INNOCENT LOVE

Fall 2008

Can a drama ever be over-dramatic? This was my final impression of Innocent Love starring Horikita Maki (Akiyama Kanon) and Kitagawa Yujin (Nagasaki Junya). The story revolves around Akiyama Kanon who is trying to move forward with her life after a tragic event in her past, but the past always seems to come back and haunt her. With the support of Nagasaki Junya they try to clean up their personal issues and move toward a brighter future. I am a Maki-chan fan. I think she's good at playing different roles whether it be a bullied school girl or a girl pretending to be a boy, but I didn't think this drama showcased her talents fully. This was the first time I saw Kitagawa Yujin and he wasn't terrible, but at times I felt he was just acting too hard and I couldn't get into his character as much as I wanted to.

There is a mystery to this drama and some characters can be creepy such as Kiyoka, played by Uchida Yuki or the choir girl Mizuki played by Kashii Yu. The creepiness was good though because it added some excitement to a mostly slow paced drama. I did like the various sets like the piano bar and Junya's house as well as the theme song called Eternally played by Utada Hikaru, but I couldn't stand the down jackets that Junya wore; they were an eyesore. The story overall was good and I empathized with the characters struggles with their past issues and secrets.

Recommendation: If you like slow paced dramas with mysteries and creepiness this is a must watch. It is a love story, but not in the usual sense, there are different levels of love expressed in this drama which I thought was interesting. Horikita Maki was good and all the other actors/actresses weren't bad. I just thought some scenes were over-acted and predictable.

STORY: 1
ACTING: 0.5
DIRECTING: 0.5
CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 1
EMOTIONAL FACTOR: 0.5

3.5 OUT OF 5 CROWNS