Takara-kun to Amagi-kun (2022)

harmless first love

At first I didn’t think this would really be that good, and it’s not amazing or anything.. but man.. the chemistry in this makes it so good and makes it A LOT better than other BL’s today. The leads actually have chemistry and play off saboteur, they aren’t afraid to get close to each other. I’m so glad that I am not baited with them. This show is a lot better than people give it credit for

The editing of the first episode can be confusing, but I’m pretty good at finding things out so I am good with that. I honestly really like the editing, it’s not too campy and it has a balance with its tender moments and easy going moments. So the confession scene was chronologically at the end of the episode and then they got together, that’s all good there. If you end up being confused by it then that would only frustrate me if you say the drama is bad because of it. I will say it a million times, I rate dramas with what the drama is trying to accomplish in mind. This is a high school romance, and it has a lot of things that make it interesting so the rating is higher than the others here.

Amagi is so likeable. He is by far the cutest BL character I’ve seen, even more than Aoki in Keith Hatsukoi (which says a lot). He is just genuinely a fun loving character and is an optimist. Takara on the other hand I didn’t think I’d like, and to the shows credit they are supposed to be opposites. At the end I came to understand his character and overall the both of theirs. They are opposites, foils to each other. Amagi keep inside his social boundary and isn’t ‘popular’, he is optimistic and not afraid to share his feelings. Takara is the extrovert but to me they switch with that, as Takara is put in the role of being popular but keeps to himself inside of his circle where Amagi talks to his friends more and seems to have more fun. Takara keeps his feelings back because he doesn’t want to overwhelm others. They really are opposites and I like how the dialouge showcased that.

This show is so much better than people are saying it is. You have to take in what’s there, face value it seems less than it is. But for the story it’s telling it does it so so well, and it doesn’t waste time. Now for the chemistry, I am wonderfully surprised here. Both of the leads are natural with each other and I swear, when I say them holding hands I really thought they were a real couple in real like. Again I didn’t think I’d buy into it, I thought that the confession scene was too dramatic- but looking back onto everything as a whole their storyline is going very nicely. Takara was the one to be down bad first and I LOVE that, I really thought that was a nice plot twist and getting through the first episode it made it better and better. I

Finishing up the show was very enjoyable. Don’t expect a heavy plot, this show is full of sweet moments. The fact that the leads get together early on is great to see. You can see their relationship for the duration of the show. I do see people complaining about how it seems to not do anything, but there is a genre for that. This show is a slice of life and goes about their days as a couple together, it’s not outstanding and doesn’t overstep its boundaries. No- it isn’t perfect, but it is fun and sweet.

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slice of life highschool BL (need a Tanaka/Katori spin off)

Overall: this is a slice of life series that floats on vibes rather than plot. Aired on Gagaoolala/Viki (depends on your country)

Content Warnings: manhandling

What I Liked
- Amagi being honest during the gardening
- the perspective shift in episode 1
- their conversation in episode 3 was wonderful*
- supportive friend, specifically Katori (I need him to be a lead in a BL, nerdy guy with player guy - sign me up)
- that they held hands a few times, cute moments
- the OST
- production value

Room For Improvement
- the multiple time skips back and forth in the first episode made it feel choppy, also in episode 4 and 5
- each episode feels more like a contained story rather than there being an overarching plot
- finally explained in episode 4 why Takara liked Amagi, wish this had been shown sooner
- there were times they were somewhere and suddenly the next scene is elsewhere
- not a fan of the dynamic of a low affect/unusual affect guy and the happy go lucky guy with low self esteem
- *unhappy with the very ending as Amagi gave a clear signal of not wanting to do that
- their haircuts and blurry face/lips (but I didn't take off points for this)

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Fluffy and cute

I started watching this drama because I needed a break from all the crime and drama shows I was watching. If you want something that's just pure fluff, then this is for you. However, if you're expecting an intense or interesting plot line, you should probably look for something else. This is just 100% fluff with barely any storyline.

PROS
-Great music

- Does not require you do focus too much - As said earlier, this show has barely any plotline, so you can easily watch this if you just want to relax and chill.

-Full of fluff and happiness

-Good side characters - I really love how both the main side characters were written in this show.
I would be so happy if I had a friend like Katori. He's kind, supportive, protective, and not judgemental. I also liked Tanaka, who is quite different compared to Katori. I initially disliked Tanaka's character and wished he would go away, but as the episodes progressed I could see that he has a much deeper character compared to the rest and I loved that his character had development within the amount of screen time he was given. I honestly wish I could see Tanaka as a main character.

CONS
-Awkward acting from the main characters. The acting was quite stiff and awkward throughout the show (though it got better in the second half). To be honest, I liked the actors who played Tanaka and Katori better. They felt more natural to watch.

-Same problem in almost every episode. I don't know why, but BL's love having miscommunication tropes and unfortunately this show is no different. I'm okay with seeing that trope once or twice, but this show kept bringing it up so often that I got irritated.

-Face filters - This isn't a really big con, but the filters applied on Amagi's face really bothered me. I don't understand the purpose of the filter, but for me it just makes the actor 's face look weird and distracting.

Overall, this is still a good watch because it's stress-free and happy. This is a good option if you're tired of watching drama or intense storylines.

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high school crush, chaos muffin, high angst, classic seme/uke, secret relationship

Don’t expect modern BL but do expect classic live action yaoi. Japan played with narrative beats with this one so, it actually launches with a confession scene and secret relationship. The initial meat cutes are told from each boy’s perspective as flashbacks. It’s really flipping good with both of them liking each other, and already in a relationship, yet so nervous about what to do. It’s completely and totally high school first love, flip-flopping agony and joy. It made me so happy but it’s also so teenage crisis management it’s traumatic to live through. This is my favorite kind of Japanese BL, I kept getting a hint of Seven Days and I never mention that show lightly.

Amagi, our uke, is an ADORABLE sunshine bean nugget with wildly uncontrollable elbows, one of the weird outsider kids. He’s frantically jerky and clumsy but in a way that doesn’t seem as overblown as Aoki did in Kieta Hatsukoi.

Takara is elegant to the point of deadpan, too cool, one of the popular clique, reserved and inaccessible at first(to us and Amagi). But turns out Japan is doing their version of pining with him. And when Japan does pining it skips right over yearning and into THIRST.

Takara, it turns out, is the one who liked Amagi first, and it’s Takara who will latch on to Amagi’s confession as an excuse to hold on as tightly as possible to his sunshine. Takara’s reason for keeping their relationship secret is that he doesn’t wanna share Amagi, ‘cause he thinks his friends will like Amagi too much and steal his attention - such a seme reason. Takara will (as we learn, as we watch him learn, and as eventually we see Amagi learn) do absolutely anything to keep Amagi. He’ll risk his friendships, his popularity, his status, even go against his own nature and learn to communicate (which includes going against his personality as a sullen teen).

“I like him so much that it feels stupid.”

The show depicts depth of character and balance by switching perspectives and voice overs from Amagi to Takara relatively quickly. We need this as Amagi shows too much emotion and Takara too little. Takara is a classic seme, voicing many of the conceits of the archetype while at the same time being a seme who is scared of his own semeness and therefore forced to learn to communicate. Amagi’s fears are all the fears of first love (and not really queer love, just first time jitters) and Takara’s attempts to mitigate that fear mean trying to understand Amagi better through conversation.

I adore this because part of first love should be learning how to talk to each! The way Takara evolves in this matter is so good and so important to the BL genre I did a whole post about it. I genuinely think this is a BL suitable to show to youngsters and teens, a genuine YA coming of age narrative.

It is Takara’s voiceover that really blew this show away for me. All too often in BL we only get the uke’s perspective and that means, with a difficult uke, it can be hard to understand why the seme likes the uke in the first place (see SCOY). With these two we are never left in any doubt that Takara thinks Amagi is beyond adorable, wants to have him (in all way) and keep him (probably in all ways too). Takara is also a corny, awkward, dork, because coolness and passion are incompatible, and I we him for this. He keeps stepping on land mines with Amagi and not knowing what to do about it. Good thing his default it to actually communicate. GOOD SEME, have a cutie as a treat. And Takara does win, there were more kisses in this high school JBL than I have seen since Seven Days. Sure they are awkward, teenager, dead fish kisses, but for this narrative that totally worked for me.

“He said something cute and I couldn’t help myself“ is so traditional Japanese seme in one sentence I can’t even.

As a couple, and we see them in a relationship for the entire show, these two are sweetly shy, and so painfully high school awkward it’s almost unbearable. The hand holding! The torture of decision making when you can’t read his mind! The. Agony. of. it. All. But I happen to enjoy the way burgeoning desire works with high school characters better than in any of the other settings Japan explores. What I find annoying in an office drama like Senpai is fine here.

Warning though, these two pretty much define cringe. Takara because he is trying desperately to maintain his reserve (and perform perfect seme) while simultaneously being so in love/lust with Amagi in high school where desire is, by definition and practice, uncool. While Amagi is just a tiny basket case with more than a hint of blushing maiden about him. He is all frenetic movements and angles, like he cannot control his limbs or his emotions, both are deeply confusing to him. Watching them stumble around each other and reflectively agonize over every little movement and conversation is an exercise in joy, patience, and terror. It’s all so “teenager” I can hardly stand it.

I gnawed on my knuckles and squealed a lot with this show. Reserved cool kid who must lean to communicate to keep the tiny disaster nugget he’s madly in love with. It is beyond charming: soft and gentle, packed with cuteness and high school angst. Did anything actually happen? No. Was it emotionally tense and paced well enough for me not to notice? Absolutely. Was there plot? Not really. Did I enjoy the hell out of it, anyway? Oh yes.

9/10

TOTALLY RECOMMENDED

GaGa’s subs are more poetic but Viki’s are more comprehensible, so I did (and recommend) both but if you must pick? Viki.

I you liked this show you should watch Seven Days and even Old Fashion Cupcake. Also something like Cherry Magic, My Love Mix Up, and Mr Unlucky might also be enjoyable. For something a little less cringe but with a similar dynamic there’s Korean BLs Cherry Blossoms After Winter and Light on Me. (Also T&A features one of the best wingman since Namgong.

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Blue and Beige Fluff...

This is such a treat for all us icicle meets bubbly fans out there.... As the cold male lead in this is probably the ultimate cold male lead... expressionless popular coooool and very straight forward. While the bubbly male lead is bubbly on the outside completely devoured by insecurity and fear on the inside.

Together they take us on a journey filled with both respect and jealousy... But without the toxicity we are otherwise used to seeing in a relationship where jealousy resides. On our journey we meet some pretty interesting friendships and very beige and blue scenery. As the sea, the pavement the walls... Yes all seem to match the kids school uniforms. But also kind of boring to look at.

We also get invited in to the boys inner thoughts and shameful dreams (perfectly normal for teens) with added fluff and subtle humour here and there subtle enough to be funny and not annoy me.. We also get to see them show care for each other in very particular ways. I could actually see myself as a teen in the bubbly male lead...

The time line is is all mixed up and the drama is a bit oddly edited, but if you just try to pay attention and have some patience I am sure you will figure out both the time line and what is going on. If not you can always replay some of the scenes (I admit I did that a few times and they were just as lovely the second time as the first).

This drama may not be perfect and is not really ground breaking but I laughed, I awwed and I binged it in more or less one go.

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We are kindred spirits, you and I

A sweet and genuine high-school romance with a refreshing twist.
This show picks up where most other romances end - at the beginning of our main characters' relationship. Instead of exploring the typical highs and lows of falling in love for the first time, this story shows us two kids trying their hands at being in a relationship for the first time and their earnest and consistent efforts to navigate this bewildering maze together, ideally while holding hands.

You will find no villains in this story, no big evil to overcome, no dramatic separations, no tragic incidents to tear our leads apart. What you will find, however, are a cast of charming and lovable characters, a well-written well-paced and often genuinely hilarious script, and standout performances from both leads and several supporting characters (here's to you Katori, here's to you). The characters all feel solid and real and the dialogues are both fun and true to life, so much so that I found myself reminded of conversations I used to have with my high school friends, which was genuinely delightful.

All in all this show serves as a welcome change of pace for the high-school romance genre. If you are looking for a quick and easy show to watch on a cozy weekend on the couch or if you are someone who likes romantic comedies that are grounded in realism without getting to dramatic, then this one is for you.

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One of the best Japanese BL live actions

For those who are wondering, this serie has a *happy ending*

Now, for those who plan to watch this, keep in mind that this is a Japanese BL. Jap BL is always light, sweet, and slow. It's like a shounen ai manga (well it is). So, if you are looking for NC scenes and tons of kisses, this is not for you.

I said that this is one of the best live actions as they astonishingly followed through the original work, even the acting is on point. Even Takara's dead voice and expressions. He's just designed that way ?
I love the communication of the couple is this series, just chef's kiss. No issue is prolonged and they make sure that they tell what they feel upfront.

I have no issue whatsoever in this series. It is light and cute and kept me giggling and feeling butterflies till the end. I recommend readers to watch this!!

Also, best character for me is Katori. I love him!

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Amagi-Lover

I won't play much on the aspect that everyone seems to have been worried about: the plot. Which I can agree is nonexistent, but I give this series credit for being so precious enough that I didn't even realize there was no central conflict or obstacle to get over. That's what Amagi's cuteness did to me.

Let's dive In.

Again, yeah I agree, zero plot, and the plot we did get was by-episode conflicts. But there wasn't any conflict that lasted from beginning to end unless you want to argue about Takara and his unwillingness to let others know he was dating Amagi. But it wasn't a problem until the later episodes, so I guess that doesn't count either. Either way, I actually didn't mind that there was an absence of conflict/plot. I liked that it was just two boys running around with their frivolous problems being all cute and in love. it makes up for what we got, or lack thereof. Anytime Amagi was on screen, I was just giggling and smiling ear to ear. That little dude is just too fucking cute. and mixed with Takara's stern and stoic nature, it just added more to my excitement.

Speaking of them, I think their chemistry was decent. There were moments when it felt awkward, but maybe that was the point because their young and it was their first love. Takara fell flat for me at times, just because his character was so one-dimensional that it got to be a bore seeing him on screen. His friends were like, "Gosh, look at him, he's so happy," and he still had his very basic stare, so idk.

I wish they would've made it more clear when flashbacks were happening. There were multiple times throughout that I was so confused about whether or not something was taking place in the past or the present. I know one episode I thought everything was current until the last few minutes. It was frustrating cause then instead of focusing on the episode, I was focusing on when the situation was happening.

Ratings:

Story: 7/10: very very very basic. Nothing spectacular, but because I think the characters are the cutest things ever, it still gets a pretty high score.

Acting: 8/10: Amagi was excellent, but I think the direction of Takara's character was too flat to where he became annoying. Everyone else was decent.

Music: 5/10: didn't pay too much attention to it, so it wasn't distracting at least.

Rewatch value: 1.5/10: mmmm, Nah I'm good.

Again, pretty basic, but it was a fun watch. I recommend it to anyone just wanting something lighthearted and fluffy to watch, something that's not sad and doesn't have some complex plot to figure out, I recommend it, it didn't take very long to watch, and Amagi made up for everything wrong in the series.

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A wholesome BL

This slow burn romance could not have been sweeter. The two main actors are very attractive and display opposite character traits. Takara Shun has a reserved manner and expression yet is often straight forward in his speech. Taichi Amagi is naive and childish with a strong insecurity because of his experiences as a child. This sense of less worthiness adds some of the storylines tension but it is mild and the two continue to tentatively explore this secretive romance.

The story is not rushed and there are no distracting sub plots so it fits the short timeline.

Others have mentioned the cringe factor perhaps in relation too Taichi Amagi being overly animated I however think it is in character with a young, self conscious person who is trying hard to attract someone. I liked the use of internal dialogue to display the inner turmoil of these two shy teenagers. Overall I liked the respect shown by the more experienced ML and also the support of the friend of the shy Taichi Amagi character.

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