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Just Beautiful !
The gorgeous original music by Koyama Erina accompanies a warm color pallet that surrounds the couple with this warm and intimate feeling. The many shots of the two looking at each other and close-ups of their faces portray a longing that comes off as fleeting and effortless (something we saw in Jack O Frost, also directed by Yasukawa Yuka). The acting never feels too forced, and Robin’s face portrays so much subtle detail. Episode four is my favorite of the series when we finally see why Miyata was holding out so much. The scene by the river has made me tearful both times I have watched it but the line, “I may not be able to show the weight of my love, so I don’t know if it comes off as equal, but I want to spend the rest of my life with you” always brings the tears in full force. For me, this scene replicated the feeling I had when I found someone I loved and they said the right words to lift me out of loneliness. Perhaps, my own experience makes me like this BL a lot, or maybe it is truly hitting on something authentic. - EJ ReviewsWas this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Difficulty in liking the main character
It didn't take long in watching this drama to develop a strong dislike for Iwanaga, one of the main protagonists. It was really full of himself and abused people with his business position to get involved in romance, but really just sex, not romance.Miyata, an extremely likeable character is subject to the abuse, but starts to turn things around as the episodes play out.
That said, You definitely see a bit of a positive change in both characters as their relationship intensifies.
There's a lot of history between these two, so as you realize the depth of their past, you appreciate them both trying to build it back up again ... but as their always is in these BL stories, interference from supporting cast plays a big role, especially Shiraishi, the assistant to Iwanaga. He does a good job toward you wanting to smack him in the face, so Takamatsu Aloha's acting in this definitely worked!
It's a good story and the main actors Hasegawa Makoto & Furuya Robin do a great job opposite each other.
It's worth watching with a good feel ending.
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Second chances come with baggage
The show speaks to anyone who have loved someone, lost that same someone, and now occasionally harbours thoughts of “what if?”What this series does is to capture perfectly the anticipation of meeting an old flame for the second time. As attraction increases between them, so does the emotional vulnerability.
Takashi and Miyata have to confront the uncomfortable reality of why their relationship failed to work out before and whether there is hope for a second attempt.
After all, second chances come with baggage.
With just six episodes, the character growth of the characters could not be fleshed out fully. But I suspect that this BL is so popular because it mirrors real life to a large extent, revolving around the fragility of relationships and the importance of timing.
Sometimes, saying goodbye doesn’t mean losing someone forever. It means see you next time at another point in our lives.
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An Excellent but Too Short Adult BL Romance
This was very enjoyable to watch. The actors have an amazing chemistry, and whoever the cinematographer was should get an award for how well they made Hasegawa Makoto and Furuya Robin look. There were so many moments where both men were lit with an amazing golden hue that rivals feature film or big budget advertising cinematography. Plot-wise, I must say that there's a nice feeling seeing two men navigating a past shared teenage trauma and trying to figure out if they right for each other as adults. Amidst the drama, there are some nice comedic touches from Takashi's assistant, and Takashi's "brother." It also presents a nice story of gay man standing up for himself in the face of some traditional Japanese conservatism. They did a great job of casting three teenage versions of the adult men, actually finding young actors who looked like the adult actors, particularly the young Miyata. I think that some very talented hair and make-up people also had a big hand in that. Lastly, although there was no explicit nudity, the sex scenes, though brief, were quite frank and passionate.My only criticism is that six 24 minute episodes felt too short. I could have used a little more delving into Takahashi's psyche and how he was affected by his broken relationship with his family. They explained everything in the final episode, but whereas I felt I really understood Miyata's trepadations about entering into this relationship again, Takahashi was a bit of a mystery throughout the series. I know a big part of the plot was predicated on Miyata not trusting Takahashi's words, and us not completely understanding his motivations helped elevate that plot thread. Miyata's voiceover gave us really clear insight into his character and I think some time could have been added to do something similar with Takashi's character. But this is nitpicking. Koi wo Suru nara Nidome ga Joto is an excellent series and very much worth your time if you like adult BL dramas.
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This is a more mature BL than usual, where the characters are around their 30's and I'm here for that. I enjoyed the story, although I felt it was quite simplistic and a tad cliche. I would have liked to see the characters a little more fleshed out, but it is a short quick series.
I definitely fell in love with Miyata-san, with his quiet strength and sassy moments. I found I was always cheering him along, I wish we had more characters like this in BL.
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a mature story perfectly executed
I think it’s one of the best Jbls i’ve watched. Ik the trope seems cliché but they managed to make something actually original. It was so satisfying to see the bottom put boundaries to protect his own feelings, cause if u know it’s not something common in the BL world.About the cinematography, it was so good, specially when you notice the parallels between the young and the current couple. The music is really good, i loved the opening, never skipped it.
overall, a more mature bl masterpiece
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Already loved it the first time!
I've watched this series twice now and greatly enjoyed it both times (but even more the second time around when I already knew what I was in for).It's an absolute gem of a story - grounded, thoughtful, and surprisingly funny!
The characters are extremely lovable and though their push-and-pull dynamic may have been off-putting in a lesser show, it works perfectly here.
Iwanaga is confident and cocky and pursues Miyata through blatant manipulation, but there are certain lines he does not cross. He does not force Miyata into anything he genuinely doesn't want, doesn't compromise their work together, and is very open about what he's doing and why.
Despite what Miyata believes in the beginning, Iwanaga is in fact entirely honest about his intentions and methods.
Miyata is always offered an out - if he does not want to engage with Iwanaga he can simply leave. Sure, there's a certain social pressure on him because Iwanaga is in fact his business partner, but he absolutely has the option to call their arrangement quits any time without any lasting negative consequences.
Combined with the almost desperate vulnerability that soon begins to shine through the cracks in Iwanaga's facade, this makes his antics genuinely entertaining to watch, endearing even.
Miyata meanwhile isn't afraid to push back against Iwanaga, sometimes by (rightfully) berating and admonishing him, sometimes by gleefully using Iwanaga's own methods against him and taking advantage of rules of social conduct and politeness. It's a highly engaging back-and-forth that made me laugh out loud several times, usually right before hitting me directly in the emotional gonads with thoughtful explorations of the nature of human relationships.
I also greatly enjoyed the side characters - yes, all of them, even Sugimoto. The acting is fantastic, the sound track is brilliant (the ending theme in particular is an absolute banger), and overall the immense care and effort that went into this show is apparent in every single scene.
I simply cannot recommend it enough!
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Age 30-35+ should find this serie good.
- Pretty tense. quite mature story, and serious in old era (the era where LGBTQ couple is embarassed and hardly to be accepted. But the detail of story is actually not much.- I think Generation X-Y + asian style may like this serie (age30+), while under 30 yr will find nothing much about this serie's value
- There is some production value, but I think I won't rewatch it since there is not much thing in serie
- Chemistry of these 2 main is quite good.
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Immaculate
This is yet another one of the best bl series from Japan. They always and will never fail to mesmerized me! From the aesthetically pleasing cinematography, choice of OST, the chemistry, the acting, THE PLOT! Everything is just perfect in an astronomical level! Hands down to the team that made all of this series possible!Was this review helpful to you?
Psychologically, it's a very good drama.
It's an amazing picture that I'll look at many more times. From the psychological side, Japan, as always, has a lot to think about. The actors played flawlessly. My favorites.You can talk for a long time and a lot, but I began to notice that we have a lot of over-saturated Thai drama and the plot of other countries is becoming unimportant. Only the bed scenes became important. And life doesn't consist of that. That's exactly what Japan and Korea are showing life. Important moments, mistakes and ups.
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Totally smitten!
I am totally smitten by the Senpai here, especially his voice. There's a gentle demeanour in him that just melts heart. I love the NC because I can see how the Senpai is totally desiring Miyata! Although I still think the NC could be better, it's overall pretty good as I can feel that chemistry and sexual tension between themThe story is quite typical BL, nothing new, but it's still a really nice watch
I actually love how compact it is, so it doesn't feel draggy. That said, I totally would love a special episode! Also, it's nice to finally watch a mature BL, after all the school BLs!
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This review may contain spoilers
Just watch the first 4 episodes and the last 4 minutes of episode 6.
As soon as I watched the first episode, I knew this was going to be a good show. I have not liked most BL shows (I prefer reading the comics) but I really anticipated this show since I am familiar with the mangaka.We are all aware this is going to be a trope-y romance where they carry their adolescent feelings into their adulthood and we are going to love it.
The first two episodes were so fun with the introduction of the characters which were all enjoyable the majority of the time. Although, I will say that they did not feel quite fleshed out. Iwanaga felt surface level, like his words and responses to Miyata throughout the whole show did not move me. Miyata spent the first three episodes sharing his feelings and it felt like Iwanaga wasn’t actually listening with his flirty coquettish behavior. BUT THIS DOES NOT MEAN I DID NOT ENJOY THIS CHARACTER.
The way Iwanaga reacted and responded were very funny with each and every moment. When he stayed to eat the cake in episode 2 after Miyata walks out on him was great. He has walked away from this man to leave him on his lonesome so many times throughout the show and I love that for him and me. Miyata having his guard up and not trusting Iwanaga right out the bat was to be expected but his reasoning of not trusting him felt like it needed to be fleshed out more since it seemed like he was holding onto the way his young teenage self felt. Made him a bit unreasonable to me, at times, or maybe I am being a bit biased towards Iwanaga.
Shiriashi was adorable with his little schemes and jabs; I was okay with him being a menace for the man he pined for. You can tell I have read way too many dramatic BL comics where revenge on a love rival have been severe so the way Shiriashi behaved was nothing.
I found the dialogue to be so fun and entertaining like each character did respond in the way that I would expect. Sometimes BL dramas/movies have the odd/uncomfortable dialogue that ruins it for me. I do not care for very intimate scenes in shows but the one in episode 3 felt necessary. It broadened my view on Miyata’s feelings with the call back to the past when Iwanaga apologized for his first kiss. “Don’t be sorry. If you like me, don’t be sorry”. THIS LINE WAS SO GOOD.
If there is an episode I have to pick that made this story it would be the fourth one. Episode 4, in particular, was memorable since so much happened and Miyata showed many different reactions/faces and said many surprising things. This wasn’t that surprising cause he has always been blunt but I was kind of shook he said he thought of Iwanaga while pleasuring himself outside right in front of the moon.
Episodes 5, I felt the momentum of my enjoyment and anticipation of the show falter a bit. It felt unnecessary to have that kind of drama and going into episode 6 felt like such a chore but the last scene of episode 6 made it worth getting through. I did not care about what was happening or what was being resolved. Just because I did not like the last two episodes does not mean this was not a good story. Your typical romance/BL has to have the drama.
I have read some of the author’s English translated works on MangaPlaza and on Kindle and their stories tend to have very similar dynamics which felt familiar in this show. I mention that since Miyata and Iwanaga were similar to certain characters throughout their works and I think they did a great job, as well as the show doing a great adaptation. I can see the author’s other works getting adapted.
I would definitely rewatch the first four episodes.
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