Chastity High Review: Japanese YA Drama Has a Lot of Heart

In this Japanese YA drama, a strict high school starts a rule that no student can engage in any romantic or sexual relationship in or out of school, resulting in chaos erupting among the students. Soon, however, a mysterious social media account pops up that starts to blackmail the students into relationships resulting in further chaos as the school soon erupts into people betraying each other to save their own skins. As students start to revolt against this unfair rule, a group of students decide to take matters into their own hands and figure out the person behind the account, in hopes of putting an end to the anarchy and saving their own secrets in the process.

Written by Eriko Shinozaki and Rin Shuto, the series has 8 episodes, each with a runtime of around 45 minutes.

Chastity High Review

I have many questions about this odd rule in the Asuran Academy that apparently can keep an eye on students even after school, going as far as to enlist students to do their dirty deeds and possibly taking away from their study time after hours. It’s a little unbelievable and requires one to really jump into the belief that this could ever fly in a country that believes in the free will of its citizens, much less in a school where a ton of rich kids study. Just the thought of rich kids getting expelled because they dared to get involved with the opposite sex is funny to me, but sometimes we all need to suspend disbelief I guess.

The series is based on a real-life incident in Japan where a young woman was asked to voluntarily withdraw from school after breaking their school dating ban rule after which she sued the school corporation and encompasses many different social situations that will strike a chord with viewers. The concept of high school love has been brought to the screen many times but Chastity High brings a thrilling as well as an emotional flavour to it that sets it apart from other shows of the YA genre.

The depth of emotions in the series is handled well, as we see different people experiencing the emotions of growing close and falling in love. There’s a sweetness in the series and a sense of thrill and adventure as the kids try to keep their relationships a secret while Ichica also attempts to keep her classmates safe. The cat and mouse chase and the emotions running high among the students make for a great watch and the deep backstories created for all of these characters invest you into the story from the first episode itself. Although there isn’t a ton of lust involved, I would say there’s an anticipation of romance and love that is infectious and will steal people’s hearts.

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The love blossoming between the students is sweet and there is a hint of innocence that separates it from other similar shows that rely too much on sex. There’s no ickiness involved that will make you recoil in your seats and, in fact, you will be left pleasantly surprised by how much the relationships of the kids grow on you. And then there is the budding romance between Ichica & Ryogo and her relationship with Atsushi. The former is teased from the first episode and is a slow-burn romance that will steal your heart while there is a longing and genuineness in Atsushi’s interests that will make you root for him as well.

All the characters are given reason and an arc, which isn’t always seen in shows such as these. Even the adults, although not featured as much, have a purpose and a cohesive storyline that is very interesting. It also doesn’t help that these stories feel realistic and unlike the romance ban twist by the grumpy and cartoonishly evil principal, there’s depth to the other characters that becomes hard to skip. I think the principal’s storyline needed some subtlety and a bit more depth. Her harping on shamelessly gives away her intent the moment she opens her mouth and the shameless sexism feels unnecessary after a point.

In that respect, I found the last episode to be a bit much. It’s a very sudden shift and comes out of nowhere, leaving viewers confused about the abrupt change in tone. I found episode 8 to also be rather confusing and meandering, with random things thrown in here and there, leaving me a bit confused. I wondered why Ichica would now be so afraid in the last scene to be in a relationship with a man who lives overseas. I mean, the rule was not getting physically intimate with a man, I hardly think talking to anyone would get her pregnant. Maybe I am missing the point here but, personally, the ending could’ve been finessed a lot.

Final Thoughts

Chastity High is so sweet and warm-hearted. Showcasing tender love between young high schoolers in a strict and authoritarian environment, the series’s emotions are on-point and the situations relatable. From the adults to the teenagers, everyone’s struggles are interesting and the episodes fly by quickly before you can even realise it. Although I thought it would be something like Elite or Extracurricular, it’s surprising that the thrill aspects aren’t overdone and you can enjoy some very sweet moments throughout. There’s a ton of drama, especially in the last episode, but it’s really interesting and the unnecessary meanderings of the plot don’t get on your nerves too much, leaving you entertained till the end.

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