OVERALL
I don't watch many Japanese dramas as I have yet to find ones up my alley in terms of storyline. Pride was one of the few and is probably one of the top Japanese dramas on my list. I enjoyed the simple story that they presented to us. That is perhaps the reason why it is so short. It is more centered on their relationship and how they grew from it. Then there's the other side of the drama where they focus on Haru's career growth. So if you're looking for a drama that has a lot of depth, this probably isn't it. But it has a good beginning, middle, and end. The main characters have a good character development storyline that makes sense (in my opinion). I think that's all I can ask for nowadays.

STORY
One reason that made me enjoy this drama was that the writers didn't take that usual route of making the plot a young adult sport centered romance. The story was about two working adults whose characters. We have Haru, the star hockey player on his team, and Aki, the company worker. They both have their flaws when it comes to relationships. I liked the perspective that the story started at, where Haru came into Aki's life.

I feel like Haru's career, love life, and personal life was well mixed into the plot. I say that because we see how all the scenes that were incorporated made sense for his character to grow and develop. It did not feel like fillers to push the number of dramas to 11.

ACTING/CAST/CHARACTERS
Aki is a timid lady who is in a "long-distance" relationship with her boyfriend, or you can say that she is waiting for her ex-boyfriend. Their relationship was weird. I feel like they aren't necessarily in a long term relationship since they don't communicate or act like they are in love. She seems to be waiting for him but never know when he would return. I guess their relationship has already gone downhill, and they're holding onto it in hopes that it would work out. I think many people would not like that she agreed to be in a relationship with Haru despite already being in one. Some would say this is cheating, and others would say that she's in an open relationship.

Haru seems like a womanizer but isn't a bad guy. He's mature about wanting a relationship with Aki and wanting to make it work. Some could say that he was using her as entertainment since she is like a "new quest". He treats everyone well and has a good relationship with his coach. Haru's character is written to encourage and change Aki into a woman with more character. Haru said in episode 8, "We bonded to each other only with the truth." Maybe that was why their relationship didn't feel wrong even though she was already in a relationship. It felt like two people coming together to support each other and not for the physical aspects of a relationship.

I like Haru despite his flaws. We know he is passionate about his career and his team. I enjoyed this aspect of the drama and how they tied it all back to the theme of "pride". How he would connect it back to himself and each moment he goes through. If they were to re-write or add on to the plot and made hockey the show's main focus, I would probably enjoy it even more.

This was my first drama of Kimura Takuya, and I am indeed in love with his acting. I had plans to check out his works but never pushed myself to. Anyone who feels like certain works of his stands out more than others, do let me know. I know he has an extensive list of top dramas and movies, so it makes narrowing it down even harder.

MUSIC
QUEENS is legendary, and it made the scenes even more epic and memorable to me. I think it adds a great flavor to the drama.

RE-WATCH VALUE
I would love to re-watch this sometime soon. It has been a moment since I have last seen this drama. The show left me with a lingering feel-good effect on me and made me ponder the term "pride" for a while.

NOTE
While deciding to write this review, I found out that the lead actress, Takeuchi Yuko, has passed away. My heart goes out to her family and those who have loved her in some way or another. It's never easy to see someone leave, even those who you are not quite fond of. Every time we see someone passes, we hope that it would awaken this stigma and open the eyes to mental health. 2020 was indeed a tough year; let's all help each other out in any way possible. To those that need anyone to talk to, feel free to message me to chat about anything. It does not have to be personal. If you want to start meaningless conversations, hit me up!