Spoiler ahead. If you prefer the suspense, click here.
The first episode, although admittedly slow, pulled me in. I had an idea of how the story would end, it's just a matter of how it would develop. And development is slow. The Jdorama certainly took its time building up the circumstances surrounding an HIV positive individual, the main characters (Masaki and Keigo), and the characters around them. To be honest, it made me yawn quite a number of times and made my eyes tear up (from boredom, mind you), but all that building up paid off; during the conflicting moment wherein Masaki's family has discovered her illness, I learned how her family members contributed to Masaki's rebellious spirit: Her mother, though supportive of her, is having an extramarital affair; her father, a workaholic in order to pay their mortgage, blames his wife for everything that has happened to Masaki; Satoru, the nerdy younger brother, despite his knowledge of the disease, considers his sister an embarrassment.
Believe it or not, my favorite character is Hibino Isamu. Initially he's Masaki's "FF", who has been in love with her all along but later proves himself an invaluable friend (I wouldn't have minded if they ended up together in the drama). As for Keigo, he is undeniably hot, although Kaneshiro Takeshi's acting could use a little improvement (IMHO, I think he's holding himself back a little and has yet to unleash the full power of his emotions). Masaki (played by Fukada Kyoko) played the whiny teenager all too well. So well, that at one point I actually felt irritated with all her crying and shouting (then again, contracting the HIV virus is enough reason to bawl over). Kaoru (played by Nakama Yukie of the Gokusen fame and one of my favorite Japanese actresses) as usual played her part to the hilt. It is apparent that she is struggling with her feelings toward Keigo; she is in love with him and yet is guilty because he's the lover of her dead sister. Her surge of protectiveness for Keigo when Masaki came into the picture is fascinating to watch. It is hard to dislike her as the villain in the drama, knowing that she's only after Keigo's interest (and of course, her heart's interest as well).
Of course it is inevitable that Masaki dies in the end---I think that much is established right at the beginning. But the repercussions of her disease---the issue of school bullying, her relationship with her mother (who gave up her extramarital affair to be with her daughter),the question of pregnancy in an HIV-positive individual, the debate on abortion, and best of all the relationship between a renowned composer and a high school student who will later develop AIDS----are what make this Jdorama tick. In a nutshell, it has the elements of romance along with the stigma that one of the most debilitating diseases humankind has ever known carries.
My rating: 8/10. I'd like to give it a perfect 10, but Masaki's excessive crying and the pacing of this Jdorama dragged it down. Still, I watched all 12 episodes four times already. And no, I haven't lost my marbles. Wait until you hear how many times I've watched Disney's Beauty and the Beast.
Related links:
> The complete episodes of Kamisama Mou Sukoshi Dake (subbed by SARS' Amrayu); in torrents.
> Fan made music video of Kudo Shizuka's In the Sky (Kaoru's most sung song in the Jdorama).
Memorable scenes: Quite a number of them, which is probably why this is one of my most watched Jdorama (aside from Nodame Cantabile):
> Masaki and Asami (her best friend), while in a cab, sees Keigo in a van parked beside them. Masaki, regardless of the heavy downpour, got out of the cab and chased after the van. When the van stopped before a red light and in front of a foot walk overhead, Masaki climbed said foot walk and, right in front of the van below, she spread the banner she made for the concert. (It said, "I love Keigo.")
> Masaki and Keigo are in the city when she catches sight of some Keigo posters being put up---interestingly, she wants the poster even though she has the real thing beside her. So Keigo, the gentleman, faces the man putting up the posters and tells him, "He is stunning," in reference to the poster. The man putting up the poster does a double take: He stares at Keigo, to the poster, then back to Keigo. All the while, Keigo makes a hand gesture toward Masaki to filch a roll of the poster nearby. When the deed is done, Keigo grabs her hand and both run away through the bustling city.
> Keigo, after being away from Japan for three years, comes back to do a concert with Kaoru and is in his hotel room. When he looks out of the window, he sees Masaki in the hotel grounds below. He debates whether to go see her (he has been told that she is recently engaged), and in the end, decides to meet her. He almost misses her, but as fate would have it, while he takes a drink in a drinking fountain, Masaki sees him. It is as if time is frozen, and they stand staring at each other (after three years!) with Masaki touching her pendant (Keigo has a similar one, which he lost, thanks to Kaoru).