is a Japanese television series starring

Hikari Mitsushima is a Japanese actress, singer and model. In 2017 she was the vocalist and dancer in Mondo Grosso's videos for "Labyrinth", which has garnered over 35 million views on YouTube as of February 2023, and "In this World". Career She is a graduate ...

and

Takeru Satoh is a Japanese actor. He is best known for his leading role as Kamen Rider Den-O (character)#Ryotaro Nogami, Ryotaro Nogami in the ''Kamen Rider Den-O'' franchise, and as Himura Kenshin in the live-action ''Rurouni Kenshin (film), Rurouni Kenshin ...

, released by

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

on 24 November 2022. The series and its Japanese title were inspired by two

Hikaru Utada , also known mononymously as Utada, is a Japanese and American singer, songwriter, and producer. She is considered to be one of the most influential and best-selling musical artists in Japan. She is best known by international audiences for w ...

songs, "

First Love First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

" and " Hatsukoi".

Plot

The plot revolves around a man and a woman who met in the late 1990s as teenagers and grew up together in the early 2000s. After 15 years, they meet again and try to rekindle their first love through memories. Yae wanted to be a flight attendant but suffered an accident. Harumichi served as a pilot in the

JASDF The , , also referred to as the Japanese Air Force, is the Aerial warfare, air and space warfare, space branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace, other air and space operations, cyberwarfare and ...

but his life took a different path.

Cast

as Yae Noguchi **

Rikako Yagi , is a Japanese model and actress. Personal life and education Rikako Yagi was born on July 7, 2001, in Shiga Prefecture, Japan. Before moving to Tokyo in 2020 to attend university, she lived in her hometown of Shiga, where she balanced her ...

as young Yae *

as Harumichi Namiki ** Taisei Kido as young Harumichi * Kaho as Tsunemi Arikawa * Minami as Yū Namiki ** Itsuki Nagasawa as young Yū *

Akiyoshi Nakao is a Japanese actor. Nakao's wife is actress Riisa Naka is a Japanese actress. She was given a Best New Talent award at the 2009 Yokohama Film Festival. Naka became famous by appearing in ''Hachi One Diver'' (2008) and played the lead, Hana ...

as Bonji Kawano ** Jiei Wakabayashi as young Bonji * Towa Araki as Tsuzuru Kosaka *

Aoi Yamada Aoi Yamada (山田葵, ''Yamada Aoi'', born June 24, 2000) is a Japanese dancer, model and actress based in Tokyo. Her dance form is inspired by expressionist and butoh movements. In 2021, Yamada performed at the closing ceremony of the 2020 Summ ...

as Uta Komori *

Gaku Hamada is a Japanese film and television actor. He was a regular cast member of Fuji TV's '' Operation Love'', appearing in all 11 episodes broadcast in 2007 and the 2008 special, and receiving an award for his role. He has made numerous other TV appea ...

as Ōtaro

Episodes

Reception

Phil Harrison from ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' wrote that "it’s tasteful, idealised and at times, a little antiseptic: romance as designed by

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Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{Netflix original ended series (2019–present) 2022 Japanese television series debuts 2022 Japanese television series endings 2020s romantic comedy television series Fiction about amnesia Japanese romance television series Japanese-language television shows Netflix television dramas Television series set in the 1990s Television series set in the 2000s Television series set in the 2010s Television series set in the 2020s Hikaru Utada