Love in the Air: Koi no Yokan (2024)

an enjoyable, but rushed adaptation.

It's not a secret that I love the MAME-verse, so I was so excited to see another take on Love in the Air. This one felt very familiar and was fun! The adaptation is pretty faithful, following most of the same story beats and moments to the same effect, while still making the characters their own. The production is a bit more realistic in styling and acting, and a bit... tamer in the intimacy, but it feels suited to these characterizations. The production is a little rough around the edges but, honestly. it's rough around the edges in much the same way Love in the Air TH was... so that's just accuracy ;)

My main issue with this adaptation is the run time--with only eight episodes at 35 minutes each, LITA JPN struggles to balance two pretty tonally different stories. While I'm not concerned about speeding up or combining timelines--I actually quite liked the way the antagonists were better threaded throughout the whole story-- the traumatic climax of both arcs happening simultaneously was... bad. The two stories are not equivalent stakes, with Rei and Arashi embodying a campier, more spirited story line and Kai and Fuma living in a much, much more serious world. The mix didn't work and flattened both stories.

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Now, before I hear from everyone for harping on this show, no one should be able to look at this series (in either country's iteration) and say this is quality television. That being said, it should be made known I waited for this series to come out excitedly and watched it every Monday, so it's not that I hated it, I just am aware it's not one of the best out there.

I knew this show would be tricky to simplify into a Japanese series because even in its Thai adaptation, it was already pressed for time since it was two love stories in one series, inherently losing any extra room for depth or detail at 13 episodes total, or about 6.5 per couple. Now imagine 13 episodes at around 40-45 minutes a piece squished into 8 episodes at 20-25 minutes a piece. There is no way physically possible to incorporate what details were even included in the 13-episode version, let alone tell any other storyline besides the surface-level one. All this being said, I still hold Love in the Air near and dear to my heart and enjoyed what I could from this version of it.

Considering I had first seen Nagumo Shoma in At 25:00 in Akasaka as a side lead, it was nice to recognize a character from their previous work, and I think for what this show demanded, he delivered what was realistic. The same goes for Hamaya, Suzuki, and Nagatsuma's characters. Similar to my viewing of the Thai version, while I prefer Arashi and Rei as a couple (Payu/Rain), I continued to prefer the acting and storyline of Fuma and Kai (Prapai/Sky). Now, after noticing this in both shows, I truly feel that this means the problem of the acting lies not in the actors themselves, but in the writing in which they are instructed to depict. I'm going to take the hate and say most likely, MAME is not the greatest of writers, although this may be simply because I've never read the original novel, so again, take my opinion with however much salt you like.

I will also say that the Japanese version of the special episode had me seriously confused. While I think ironically the NC scenes were done better and easier to believe, I struggled to keep up with what the hell was actually going on, and I presumably should have known at least the general idea given I saw the Thai special episode! SPOILER While it gave me a good giggle to see Boss and Fort make a guest appearance, I was watching each scene they were in asking myself "What is the point of them here, like, there is no reason other than shock value and screentime requirements for them to show up." END SPOILER

Aside from the relatively cringey plot, iffy acting, and speed of the show due to time, I can see this being loved by those who are looking for a simple, easy, and straightforward watch. While I wouldn't necessarily recommend this, it's not like bottom of the barrel bad, and if you are going to watch it, watch it before the Thai version, and early on in your BL consumption lifetime.

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It was more fast paced compared to the original

After watching the eighth episode today, I told myself that it felt like the finale, but I swore that this series was 10 episodes. Lo and behold, it WAS the finale, so I got a little confused there. But in reality, what else could they have done after compressing so much in the eighth episode?

I have stated numerous times that the relationship that I have with MAME series is a love/hate one. This is her first work that was given a Japanese makeover. And what can I say? In all honesty, if I hadn't watched the Thai original, I know that I would have given this a higher score compared to what I did give it. Unfortunately, I did, and I can't believe that I am saying this—some parts from the original were way better done/handled compared to the remake.

The characters, Payu and Rain's Japanese counterparts (Arashi and Rei), felt the same to me, so the actors actually did a stellar job in their roles. Prapai's Japanese counterpart, Fuma, really did not live up to the standards of the character to me until literally the last episode. I was iffy about his character even before I watched this series, and he just proved my point—he was just missing something that did not make me get behind his character. I always thought that Sky's character (and actor) did a phenomenal job and that no one would be able to do what he did. I was proven wrong with this, as the actor who played Kai (Sky's counterpart) somehow rose to the occasion and gave an outstanding performance and made Kai's role his. For the evil villains in this series, I must say that Kai's ex-boyfriend was more hateable in this adaptation (he was hateable in the Thai one, but in this one, I just hated him more).

As stated, we got eight twenty-six episodes that were compressed from thirteen forty-five-minute episodes. While it felt that they took out some parts that could be seen as unnecessary, this Japanese remake still felt compressed, and the storyline was moving at a rapid pace. What I did like from this one was how they showed what was happening with the two relationships from episode five and not just focusing on one relationship, because I was originally annoyed with the Thai original one where I had to wait until episode eight for them.

For all of the mentioned reasons, I have to give this series a 7.5, as the original Thai series did have some aspects that just made it a *tiny* bit better compared to its Japanese remake.

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It's hard to beat the original

For the first 4 episodes everything felt like you wouldn't understand a lot unless you've actually seen the original LITA. The timeline was different since Rei's (Rain) and Kai's (Sky) stories were happening at the same time. Also, some events were formed into one for example Arashi telling Rei that his time to court him was up right after spending a passionate night after the race. In the original series those two things happened on two different days. Everything felt fast paced but that's because they made less episodes and also made each episode 20 minutes shorter. If they made it a little longer and slowed things down then maybe I would've liked it more.
I don't think this version of LITA is bad but it's just not the same as the original.

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Didn't Quite Hit The Mark

I wanted to like this remake or adaptation so much. In fact when I heard about it I was super excited because I have a love hate relationship with MAME since in my opinion she destroyed LBC 2. I mean I held a grudge for quite a long time and refused to watch her material at all until Love in the Air. BossNoeul and FortPeat had an amazing chemistry.
Now Japan is the inventor of Yaoi and I have so many Japanese BL Series that will always have my heart. So my expectations were high on this. No actors were bad per se in this remake but with the exception of NAGUMO SHOMA this series seemed completely mis-cast. A series with good actors yet bad casting are already at a lost in my opinion but since casting isn't my business I have to look past it and choose to watch or not to. I chose to watch.
I came to appreciate one more member of the cast in NAGATSUMA REO as Kai aka Sky. He brought a great attempt to understanding Kai and his struggles.
The NC scenes were a struggle for me. Fuma and Kai were basically okay but Arashi and Rei made me uncomfortable because Arashi like Phayu before him was passionate and kissed with tongue. BossNoeul made it work in incredible ways. However Rei seem to lie there with his mouth closed as Arashi licked his lips which almost seemed sexual assault like but Rei did manage to show enjoyment. Maybe it's just me, the chemistry was just off for me. However I did see the vision.
I give props for Japan adapting a MAME work but it did fall short. I do intend to rewatch and maybe form a different opinion which is why I gave the rewatch value a 10. If I somehow misinterpreted this I will update this review. That's just my take.

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Not bad, but not great either

Let me begin by saying that I was an absolutely huge fan of the original Love in the Air, fan enough to have written several fanfictions on it! But I went into this one with a fresh mind, so although I do not plan to compare, they may flip in at some point. That said, I will try to stay as honest as possible to my review.

First of all, Mame is well known for a very different style of writing, and most of her stories have some semblance of toxicity that is quite obvious. Love in the Air is no exception. The only bone I have to pick with the Japanese version is the reduction of the time. I have a very strong feeling that it would have been way better and way more effective had it been given some more run time.

Now let me talk about the story. So this one sticks closer to Mame's book version, from everything I have heard. I cannot comment on that with complete conviction because I have not read the book, and I don't feel I am the right person to do that. More mafia like angles were added, especially in case of Arashi. I was annoyed by the presence of Taiga, who seemed to have been given unnecessary screen time, especially since it could have been well used for building up the main storylines. Same goes for Gan, and how he tormented the character of Kai.

Now I will go into the things I actually liked and did not like:
1. I loved the friendship between Rei and Kai. It was cleaner, and less eye rolls and drama. Don't get me wrong. I like Rain and Sky's friendship. But I do feel that Sky could have been softer, which I found Kai to be. Although the actor who played the character seemed a little too old for his role, I am okay with that, because, well Peat was the oldest in the Thai LITA gang too!
2. I also like the moments given to Arashi and Fuma. They showed a deeper understanding of one another that somehow struck me as very positive, and something that was missing in the Thai version.
3. I found the character of Rinka very sweet. The actress did quite well in the limited time she was on screen. And the best part was that Som was cut out in the Japanese version, so we didn't have to put up with the fruity siblings!!
5. I hated the fact that character of Saifah was removed from the series! That broke my heart! Look, I know Pepper had very limited screen time, but his gremlin nature was the very highlight of the show! They removed an iconic character.. not done guys!
6. Shoma is a good actor, and I liked him a lot in 25:00 Alaska, even though he was the side character. So I am glad to see him in this one. The only problem is that Boss is a fantastic actor, and comparisons are going to be inevitable. And the problem is that Shoma, despite his skills, has very limited expressions.
7. Asahi is definitely not the right choice for Fuma's role. I am sorry I am saying this, but I was not prepared for this casting. The character of Prapai is just as vibrant as Phayu's, and a bit larger than life. But Fuma felt.. off.. I was mightily unprepared for him riding up on his bikes in those suits. Seemed a bit weird.
8. Takuto is a sweetie. And I really enjoyed his portrayal of Rain. There is an innocence that he brought to this role, and I quite enjoyed that. Yes, some reactions were a bit over the top, but the overall vibe was quite entertaining. And I loved the fact that Rei was the one who put stop out of commission. That was well done!
9. Gan was such an obnoxious character, worse than Gun. And that's saying something. Because Gun was an asshole of garangutan proportions. And the funniest was seeing Fuma, in a suit no less, hit him like there is no tomorrow. Jeez.. talk about misfits!
10. I am taking away major points for the OST. Absolutely forgettable and uninteresting.
11. Also, it upset me a bit to see that most parts were almost out of order. I was not expecting great things. But it made me sad to miss some really soft moments that were there in the original.
12. Japanese BLs are not very NC heavy usually, and I am totally okay with that. But somehow, the ones in this one did not fit the kind of passion that is Mame's trademark. Arashi was majorly into it (we even saw tongue!), but I am gonna cut marks for Rei's uninspiring performance. But the sight of Arashi's back kind of made up for it!

Despite lacklustre performances, and a fatal flaw of shortening a complete series, I won't say that LITA Koi was a disaster as many people made it out to be. As I said, with a precedent like LITA, comparisons are bound to happen, but the team did manage stand on its own. And honestly, while I am not a huge fan of them *in* the show, Shoma and Takuto have insanely cute chemistry irl. So I think that should count for something!

Also.. They brought in Boss and Fort for the 2 special Episodes, which, for me, was a bit much. Not because of their presence, but because it felt like too much in too little time. Felt like the two were roped in for a little bit of saving grace.

All in all, not a bad drama.. just make sure you go with a unobjective mind :)

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a sinking titanic

dont get me wrong, i do tend to love jbls but this is one exception , i just coudnt finish it
it felt like they relied on a famous serie to pick the public interest but they should know that this is not enough, both acting, chemistry and plot werent done well, at least the thai one have the acting and chemistry of the mls to back it up, this one is lacking on every level which explains the rating of this serie
id still rate it 6/10 only because i have seen worse
adaptations dont always backfire, the cherry magic one was good both versions were good and enjoyable to watch, in order for adaptations to do well they need to pick good actors ,for them to have good chemistry and make the story creative and interesting to watch , a bland one will only make people feel asleep and if they can predict almost every little thing because of excessive" copy paste" dialogue from the original one it kills the interest

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Could have been a lot better with more time

Arashi and Rei - really simple story, not the type of characters I usually enjoy and it was true for this as well. Shoma did a really bad job with his acting but he is handsome and better at the kissing scenes. Takuto was bad as well, better than the actor for Rain in my opinion but the couple has no chemistry . Enjoyed the Japanese version of the show better for this couple, probably because their story is very simple and it works better with the shorter episodes. I give them 2 out of 10, watched them to see Fuma and Kai in the first episodes.

Unfortunately in this version we get very little time to show the friendship between Rei and Kai, Arashi and Fuma. We also lose some fun side characters but Rinka is better than the Thai version, Sky's ex was creepier in the Thai version. They cut a lot of useless fluff and that was great. The sound in this show was a lot better, the editing as well but it had a smaller budget and it showed.

Fuma and Kai- the story needed a better writer to give more depth to both Sky/Kai and Fuma/P'Pai but still a decent story. Asahi did a good job with his acting, he fails when it comes to his ,,womanizer,, persona but I prefer him to P'Pai with some exceptions. In the Thai version when P'Pai and Sky meet there was a certain level of uncertainty, P'Pai seemed more dangerous, like he could hurt Sky but this version lacks this and it's not a good thing in my opinion, some characters are better when they keep you guessing. Reo is the best actor in the series in my opinion, he did a great job with most of the scenes but some scenes lack ,,depth,, because they were not given the time they needed to develop the characters better. Unfortunately this was the character they choose to change the most and Sky looses some of his charm. The couple has chemistry in some scenes but not all unfortunately. Sure, Reo is a bit too old for this role but I will take an older actor any day if he does a good job acting. - I give them 6 out of 10, would have been 7 with two more episodes dedicated to them since time is what they lacked most.

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You can’t outdo the original

In my opinion I felt Love in the Air Japanese remake had its ups and downs mainly because I didn’t like how Rei was portrayed as a cute and baby like character because Rain in the Thai version didn’t act like that, but only acted cute for Payu. I really loved Fuma and Kai though because they had so much chemistry that whenever they came on the screen I just wanted more of them and less scenes of Arashi and Rei. I also felt that Arashi was super quiet this whole entire series like he would just stare, but only talk whenever he was with Rei. Anyways I may have spoilers so be aware.
This plot was almost exactly like Love in the Air Thailand version, but it felt rushed and I kind of get why it was rushed because it was a short amount of time and I feel it’s also because they wanted to put their own kind of touch to Love in the Air series, which I liked but it did kind of ruin the whole series since you rushed the good scenes only to make the scenes from the Thai version a little bad. My opinion on the characters are very mixed for example I felt Arashi was sort of like a temu version of Payu and we barley got any screen time of him because their story focused mainly on Rei and not the both of them. I always liked the plot where you had everyone in love with Payu and he spoke a lot, but I felt he barley even spoke for example that scene where Rei, Arashi, and Kai are in a cafe talking and then Fuma comes and finally sees Kai from their night of love and the whole scene was probably like 5 minutes, but Arashi was silent the whole time and just looked at everyone like give my boy Shoma (Arashi) some lines please. I felt Rei was an annoying character because all he did was try to act cute the whole series and it wasn’t like the cuteness you see in your favorite actors or idols, but the annoying type of cuteness where you wouldn’t want to see him as much as he was in this series. I really enjoyed him at the very beginning because he was just like Rain in my opinion, but once he started dating Arashi he became sort of annoying and like sort of loud like Jade in middleman’s love. I will also say that spanking scene of Rei and Arashi was very cringy and they kept replaying it over and over and it’s even in the special episode. I really liked Fuma in my opinion like he was just like Prapai for example they were both very loyal to Sky and Kai and they would protect them any day by their horrible and toxic ex. I also am a fan of his because he’s in the boy group Watwing and they have pretty good songs which is why he ate in the Love in the Air song. I am also obsessed with Kai because he’s so pretty and adorable like I wanted to hug him so many times throughout this show. I also liked that this show didn’t have to many scenes of Kai crying because in the Thai version Sky cried a lot and I didn’t want it to be sad either. Overall, I felt that you literally can’t outdo the original and I really loved Fuma and Kai so I’d recommend you should watch this because of them.

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