Di4ries is an Italian teen comedy-drama series released on Netflix on 26 July 2022. The series was first released in Italy on 18 May. Alessandro Celli directs it and the screenplay is written by Mariano Di Nardo, Simona Ercolani and Angelo Pastore. There are 15 episodes with a runtime ranging from 24-52 minutes respectively.

The cast includes Andrea Arru as Pietro, Flavia Leone as Livia, Biagio Venditti as Daniele, Sofia Nicolini as Isabel, Liam Nicolosi, Federica Franzellitti as Monica, Francesca La Cava as Arianna, Pietro Sparvoli as Mirko, Liam Nicolosi as Giulio and Fiorenza Tessari as Teacher.

Netflix’s synopsis of the series reads:

First crushes, first kisses, fun with friends — and feuds with rivals. In the halls of Galileo Galilei Middle School, every day is full of surprises!

-Di4ries Review Does Not Contain Any Spoilers-

The series is set on the island of Ischia, in the hamlet of Marina Piccola and tells the story of a group of teenagers attending the Galileo Galilei Middle School. Each episode is told from the point of view of one of the main characters, who become the narrator of the story. The characters often break the 4th wall and directly address the viewers, like writing/talking to a diary.

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At first, we are introduced to Pietro, he is a guy who is not afraid to say what he thinks and stays true to his ideas. He can’t stand being at home, as his parents fight all the time and blame each other for everything, even in situations where they should be angry at their son due to his mischief.

He further introduces us to the other characters as he meets them on his way to his class. As soon as he reaches the school, a girl named Arianna messages him, she certainly has a crush on him but considers herself Miss Universe. Then he meets Livia who is ‘Miss Perfect’ and does everything by the book.

Followed by the antagonist/bullies of the school, the guys in class 3D and their boss Matteo Grimaldi ‘Grimo’ who is also Livia’s boyfriend, ironically. Pietro saves his classmate Michele from him and then we meet his best friend, Giulio, the joker of the class. He loves to joke, which are mostly harmless but are sometimes exaggerated.

Other lead characters include Isabel, a sporty and determined girl who is best friends with Monica, the geek of the class and together they are called champions of justice. At last, we meet Daniele, a good guy. They all are in the class 2D and don’t really go along well with each other.

There are 3 concurrent themes running in the background that defines the actions of its characters. First is that Pietro accepts the bet by Giulio that by the end of the school year he will be able to kiss both Arianna and Livia. The second is a 5-on-5 basketball match between Pietro’s team and Matteo’s team to figure out who is the boss.

Third and the main theme is the announcement of the closing down of the school, where they will be transferred to a school in Marina Grande. But the catch is class D will be segregated and everyone might end up in different classes depending on the spots. While these situations form the backdrop of the series plot.

The characters face a number of problems throughout which get solved when they come together and help each other. Teaching them the importance of friendship, love and oneness. Most characters face common issues like first love, kiss, companionship, family separation, peer pressure and other important things like communication gap between the ages and dyslexia/learning disabilities in kids.

We can often see that there is a conflict between adults and teenagers, be it the parents who put more responsibilities on one kid while the other runs carefree. Or parents who are too consumed in their own conflicts to care about their kids. The kids feel trapped by their parents, wishes and dreams and wish to be free from all of them.

Which they get in their school setting with their classmates. Together they play pranks or revenge, give & take relationship advice, and share their innermost fears and secrets. Above all, they want to save their school from getting closed and stay together with their peers.

Final Thoughts: Stream It or Skip It?

Di4ries on Netflix is a casual lighthearted watch. It caters to a relatively young audience and children. When the series started and the character said, ‘I am almost 13 and literally a grown-up’, deeply reminded of my teen years when I thought the same and went through a rebellious phase of figuring out myself, just like the characters.

It is a show about growing up, trying to understand yourself better and not getting swayed by what your peers think or do. However, sometimes the dialogues feel a bit awkward(?) It could be a translation gap as well. The actors have done a great job but the plot doesn’t seem to have enough drama or suspense to build it till the end.

There are many twists and problems faced by the characters but they aren’t sketched out enough to become a big part of the plot, instead, they are solved quickly and faced by another one. It is like a Disney/Nickelodeon show with a basic theme of school closing down running through the episodes, as we get to know the characters and their lives.

Di4ries is streaming on Netflix.

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