I'm not sure I can even properly explain why I love this movie so much. I guess it's the whole atmosphere? The way it's shot? All the main characters? The story itself? Basically everything, I guess?

I love that there are so many good people in this movie. Ninako confesses her love to Ren but Ren already has a long-time girlfriend so he rejects her, very kindly, and Ninako accepts it and asks to stay his friend and even defends him. Ren does all he can to emotionally support his girlfriend, a slightly older girl with family issues, to the point where he works himself to exhaustion. And Ando... Ando loves to pretend being callous and uncaring but, boy, does he care!

I find the relationship between Ren and his girlfriend, Mayuka, so interesting. Because, yes, she's slightly older, already working and driving a car but she needs Ren to be her rock. And he is, he so is. Because he promised her. He promised and he would never, ever break his promise, no matter his own feelings or needs. But... he is still a teen and it's simply too much for him, school and a part-time job and going to her house every day. And I love that it is her who realizes it, what Ren is doing...

And Ando and Ren! I wish their relationship was explored deeper because when Ren talks about Ando, about what their relationship was like back in middle school before everything went pear-shaped between them... He sounds so wistful. Like, "Before, I had always been alone. I only talk to people who want to talk to me - and Ando wanted to talk to me. He didn't say anything special but it made me so happy... And he was so lonely."

And when Ando then finds out that he broke off his friendship with Ren for nothing, that Ren was innocent of the thing Ando accused him of - Ando's reaction!

It's such a sweet and serene movie. And I felt for them. And Fukushi Sota (Ren), Yamada Yuki (Ando) and Arimura Kasumi (Ninako) are so good in their parts. Honestly, I've never realized before how many projects Fukushi Sota and Yamada Yuki have done together so far! I hope we will see them together in something again at some point in the future!