Two boys brought together under one roof with one of them starting off with strong resentment toward the other. Gradually they come to have a strong bond that excludes anyone who tries to come between them. It is a bromance but in many ways a “veiled BL”.
Like the characters Hida and Saint, the two leads in "Brothers" are stepbrothers by marriage. They start out as enemies but eventually fall in love.
Same age group and multiple couples, with one of the main leads attracted to both another boy and a female classmate. Also, very similar production values.
'My Youth' (or 'Wait, My Youth') has a similar dynamic between the two leads, with the ML initially aloof and somewhat antagonistic toward the FL. The FL does not chase after him, though, but instead is attracted to another boy, who happens to be the ML's best friend.
It's the ML who slowly comes around to realizing that he was wrong when he once admonished her by saying he could never like a girl like her.
The story follows them through high school and college and into young adulthood, and has a definitive HEA.
It's the ML who slowly comes around to realizing that he was wrong when he once admonished her by saying he could never like a girl like her.
The story follows them through high school and college and into young adulthood, and has a definitive HEA.
This is not just a time-travel love story, it's a time-travel EPIC. I can't imagine that this kind of series could be done any better. There is a similar theme of correcting the mistakes of the past, and the way that the pieces all fit together in the end is amazing.
'Wait, My Youth' has a similar setting and character dynamic to 'Just an Encore'. The FL dreams of being the girlfriend of one of her classmates, a friend who is smart and kind in addition to being a talented pianist. Meanwhile, the guy's best friend is in the same class as the two of them. He gives off a vibe that's the direct opposite: sullen and rebellious. He and the FL start off by disliking each other and make no attempts to hide it. Soon, however, they become deskmates, and while the FL remains fixated on the boy she likes, the other boy realizes his feelings for the FL are changing in a way he never expected.
The series tells the story of how the FL and this "bad boy" (who turns out to be not so bad -- in fact he's an incredibly sweet and supportive boyfriend) eventually fall in love, and it follows them through high school, college, and young adulthood. The way all of the characters transition is done so convincingly that you barely notice as it's happening.
Cap everything off with a happy ending, and you have what is one of my all-time favorite series.
The series tells the story of how the FL and this "bad boy" (who turns out to be not so bad -- in fact he's an incredibly sweet and supportive boyfriend) eventually fall in love, and it follows them through high school, college, and young adulthood. The way all of the characters transition is done so convincingly that you barely notice as it's happening.
Cap everything off with a happy ending, and you have what is one of my all-time favorite series.
With The Untamed you have a Chinese drama that manages to turn subtextual bromance into an art form.