This is a spoiler-free review.

( I am writing this at 3 A.M., having just finished the series not half an hour ago. There's schoolwork banging on my door, the allure of my bed at the edge of my room, and the constant distractions that the internet seems to bombard me with. Yet, I cannot seem to bring myself to think of anything else. The worst part about finishing a masterpiece of a series at such a late hour is there's nobody to share it with. So instead, I'm writing down my thoughts here - no drafts, no polish, no pictures - just my thoughts plain and simple. )

This show is, without any exaggeration, one of the greatest stories I have ever had the honor of witnessing. The fully-realized characters, each with their own hardships and desires; the harsh and authentic depictions of friendship, of love, of growing up; the beautiful setting, with each location becoming as familiar as any of the leads; and the music - the utterly stunning, wonderfully crafted, and absolutely breathtaking music.

Kids on the Slope is an absolute joy to watch.

What I feel really binds this story together, more than anything, is just how messy it is. Characters fight for no reason, they get scared and hide things from each other, and they purposefully do stupid things that clearly won't end well. Sometimes things just happen - this show has tragedy, it has regret, it has dangerous decisions and even more dangerous consequences. Some plotlines are just dropped, or resolve without closure. Characters enter from seemingly nowhere and disappear nearly as quickly. It honestly feels like there was no plan at all.

But... that's life, isn't it? Let's be honest: life's a mess. It's full of bad things, bad things we do, and bad things other people do to us. Life hits fast and hits hard, and it can be unexpected and completely out of our control. Sometimes others seem to do things that make no sense to us. We've heard it thousands of times before, but nobody's perfect. No story is perfect. No relationship, neither one of friends nor one of love, is perfect. And that's the point.

It's jazz. It's the imperfections that make it beautiful.

So what if not everything went according to plan? So what if things didn't go where you wanted them to? Sometimes it's the things we do that hurt the ones we love, but sometimes it's the things we don't, and oftentimes there's no way to tell the two apart. Just follow the rhythm, add your own flair, your own vision, and see where the music takes you. No matter the consequences, no matter the regrets, no matter the pain and heartbreak, no matter the mistakes and screw-ups and flaws, no matter how long it takes and how much despair seems to creep below you, the melody will lead you to happiness. So just play along.