BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita: Crank Up Hen (2023)

Short but Sweet - Captures the Fun and the Feels

I saw a few posts on the feeds praising “ BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita: Crank Up Hen”, so I decided to check it out. I’m glad I did. It’s an adorable drama about unrequited love in the world of filming a BL. Japan is known for some of the cutest and fluffiest BL dramas, along with some quirky ones.

I really like being able to hear each male lead’s inner monologues. Oftentimes, you only get one perspective and maybe another perspective in the very last episode. These monologues greatly enhanced my viewing pleasure during both comedic and more emotional scenes. I also appreciate that both characters are pretty similar in personality. I was worried that Hajime is the typical naive, innocent and introverted character, and would be too shy to utter any word. Luckily, he was just starstruck in the beginning, and is able to actually hold a conversation like a normal person. Akafuji, on the other hand, is not the typical superstar but a crazy stan. I feel that because they have a pretty balanced personality, they are on equal footing in regards to their romance.

This drama special starts with a lot of comedic and typical Japanese over-the-top manga adaptation moments. But eventually it dives into the emotional side of each character. One of the reasons I really enjoy this special is because it has 2 of my favorite things - unrequited love + those mini heartaches, and the guessing of whether he likes me or not. Both of these elements give me all the feels I need and especially in a manga adaptation comedy.

The acting of the leads is good. There isn’t anyone annoying or super loud. I do find the suits too big on the guys and they look too old in these oversized suits. Does anyone find Hajime in glasses looks like Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter? LOL. Ok, maybe it’s just me.

This is a short 3-episode fun watch with a lot of laughs, a lot of feels and a lot of cuteness.


Completed: 1/14/2024 - Review #395

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An Actor & His Fan

The bl drama about a couple of actors filming a bl drama could have been a hit or a miss. Either you take it the slapstick comedy cringe way, or you make it into a sweet romcom! Fortunately, they chose the right way, the romcom way!

Frankly, it is a perfect ,light watch for the first day of the year. The story of two actors: one , a former child star, trying to have a grown up's career and the other one a huge star and secretly, the other actor's huge fan. The first one has a big self-confidence issue while the other is so impressed to bi in his presence which of, course, leads to many misunderstandings. Since the drama has only three episodes, all misunderstandings were sorted out relatively quickly, the plot progressed at a steady pace and there was no time wasted. And still it did not seem rushed!

The actors were excellent. The support couple (the actors' managers) were deadpan and interesting, sneakily observing the main couple and scheming to get them together. Deliciously twisted and cute!

Of course, it is full of tropes but here they have taken advantage of them and I really did not mind it (fujoshi producer!). They managed to find the right balance between the comedy and the romance: trying to get together but being afraid to speak up, so they decided to pretend to practice being in character which led to a number of funny (interrupted kisses were many!) and sweet moments (date). We are also privy to their inside monologues which contradict so funnily with their actions: they are cool on the outside but falling to pieces inside! They also toned down the often exaggerated comedy they use when adapting mangas!

Cinematography is great, misty and dreamy. This is going straight on to my feel good list! Just the first best romcom of the year! Last year has really been the japanese bl year! They outdid themselves with a string of amazing and different bls! Hope they continue into this new year!

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Hilarious and Sweet, what’s not to love?

Story:
The story was very interesting, focusing almost behind the scenes of the process for a BL series to be created. This starts with the casting of both leads, two actors who have never met until now yet still know each other through their fame, reputations and past projects. The creation of a BL story, getting into the role and mindset of the characters, and trying to create chemistry with someone who is basically a stranger to you. The comedic side of this series comes from the reveal that Akafuji is a huge fan of and loves Aoyagi so much that he comes off rather awkward and standoffish towards him but is a total fanboy when he is alone. This immediately gave me A Man Who Defies The World Of BL vibes which is also one of my favourite Japanese BL’s so I was very impressed and excited about that. The first episode was hilarious, both of the characters are really sweet and exuberant I couldn’t help but smile and laugh along with them. The second episode was focused on them building up their chemistry and realising they have developed romantic feelings for each other. The third episode revolves around their developing feelings and the effects of this. I won’t lie, I was a little nervous about the number of episodes, as often shorter series tend to be fast paced and miss out a lot but the pacing of each episode was great, well planned with a perfect mix of comedy and heartfelt romance. I’m really hoping they’ll give us a season 2.

Acting/Cast:
Aran as Akafuji- Bright, loud and passionate which he hides behind a cool exterior. I immediately loved Akafuji as a character, I love how he seems so calm and collected on the outside while inside he’s a total dork lmao. He was very caring towards Aoyagi but doesn’t know how to balance his love and concern with professionalism and ends up fanboying and getting jealous over the smallest things. He’s such a cool character and I’m hoping to see more from this actor in the future.

Nichika as Aoyagi- Super sweet but very awkward. Aoyagi was a very lonely character with very few friends and a broken family, it seems he’s used to being teased or shot down by people so he keeps to himself. I like that even when Akafuji seemed like he was being very rude and stuck up, Aoyagi didn’t let that get to him and tried many times to reach out and bond with him. Aoyagi also seems very passionate but in a reserved way, he clearly wanted this project to go well and I admire his determination and perseverance. He’s definitely my favourite character in this series.

Music:
I absolutely loved the theme song, it was super cute. The sound effects were also great and well timed.

Rewatch Value:
Will definitely be rewatching this many times due to its adorable plot and relatively short run time.

Overall:
I’ll definitely be adding the manga this is adapted from to my plan to read list. This has been absolutely hilarious, I love a good comedic romance so this was perfect for me. I hope to see more BL’s with similar themes and genres to this in the future.

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A Heartfelt Journey Through Love and Self-Discovery

A light-hearted look at love and relationships interspersed with humor and dark elements like parental neglect, childhood trauma, pessimism and mockery are what makes this 3-episode special so compelling and captivating.

The story revolves around Aoyanagi Hajime, a childhood star who suffers from self-confidence issues who gets an opportunity to work alongside an upcoming actor Akafuji Yuichiro on a live adaptation of a famous BL manga. In order to improve the chemistry between the actors, they decide to live under the same roof. Akafuji being in love with Hajime, falls short of making his true feelings known all the while hiding behind his persona from the BL manga. The characters try to navigate through these misunderstandings and hidden feelings to make the series a success.

The story is a series of misunderstandings between the two leads while they hide the respect that they have for each other as actors. This makes for some interesting and humours conversations between the 2 leads. However, as the story progresses you realise this isn’t just a series of comedic misunderstandings but shines light on some real-life issues through the point of view of actors. Through Hajime’s characters we are introduced to the expectation of manga fans from actors playing their beloved characters. This can easily build or break the series and he is acutely aware of this fact. Second, is the issue of self-confidence triggered through the comments from fans and general public about the actors. The cause of this issue is the childhood trauma caused by parental mistreatment. Through Yuichiro, we learn how people are quick to judge on the basis of you likes and hobbies. In all this, we also find that everyone needs a support system in life to help you push through your inhibitions and build yourself up.

Although the series does dwell in to some really dark elements, not much time is spent on explaining or expanding this due to limited episodes. Also, there is limited character development in the series and the secondary characters are relegated in to the background just to push the main plot points forward. The series also adheres to a common trend in Japanese BL by skirting explicit kissing scenes, a choice that, while not detracting from the narrative, may leave some longing for more authenticity in portraying romantic relationships. There are examples of some great BL series like “Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!” and “Kieta Hatsukoi” succeeding with no kissing scenes.

In conclusion, this series stands out as a compelling addition to the BL genre, skilfully blending romance with authentic portrayals of the challenges faced by its characters. While some aspects tread familiar ground and secondary character depth is desired, the series succeeds in delivering a charming and emotionally resonant viewing experience.

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Delightful rom com cleverly executed.

Nichika as Aoyagi- imbues his character with the right amount of introversion and angst as he fights his low esteem issues to try and make a success from this BL drama opportunity.
Aran as Akafuji- on the surface a successful, experienced actor dedicated to improving his acting until he actually meets his stan Aoyagi and has to try very hard not to be a gushing fan.

Lots of lovely comedic scenes as each ML misunderstands the motives of the other, Their inner world is given to us as inner dialogue and this highlights the inner and outer conflict each is feeling.

Despite the briefness of only 3 episodes the story is cleverly plotted and unfolds at a good pace revealing their feelings and growing romantic interest,

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Meta and cute, wish they would have developped more the side story which really intrigued me

This special drama is made of three episodes of 45 minutes (which is quite a sizable duration for a Japanese BL). It is about the encounter of a very trendy actor at the peak of his hype and a former child actor not really known as much to the public. They are both hired to play a couple in the live-action adaptation of a popular BL manga.

I love the premise of this story: it is super meta to have BL actors playing BL actors hired to play in a BL series. I really enjoyed the series but I wish they would have taken the concept even further. It stays very light and fluffy with a lot of comedy. Doing so, it feel a bit limitative in the emotions the main actors are portraying. They are doing a suitable job with the fun and goofy parts, as well as when they are playing characters but I wish I would have felt a bit more the attraction between them in their "real life" arc.

The secondary roles were very nice. There are no crazy woman part used to antagonize the main characters, which is always a good news. I found the two secondary female roles pretty good and wish I would have seen more of them. My biggest regret is coming from the fact that the most interesting relationship in the drama (the one between the two managers of the actors) was not developped enough. The scenario hinted a complicated romance with those two characters and I really would have loved if the show had elaborated much more on that.

The production value was standard for the genre and the songs were not memorable but suitable to the pop and manga atmosphere of the show.

I would recommend this to people looking for a fluffy, cute and fun BL with some interesting meta references and a cohabitation trope. I wish it would have been more angsty and complex but it was clearly not the objective of the story. I would have really loved for the series to develop much more some of the sides characters (especially the secondary romance) but it was still a very easy and pleasant watch pretty entertaining.

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A Hilarious, Over Dramatic Romcom

Adapted from the manga series BL Drama no Shuen ni Narimashita by Suzuri Machi and starring Abe Aran (Akafuji Yuichiro) and Akutsu Nichika (Aoyanagi Hajime), I Became the Main Role of a BL is precisely what its title implies. It follows two actors in two different stages of their careers–one famous, the other a child actor waning in popularity–cast in the leading roles of a BL series.

It’s fun. It’s over-dramatic. It’s full of heart-fluttering tropes. It resonates deeply.

Japan’s romcoms rarely fail me. They pull off over-the-top comedy in a way no other country has quite yet mastered. While the trope-filled comedy scenes in this series could come off as cringe, it somehow doesn’t. The secret but not-so-subtle crush that popular actor Yuichiro has on child actor Hajime is sweet and endearing, full of giggles and warmth, which makes each scene a delight to tune into.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/01/02/i-became-the-lead-in-a-bl-drama-crank-up-edition-series-review-ep-1-to-3/

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I became overwhelmed by the main characters’ cuteness

What a good way to start the year with a fluffy BL! This is extremely fun and I was already mesmerized by the charm of the main couple right after watching the first half of the pilot episode. Both of them are indeed good-looking actors with acting skills that are genuinely adorable.

The story is likable with almost no sign of cringey scenes. With only three episodes, this is enough for a worthy time to binge-watch such an entertaining show. Overflowing with cuteness and excitement. I have no major issues regarding the overall production of the show. It's just that I somehow feel disappointed or specifically demanded a lot more intimate scenes like hugging, kissing, and cuddles from the main character. Yet, there is no doubt that I Became the Main Role of a BL Drama set the bar higher for rom-com-inspired BLs. They did it properly without too much drama and a fine execution of scripts.

With this, I was once again blessed to get to know another new face in the world of BL that I will be going to stan from now on. Abe Alan, as the man running in the first place, really got my whole attention. The face card never declines but the great thing is this man knows how to act, plus he is wearing a strong sizzling aura that makes you fall in love with him. His character has an adorable personality that I always feel so fueled with happiness for his loveable nature and gestures. Akutsu Nichika is also an actor to look forward to. I like his acting and the role fits him. I was shocked by the way that the series confirmed the obvious relationship between the two actors’ managers -by showing their own bed scenes moment which were too hot and fancy.

I wanted more but I could not demand more. They already gave us a lengthy duration per episode but since the drama is so good, I am hoping for more. This is exactly the kind of feeling I want to experience each time I finish a good drama -the feeling of joy from a good watch.

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Hilarious Satire

I placed spoilers at the end of this review.

This series was hilarious, cute, and heartwarming. This is a good example that you don’t need a lot of episodes to tell a great story. The script was very well written and didn’t take things too seriously. It had a lot of components that you think shouldn’t work, but it somehow did. The cast was awesome and did a great job with their characters. It also had great cinematography and graphics. I will have to say there is only one negative aspect about this series.

Random Note:

What an awesome way to end this year.

There was a few times when there are no English subtitles in the 2nd episode, but I was still able to figure out the overall mood of what was going on.

******Potential Spoiler Alert******

The one negative aspect about this series was the one kissing scene. We see the standard dead fish lips. If they are going to show this, I would have been fine with them not even having a kissing scene. However, this was only a minor negative for me because the rest of the series was just too funny and cute for me to care about it.

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A sweetly comedic story

Upon initial read of the synopsis of this BL, the likelihood for the 'cringe factor' to be off the charts is really high. But instead, what we find here is great chemistry between the leads and believable acting. The comedic timing in certain scenes had me wheezing with laughter. It was a perfect balance of funny and sweet.

I really loved how this series subtlety addresses the people who are watching the series and how being a fan / stan of something doesn't necessary make you a weirdo / loser.

The only thing that would absolutely make this better, is if it had more episodes or a s2.

It's just too good for it to be this short.

But what a fun and easy watch to start off 2024!

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