I wasn't really expecting too much from this series, and boy was I in for a surprise! It turned out to be one of the best I've watched in a long time. The story is original (of course there is the typical drama ingredient backbone), but the plot unfolds in a natural way, covering most of the open questions, while the lead characters evolve, mature, and find out what makes the world spin. All in all very well done!

The chemistry between the actors is pretty good. It is not as intense as other BL series, but then again this one does not concentrate on the "spicy" bits (there is just one light kiss at the and, that's) and just three or four times holding hands. Period. If you are looking for a romantic relationship-centered story, this is not the place. Here the characters have to come to terms with the world as is, and struggle with the boundary conditions it imposes. It is by no means fatalistic (people have free choice and they also make use of it, however not without considering restrictions and consequences). Also, what makes this story so unique and brilliant, is that it also convincingly conveys a humanistic aspect, so kudos to the creators!

The only thing that annoyed me, was the rather abrupt ending. It isn't that the story makes no sense, it's just that the time leap was too much for a series (I guess this works perfectly in a book or a story, with the final chapter titled "some years later"), but it kinda felt awkward here. Or it might be that the last episode was an addition to the original story (which I have not read) thus feeling unconnected (especially since the characters' behavior sort of changed drastically to accomodate the expected happy ending). Nonetheless, this is a beautiful story about humanity, dressed up as a quasi-BL-romantic story, shot with excellent cinematography.

Would I watch it again? Hard to say. It is one of these series, which, once you know the plot, you do not get butterflies in your stomach, like typical BL series containing more romantic/teasing scenes. Is this bad? Well for me not at all, in fact this is one of the reasons I enjoyed this so much. Love was there, but not overcasting life itself. This is fulfilling both emotionally and morally (well at least in my eyes...)