What a FANTASTIC disappointment

What happened? Seriously, what happened?? That's what I kept asking myself as I watched this drama every week. HIStory 3 gave us Trapped and Make Our Days Count, two beautiful and compelling dramas. I couldn't WAIT to see how HIStory 4 would top it. And then we got.... this?!

The plot was abysmal. Seriously, just so bad. If you're looking for progressive LGBT content stay away from this one, because I assure you there is none to be found. Apart from having some really regressive BL tropes and plot points, the overarching story was just... not interesting, and even downright cringy. It's hard to say who the main couple was because I feel that both couples got fairly equal attention, but neither of them was watchable. I also found half of the characters to just be genuinely unlikable. Like, legitimately, when they were on screen I hated every second of it and wanted to look away.

Alright, now that that's out of the way, let's talk incest. If incest is a hard no for you, skip this one. If incest is a soft no for you, skip this one. And even if you LIKE incest, skip this one. Maybe it's just me, but I personally think that if you're going to ship an incest pairing, the parents need to be out of the picture or at least ignorant of what's happening. But the parents in this drama were so ALIVE AND INVOLVED, it was actually really upsetting.

As for steam and sexual content, it's not great. There are a handful of kisses and maybe one make-out scene, but most of them were really meh for me, if not downright unwatchable. The only thing that kept me going each week was the promise of the tolerable couple getting down and dirty on screen, and honestly? I can now say it wasn't worth it and I'd rather have my time back.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this drama to anyone unless you're really really desperate and you've watched everything else out there.

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Do you love sexual tension? Who am I kidding, of course you do

If you're looking for something with a lot of sexual tension and steamy, fairly explicit scenes, I can't recommend this one enough. While in many ways the plot of this show is cliche, there IS definitely an overarching plot, and it's interesting enough to keep your attention between bedroom scenes. Also, while the two main characters are technically step-brothers, this is a very minor plot point and is almost negligible. If you're worried that the incest vibes will be too strong, I can assure you they're only there if you squint.

As for the acting, Timmy Xu tries his best to keep up and does well enough, but Johnny Huang steals the show. He really carries a lot of their scenes. Genuinely, if a less talented actor had been in the role of Gu Hai this might have been a lot cringier than it was, so let's all say thank you to Johnny!

Now, on to one of my favorite parts about this BL: the soundtrack. Music can be such a hit or miss with most BL, but I'm happy to say that the soundtrack for this series is actually really nice. Like REALLY nice. The acoustic guitar sometimes reminds me of The Princess Bride, and the steamy scenes usually have an appropriately steamy song that doesn't kill the mood or sound like something out of a bad por*no movie.

One last note: this drama is SHORT. The episodes are barely 25 minutes each, so you can easily plow through this show in a weekend, or even a long night if you have nothing else to do. The show was cut from the air before it could finish airing, but I actually don't think this matters in the slightest. The episode they left on wrapped things up quite nicely with the main relationship, and while there were a few arcs that remained unfinished, overall I was very satisfied with the ending we got.

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Redundant, but still good for a laugh

The premise is very similar to the original Ossan's Love, and with the titular cast members returning it does feel unoriginal at times. However, there is fresh scenery and some new twists and turns to be found. It's still funny and ridiculous with over-the-top acting and editing at times, but less humorous than the original. Also, it takes much longer for any of the romances to actually get anywhere, which kept me guessing but felt a little frustrating at times because I didn't know who to root for! Overall, 6.5/10. Worth the watch if you really enjoyed the original like I did, but if you weren't super hyped about the original than I'd say you can skip this one.

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I can't believe things like this actually exist

You know that feeling when you watch something, and you're like "oh my god? I didn't realize other people had these thoughts or were capable of creating content like this?" Yeah, that's how I felt about this drama. From the first episode your attention will be grabbed and hooked as you learn about the swoon-worthy, magical premise. Kurosawa's dimpled smile and smooth, velvety voice are the thing of dreams, and Adachi's earnest everyman characterization is usually good for a laugh. Apart from being a very manga-esque romance, this drama also deals with themes of self-esteem, deception, risk taking, and friendship.

The rewatch value on this show is off the charts. However, the side romance isn't my favorite. It's tolerable enough to watch the first time, but I definitely skip those scenes during a rewatch. The two characters aren't that compelling and don't really make a good match imo.

To sum up, watch this drama because you absolutely will not regret it. If you're in the mood for a feel good, swoon-worthy romance with minimal conflict and a happy ending, take a chance on this!

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