NOTE This series is about illness/death. Please note before reading further.
This is a drama I finished around a week ago! I've been wanting to make a post on my feelings, and I thought it'd be better to wait and ruminate on it. This is a drama where I didn't know anything about it and dived in with no knowledge whatsoever.
The TLDR of the series is: It revolves around a highschool girl who knows she's going to die from a rare heriditary illness in a year. She sets out to make the last year of her life worth it in her eyes. The series follows the main girl, Hikari, and her struggles and happenings during the course of the year.
Here's where spoilers start!
I expected this show to be okay at best. When I realized the plot, I was hesitant to continue because it's a hard topic to watch. Afterall, I don't know if knowing the plot I'd dive in. The series gives you the plot straight up, and by the end of the first episode you already know what the expected outcome it is. However, maybe being an optimist, I was like, "But they wouldn't really do that... Right?"
Well, I was wrong to say the least. The first few episodes were cute-- Nice, developing episodes to get you a feel of the characters and the softer notes of the show. However, around midway is where things feel more dire and stressful-- living up to being a drama. There was an episode in the middle that was incredibly hard to watch, where they hear a message from Hikari's mom to Hikari. I really think that episode made everything start to feel more dire, and really set the stage to the sadness with Hikari's illness and her slow decline.
I'm not saying this is an easy watch. In fact, I doubt I'll ever rewatch this series because it was such a hard watch at the end. It was well-written, but it becomes hard. If you've ever experienced illness, it hits on such a personal level. Watching someone you love, unable to help them, it is such a nervewracking and heartbreaking experience. The last few episodes as Hikari's friends learn her illness after she struggled to tell it to them and then watch her decline is heartbreaking. Though, this all pales to the last two episodes.
The ending of the 9th episode, I had a sliver of hope, especially with the preview of the next. I was like, "Of course, they can't kill off the main character! She miraculously came back!"... Then, clicking on episode 10, you're met with 20 minutes of a funeral. It's an incredibly hard watch. This episode, and this part in particular, really cemented the acting in this series. When I say I cried all 50 minutes of the last episode, I'm not joking. It was painful, it was mournful, and those actors delivered a really great performance.
The series ending with a final dance, like the name of the series, is actually well-done and beautiful. I usually don't like those type of endings, but it somehow made the final hit harder. I couldn't see the series ending any other way. It was both heartbreaking and lovely. Even thinking about it again, it triggered something deep inside me to get teary-eyed all over again-- a week later!
On a non-plot note, I really liked the music and the progression of the series. I couldn't help but find myself comparing this to Gachikoi-- 10 episodes, 2 songs, about interpersonal relationships and the struggles. I love the GachiKoi manga, but it made it more evident how that series wasn't great. I liked the two songs they chose for this series; I think they fit it well. I'm not a person who tends to go for softer, more emotional songs, but the ending song really fit. I also liked that "Sweet 19 Blues" song and keep getting it in and out of my head. I think the pacing of this series is really good too. It feels realistic, and I didn't feel like the progression of things was unnatural. I think the acting was good, and it was well-developed.
A final score would be about a 8.5-9.0 / 10 . My big gripe is the massive headache I had all day after the finale lol. And also, as I said, I don't think this is a series I'd ever rewatch, even with friends, and due to the subject matter, it is kind of hard to reccomend and tell people to watch it. However, I think if you can handle harder subject matter like this, it is worth it.
9:42pm .. .. // 11.15.2023