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Japanese BL version of Something In The Rain
The fluffiest part of this drama were opening credits. The rest is a slow burn, angst filled, heavy with secrets and untold truths and I loved it. Moreover it reminded me of my favourite K-drama, SITR with the stress put upon family ties, friends to lovers theme and workplace sexual harassment. Since it is a japanese drama, it is shorter, more succinct and the family is just touched upon but it is just as bad.Tokyo in April Is... tells the story of Kazuma and Ren, best friends when they were in school but separated due to an incident. They meet again accidentally ten years later and the spark that connected them years earlies is still there. But something is holding Ren back, he does not want to confide in Kazuma so they become sex friends. And then slowly more.
The main theme of the drama is acceptance: how to accept and define yourself, how does the family see you and whether they accept you regardless.
The main leads were excellent, they had good chemistry, were very much at ease with each other and were deceptively obvious. At the start of the drama, Kazuma looked like a shy, sweet and innocent boy while Ren seemed like a much stronger characters, he was outspoken and nonchalant. But very soon it turned out that Kazume, behind his sweet exterieur, hides a core of steel while Ren hides his wounds and his fragility. I liked this non conformity. They met when they were teens and struck a firm friendship which developed into love neither was really conscious of, especially Kazuma. Ren quickly figured out he was gay himself but Kazuma always refused to put the term to the feelings he had for Ren. And he stuck to this notion to the very ending, refusing to define himself as gay but saying he "only loves Ren". This gay-for-you-only trope is really getting old and unnecessary. It was very much obvious from the beginning that both boys have strong feelings for each other.
At this point, I would like to congratulate casting director on casting two young actors who played Ren ans Kazuma at 15(in flashbacks): they were perfect, there was a definite resemblance with the main actors and they portrayed those young man with talent and sensitivity.
The romance between them is an adult one, they are not afraid of physical contact. What scares them both is communication: so they sleep together regularly, practically live together but do not talk about important things. That leads to a lot of misunderstanding and missed chances. And almost to another unwilling separation because of "it's for your own good" classical plot point. The main events, the ones that shaped them and caused them a lot of suffering happen in the rain under transparent umbrellas. (Is there any special meaning to it? Not an umbrella expert, here!lol)
The boys' families are something special. After the first incident, Ren's family disowns him to the point of having him change his surname. Ultimate cruelty of unloving parents. Kazume is a child of divorced parents and his mother seems to be just as bad if not worse than Ren's parents. But her reactions are explained by her being worried about them (since she quickly understood that those two have extremely strong connection!) which was not really clear to begin with.
Personally, I really liked this drama, it is my kind of drama!I wanted to rate it higher but then they went and ruined it with two of my most hated tropes. Still, if you make abstraction of those, the drama is an excellent short watch. Great story, lovely cinematography, excellent acting, natural, subtle skinship; and cuteness overload in credits where they show off their domestic bliss!
When I think I almost did not watch this believing all those posts saying that the second half was bad etc. True, it was not as good but it was far from ruining a great drama (which went, for me from 9.5/10 to 8.5/10 so still an excellent drama!)
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very enjoyable and interesting
I liked it....which was not the thought of the overall audience though but I genuinely liked this. I thought it was bitter sweet and could not find any fault in it. The story was interesting and simple and the characters were likeable. The actors were really good too and the ost was nice. I like the MLs and their chemistry. It was so cute and sweet. The way they actually acted like a couple and had problems that actually were pretty difficult to avoid. So definitely watch it on your own first without listening to the comments cause maybe you would liked it.Was this review helpful to you?
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? Beautiful, Bittersweet, and Deeply Moving – 10/10
Tokyo in April is... completely stole my heart. It's not just a love story—it’s a quiet, powerful journey about healing, reconnection, and the lingering impact of first love. From start to finish, I was emotionally invested in every moment, and it’s one of those rare series that stays with you long after the final episode ends.📝 Story & Writing
The plot is simple yet profound. It follows Kazuma and Ren, two high school friends reunited as adults after years of silence and heartbreak. Their past is filled with pain, but their reunion is beautifully restrained, realistic, and emotionally layered. The storytelling never rushes, allowing space for meaningful glances, silences, and subtle emotional shifts that speak louder than words. It’s mature and authentic, and I deeply appreciated the way it explored trauma, identity, and forgiveness.
🎭 Acting
The performances are outstanding. Takeda Kouhei as Kazuma and Sakurai Yuki as Ren bring so much depth and nuance to their roles. You can feel the history between them in the way they look at each other—the longing, the hesitation, and the unspoken words. Their chemistry is undeniable, but more than that, it’s genuine. It felt like watching two real people find their way back to something they thought they had lost forever.
Takeda Kouhei as Kazuma is absolutely adorable—gorgeous, beautiful, and effortlessly charming. He plays Kazuma with such warmth and tenderness. He's the kind of character who cooks, cares deeply, and lights up when he sees Ren. His acting in Episode 7, when he breaks down crying, and in Episode 8, when he’s overwhelmed and confused about his feelings for Ren, was so moving—I cried right along with him. He truly comes across as the kind of husband or boyfriend anyone would be lucky to have. When Ren says, “I’ll do whatever it takes to come home to Kazuma,” I felt that deeply—and completely agreed.
🎬 Production & Atmosphere
Visually, the series is soft and atmospheric, with a beautiful use of light and Tokyo’s quiet corners to reflect the characters' emotions. The soundtrack is gentle and perfectly chosen, adding to the emotional pull without being overpowering. The pacing is slow in the best way—it gives room for the story to breathe and for the emotional beats to land.
❤️ Final Thoughts
I binged all 8 episodes in one sitting—I simply couldn’t stop watching. The emotional pull, the gentle pacing, and the connection between the leads kept me fully hooked. This show melted my heart in the best way.
I really hope we get a Season 2, especially with the hint of Ren moving toward marriage and family life. There’s still so much story left to tell, and I would love to see where their paths lead from here.
10/10 – A tender, heartfelt series that reminds us that sometimes love finds its way back, even after years of silence.
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"Tokyo In April Is" it's a BL about two friends, Kazuma and Ren. Ren was Kazuma's best friend and first love, and he just disappeared when they were teenagers. The two grow up apart from each other and reunite as adults. I'm starting to realize that the best BL aren't actually Thai, but Japanese!
After "Cherry Magic" and "Old Fashion Cupcake", comes "Tokyo In April Is", a story that starts slowly but grows in your heart and when you least realize it, you are already completely in love. The love story between Ren and Kazuma is wonderful, they went through so many challenges just to be together.
And who knew that Ren loved Kazuma from the beginning, but to protect Kazuma he kept a distance and also to not get hurt in the process. Kazuma's confession on the street was the most beautiful thing in the universe, he showed how important Ren is to him.
A simply unforgettable drama <3
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Tokyo in April is lightly confusing at times but good balance between fluff and issues
Falling in love with your best friend at 15 is complicated... Raging hormones, tabus and disapproving parents complicate things further and before you know it you are torn apart and 10 years have passed... Which is where this story takes of, as these two meet again in a not so well functioning office setting we the viewers a thrown back and fourth in time as the story unfolds (both past and present) this drama tackles well known issues in a pretty decent way.The romance has slightly confusing yet fun to watch development, and the plot of this drama has that too making this that is more suitable to binge than space out (as I did).
The casting of the young versions does not match the older as they look more like the other guy... I would also have wanted to see more from the past than the present as that story was the more interesting one of the two.
Sakurai Yukis acting could have been better, it wasnt bad but there is a noticeable gap between him and the other male lead Takamatsu Alohas acting skills.
All in all an ok watch that could use a few more episodes to fully explore both past and present.
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Surprisingly mature plotline, well-written and well acted
I really did not expect this series to have such mature themes. But I also expect nothing less from a Japanese series, the industry has somehow mastered the idea of showing sublime stories with mature written characters. Japanese books, films, series have this theme going on where even if there is happiness, a river of melancholia flows underneath of it.The two young actors have performed their roles very very well. In fact it is their acting that created the bare bones of the future plotline.
The inability to suppress the feelings, the inability to be clear and say what you want, the feeling of guilt, the prejudice of people, even of the near and dear ones, unhelpful society can lead a young mind to self destruction. Ren tried to commit suicide in a feeing of shame and guilt of forcing his best friend into having s*x with him. Unbeknownst to Ren that it was not forced. And Kazuma's illness too was not his fault. But he suffered all the pain and shame alone.
And when the two finally had their chance encounter, both confused, one by the guilt that does not leave him, one by his love for Ren. The plot thickens. The plot heats and bursts out.
The end is okay, it falls a little flat. I guess the director did not want to focus much on the subplot even though it is a factor to bring Kazuma and Ren closer.
The perfect series to binge watch in a short time. Quite well rounded I must say.
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Great story, progressive ish content, bad acting in 2/4 MC
The title says it all, but I want to focus on what I found progressive. This is the first time where I watched a show that (sadly still) assigned top and bottom but this time the top took on many of the “womanly traits” like cooking and maybe stronger emotions, though that equally could have been the quality of acting. He was definite The cuter one, but still was the top. It’s bad to say, “oh it defied gender stereotypes,” because it stillassigned top and bottom. Or giver and receiver. But it twisted the “top = man” bottom = woman. Idk. I found it so refreshing in the moment that i wanted to write a whole review about it.
As for the story and acting, the acting was bad, but it didn’t really take away from the overall show other than to make me feel bad/ embarrassed for the actors. I really enjoyed the storyline, and it was compelling enough that I looked forward to the show every day. I would recommend unless you don’t like bad acting. And I mean bass. I have not seen acting this bad in living
memory. But it was cute and fun. Except for that one scene on the subway tunnel by Ren
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started off great but ended very badly
this story was very interesting to watch and I was very excited about how this drama will progressthe story was kind of messed up... like in the start it was great but by the 6 episode I was fully confused....
I liked the leads and the flashback were great
the kids did something bad and their families didn't treat it in a mature way and dealt with it in an even immature way than I expected
like really abandoning your child In an whole new country with a whole new language was the best they could do to teach ren what's right and wrong like wth
then kazumas mother literally hating on the ren and preventing ren from loving his son and then after a few episodes saying that "the moment I saw them together I knew that they were in love a very deep love that they can't be separated from" like what...
you can't change your mind just like that
And what the hell was the end like
the ren traumatic experience and trauma was healed just because ren got his lover back 🙄
AND WTH was the I'm not gay I just love him like bro what are you talking about grow up just accept it
and it was funny that while kazuma was crying just a tear drops from just one eye like what is that bro and the other eye isn't even wet
I'm a little annoyed
and his friend yagami like do you like him sir I don't understand ( I like that he's there to help ren )
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Explicit sexual tension with a purpose
Another Japanese BL brought something new to the audience. Not your typical romantic drama with an overdramatic storyline. This show wins in terms of uplifting the concept of narrating sexual desires in the mind of a young individual. At first, I was too stunned for having such bed scenes between two students. Yet, I love how they showcase the pros and cons of the main character and how they tackled each of their problems for their respective character development.Ren is definitely a handsome man and I love his manly yet cute facial expressions. The friend-with-benefits episodes were too hot, especially when they mentioned that they almost have an intimate activity every single day. However, it is not romantically entertaining since lust overcomes love between these two grown men.
I ended up scoring the show not so high but not so low, simply because of its overall impact. It wasn’t the best but I can guarantee they are better than most airing BLs nowadays. I love how the couple ended up being on each other’s side without any of them holding back anymore.
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Like:+ The story is pretty interesting. I like the plot of childhood friends meeting after a long time period and come closer again. And it's definitely different from the shows I watched before about this topic.
+ The start was really good. I liked the pace in which the story was told.
+ We get enough information to stay interested, but not too much to get bored after revealing everything all at once. It was a pretty exciting show.
+ It's pretty serious. Talks about serious topics and I think it would be important to put a content warning in it, but I guess we are not that progressive that shows have such things like books. ^^'
+ The production is nice. The different color shadings in different kind of scenes were nice to watch.
+ I really like the soundtrack!
+ They choosed child actors who actually fit to the adult version of them!
+ The actors were all good. Imho not absolutely great, but they did an okay job. I was a bit awkward in emotional scenes, but the more intimate scenes were great! Didn't make me uncomfortable at all and weren't overdone. It was sensitive and nice to watch without having to cringe about.
Room for improvement:
- I didn't really feel the chemistry between the actors. The actors were a bit stiff sometimes.. even tough I remember that I liked the actor of Ren more. He was a bit more charming I guess.
- The ending.. I think, after like episode 5 or 6, it was just too dragged with a lot of flashbacks. They should have told more about the story (I still have some open questions..) instead of dragging it for like forever with flashbacks and useless repetitions.
- After a good start it was a bit disappointing that they lost it towards the end. The pace was annoying and the open questions bother me.
- The ending was too rushed.
Overall I liked this drama. It was interesting, exciting, sensual and didn't make me uncomfortable with the scenes with a lot of naked skin. I am a really open person, but shows sometimes tend to make it weird and awkward with intimate scenes. But this one was well done. Although the actors were sometimes too stiff, these scenes were absolutely great (by both actors!)
I even wished for more intimate scenes with some progress in their relationship to show how they come closer and more comfortable with each other.
Normally I am more into fluffy RomComs (at least this is what I watched since I started with asian shows) but I really really liked this show. I didn't expect it, tbh, because I watched a lot of dramas in the last days, which weren't that good. So "Tokyo in April is..." was a great, refreshing surprise, even if it's definitely more serious and not fluffy at all.
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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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