My Weekly Dose of Sweetness

I really loved how sweet and cute this series is! Tutor is the consummate straight man to Yim's funny man. I did not realize until this series just how angelic Tutor looks during his closeups. As Jade and Mai, they made a great acting team with great chemistry and the ability to be vulnerable when necessary. I also liked that both lead characters had warm and loving relationships with their families. I think that Asian families are often unfairly portrayed as very cold, homophobic and forcing ambition on their children. As an Asian, it's simply not true. Just as in other cultures and ethnicities, Asian families come in all varieties. It was nice to see two families where the parents and all of the siblings were close and loving.

There are so many serious topic and intense supernatural series airing at this time (winter 2023) that I needed a ray of sunshine from behind the clouds. There was only one other series (a serious one) that I looked forward to watching every week, due to the acting and storyline. Yes, the sports day episode wasn't my thing, but I've worked for places where we have sports day (without uniforms) and they are super fun. Ym and Tutor has such great chemistry, and their love scenes were both hot and loving and the same time. No, I cannot gush enough about Jade, Mai, Tutor and Tim.

The second couple, Tong and Gus were a cute couple, but they never fully explained by Tong was so rude and mean in the beginning of the series. I would love to see Leo and Tai in another series.

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Wonderful

I thought this was an excellent adaptation of the manga. They even kept material that international viewers would not approve of, and I like that they kept their focus on staying true to the story. Japanese people are socialized to "read the air" in social situations, but this series was an example that even people brought up to do this from birth, do not always get it right. Both Yoh and Segasaki struggle with not understandings the other's feelings.

I thought the ending was so sweet and tender. Both characters gain clarity in that they both expressed loving the other, and are now a couple. Yoh now knows that he isn't just a loser freeloader, and Segasaki now knows that Yoh reciprocates his feelings.. I thought that it was poignant to show them making love, then having a meal together, things that couples do together. That touched my heart more than tears or a monologue. The only flaw was the fujoshi shipper, but at least she was not over the top about it. She genuinely cared for her friend Yoh.

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Coming of Age Story of Assessing your Worth

I loved this coming of age story. I loved how neither family were bothered or questioned the closeness of Zo and Joke's relationship, which shows a nice change for an Asian family.

The message of Asian parents loving their child despite how he/she sees their own accomplishments, versus what they think their parents' expectations are, is a very powerful message for those of us who come from Asian families. We "know" this, but are rarely "told" this. Some Asian families are more stoic that others, and I thought the scenes between Zo and his mother, and Joke and his father, were very important for some Asian and maybe even non-Asian children (regardless of age) to see. Asian families do not have to express their love in a western style, but it's still nice to hear it once in a while. Even our elders need to hear it once in a while.

Jeng and Pok started this series on the low, but Jeng had to make a decision once Pok decided that having a secret relationship would no longer work for him. After deciding that his relationship with Pok was more important, Jenk became very public with his relationship, and was willing to change football teams due to homophobia.

So while the messages were delivered in a comedy romance, it does not negate the importance of these stories. I think this is an example of a story for and by Thai/Asian families, and since we are taught to "read the air," it makes sense to me.

I know this is a dumb criticism , but why Nita is wearing heavy sweaters in Thailand, but when leaving for Helsinki, she is wearing a crop top and short skirt? Even during the summer, Finland will seem cold to a Thai person. I'll never understand why in these series, the actors are dressed for a cooler climate, when their country's climate is so hot and humid.

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An Unneeded Adaptation

Had this not been marketed as an adaptation of Why R U? I would have been less disappointed in this series. They made it into another cookie cutter KBL. It's a shame because the acting, and the chemistry were better than most KBL, and the intimate scenes were at least not dead fish kissing. The storytelling was weak. I recommend this for people who do not like Thai BL, and those who hated the original. I am usually a generous rater, but I had to lower the values because they had good source material, and made it a mediocre story. I understand localization, but going with only 8 short episodes, and spending so much screen time on drinking parties damaged the story. The only thing that I liked better than the original is, the brother -sister relationship, and I felt the sister in the Korean version was much more likable.

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Lovely Interpretation of the Manga

I read the manga a few years ago, and I was not disappointed by this adaptation. I loved the story, and the acting, especially Sakurai, His facial expressions alone would carry me away. They had to censor the manga, but I think they did a great job in the adaptation. It stuck to the main points of the manga, and did not shy away from the heavy parts. The story includes child abuse, child abandonment, homophobia, drugging, raping, and sexual harassment (of women), and teen sexuality. All of these topics were handled in a sensitive, yet realistic manner. Children have no power, but once Kazuma reaches adulthood and graduates from university, he moves back to Japan, wanting to reunite with his first and only love Ren, As usual per BL world, Kazuma ends up being hired by the same company Ren works for, so they reunite right away.


This is the first Japanese BL where I felt actual sexual chemistry, I'm so used to the Ken doll, dead fish kisses. The Kazuma character expresses his love in ways that a real lover would. It charmed me. Except for Ep 6 (too many flashbacks), I enjoyed this series from start to finish.

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Disappointed Webtoon Reader

If I were rating this in comparison to the webtoon, it would be a 5 overall, but that would not be fair on this platform.

This production cut so much of the original story out for the 15 minute episodes, that I am disappointed in this series. They should have had 30-45 minute episodes to do the webtoon justice. The webtoon does not have graphic sex, and they do not make love (rated PG, no light sabers) until the very end, and there is very little skinship. So that wasn't the issue for butchering the story. Also, Yechan spent too much time with the foreigner (John? I forgot his name), who was not Yechan's sole confidant. Yechan of the webtoon was kind of like the town's child, since there were so many young people there. Everyone loves Yechan.

In the webtoon there was more conflict since Yul was ending a former relationship, and the resolution ended up with an amicable relationship between the ex and Yechan. Yul did not blow off his law studies, but by being with Yechan, decided to defy his father and pursue this dream. The webtoon takes place over several years, and we see how Yul defrosts and becomes himself with Yechan.

I am usually critical of many Korea BL, and poor storytelling is one of the reasons why. The actors were suited for the roles, did the kissing scene properly too. It's too bad they didn't get to present the whole story. If they are going to adapt a story, they should do it properly, not just make the main goal 15 minute episodes.

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Manga Readers will be Disappointed

The actors who played the leads were good, but they changed the original story so much that it detracted from the story. They took away Kaneda's spunk and made strange, and took away Yanase's sense of humor and made him more boring. They also created unnecessary angst that was not in the manga. The couple in the manga had a sex life, in the series they barely kissed.

In the manga, Kaneda moved to Canada to be with Yanase, and returned to Japan when his year was over, 3 months after Yanase. That guy did not come from Canada to mess with Jun. Once they confessed, they were lovey-dovey.

I recommend only reading the manga, or reading the manga after watching the series. I was unable to appreciate the series because I read the manga first a few years ago.

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Original and Diverse Gay Characters

In my opinion, this was one of the best BL series of 2022. This series is unusual, and it can be zany, and has a typical Japanese comedic feel with narration and the mango superimposed at times. Some people are upset that the MCs do not kiss, but Japanese culture is more reserved. I was more enraptured by the amount of different types of gay men in the series. There is Mamoru, the nerdy doujinshi artist, Issei (Issay), the J-Pop idol, and Framboise, the guy who runs the doujinshi event, who is more of a bear, and at times presents flamboyantly. Although Issei is an idol, we do not see him shirtless, and his bleached hair is almost jarring.

I know some viewers thought that the MCs not kissing was "unrealistic," the mangaka is an openly gay man, who also draws sexually mature stories, and he chose to present Mamoru and Issei's story in this manner. This quirky slice of life series is based on a manga that has 5 volumes published and is still in serialization. Hopefully there will be further live action series based on this manga.

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Great Slice of Life BL

Takara-kun to Amagi-kun (2022) was great because they used defined tropes (cold, stoic guy with cute, funny guy) and brought life to the characters. My biases are, rural setting, slice of life, and odd couples, so I was bound to love it, but the acting, the setting, the friendships put this over the top.

Yes, like most Japanese BL, the intimacy scenes are not very natural, but what I did enjoy was, when one character stated his boundary, and need to move slowly, his partner respected this.

I will be rewatching this due to the overall package this series is. It may be too slow for some viewers, but it was like wrapping a gift for me.

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Stagey at Times, but a Wonderful Bittersweet Story

I need to get my one criticism out of the way. I felt this series was too stagey at times, including with over the top acting at times. It was distracting because in my opinion, I would have preferred a film style presentation, but I ended up being able to overcome my bias.

I had difficulty finishing this series, not because it was lame and cliche, but due to my feelings of not wanting the protagonist, Wang, to continue being in the middle of a love triangle that will never be resolved, because it cannot be resolved. Wang is one of my favorite fictional characters I've had the pleasure of meeting. Wang is such a delightful person, that it really hurt me to see the adults in the generation about him being so stuck in their own misery, mostly a misery they made and sustain. Initially, I was pretty judgmental about Wang's mother sending him to board school, but now I realize that it may have saved him from a s similar fate. Being away from his mother allowed him to not experience her over the top demands 24 hours a day.

The shallowness of Sasiwimol and In's existences are in sharp contrast to the liveliness and optimism of Wang. Even when offered a ray of light, neither of them could reach out for it. Since Siam was with Sasiwimol and In all of the time, he wasn't able to break out on his own, while Wang has the strength the adults never had. Sasiwimol won two prestigious awards and could not find one person to share her victory with, and In could not acknowledge his feelings and chooses to be alone.

I half jokingly said that Wang should take his father's ghost, and move out on his own. I stand by this. Wang will honor his father by living, while In and Sasiwimol will continue to be the walking dead.

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Fluff with Supernatural Elements

I loved this series! For the kiddos, there's no SA, there is consent, healthy communication, legal marriage, what is there to hate? The actors because people wanted Ohm and Nanon and got Sea and Jimmy. Then viewers spent the next 12 weeks pining for Ohm and Nanon. My theory is, if Ohm and Nanon starred in this series, people would have gone nuts over it. Rant over.

Jimmy and Sea did very well in this series. The acting was very good, and the parallels between the two universes are well done. The beauty of this story is, that Talay and Puen fell in love without even knowing the true face of their beloved. Talay could have been a 300 pound guy with pimples for all Puen knew. He didn't realize until after he loved Talay, that Talay was the person who gave him the bucket hat.

Another great part about this series were the friendships in this series. Even after Tess screwed up Talay's friendships, they still forgave him and moved forward. That's true friendship.

This is a great series if the viewer can not keep wishing for Ohm and Nanon. Jimmy and Sea were excellent in this series, and it's worth watching.

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Thitnuea's Ever Changing Hair Color

I really like this series. I thought that Pavel did a great job playing a character that is very different from his real personality. I liked seeing him as Plengrak, a kind and gentle man who has been hurt in the past. Benz is great as the sweet, yet bold Duen Yi. I like both actors, so I did watch the series with this bias. The second couple, Jean and Thitnuea were great. Jean was a tsudere who finally allowed himself to be caught by Thitnuea. Their storyline was sweet. The hetero couple was the standard boy and girl have had mutual crushes forever, but then the girl rejects the guy, who will not give up in chasing her.

This was not the most original story and this may be an annoyance for some viewers. That's understandable. This series is on the lighter side, and maybe COVID and budget had something to do with this. This series was cast long before it aired, so COVID may have played a part. Also, they didn't plug in the instruments, so for most of the series, the viewer didn't get to hear what the band sounds like. This was very annoying. Also, Thitnuea's hair was very annoying. The color of his hair would change within a scene. They would cut away from Thitnuea, then when it turned back to him, his hair color would be different. Thitnuea's hair color was very vivid, and they should have done a better job with continuity, since it was very distracting.

Overall, this was a simple, series, nothing new, but was made enjoyable by the cast.

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Good Lightweight Series

Due to the heavy subject matters of parental death, and neglectful, abusive parents, I thought there would be more depth to this series. Since this is a mini series, I think my expectations were too high.

The acoustics the band played in were horrible, so I couldn't get into the music numbers either. The only reason I enjoyed this series, was the relationship development between the two couples, Xu Qi Zhang/Ye Guang, and Ray/Jian. Both couples had different paths to love, and I thought the relationship progression was really well done. What I found a little interesting was, Ray allowed the first guy to mistreat him multiple times, yet he made a nice guy like Jian pay for his one mistake. Yet Ray did not try to use his previous relationship as an explanation to Jian, he just decided what was no longer acceptable to him, and acted on it.

Overall this is a light series, that does have moments of emotional abuse and one incident of a parent slapping a child across the face. This is not resolved in the end, so it's really disturbing to think that Ye Guang will be living in that environment for at 2 more years until he can go to university. Hopefully he can get stronger against his parents (father is the abuser, mother the enabler) with the support of Xu Qi Zhang and his mother.

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When the Older is More Afraid than the Younger

This was one of my favorite series of 2022. Slice of life, older partner being more afraid than the younger, the younger guy being more bold, all of these appeal to me. Akira Minato took over the laundromat in town from his grandfather. After a disastrous one-sided love affair, Akira decides to move to Tokyo to live the dream. After working for a black company (this is a Japanese term, look it up) he decides to return to his hometown, to run the coin laundry.

Shintaro is a high school senior, tall, handsome, smart and his goals are to win Akira's heart and go to medical school. In this series, it seems to be easier to get into medical school. Akira is doubtful of this relationship because there are two major problems. The first is, the age difference between himself and Shintaro, the second, he kissed his (male) teacher on his graduation day and has unresolved feelings about it. Akira's internal struggles are the main focus of this series. Shin already knows what he wants, it's Akira who has to figure things out.

Set in a beautiful rural town, Minato Shouji Coin Laundry may be too slow for some viewers, but is perfect for me. This series has a great supporting cast, and though rural, town members support the characters, or do not outwardly object. Kisses and intimacy in Japanese BL are not up to par, and that is the case with this series too. I was able to overcome that, knowing that in the future, Japanese shows will improve in this area.

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Ambiguity Made Beautiful

This series left more unanswered questions than revelations, but I'm fine with that. I usually cannot stand open endings, unanswered questions, etc., but in the case of this series, it's wonderful. I still do not completely understand this story and home some events happened, but when the strong storytelling and acting, I found that I was satisfied with this. The leads, Meen and Rossi, did a fantastic job. I highly recommend this series. I hope they do not try to make a prequel or sequel, because sometimes less is more. I do not want to spoil the plot, so I will just say that sometimes, we do not need all of the answers to still feel a story is complete. On Cloud 9 does this for me.

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