User Reviews

8/10 is my rating. This is a 2022 Japanese romance drama with 10, 57 minute episodes.

First I provide a unique synopsis then review

Synopsis

Asuka Nakamachi (Tsubasa Honda) takes a job as a dorm mother for struggling boy band 8loom. It is a departure from her original dream which was a teacher that was a sunny spot for her students but, when that dream fell through, she was desperate to move out of her sister's honeymoon house. Her background may be the perfect fit to help the seven-member boy group find their path to success. As the unwavering cheer base, she may even help the leader of the group, her former student, Dan Sagami (Fumiya Takahashi) hit his stride.

Members of 8LOOM

See also: § 8LOOM

Dan Sagami (Fumiya Takahashi). He is the center of the band. The main songwriter. The only group member that knew Asuka before.

Daijiro Naruse (Ryubi Miyase). Knickname Naru. He is the youngest member. Still goes to high school.

3. Yukiya Furumachi (Keito Tsuna) He is the oldest member of the group.

4. Eji Ichinose (Rintaro Hachimura) A college student.

5. RyuseiHiyama (Shuto Mori)

6. Takumi Kurushima (Noa)

7. Takara Onodera (Koki Yamashita)

Review

I like idol dramas especially dramas that are about idol groups. This does a good job of conveying the many ups and downs on the very bumpy road to success. It is more about the group and the process than it is about the romance. It ends happy but not completely clear in terms of their relationship.

Spoilers

I was disappointed that Asuka's teaching career ended as it did. I think they left a lot if details out but it seemed like she took on too much then let criticism tear her down. It seemed like a weak way out.

Naru looked the part the most. He just had that overall pop look and demeanor. He was one of my favorites through the majority of the show so I was very disappointed when it turned out he turned in Dan and Asuka like he did. He even went so far as to encourage the band to go on without Dan. I was really disappointed in his behavior and it seemed out of character.

There was not a lot to the romance and it ended on a nebulous note. I thought Dan took a step back from 8loom to pursue her but he left her as she was supposedly happy in her new teaching role. I realize that is probably closer to reality for pop stars but it would have been an improvement on reality for him to fully get with Asuka. All of the build up led to a very soft pairing at the end.

I am always drawn to shows about idols and idol groups because it is such a difficult path. For all their emotional and physical sacrifice, few even make it to true fame. I feel so sorry that they become prisoners of their fans and cannot pursue romance and other dreams.

#FumiyaTakahashi

#8loom

#IWillBeYourBloom

#TsubasaHonda

#RyubiMiyasi

#KeitoTsuna

#RintaroHachumura

#ShutoMori

#Noa

#KokiYamashita.

Spoiler alert!

The story begins with the dynamic of a teacher-student duo. Asuka Nakamachi is an aspiring teacher who helped one of her students to walk through the path of their dream. However, then we see Asuka losing herself due to an uncanny incident that we got addressed later in the story.

It's a sweet romance with an intriguing plot. If you are familiar with K-pop and are interested in the K-culture, I bet this drama is just for you though it is Japanese. The similarities between the two cultures make it easy to consume and it will often give you the chills, tension, and excitement along with the blooming (no pun intended) romance between a former teacher and a student. At this point, the drama is enjoyable and undoubtedly worth watching.

However, there's a certain point that I found problematic, and I think the writer was too busy digging into the romance to take the issues of a teacher-student relationship into consideration.

Nothing's wrong with the sweetness of the drama. But what bothered me while watching it is that they didn't properly bring up the topic of Asuka's age and her being a teacher and meeting Dan at an age when he was probably minor.

What kind of teacher romantically sees a guy when she met him as a minor? It's disturbing if you see a perfectly adult woman getting butterflies over a kid literally.

Dan may be an adult later when Asuka became their matron. However, the boys were too young for her age. Shouldn't she have felt a tiny bit of concern about the fact that she used to be Dan's teacher before considering the less important issues like they were stars and she was just a matron?

Asuka's profession and age should be the bigger concern here. Let's see, if we reverse this scenario how troublesome it would look? A thirty-year-old male sharing a dorm with young girls and now feeling butterflies for one of his former underaged students. Not to mention he is not bothered about the fact that he used to be the teacher of one of them in the past. Does this look alright? I don't think the scriptwriter put much thought into that aspect.

Overall, it was good. But there were places to improve and I almost lose the hype since they achieved their goal without many obstacles. I guess the pop culture in East Asian countries is much more crude than it was portrayed. It definitely had places to spice things up in a good way.

I agree most with the review of Climantineace. But he found the relationship between Dan and Asuka problematic because of her former job as a schoolteacher and the large age difference. I would like to elaborate on this point.

Asuka was new to Dan and Ryosuke's school, when they were in the last year, class 3 of upper secondary school. Then Dan must be at least 17 years old. That year the 2 boys also received the letter with the admission as a trainee at the entertainment company. At school, there was no romantic relationship between Dan and Asuka at all.

Asuka did inspire Dan to follow his dream. She was his great inspiration.

Then, 4,5 years after that meeting, Asuka started working as a stay-at-home mom for 8loom. She is then 30 years old. I calculate that Dan is at least 21 years old. Maybe even 22 years. He is then of age.

In addition, it is Dan who was the first to express his feelings for Asuka. But both know well where the limit is. It doesn't go further than a hug and holding each other's hand before drawing the gold star in with your fingers. Because both know that if it continues, his career and that of 8loom is over. After 1 year of work and success, Asuka leaves. And they don't see each other again until 3 years later. Then there is no kiss. Dan is then 25 or 26 years old, Asuka is 34. I therefore do not see this relationship as problematic.

Other than that I was very pleasantly surprised by this series. I had thought that problems might arise in the form of a manager sabotaging Chainey or Chainey himself. But none of this. Everyone from the entertainment company is extremely positive about helping 8loom. The boys were also usually very respectful towards each other. Quarrels and mistakes were made. That was talked about and it worked out fine. The honesty and the many positive messages this series showed. Not only about self-confidence, happiness, but also about the lghbti community, it was a pleasure to watch. The songs were also good and catchy. And the ensemble playing, knowing that a number of very young boys under the age of 20 without acting experience participate, is of a high level. Especially in the last episode inf that came on stage where emotions ran high. Good forward. Like I was watching a real group that really cared about each other. It felt like they had really been together for a long time. Maybe they really slept there in that house? The mutual bond did not seem fake. Despite sometimes hoping that Dan and Asuka would show more romance (kiss!). Wasn't really necessary. Precisely the respectful attitude in which Asuka and Dan supported and valued each other positively. Was much more important and a joy to see. Plus, Dan's brooding looks were exciting enough :)