若葉のころ

Two teenage boys from starkly different backgrounds find themselves joined in a common search to discover how to do the right thing and find happiness in life. One boy, whose father is an alcoholic, works hard to care for his younger brother and sister, while the other enjoys the privileges of a wealthy family, but is starved for his father's love. Their friendship reflects the sadness, pain, and sometimes cruelty that can enter into the relationships between fathers and sons in today's society.

Amazing first episode that was masterfully crafted to kick start the story and prepare it to venture in all kinds of directions. There was a slight decline in the writing moving forward but it kept holding its own weight for awhile. That prison warden was quite the character. The OST was pretty decent. There was also some glaring inconsistencies like the alcoholic father suddenly becoming sober just to get to the next point in the story. However, the drama hit a major unsalvageable road block. Specifically at the beginning of the last 1/3 of the drama. It turned the drama into cheap vapid melodrama diminishing any merits it previously established for the past 8 episodes. The ending was questionable at best, it didn't really allow for real conversations to be had. It's really unfortunate after it had a very solid run before flipping the switch.