Meet Me After School Review: A Good Show Promoting The Wrong Message

Japanese drama, ‘Meet Me After School’ is a love story between a teacher and her student. This drama explores the depths of a taboo romance to show how far two people in love can go to be with each other.

The Japanese clearly seem to love teacher-student romance, which is why there are so many shows based on it. I personally disapprove of this love angle and hope this crazy idea never makes it to India. 

Then why did I watch the show, you ask? Curiosity! In my review for ‘A Story To Read When You First Fall In Love’ (which also deals with teacher-student romance), I had mentioned that it is okay when a student has a crush on their teacher but I can’t take it when the teacher reciprocates. And in this dorama, the teacher falls hard for her student, and limits are crossed. This means I’m supposed to hate this drama. But surprisingly I don’t. 

So, did I like the show? Well, I have mixed feelings. Let me explain in detail what I feel about this show.     

Meet Me After School (Chugakusei Nikki) (2018) (11 Episodes)

Hijiri Suenaga (Kasumi Arimura) is a 25-year-old woman who wishes to become a capable teacher that her students can look up to and rely on. She tries to make the school environment fun for her students and often jokes with them and ignores their harmless pranks.

Her sunny disposition attracts the attention of her 15-year-old student Akira Kuroiwa (Kenshi Okada) who develops a crush on his homeroom teacher. At first, he feels confused about his growing feelings for her and tries to curb his emotions. But the more Hijiri is nice to him, despite his cold behavior, the more affection he feels for her.

I enjoyed watching ‘Meet Me After School’ because…

…the cast was simply the best. Let’s start with the female lead, Kasumi Arimura. Her character Hijiri Suenaga comes from a middle-class family and is in a relationship with a boyfriend who is successful in his career. This makes Hijiri want to excel at her work too so she can feel worthy of marrying her boyfriend.

But managing a class full of hormonal teens is no easy task and this challenge weighs on Hijiri who feels nervous about her teaching stint at her school. I don’t know if this really happens in Japan or if it is shown only in this show but as a homeroom teacher, Hijiri is expected to be responsible for everything that her students do. And this includes their behavior outside of their school too.

So, she tries to be extra friendly with her students and refrains from punishing them even when they misbehave. She tries to pay personal attention to each student in her class and even offers to help them with their personal problems.

None of her students warm up to her except Akira Kuroiwa who is smitten by her. His interest in her subject makes her like him as he gives her the confidence to work better.

Actress Kasumi Arimura is brilliant as the under-confident teacher Hijiri. Hijiri tries to maintain a stoic profile in order to be taken seriously by her colleagues and students but her face often betrays her and Arimura does a great job at showing this dual personality. Arimura’s sweet smile makes her an endearing character even when you do not agree with the decisions she makes in the show.

You see the pain and confusion on her face when she is doing something that she knows is wrong. Hijiri may not be the best teacher out there but Kasumi is an amazing actress and I loved her in this role. 

Actor Kenshi Okada may be young but he does not seem inexperienced when it comes to portraying a difficult character like Akira. Akira Kuroiwa is a teenage boy who shares a strained relationship with his mother. He is a diligent student but an introvert who falls hard for his teacher, Hijiri.

At first, Akira knows that a relationship between a teacher and student is impossible so he tries hard to push Hijiri away from his thoughts and even in class. But since Hijiri wants to be liked by her students, she relentlessly tries to make him open up to her and share his inner thoughts and future plans with her.

Her warm behavior makes him grow fond of her and he starts to pursue her seriously. Seeing her discomfort and reluctance, Akira does try to change himself and control his feelings but he fails miserably.

This is my first time watching Kenshi Okada and I am extremely impressed by his acting. Akira is a pensive young boy who hardly speaks to anyone so most of his acting relies on his facial expressions and body language. And Kenshi delivers effortlessly.

Akira is often confused by his own feelings. He wants to do what is right but has no control over growing affection for his teacher. Her proximity often sees him slip and act irresponsibly, which causes trouble for her and more pain for him.

The sheer agony, confusion, passion, and even resolve of Akira are expressed effectively by Okada. He looks so helpless that you don’t see any wrong in all that he does. You can see his conflicting emotions and self-restrain and you feel his pain because he conveys it that convincingly.

Apart from the main story, there is the parallel romance of Shotaro Kawai and his senior at work Ritsu Haraguchi. Kawai is engaged to Hijiri but that does not deter Ritsu from professing her feelings for him. Kawai loves Hijiri but their long-distance relationship often spoils their plans and creates problems for them. The bold and outspoken Ritsu senses this and makes a move on him.

Their love story feels wrong at first since Kawai is practically cheating on Hijiri but as the story progresses their unusual connection starts to feel adorable.

…I liked the direction and visuals of the show. Warm colors seemed to be the dominant visual theme here, which was in sync with the slow pace of the drama. Most scenes had dull yellow lighting, which contributed heavily to setting the mellow tone of the story.

The camera work too was splendid as the cinematographer skilfully played with several camera angles to add intensity to pivotal scenes.

Basically what I’m trying to say is that this show is visually appealing to someone like me who likes poignant dramas with a deep sense of passion (forbidden or otherwise).

 I did NOT LIKE ‘Meet Me After School’ because…

…I hate the fact that this show tries to normalize a teacher-student romantic relationship. Teacher-student romance is as good as a separate genre in Japan and I think I understand why they are so obsessed with such a relationship. It is the allure of forbidden romance that makes it so popular. And unlike ‘A Story To Read When You First Fall In Love’ the student in this drama is a lot more aggressive in his approach to love while the teacher is overly meek and confused.

There are a lot of actions, reactions, and decisions that are terribly wrong for the characters and also for the viewers. Here are some minor spoilers to explain what’s wrong with the show.

<<Spoilers>> In the very first episode, we see Hijiri trying to talk to Akira even when he looks clearly uncomfortable and disinterested in talking to her. She tells him that he can speak to her about anything and then says that she thinks he is quite good-looking. Erm…Sensei? Is it okay for teachers in Japan to flirt with students?   

In response to her compliment, he slaps her. Yes, you read it right. Akira slaps Hijiri, grabs her by the wrists, pushes her against a wall, and tells her to stop bothering him. You see, the boy is troubled by his crush on a teacher and when the teacher is in his face, of course, he will react badly. Slapping was a little too much but honestly, it was a great hook by the writer as the shock value made me go on with the show.

In normal circumstances, the slap would have made the teacher angry. But Hijiri is neither angry and nor does she reprimand Akira for his behavior. And this is extremely wrong especially for someone who aims to be a good teacher.

Throughout the show, Akira often grabs Hijiri’s wrists but she hardly protests. As a teacher, isn’t she supposed to pull him up for his poor behavior? Aren’t teacher’s supposed to correct students when they are wrong? But Hijiri doesn’t do that. She hardly ever scolds him for his disrespectful behavior.

At one point, Akira is tired of chasing after Hijiri and decides to give up on her. But then, Hijiri starts going after him. We see that she is aware of his exceptional academic record and wants to encourage him to choose the right career path in the future. So, she keeps pestering him with questions about his future plans. He clearly tries to maintain distance from him but she keeps going after him.

See, I understand Akira. He is a young boy who is bound to have crushes and act thoughtlessly at his age. But what’s wrong with his teacher Hijiri? What’s with her blow hot and cold behavior?  

What’s worse is when Akira starts dating his classmate, Hijiri says she is happy for Akira but when she sees him hugging his girlfriend, she feels jealous and upset about it. Sensei! Make up your mind!

[[Major spoiler]] In one scene, Akira tells Hijiri to meet him alone after the fireworks. From what I’ve seen in Japanese dramas, fireworks are a big thing for lovers as it is a time to confess their feelings for someone. So, Hijiri is aware of why Akira is calling her. And not to my surprise, she goes to meet him. She goes a little late but she goes. And later, after a minor argument, he kisses her. Forget rebuking him she doesn’t even look shocked when he goes in for another kiss. She allows it. Huh? Sensei? He is 15 and this is monumentally inappropriate. It is illegal not only in Japan but in India too!

After the kiss, they even go to her house. At first, I thought maybe he is dropping her home but no….he steps out of the cab and heads to her house holding her hand and she too looks happy to take him home. Ewwwkksss!!! Sensei!!

Thankfully, a surprise visit by their respective loved ones ruins whatever they were planning to do. Thank God! I don’t think I am that liberal to accept a teacher-student love scene. Yikes! [[Major spoiler]]  

When you reach the end of the show, you realize all that happens is to justify the conclusion to their story, which is again wrong on many levels.

To make the romance less controversial, there is a three-year time leap after which Akira turns 18-years old so he can legally pursue his sensei.

In the three years, Hijiri finds a new job and relocates to a small town where no one knows her so she can have a fresh start. She tries hard to hide her past so people do not judge her. But her past eventually does come out and people are shocked to know that as a teacher she was involved with a high school student. Then there is a scene where she admits to her affair in front of the parents of her students.

In a way, it is good to see her be honest and get rid of the fear of being exposed. But when you see it in another way, you realize that this is yet another attempt at making the affair normal and nothing to frown about. It tries to strip off the taboo and make people more accepting of such an affair.

I’m not saying that Hijiri should be ostracized for her past mistake. No! She should be given a chance to move on if she regrets her behavior. But here, we see that she still harbors feelings for her pupil, which does not feel right.     

I feel bad for Akira’s mother who is already so stressed in life and then there is her son’s affair that threatens to ruin his future. There is a scene where she learns that Akira is on his way to stop Hijiri from leaving. She blocks his path and shoves her young teenage boy only to stop him from making a mistake. I could feel the angst and desperation with which she tries to protect and help her unruly child.  

She is extremely rude to Hijiri and even creates trouble for her. But that is what any mother would do because no mother would be okay with a teacher flirting with her son. You may say why should Hijiri suffer alone? Akira should be blamed too. No doubt Akira is at fault, but Hijiri is the adult here who understands the situation a lot better than the underage boy. So, it is natural for people to be angrier with her than with Akira. <<Spoiler>>

I’m conflicted about how to conclude this post. So, I’ll be honest here and say that I enjoyed the show. It was my level of emo and thought-provoking. Seeing two lovers take on the entire world to be together is heart-warming. I loved the cast and was totally engaged with the characters throughout the drama. There was hardly any dull moment for me. The dorama is well-shot and executed. The music is melodiously soothing to the ears.

Here is one of my favorite tracks of this show. This calming track works as a balm for a sore heart.

My only problem is the main plot. Each time I wanted to love the couple, the fact that he still called her ‘sensei’ reminded me of their original relationship and ruined the fun. No matter how much you justify the teacher’s submissive personality and lack of confidence, I cannot accept the fact that she encourages her pupil’s crush on her. Similarly, it does not matter how troubled a student is in his personal life, I cannot accept him acting upon his feelings and kissing his teacher. 

 

I will not rate this show in numbers. Watch ‘Meet Me After School’ only if you are okay with watching teacher-student romance. It has some unusual scenarios that will make you question love and its implications. There are a lot of swoon-worthy moments infused with emotions and pain. So, if romance is your thing then you might love this drama. 

If you are a student, then remember that teacher-student romance is NOT OKAY and whatever happens in this drama is NOT OKAY so please skip this show. Watch it when you grow older and can watch it without feeling influenced by it.    

 

All Image and Screengrabs: Viki.com, TBS

 

 

 

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