Perfect World

Tsugumi, who works at an interior design firm, has an unexpected encounter with her first love from high school, Itsuki, at a dinner with her client’s whole comp any, an architectural firm. Seeing Itsuki, who is a registered architect with a first-class license and is quite charming, brings back the faint memories from high school. In the middle of dinner, he quietly slips away and begins to head home, getting into a wheelchair. “You didn’t know? Itsuki was in an accident in college, and he can’t walk.” Tsugumi, her pulse racing, takes a step back and thinks to herself, “I can’t love someone in a wheelchair. It’s just not possible to date someone like that.” But when she accepts the reality of the situation and interacts with Itsuki, who struggles but fights to survive each day, she becomes overwhelmed with emotions that she has kept since her youth.

Directed by —, Perfect World leans on a strong ensemble — Tori Matsuzaka, Mizuki Yamamoto, Koji Seto — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The series landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 2019.