Awkward, Cute, and Surprisingly Addictive: Harutora Brings Light Into Sui’s World
Japanese culture is known for being formal and respectful, and having been to Japan 🇯🇵 myself, I have witnessed that firsthand. Japanese people are some of the most respectful people I have encountered, so when the series begins with the male leads bowing and even kneeling down, I saw it as part of Japanese culture rather than something strange.This series is honestly so awkward and cute. Japanese dramas always seem to come up with the weirdest plots, but somehow they get you addicted every time. Sui is bullied for being gay, which leads him to hide behind a face mask and keep his emotions to himself. He can be really awkward, but I can understand where his behavior comes from. He has built walls around himself because he is afraid of getting too close to people. Then Harutora comes along with his straightforward and warm personality, slowly becoming a light in Sui's nightmare and helping him open up again. And we already got a first kiss!
I was also really happy to see Ishi Masaya from School Trip: Joined a Group I'm Not Close To get the main role of Harutora. He fits the character really well, and I was glad to see him take on another BL lead role. The poster is also incredibly cute and matches the sweet atmosphere of the series.
Overall, Hold on, Harutora-kun is a very light and fun BL to watch. The story is simple, the romance is cute, and the awkward moments make it entertaining. It may not be the strongest BL out there, but it is an easy and enjoyable watch if you are looking for something sweet, youthful, and uncomplicated.
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First impression
You can watch it on GagaOOLala: https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/8563/hold-on-harutora-kun-2026or Viki: https://www.viki.com/tv/41670c-hold-on-harutora-kun#episodes
I like it. It's a pretty good series. I really enjoy it so far, and I'm excited to see more. My eventual rating was 7.5 after the first episode, but I upped it to 8.5 after watching the second episode. It is definitely growing on me the more i watch.
Episode 1:
* Everything is happening pretty fast. I don't know how I feel about it.
* I like the contrast between the main characters and how they show their feelings.
* Those guys are disgusting. I really thought that if not friends, they at least were civil with Sui, but that couldn't be further from the truth. They had no right to out him in that way.
* I'm happy to see Harutora accepting Sui after all, especially with everything Sui had to go through before.
* Harutora trying to "become Sui's type" is weirdly adorable.
* And more fish kisses, eh... It is what it is, I guess.
Episode 2:
* Harutora is so down bad for Sui.
* Harutora really just wears his heart on his sleeve.
* I understand that Daiki is trying to be a good friend or whatever. But he just sounds mean, basically telling his friend to hide himself and to not trust anyone. So weird.
* Harutora finding a bathing place where he and Sui can go without Sui having to worry about other people is incredibly thoughtful of him. He is genuinely a giant green flag.
* So happy to see Harutora stand up for Sui.
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First Impression: Hold on, Harutora-kun
Overall: I can see my final rating going in either direction depending on the writing. 10? (10 is the MDL placeholder) episodes about 24 minutes each. Airing on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/8571/hold-on-harutora-kun-2026-e01 (not in Japan or Korea) ; Viki https://www.viki.com/tv/41670c-hold-on-harutora-kun and TVer (Japan)Content Warnings: past & present homophobia, dub/non con kiss
What I Liked
- caring MLs*
- easy to understand premise
- realistic how smiles can hide pain
Room For Improvement
- not happy with what a ML did at the end of episode 1 since he could see that the other ML was dealing with some stuff
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Comforting, Sweet, Relaxing, and…
I love the first episode.This is such a feel-good BL and I like how ML makes MC feel safe around him.
The story is good from the first episode and I look forward to more of what it would give us. It’s not just another Japanese high school BL, it’s something more, unique and interesting.
If you’re waiting to start, stop waiting. This one won’t let you down.
(I’ll edit as I watch)
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