so palpable that you want them to just end up together already. But the reality of things is - there's no chance practically that an 18 year old male student can have a long-lasting and happy relationship with a 28 year old woman who's obviously got more earning power than him. He's after all, still a teenager, with all the gawkiness of that age, who can't express his feelings and thoughts clearly. So, fast-forward 5 years - he's now a working adult, having graduated from university and she's happily teaching in a foreign land. His mum hands Akira the legal agreement Hijiri signed 5 years ago. Akira gives the document to Hijiri and they both know nothing can now come between them. It's a sweet, tender love that has you wishing at the end to have glimpses into their future. A word about the male lead - Koshi Mizukami - for a first role, he was very convincing. Definitely not just good-looking, he has great talent too. I felt though, that some earlier episodes with his classmates and the teachers in Hijiri's first school were too draggy and not really relevant to the story. They could have done away with those and given more time to develop the Akira-Hijiri relationship. Very good story - if it had been a 15 year old female student and her 25 year old male teacher, the story would be viewed completely differently - people are less able to accept it.
Review of Meet Me After School
