Old Fashion Cupcake

Very cute story, directed brought to life by 2 talented actors.

Nozue is a competent 39-year-old manager who, until now, has dedicated his life solely to his work. He gradually becomes closer to Togawa, a 29-year-old subordinate he met one evening over pancakes. Togawa will try to pull Nozue out of his routine (and his shell). He's going to try to win his heart over, but Nozue is afraid (of everything :))

+++ Excellent actors, all in micro-expressions and subtlety
+++ Dynamic direction (only 5 episodes) with no dead time or unnecessary scenes
+++ Believable story (and good depiction of Japanese culture: workaholism, lots of team dinners, intrusion into private life, a lot of restraint and few words so as not to offend/bother others, etc.)

### Slightly annoying Japanese drama standard: 1/ Setting up the situation 2/ Exposition of feelings 3/ Denial by one of the characters 4/ Sudden realization 5/ Race to catch up with the one who was rejected
### Very frustrating experience for Western viewers faced with the constraint and constant restraint of the Japanese regarding their feelings ლ(ಠ益ಠლ

=> Very cute story, directed brought to life by 2 talented actors.
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Nozue est un manager compétent de 39 ans, qui n'a pour l'instant, consacré sa vie qu'au boulot. Il devient peu à peu plus proche de Togawa, un de ses subordonnés de 29 ans, qu'il a rencontré un soir autour de pancakes. Togawa va essayer de sortir Nozue de sa routine (et de sa coquille). Il va essayer de le conquérir, mais Nozue a peur (de tout :)

+++ Excellents acteurs, tout en micro-expressions, en subtilité
+++ Réalis° dynamique (seult 5 ép.) sans temps mort ni scène inutile
+++ Story crédible (et bonne description de la culture japonaise : obsession du travail, bcp de diners d'équipe, incursion ds la vie privée, bcp de retenue et peu de paroles pour ne pas heurter les autres, etc.)

### Standard de drama japonais un peu agaçant : 1/ mise en place de la situat° 2/ Exposit° des sentiments 3/ Déni d'un des personnages 4/ Prise de conscience soudaine 5/ course pr rattraper celui ou celle qu'on a rejeté
### Ressenti très frustrant des spectateurs occidentaux face à la contrainte et la retenue constante des japonais par rapport à leurs sentiments ლ(ಠ益ಠლ

=> Story très cute, mise en vie par 2 acteurs de talent.

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A Perfectly Sweet Short-Form Office Romance

Honestly I've always been a little ambivalent towards both short form dramas and Japanese dramas. But after watching and loving I Hear The Sunspot I've been testing the waters with Japanese BL again. I am not in to sturm and drang and high drama but I absolutely love sweet and tender romance. This one delivers in every aspect with a wonderful cast, beautiful music and cinematography and most importantly sweetness.

The five episodes are each about half an hour long and in the past I've found that shorter dramas have not fleshed out the characters enough nor the sense of how feeling develop between them. This drama put all those others to shame. The sense of who the two lead characters are and why they would love each other is so complete and perfect. I cried along with Togawa when he confessed to Nozue.

I highly recommend watching this drama if you love sweet, gentle love stories between beautiful men. I will be reinvestigating Japanese dramas after watching this one and would love to find more like it.

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Cutest BL I have watched.

This series was by far one of the best Japanese BL's I have ever come across. The acting is phenomenal, and although the office story line is quite generic, the little twist they put into it made it my favorite. Coming from someone that does not re watch series, I have re watched this about 3 times. It never gets old, the actors portrayed the characters extremely well, and honestly it was a breath of fresh air seeing the actors be middle aged. I have always come across BL's with some young leads, and I needed a change. But overall, I feel like this BL despite the story line, is quite mature.

So watch it!!! It is an extremely adorable BL :D

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Entertaining & a must see Japanese BL

I am not sure if I love this BL because the leads are older - but I rewatch this BL every year It has everything a good series should have -- a great story line, a great plot , fantastic cast & the series keeps you engaged from start to finish Only the Japanese actors can give such good acting without words Every emotion is conveyed, the series is nuanced & it doesn't pander it has no unnecessary scenes when the main characters do become more intimate it is to move the story line as a good series should It is a stark reminder that you don't need obnoxious love scenes just to pander to the lowest common form to engage your audience (are you listening Thai bl creators) audiences are more sophisticated and we know and appreciate a good story line with great acting A must see

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When Love Feels Like a Warm Cupcake on a Quiet Afternoon

The Japanese BL drama Old Fashion Cupcake consists of 5 episodes, each between 24 and 26 minutes. From the very first episode, I felt there was something different about it — and that feeling becomes clear as the story progresses. The directing, plot, and music were all well-done. Nothing about the cinematography or soundtrack was annoying; everything felt smooth and enjoyable to watch.

Regarding Nozue, it’s very clear that he is serious about his work but scared to try new things, believing they don’t suit him because of his age. His acting was amazing — his facial expressions and the way he speaks truly make you feel he’s a 39-year-old who sees himself as “old-fashioned.” The casting for his character was perfect.

As for Togawa, he is strict and serious with others, but extremely attentive and soft when it comes to Nozue. I loved how he gives instructions in a firm tone, yet treats Nozue differently with a gentle approach. His portrayal of a 29-year-old who’s emotionally mature and sincere was truly beautiful. The way he tries to help Nozue change, not for his own benefit but because he genuinely wants him to live more freely, was one of the best things about his character.

I loved how the story developed, and I could tell from the start that these 5 episodes would hold a lot of emotional depth.

The fourth episode took me by surprise — the emotions were incredibly strong. The way Togawa finally exploded with his feelings after holding them in for so long felt like the calm before the storm. His emotional confession, his fear of losing Nozue, and how he could no longer stay silent… it genuinely made me feel sorry for him. I could feel the lump in his throat as he poured out his emotions.

In the final episode, when Nozue finally understood his feelings and realized he might lose something precious, his reaction was touching. Watching him rush to Togawa with all his might to confess was very emotional. The way both characters expressed their feelings made every emotion clear and heartfelt.

However, there were two things that bothered me:

1. Togawa’s slightly obsessive behavior.


2. The scene where Togawa returned to the apartment, took the key, and kissed Nozue’s neck — it gave me chills in an uncomfortable way.



I wish the drama had more episodes, yet at the same time, these five episodes were enough to make me fully understand their story and feel all their emotions. The way everything was expressed and portrayed was unique and beautifully done.

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Too Short, A Few Good Scenes

Japanese Series don't have a lot of Excitement, Anticipation, Laughter, or Background of Characters.

For me, they always seem to miss the mark in pulling me thoroughly into the story and giving me a reason to fall in love with the characters. Successful Short Series are really rare and honestly, if the story is well done then I want to see more, not less.

This series left so much unsaid and unfinished; I just did not feel the warmth or the love. The best moments were when they displayed jealousy, in some instances without even realizing that's what they were doing.

I personally do not like the way the series had such a depressing, dark tone to it, with dark alleys and crappy rooms, which also seems to be the norm with Japanese series.

This show has no rewatch value for me. Other reviews are more positive than mine, so give it a try, at least it won't take up much of your time.

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It Doesn't Quite Take the Cake

I was interested in this drama because of its unusual nature. The vast majority of BL dramas are about young adult men. This one about a romance between almost 40-year-old and an almost 30-year-old, peaked my interest. That being said, it didn't quite take the cake for me for a variety of reasons.

First, it felt very dry to me. Nozue's life borders on depressing and its obvious he's not happy in it, but I didn't feel like his emotions or mental state were well represented and there overall seemed to be a lack of emotion. So I really struggled to get into the story and really care about any of the characters. It also doesn't help that the drama is so short, five episodes all under a half hour. I don't think it had a chance to really spread its wings and give us a chance to get to know Nozue and Togawa as individuals before getting to know them as a pair.

Second, while I appreciate what the drama was going for with a more unique couple, I think that was part of its downfall for me. I felt like the characters needed to have more background and more depth to really allow people to be invested in their lives. While I'm at an age where I can understand the grind of work life, something about the way it was portrayed, I couldn't fully relate. Mentally I appreciated what they were going for, but emotionally, I never really felt drawn in and I think that's so important in a drama like this. With younger BL dramas, you can get away with a lot more fluff, I think. This one was going for more substance and it just fell flat, for me at least.

Third, I found the whole anti-aging process to be awkward at best and downright uncomfortable at worst. The whole premise of anti-aging felt off to me. I understood what Togawa was going for, but I felt like anti-aging was just the wrong wording for it. There is nothing wrong with getting older and I felt like that aspect of the drama was pushing society's view of younger is better which I hate. That is such a toxic message and I really wish the focus had just been on experiencing new things together and getting Nozue out of his shell. On that same thread, the whole pretending to be girls was very weird to me. Again, I understood what they were going for, but I don't think it was executed well and it times it was just uncomfortable to watch.

Fourth, and here lies my biggest issue, is at the end when Togawa says, "Having an age gap or being a minority is the same as having different hometowns or cheering for a different baseball team. It's nothing." I get that he is trying to tell Nozue that their age gap and being gay won't be issues or will be minor issues at most and something they can work through together. On the one hand, I can appreciate that and appreciate his confidence in their ability to essentially take on the world, on the other hand, though it also comes across as horribly out of touch and insensitive. Same-sex marriage is not legal in Japan, homosexual couples do not enjoy the same legal protections that heterosexual couples do. To say that being a minority is nothing, to me, minimizes the struggles and persecution those people have to deal with every day. That quote really disappointed me and left a bad taste in my mouth.

Now that's not to say it was all bad. The acting was overall quite good. The cinematography and visuals were well done as was the OST. That being said, they were good, but I didn't really find any of it memorable. What I did appreciate is the theme that you are never too old for love.

I wouldn't discourage anyone from watching this drama. As short as it, its worth watching whether you're interested or not. It's not one that I have any real urge to re-watch, it just really didn't hit the mark for me. Its not bad, but its also not good. I really do appreciate what they were going for, I just don't feel that it was well executed which is disappointing because I think it could have been a really unique story.

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BL piacevole con qualche spunto insolito e dialoghi interessanti

Interessante BL giapponese, verso la quale ero inspiegabilmente prevenuta. Vuoi il titolo, vuoi l'immagine che fa da locandina, mi ero convinta si trattasse di un drama di quelli ad alta glicemia (un po' come i dolci, già che questo è in tema). Invece sono rimasta piacevolmente sorpresa nello scoprire una serie per certi versi inusuale, con uno dei protagonisti alla soglia dei quaranta, permeato dalla deprimente quotidianità di un'esistenza ordinaria dedicata alla comfort zone. La storia evolve in modo rapido e curioso, forse con qualche cliché di troppo e qualche passaggio non proprio all'insegna della coerenza. Ciò che però aggiunge valore è l'interazione verbale tra i due, briosa e accattivante, a tratti pungente a tratti divertente. Una volta tanto nessun discorso troppo banale e prevedibile. Bravi - e belli - gli attori principali. Al di fuori della coppia, il resto un po' scompare, non c'è una trama di background né personaggi secondari di minimo rilievo.
Sicuramente consigliata a chi è a caccia di un buon BL romance, pur senza grandi scene appassionate (ma non credo sia l'obiettivo di questo drama, quindi ci sta)

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