Japan is notorious for producing series that are morally complex. They make people think and feel, all while walking that fine line between the human conscience.

The Japanese BL drama Jack O Frost is no different. It tells the story of illustrator Okusawa Ritsu and salesman Ikegami Fumiya as their relationship is tested when Ritsu loses his memory of their time together.

There are many things I can say about Jack O Frost, and a lot I’ve already said online, but at the end of the day, what stands out most is how well the series maintains the inner turmoil of a relationship on the verge of ending.

How one feels about the characters depends heavily on who is reviewing them. There’s no right or wrong way to interpret it. From the delusion many felt Fumiya wanted to hold onto to the truth Ritsu wished to forget, enough so that the accident he’s involved in only affects his memory of one person, Fumiya.

Looking at the bigger picture, Jack O Frost is a simple story, but the emotions and decisions it focuses on are anything but simple. It’s an emotional narrative that depends heavily on the skills of its actors. Honda Kyoya (Ritsu) and Suzuki Kosuke (Fumiya) don’t disappoint.

I came into this drama with few expectations, mainly because I’ve never been a fan of the amnesia trope for multiple reasons. Eleven years ago, I was in a horrible car accident in which a family member suffered trauma to the head. Life flighted on life support, they pulled through, but a chunk of their life was missing when they came to.

And herein is where the moral ambiguity becomes an issue, something most dramas/books/films about amnesia don’t take the time to confront. But Jack O Frost does.

Do you tell the person who lost their memory everything about the time/people/places they’re missing?

Most would say “yes.” But there’s also the ever-present issue of what telling someone about their life can alter. Amnesia patients are often taken advantage of and manipulated. They depend on someone else’s point of view of their life, flaws, and decisions. If their memory returns or not, this has an impact. Sometimes telling amnesia patients about themselves and their relationship affects the accuracy of returning memories. It taints them.

In Jack O Frost, Fumiya makes a choice. It isn’t a malicious one, but it also walks a fine line. He decides to live with Ritsu as roommates, omitting the fact that they were once a couple. By doing so, he hopes to start anew. To some, this is unfair to Ritsu. To others, it makes sense. To an extent.

In my family’s case, the person who lost their memory regained them within a few weeks, although they lost much more than simply the memory of one person. Fortunately, however, their personality did not change. The same goes for Ritsu in Jack O Frost.

Now let me tell you why Ritsu’s personality staying the same is vital to the drama. Behavior change is a common occurrence with amnesia. With wider, more prominent gaps in memory, an altered personality is not unexpected. Someone who was once lighthearted and outgoing can now be introverted and quiet. Or vice versa. Who they are as a person has changed. Their memories may never return, so they make peace with who they’ve become. The relationships they had before are new again. And some prefer to let it start over. To explore the people in their lives as who they are now without knowing who they were to them before because they no longer recognize the person in themselves others remember.

Feelings change. People change. Starting over as someone different isn’t a bad thing. But for those who still remember, they become a gray character, someone who can’t make the right decision in the eyes of the world no matter which choice they make. Suppose they tell the amnesiac who they are and what memories they are missing. In that case, that person is manipulating the amnesiac’s memories, even if that person is being honest. Because it’s from their point of view. Now suppose they hide the truth from the amnesiac. In that case, they are a liar and delusional.

There are key major differences between Jack O Frost from severe amnesia cases but also a few similarities.

In Fumiya’s case, he chose the middle ground. He didn’t reveal the truth (making half the viewers dislike his action), but he didn’t do anything nefarious to Ritsu. He lived as Ritsu’s roommate, hoping feelings would grow between them.

Unlike with severe amnesia, Ritsu didn’t lose who he was. He only lost the memories of one person, so the behavior leading to Ritsu and Fumiya’s break up remains. Fumiya doesn’t speak up. Ritsu doesn’t listen. And that is the crux of all their problems, which means their outcome won’t be any different unless they both learn to find that balance between speaking and listening.

Both men delude themselves. Both men want to start over. Ritsu’s selective memory loss makes the pain he wants to forget apparent.

But neither man has changed.

And yet one thing remains. They love each other.

So, it’s not surprising that when Ritsu’s untainted memories suddenly returned, he realized not only why he loves Fumiya but also why he wanted to forget. He also recalls memories he kept from Fumiya.

Relationships aren’t always about sharing everything. They’re about allowing each other a chance to grow separately within that relationship. Whether it’s allowing them the opportunity to start anew or facing the fact that it’s over.

No matter which side of the fence you sit on with Fumiya, he’s Ritsu’s choice. But also know that no matter what choice Fumiya had made, the amnesia made him a gray character most will not agree on. Illness has a way of making people question morality, from taking a loved one off life support to deciding what someone you love should remember about you.

And that’s the heart-rending reason why Jack O Frost leaves an impression. Not only because it’s a beautiful love story but because Fumiya has now been placed into that gray box no one wants to admit they belong in. I’d rather be gray than always right or always wrong. There’s flexibility in that blurred line that makes it easier to view humanity in an unbiased and understanding way.

And that’s the box Ritsu also realizes he belongs in with Fumiya by his side.

For a drama that will make you fall in love all over again, check out Jack O Frost on Gagaoolala.

Rating- 4 out of 5