This a prequel which could be watched before or after His (2020). Both of this could be a stand alone feature. However, I recommend them as to familiarize with the characters.
Both are BL, Japanese, fairly short series, and really great romances. Love on the line was way more raw and emotional whereas His was more soft and cute, but I really enjoyed them both and I feel like if you liked one you would definitely like the other. The beginning of Love on the line has the sort of coming of age and first love vibe that His has throughout.
Nagisa is 17 years old and attends 2nd grade in high school. He is apart from his parents and lives alone in the seaside town of Fujisawa in Kanagawa. He is passionate about surfing and works at a bathhouse in a hostel on the island Enoshima linked to Fujisawa. Shun is the same age as Nagisa and visits Fujisawa for spring break. They meet and develop a relationship more than friendship. However, the surfing equipment store owner’s daughter Chika has been secretly in love with Nagisa.
Handsome Leads
Japanese BL
Handsome Leads
Japanese BL
Both shows deal with two teenage boys finding love and developing a relationship, moving from friends to lovers while dealing with issues such as identity and one's past. There are some differences of course - in "His" there are two major female characters who advance the story, and "Given"'s backstory is a more tragic, but overall - those who like Given and Japanese BLs in general should give "His" a try. Also, watch the sequel movie (titled "His").
Both dramas are short and tackle the societal denial of what it is to be in a same-sex relationship sensibly and realistically. I love that they both did not exaggerate the idea with campy tropes. Very unlike most BLs. In fact, BL is a hard genre to put these in when they're fully just lovely stories about queer life in spaces that make queerness a non-option.