Jack o' Frost (2023)

A BL with Passion and Care

I am so happy MBS is starting to make more BL series. Their past BLs have been so relieving knowing that there are still producers and writers who care about the genre and the content they're pushing out. A lot of BLs releasing right now feel like they weren't given as much thought or care, but Jack O' Frost is one which I really respect and love for putting out something meaningful and worth to watch. For the actual review, I love the atmosphere that the film style brings. Without spoiling much, the way they filmed everything felt very nostalgic, cozy while also having a deep sense of longing for the past. The acting is better than I expected, seeing as one of the main characters was a support for another BL I watched (which wasn't on my list of things to recommend). But his acting, both of their acting actually was amazing. Their chemistry felt realistic that during some scenes I felt like I was interrupting their privacy and had to look away. Overall I would really recommend this to BL lovers. I hardly say that nowadays since I've stated before, a lot of the BLs currently coming out felt like a waste of my time, very fan service and unoriginal but that's a critique on the genre as a whole. However, Jack O' Frost gives something new and focuses on a story that doesn't talk about the same old "dealing with coming out" situations. I guess lately I got so tired of that plot-line cause its everywhere that I look for more mature BL shows, and this one really hits the nail. 9.5/10

Time Written: March 18 2023 5/6 Episodes

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It’s a bit like an extremely pretty art, but then you find out it was made by AI and it starts to feel a bit empty. On paper it’s a perfect soft angst full of longing and pinning, but the closer you look, the more imperfections you find.

While I did find the overall idea behind the story compelling, I’m not so sure about the execution, especially on Ikegami Fumiya's side. He did not tell the truth with hopes it will save the relationship, as they can start over, but then he kept making sure to not cross the line between roommates and potential romantic partners. This behavior was something I did not quite understand. My guy was in a risky business - deciding to hide the past in hopes for a better future, without actually being sure Ritsu will never remember their relationship, and without actually trying to be with Ritsu in the present.

That said, I actually find Ritsu harder to figure out and judge. We know little about him before the accident, and his present self was driven by what he forgot - trying to remember and being confused about his place and life. Because of that, he felt less defined than Fumiya and harder to connect to.

Since this is a relationship and character driven show, I put some effort into trying to understand the characters, and that was the mistake. If you try to dig deeper into what is happening on screen, you start to see a lot of small things that make little sense and at some point it becomes a pile too hard to ignore. I think the best way to watch it is just accept whatever they throw at you without asking too many questions.

Acting wise, it had its ups and downs. For the most part I had no complaints. The slightly dull delivery was clearly the directing choice to fit the overall atmosphere of the drama. That one time Honda Kyoya literally squeezed that one tear out of his eye made me chuckle.

That said, I still think it’s a solid melancholic watch. Some of the editing and the transitions between the scenes might be a bit confusing, but for some strange reason it adds to the charm. In a subtle way it shows how all relationships need work, and without addressing the core issues, you cannot start over and be happy, even if you get to hit the reset button.

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Breathtaking in the literal sense of the word

When I compiled the list of my 15 favourite BL series of 2022, I was astonished that only one Japanese show had made it into that list (”Eien no kinou / Eternal Yesterday”). So when I wrote my review of the fantastic season 2 of ”Utsukushii Kare / My Beautiful Man” a few weeks ago, I didn't expect there would soon come another Japanese BL series that could compete with it, but I was wrong. Today is the last day of the first quarter of 2023, and there have already been two more great Japanese series, ”The End of the World with You”, and now ”Jack O'Frost” which in my subjective opinion may be the best BL series I have seen so far.

I won't spoil too much of the plot here, because for those who have already watched it, that won't be necessary, and to all those who haven't watched it, I would advise them to find out themselves, and I promise you that you won't be disappointed.

This is basically an ”amnesia story”, and by mere coincidence there are two series revolving around this topic airing at the same time - ”Jack O'Frost” and the Thai series ”Love Syndrome III”. Whereas the Thai series has bad writing, directing, and acting, and the only thing everybody is waiting for is Lee Long Shi taking off his shirt, the only thing I have to complain about when it comes to ”Jack O'Frost” is the fact that we had to wait two long weeks for the final episode to air.

”Jack O'Frost” is the love story of two attracting opposite characters, creative and talented artist Ritsu (Honda Kyoya) and salesman Fumiya (Suzuki Kosuke). When Fumiya feels left behind in his relationship with Ritsu, he breaks up with him, and Ritsu has an accident the very same day which makes him lose his memory of Fumiya. Fumiya tries to help Ritsu regain his memory by taking him to familiar places, but he doesn't tell him about their relationship and break-up. So when they fall for each other again, their new love is based upon a lie which of course must go wrong. I'll only reveal one more thing about the plot here – there's a happy ending, but the way to that point is rocky and full of pain.

When I said that this may be the best BL series I've ever watched, it must be perfection or at least near perfection in any respect, and I think it really is. The writing is brilliant, because it cautiously displays the way these two very different characters become lovers. I usually don't like flashbacks, because all too often they are just there to fill some more minutes of screentime without taking the story ahead, but here it is different. There are many flashbacks which show the viewer bit by bit how Ritsu and Fumiya's relationship developed, and as the series is about Ritsu trying to regain his memory, it's logical not to tell the story chronologically, but showing glimpses of the past that finally make up the complete story.

The next perfect element is the acting which is closely connected to the directing of the show. I have rarely seen two actors who are able to express their characters' deep love of each other so naturally – sometimes there is so much love in Honda's eyes that they could make the arctic ice melt. But their quarrels appear equally realistic, actually so realistic that it hurts watching them. The scene that leads up to Fumiya's breaking up with Ritsu is maybe the most natural lovers' argument ever shown in a BL series.

There were scenes where I found myself holding my breath because I felt it would reveal to Ritsu and Fumiya that someone was watching them, and it would disturb them if I did breathe. Honda and Suzuki (I know this sounds funny, but, sorry, these are their names) succeeded in drawing the viewer into their story, so it felt like I was being part of what was going on on the screen.

Then there is the cinematography that makes this series a masterpiece. Many scenes are set in semi-darkness, or the vision even seems to be blurred, mirroring Ritsu's limited memory of the past. The most beautiful and at the same time most expressive scene comes towards the end of the final episode, when Ritsu is sitting in their favourite café after he has moved out of Fumiya's flat, and the window is iced over. Then the ice slowly melts, and we see Fumiya standing outside the café looking at Ritsu.

Even the title of this show is a brilliant choice. Jack O'Frost (or simply Jack Frost) is a personification of cold weather in ancient Scandinavian mythology, and is often seen as a bad character whose negative influence disappears in Spring when the weather gets warmer. The main plot of this show is set in winter, and the scene with the frost on the café's window mentioned above symbolizes the end of the cold period, and thus the new beginning of Ritsu and Fumiya's love.

The background music completes the perfection of this series, because it sensitively accompanies the action without ever being obtrusive.

All in all, Japan has given us another beautiful series which is proof once again that it doesn't need 13 episodes of 60 minutes to tell a complex story and make the viewer impatiently wait 7 long days for another short episode of 25 minutes to air.

You will find the list of my favourite BL series of 2022 and more reviews of BL series and short films, including some from countries not covered by mydramalist.com, such as Myanmar, Vietnam, or Singapore, here : https://www.wattpad.com/user/DominicKebre

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Recognizable, Real, Bittersweet, And Hopeful.

If you've ever felt taken for granted in a relationship with someone you love, you'll probably understand the character Fumiya easily. If you've wished you could go back to the start of a relationship, this series explores that "what if" in a way that is thoughtful and realistic even though there is an element of fantasy to the premise.

The relationship and characters were so recognizable in multiple ways that every moment and emotion resonated. For me, it was a little emotionally difficult to watch at times because of this; it brought up a lot of my own bittersweet memories. There was hope and sweetness too though, and wonderfully nuanced acting, and I binge-watched it without pausing or fast-forwarding. [Update: I even re-watched it 3 months later and still loved it.]

What I like about many Japanese BLs is that everything is *not* always spelled out for the viewer. The dialogue and internal thoughts are realistic in that way.

The story starts off at the peak of a fall-out that seems unreasonably abrupt. As the story progresses however, we are intermittently shown memories of Fumiya's that show both the good times of their relationship and what lead up to the fall-out.

The psychology, emotions, and actions of both characters are things I've either experienced or seen and are very realistic. (I have not known anyone with selective amnesia but that plot point doesn't change how real the rest of it is.)

I see in reviews that many people don't understand Fumiya, but the screenplay and acting continuously give us breadcrumbs to his experience that were more obvious to me, so I thought I'd share a general summary of the character's psychological state:

The main point, is that Fumiya's growing hidden hurt means that any small new hurt triggers ALL of the past hurts, *whether directly related or not*! This leads to abrupt mood changes and shutting down or blowing up, even over seemingly small or mundane things. In addition, accumulating frustration can lead to resentment and biterness, which comes through when Fumiya snaps out something harsh. Eplained more below.

The cinematography is good, the differentiation between the present and flashbacks are clear, and the music was very emotionally fitting without being obvious.

GENERAL SPOILERS below.

The way Fumiya reacts to any type of praise may be subtle, but is extremely telling. There is surprise, small pleased smiles, shyness in the way he ducks his head or eyes flit around, biting or compressing his lips to hold in just how good it makes him feel, and an eagerness to do more. There are similar reactions when Ritsu gives him attention or makes him a priority in situations where he has learned to no longer expect, or even hope for, it.

Fumiya has been feeling increasingly taken for granted and of low priority to his boyfriend for a while. His major flaw is he doesn't know how to talk about this and keeps his frustrations bottled up; he says okay, that's fine, I'm not mad because he wants to keep the peace.

On Ritsu's side of things, he has not been intentionally trying to hurt Fumiya, but has made work his highest priority and has fallen complacent in his relationship. Like he says to Fumiya though, he won't know what's going wrong unless Fumiya tells him straightforwardly. Ritsu can tell there's friction but Fumiya often says 'it's okay' when Ritsu asks questions or apologizes.

The only reasons why this got a 9 instead of a 10 from me had to do with the last episode. This episode felt rushed (unlike the others).
1) I liked how the turning point for Ritsu was triggered, but his conclusion felt a little contrived to wrap things up quickly (what was there to be "afraid" of about sharing that part of his past?) Though it gave a symmetry or balance to things, it didn't quite make sense.
2) I wanted more time with them together at the end processing the relief of reconciliation. I also needed more time seeing them moving forward together for my own emotional state to transition to a more hopeful equilibrium after going through all the heavy feels. I feel emotions really strongly though, so this may not be as much of an issue for others.

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wish they had modified the plot/protagonist slightly

Overall: Fumiya is one of my least favorite protagonists ever which is unfortunate because the other parts of this series were well done. 6 episodes about 25 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala and Viki.

Content Warnings: manipulation, gaslighting

What I Liked
- cute moments
- acting
- production value

Room For Improvement
- Fumiya, I disliked him right away because breaking up with someone on their birthday is an a**hole move. The flashback in episode 5 didn't redeem Fumiya. Because we haven't seen Ritsu forgetting a whole bunch of events and Fumiya never communicates, Fumiya is an unsympathetic character. Then instead of character growth he continues with terrible communication skills by lying and gaslighting Ritsu over a long period of time. In episode 5, Fumiya snoops and then eavesdrops on Ritsu's conversation with his friend, again no character growth.
- what a terrible brother for going along with that and then a terrible friend for telling Ritsu he should hear Fumiya out. Ritsu had every right to be angry and sit with his feelings for awhile. Fumiya should have texted an apology/explanation and then left Ritsu alone.
- plot holes/unrealistic things such as would a hospital really discharge a patient with a head injury that quickly? It seemed less than 12 hours, wouldn't Ritsu look back at his old photos/texts, talk to his friends/family, he just accepts that odd living situation???
- the subpar kissing for two grown men who are in an established relationship
- cliche 'they met when they were younger'

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So freaking Cute

I went into this not knowing the plot, not knowing the characters' names, and not even understanding at all absolutely anything about the series. And boy, was I pleasantly surprised. An original story, one I've never heard of, played by two beautiful men and told in the best way. I loved it!

Let's Dive In.

So, I for one have never seen are watched anything dealing with an amnesia storyline. I think it's an interesting syndrome and personally, one that I've always feared. Imagine just one day waking up and not remembering the most important parts of your life. Scary. So off the bat, I'm very intrigued with everything going on.

I'm glad they showed us their past relationship interloping with their in-present experience. Watching Fumiya hold back and not love on Ritsu like he would've liked to was hard, but he's the reason for that, so I guess I don't feel too bad. Fumiya definitely shouldn't have kept such a big secret from Ritsu when he was trying his hardest to remember the most important parts of his life, which was definitely Fumiya. I wished he would've told him as soon as he got out of the hospital, and tried to somewhat rebuild what they used to have until Ritsu got his memories back and then it could've been happily ever after. But then again, where's the conflict in that?

Their romance was cute but I think their connection was better before they became a couple. After that, It loses some of its spark, but it's still good, just not the best. Decent kiss scenes, very soft and sensual NC scenes, it was all nicely done.

Ratings:

Story: 9/10 - Such a fun story! So original and so new, so super fun to watch. I loved the main characters, even though their relationship wasn't as strong as I would've liked it to be.

Acting: 9.5/10 - Great! The emotions out of the leads were amazing. I hope to see them again for sure.

Music: 6/10 - I don't remember it so, it wasn't distracting.

Recommendation value: 7.5/10 - A high recommendation! Super fun to watch, the story flows pretty nicely (especially for a series with only 6 episodes) and I really enjoyed myself. So definitely give this one a watch.

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Jack o' Lie

(╭☞•́⍛•̀)╭☞ Disclaimer:
This review is based on my personal opinion/experience while watching, it's not meant to change yours so feel free to agree/disagree with it.


Honestly, going in, I had no expectations, so I can't say I was disappointed or anything. On one hand, this was cute on a superficial level, on the other hand, this series failed to keep me engaged and I honestly couldn't connect with anything in it, I wasn't able to invest in any of the characters which is a shame really considering how beautiful everyone was. I didn't know what to rate this at first, but I settled on 6.5/10 because I feel like overall, this wasn't that great, but it wasn't horrible either, it was an ok watch, not memorable but it was nice for killing time and if you want to watch something that's essentially a fanfic coming to life.


This story is actually something I have already seen done once in a manga, not sure what the title of that manga was but the plot was very similiar, in retrospect, this is quite the common story, very predictable, and every bit the cheesy cliché you'd expect from such situation. The amnesia aspect was handled the most questionably out of everything, it almost feels science fiction-y, no matter how hard I thought about it I couldn't classify this type of amnesia so I settled for the scientifically fictional explanation, that said, Ritsu didn't give me the feeling of someone with amnesia, it felt more like someone high going through a very tripy dream and eventually waking up from it, this plot wasn't fleshed out enough, I can blame it on the limited time but honestly, they could've made it work if they got rid of the meaningless filler scenes and the pointless time spent on the side characters who brought close to nothing to this plot.


I wasn't a big fan of the couple's relationship dynamic, their whole relationship seemed off, Fumiya felt like such a coward and pre-amnesiac Ritsu was just a very vague character I couldn't decide if I liked him or not but from their very brief description of him he appears to be a selfish jackass, the present-time Ritsu we were shown was cute, but also very confusing, Fumiya was even more so, it felt like he regretted dating him in the first place but also wasn't willing to see through his decision of breaking up with him, he was giving such mixed signals and that's probably what I disliked about him the most, his reasons for hiding their actual relationship status from Ritsu was just BS, he could've tried to start over by being honest with him, but noooo he had to lie, because how else would the writer find enough material to cover a 6 episode series that essentially had plot for only 2-3 episodes at max? I should also mention that the acting was sub par, the chemistry wasn't chemistry-ing for me personally (at least not all the time) and the emotional scenes felt very hollow, also this might sound like me nit picking but Kyoya trying to cry and ultimately failing is kinda hilarious, same could be said for Kosuke, A for effort tho.


Production wise the bgm was nice, the styling was very much up my alley and the settings were very beautiful, the camera work was a bit shaky and the angles a tad bit off but all in all the production wasn't bad.


So in conclusion, this wasn't a terrible watch so to speak, but I feel like this appeard to be much more interesting in the trailers, would I rewatch it? Not willingly, no. Would I recommend it to others? If they're very bored and this happens to be something they might like then sure, who knows, they might like it more than I did. And with that, my two cents on this series have been dropped into the pile, please excuse how incoherent and disjointed this review might be but I'm very much out of practice here and was quite sleepy while writing it, hope you have a nice watch.
Have a good day/evening everyone.



P.s: Very unrelated but I can't be the only one who thought that Kyoya looks so much like Pond who plays Wang in 180 DLPTU, it took me a couple of hours to realise who he reminded me of, probably because of how very sleep deprived I am currently but yeah, I couldn't help but notice the similarity.

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Their emotion means so much to me! T.T Don't be skeptical with the ratings.

After a break-up, Ritzu (Honda Kyoya) gets into an accident that makes him forget about his ex-boyfriend, Fumiya (Suzuki Kosuke). Wanting to help him recover and start their relationship over from scratch, Fumiya resumes their cohabitation while hiding the fact that they were dating and broke up. He gets anxious when Ritzu starts to remember their past. Will the painful memory returns and will they be able to overcome it?

This is amazing! Oh my heart, each moment was so well set-up and well-acted, not just by the leads, but also the brother and special star for the angelic-neighbor. The stand-out was definitely the leads performance, their emotion made me felt so much! Fumiya's flashback and his yearning was very touching, his flaws felt so relatable. Ritzu successfully made me cry sobbing, after months of not crying over dramas (that I thought I get numb). The chemistry was magnetic every time they're on screen together. On top of that, they had their spicy moments within the story, I can't be more grateful.

I've watched a lot of BLs from different countries, definitely this is a standout. It was gripping from the first scene, with conflict and tension. The internal struggle was fleshed out in a perfect pace. Just the dialogues felt a bit heavy-handed in the final, but I absolutely love how it ends. Plus, it was beautifully shot, with soft music, and the cozy sets made me miss Japan so much! >_< This review ended up becoming so personal, which only happens when I got so invested. Already rewatching the 6 episodes. Truly Recommend!!! Thanks for reading!

Find me on Instagram: @kdramajudge
May 2024

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A great short series that delivers 100% emotions and entertainment

Short series are tricky because you have limited time to narrate a coherent story without leaving any loose ends and making the audience lose interest. And sometimes we have a series like Jack O’Frost that keeps the story simple with limited characters and hits all the important notes that makes a series great. In a 6-episode series of 30 min each it successfully shows all the emotions: love, betrayal, heartbreak, concern, romance, misunderstandings, joys and sorrows. All the ups and downs in the life of a couple.

The story revolves around our 2 main characters. Ritsu is a talented illustrator and Fumiya is a salesman who happen to meet at a coffee shop once and as fate would have it fall in love and move in together. But soon Fumiya realises that life is not all sunshine and rainbows and breaks-up with Ritsu. An angered Ritsu leaves the house and meets with an accident where he loses all memory of Fumiya. Fumiya trying to get back together with Ritsu, hides the fact that they were dating and helps him try to get his memory back.

The show deals with multiple issues but what I really enjoyed was the portrayal of the life of a couple. What starts as a beautiful journey together where they learn about each other and cherish every moment together slowly turns bitter as priorities change and life throws other important events at them. Ritsu immerses himself in to his work and Fumiya feels neglected. Fumiya too on the other hand hides his feelings of disappointment from Ritsu which builds up as time goes by and finally leads to a war of words and ultimately a break-up. Ritsu’s amnesia allows Fumiya to revisit their life together and the feelings he would lose by losing Ritsu.

This series is also about rediscovering that feeling of falling in love with a person for the first time. That was the journey for Fumiya while Ritsu was trying hard to get his memory back and developing feelings for Fumiya. The location also plays a key role in this series since Ritsu insists on revising the places to jog his memory and hence, the director takes us through some picturesque places viz; the coffee shop, the lake, the cabin and the beach.

The actors did a great job at showing the relationship between the two characters; sometimes broken and sometimes full of joy.

In conclusion, if you want to see an emotional BL that is all about the relationship between a couple, a story about romance and rediscovering that lost love give this one a try.

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Will you erase your memories and re-live your life if given a chance?

This is a good, simple story which you can watch as a stress reliever. I got intrigued by the title, but the meaning might lie a bit deeper into the story.

Jack o' Frost is a very cottagecore drama set around two working individuals, Ritsu and Fumiya.
Though they've managed to maintain a good relationship, strains soon appear and Fumiya suggests breaking up. Ritsu leaves enraged, only to get into an accident. Fumiya realizes that Ritsu has lost his memories after waking up. Not just any memory, but those that were specifically related to him. Fumiya takes this opportunity to erase his errors and give their relationship a second chance.

What I liked the most are the characters: they were not annoying, but understanding and was ready to give space to the ones they cared about. I doubted Fumiya's intentions because he seemed to be trying to help Ritsu, but trying "not" to fall in love with him again. But, during the last few episodes, I felt that his decision was the safest. Had ot been something else, things would look ugly.
But, the reason he broke up with Ritsu was plain stupid. It's literally he who is Jack Frost to me. Suzuki Kosuke did well, but his character was wtitten a bit too... pettily? But, I like his inner turmoil.

Ritsu's character (as well as the actor) was my favorite. I appreciated how he genuinely loved his work. He was confused, but still trying to give his all. Honda Kyoko knows how to act well with his eyes.
There were only two supporting characters, and this allowed the story to focus more on the main characters' alone, despite having only 6 episodes.

All in all, Japanese dramas have that quality which makes even the most plain dramas absolutely beautiful. This is not groundbreaking by any means, but give it a try if you feel like it.

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