Hello buddies!

A lot of time has passed since I binge-watched a series and I’m glad Glass Heart was the one this time. A friend just mentioned some actors, and that was enough to convince me to watch it, so now I’m here to share with you some extra reasons and to discuss whether it’s worth watching.

Glass Heart (2025)
Adapted from the novel Glass Heart by Wakagi Mio.
Country: Japan
Episodes: 10 (45’ each)
Genres: Music, Romance, Drama
My Rating: 7.5/10

Casting

Satoh Takeru as Fujitani Naoki
Miyazaki Yu as Saijo Akane
Machida Keita as Takaoka Sho
Shison Jun as Sakamoto Kazushi
Suda Masaki as Shinzaki Toya
Takaishi Akari as Sakurai Yukino

Plot

Saijo Akane is an ambitious drummer, but before their debut her group fired her as she’s not matching their “image”.

Fujitani Naoki is a genius musician with an angelic voice. He meets Akane on a day that became unforgettable to both of them, when they realized they shared the same passion for music.

Years later, Naoki is forming a band and asks her to join them. She gladly accepts and joins them as the drummer.

Sho is the band’s handsome guitarist. He’s cheerful and carefree, but always there for others. He’s Naoki’s best friend and the only person who knows him so well to understand his actions without further explanations.

Kazushi is the band’s keyboardist. He’s quiet and easily misunderstood because of his introversion, but truth is, he’s very caring towards others and he really loves the band.

The four of them, “TENBLANK”, start a journey to share their love for music with the world. But is their talent and the passion for music the only weapons they need to face the industry, the rivalries, their relationships, and most importantly, themselves?

Casting

The visuals and the acting were 10/10 on this series. I was amazed by the extremely talented actors and it was a total surprise to watch some of my favorites in a different role. Satoh Takeru’s deep voice was a bonus as well and I have to admit Suda Masaki was unrecognizable in this role. It took me a few minutes to realize it was him.

Characters

All the characters were unique and I really like the process of all these different personalities bonding as a group. I also liked the strong dynamic of the supporting characters, such as Toya and Yukino and their development from seemingly antagonists, to allies.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack was a perfect match to a series full of talented people. The melody, the vocals, the harmony and the way each song reflected them, really amazed me. Watching the process of creating a song, from the first melody to the lyrics was very interesting. I also liked that in every song there was time for every member to emerge, as highlighted in the series.

What I would change (this part contains SPOILERS)

First of all, I feel like Kazushi’s character was totally downgraded. He starts off as a shy guy, developing to someone who fights for what he wants and then (for whatever reason) back to a completely unwilling person lacking confidence and self-sabotaging. I really wanted to watch him fight for what he wants even if that led to a rejection rather than not giving himself a chance at all. The least the writers should do was to give him that chance (because some of us KNOW what happens in the novel, and we’re coming for you!).

On the other hand, Akane, a very strong and ambitious personality, full of passion, completely ignored Kazushi’s feelings. I felt that this was totally out of character, not to even explain her true feelings to him, considering the gradual bonding between them. And that was the biggest problem of the series. Miscommunication.

I did like, though, that Naoki went from a total unsociable person to someone who is open with his feelings, from his relationship with his brother, to Akane. But, to be honest, I wanted to feel those emotions more. His relationship with Akane felt more like a mentor-student relationship to me and I believe the whole (forced) romance thing ruined it. He was surely more than a lover to her. An inspiration, a mentor, a role model and I believed she thought she was into him out of admiration. But I was wrong and although they had chemistry, I didn’t feel the spark.

The final message

Despite all that, I loved the message of the series. We all have our struggles. Maybe less, maybe more, but the only way to face them is to embrace them and keep going. It’s all about trying, not giving up, trust the process, trust others and not facing everything alone. Facing reality, even when it hurts, is part of who we are.

Conclusion

Glass Heart is a series that points out the importance of many things above talent, such as friendship, family and self-awareness. If you love music dramas with emotional depth and strong character dynamics, this one’s for you. It may not be flawless, but it’s heartfelt – and that’s what makes it worth your time.

I hope you enjoyed this review! I’d love to read your opinions and if you want, like and subscribe for more.

Thanks for reading,
Utaku