Jdrama Review: Switched (Sora wo Kakeru Yodaka)
Original Title: 宇宙を駆けるよだか (Sora wo Kakeru Yodaka)
Network: Netflix
No. of Episodes: 6 episodes
Release Date: August 1, 2018
Cast: Kiyohara Kaya, Tomita Miu, Shigeoka Daiki, Kamiyama Tomohiro
Genre: Supernatural, romance, drama, psychological, youth
Notes: Based on a manga, 40 minutes per episode
Review:
I think this is the best teen drama I've ever watched. No kidding. I mean, most shoujo manga adaptations tend to be light and fluffy, cliche, and some has superficial plot, but this one's entirely different.
the lead characters from the original manga
Switching bodies theme is pretty popular and I'm personally fond of it. I've seen a few using these theme but I have never seen something as brilliant as Switched. Kawabata Shiki, the manga-ka, used the theme to its full potential and gave us a magnificent twist. And God, the way she plotted the whole story was simply amazing. I was absolutely deceived by her! Needless to say, the story alone is a solid 5/5 to me.
Now, let's go to the characters. The four lead characters were so relatable and I love how Kawabata-sensei purposely made them look stereotypical and perfect at first but were actually so very human. Just like how Ayumi-chan was the cliche popular Madonna of the class - rich, pretty, and has lots of friends, with two ikemen osananajimis (handsome childhood friends) who were both in love with her. But as we slowly found out more about her and the other characters, we realized how flawed they are, how their insecurities reflect ours.
I particularly love how despite the popular trope in shoujo manga using pretty girls as villains, Sensei proved that pretty girls can have a pretty heart and pure soul, too. I also love how Umine-chan was created because she was the most relatable character in the story. We knew exactly where she's coming from. Her resentment towards pretty and blessed individuals, to her negligent, poor mom, and to the whole world due to her pitiful fate was so real and raw to me. We can't really blame her for who she was. How her character developed, especially at the last scene, really melted my heart.
This show taught me that everyone, no matter how evil they once were, can change. And that you can still be pretty even if the society's standard considers you ugly. That there's more to life than we give physical appearance and popularity credit for. If you accept and love yourself, others will accept and love you too. If you reach out to others and have your real feelings conveyed, what you thought was an unbreakable barrier btween you and the others would instantly be destroyed and the world would be a better place. A place wherein you could pretty inside out without the need to drastically change how you physically look like.
I'm truly grateful for this show for making me realize such important life lessons because sometimes, I, myself, am very insecured about how I look like. This gave me the confidence boost to accept and love myself more. Because this is the body that God has given me.
Of course, I cannot end this review without giving my praises for the awesome script, cinematography, and OST of the drama. (In fact, I am still very much in love with its theme song, Dirt Luck (アカツキ) by Johnny's West.❤) They made the overall drama a masterpiece, garnering a perfect 5/5 from me. I'm really so glad that I've put Switched in my priority watch list after my friend recommended it to me. Kudos to Netflix as well for making this live action possible. Looking forward to more high-quality and impressive Japanese dramas produced by Netflix~!
Rating: ★★★★★
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