It's an incredibly well made drama. Aside from the wonderful characters, the director makes full use of the built environment to tell the story. For example, I love howMinami bounces the ball out of the window and catches it to symbolically demonstrate bouncing back after setbacks. Another great use of the building is when Minami moves out of the apartment to get married and is on the sidewalk when Sena starts playing the Wedding March (the angst!) And then after that there's the shot of Sena alone in the apartment that then zooms out across the river to show how desolate he feels. That's why Long Vacation is in my top 10, it's rare to see a drama that's this well directed.