My Thoughts On Koizora: Sky Of Love

In the summer of 2024, I was looking for a new drama series to watch while working from home when I came across Koizora (Sky of Love).  I have been watching J-dramas for years, but I've never heard of it, even though the movie starring Hurama Miura and Yui Aragaki came out in 2007, and the drama series a year later.

When I started watching the series, I thought it was another sweet and innocent high school romance. Boy meets girl, and girl falls head over heels for the boy, but I had no idea of what I was getting myself into when I started this beautiful yet painful love story. I didn't experience my first love in high school; in fact, I didn't date until university. However, as a teenager, I had an unrealistic idea of what love was.

Most girls tend to think that their first love will be the man they'll get married to and have children with, at least I did. A breakup or death never came up in any of the scenarios I came up with when I started thinking about love, and Koizora (Sky of Love) shows that love isn't any easier for teenagers and sometimes, it isn't enough to be with the person you love.

Koizora (Sky Of Love): Hiro And Mika

The Koizora (Sky of Love) drama series and movie are based on a mobile novel written by Mika. Mika was a new writer when she submitted a story based on her own experience, which was then published as a book in 2007. A movie adaptation was released in the same year, followed by a drama series in 2008 starring Koji Seto as Hiro and Erena Mizusawa as Mika. 

The story follows Mika Tahara, an easygoing high school student who loves taking photos of the sky and has yet to encounter true love. One day, she bumps into a rebellious kid in school, Hiro, who stands out due to his bleached hair and piercings. Hiro leaves a bad impression on Mika, who is put off by his appearance. A few days later, Mika loses her mobile phone while hanging out with her friends, only to find it later on with all her contacts deleted.

From that day on, she received calls from the mysterious boy who deleted her contacts. As they spoke daily on the phone, Mika became interested in the boy, and one day he asked her if they could meet on the first day back to school after summer break. Mika is shocked to find out that the person on the other end of the phone is Hiro Sakurai, the rebellious boy with silver hair. As Mika gets to know Hiro, they fall in love. Little does she know that their love would be beautiful, painful and tragic.

Hiro (Koji Seto) and Mika (Erena Mizusawa) in Koizora, Sky of Love drama

Hiro, Mika And The Other Girl

Hiro had an ex-girlfriend, whom he broke up with before dating Mika. She didn't take it well, as expected and decided to torment Mika for being with Hiro. Mika had nothing to do with their breakup, but she was blinded by jealousy and hired some guys to rape Mika. What happened to her was horrible, and Hiro blamed himself for not being able to protect her. Despite the pain and anger, this awful experience will bring them closer and strengthen their love.

It seemed like nothing could tear them apart, but strategy struck soon after, more than once. I believe I've said enough to make you want to watch the drama or movie; it's worth it, and there is so much to learn from Hiro and Mika's story. Their love was intense for their age, and it is the type of love that can easily go wrong. Hiro was a gentle soul despite his rebellious look. His feelings for Mika were genuine, and he stayed true to himself until the end, even though I don't agree with some of the decisions he made.

Hiro was Mika's first love, and she loved him with all her heart. She didn't blame him or walk away when his ex-girlfriend was tormenting her. She was always there for him, and later on would come back to be by his side after he pushed her away. It brought her so much pain to love him, yet she never had any regrets. She seemed sweet and delicate, but Mika is an amazing girl who was able to recover from a horrible experience and grief.

The Boy Who Became The Sky

Mika's impression of Hiro is that he was like a river, looking ahead without ever stopping! This was reaffirmed when Hiro took her to his favourite place, and she told him. You really are like a river, to which Hiro replied, I would rather be like the sky so that I can always find you wherever you go. It's one of the most beautiful and emotional scenes in Koizora. When I was halfway through the drama in 2024, I remember saying to myself, May this type of love never find me.

Falling in love with Hiro felt like a punishment for Mika; they had happy moments, but she went through so much just for loving him, and it was heartbreaking to watch. I cried my eyes out the entire time, and after watching the movie the other night, I now think their story has some valuable life lessons I didn't want to acknowledge at the time.

Koizora (Sky of Love) is a tale of a beautiful and tragic love story between two high schoolers. It perfectly captures the realities of life, and love isn't easy for teenagers. Jealousy can turn a cute high school girl into a crazy ex-girlfriend, and your first love might not have a happy ending. If you haven't watched Koizora, I highly recommend picking up the drama or movie and why not both? Have your tissue box ready, you'll need it!