I want to forget I ever watched this show…
I wanna forget this SO THAT I CAN WATCH IT AGAIN AND HAVE THE SAME FEELINGS I FELT WATCHING IT THE FIRST TIME. ITS A TEN FROM ME. THANK GODDD I have a short term memory so I can watch this again like it’s the first time in a few months. what a masterpiece. I WILL be going back here often. this is my new comfort show and couple. this is cinema. art. JAPAN BL NEVER EVER EVER DISAPPOINTS. literally had me putting down my phone and running around the house. AND THE WAY you think it’s over with episode 10 and then BOOM there’s the most BEAUTIFUL episode to follow up and end it out. I would love to have a conversation with the person who made this. WATCH THIS YOU WONT BE SORRY. easily one of my fav BLs ever. I will miss these two so much. I can’t wait to come back and binge it again. WHAT incredible actors they picked. these two are FANTASTIC and so so gorgeous. and the whole show just looked absolutely stunning, very aesthetically pleasing to the eye. The whole show gets a standing ovation.Was this review helpful to you?
Our youth
This drama is a sea of sensitivity. As they fall in love, you can feel it. You can fall in love along with them. I loved every moment, every kiss, every hug. The special episode was REALLY special to me. Very realistic and comforting. Minase loves Hirukawa so much... thank you for this drama, Japan.
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1A JBL Bingo: School Edition
I have created, for your pleasure and displeasure, a bingo card for Japanese school BLs. I wrote these down before I started watching Miseinen (I promise!), and I’m going to see at which episode I yell “Bingo!”. Feel free to play along, and tell me when you win. (For more on the show itself, and my rating, see below.)Column B:
(Psychology 101)
1. Overbearing mother
2. Absent or abusive father
3. Inability to communicate (except through inner monologues)
4. Panic attacks at the very thought of intimacy
5. Noble idiot
Column I:
(Tropefest)
1. Time jump, usually for trips abroad
2. Trips to the beach
3. Random and wildly inaccurate equations on blackboard
4. Corridor crossings in slow motion
5. Roof-tops, usually fenced-in, against a hilly background: ideal for unrequited confessions
[Bonus point: Bangs for girls, bowlcut for boys, both to make 25 year old actors look like teenagers.]
Column N:
(Love Languages)
1. A wide-eyed "kiss" that reminds you of the girl from The Ring
2. Kabedon, because... door banging is sexy?
3. Free Space
4. Wound tending... preferably with an orange q-tip.
5. Standing in the rain, kissing in the rain, getting cold & fever from the rain... just a lot of rain.
Column G:
(Lines of dialogue)
1. “But we’re both men…”
2. “Kawaii!” or “Kakkoii!”
3. “Ikemen ne.”
4. “Hendayo!" (usually after the first non-kiss)
5. “Suki da.” “Eh?”
Column O:
(War of the Positions)
1. Seme: Nipple-revealing bleach-white shirt. Uke: Buttoned-up black coat.
2. Seme: No real friends. Uke: Really bad friends.
3. Seme: PTSD survivor. Uke: Florence Shitingayle
4. Seme: Rebel with(out) a cause. Uke: Mathlete.
5. Seme: Six feet, tops. Uke: Five feet under.
Verdict:
I'm afraid I have decided to drop the show. A lot of people whom I respect love it: so doubtless the fault is mine. At another time, or perhaps earlier in my BL journey, I might have gushed about it as a teenager would about his or her first love. But now, I see little in it beyond a story I have seen and heard a thousand times before, cobbled together from the same old tired tropes listed above. Which is not to say that it can't be told again, and told anew: the idea of a stuck-up nerd falling for the school bad boy is an inherently exciting premise. Yet here, it felt neither exciting nor subversive. What's more, the show suffers from an excess of JBL's worst tendencies -- and I say this as someone who loves all things Japanese -- such as a general joylessness of tone, a darkness of mood, an emphasis on suffering, and a disdain for levity or charm. (Charm! How rare it is in JBL and KBL!) Two men falling headlong in love -- even if they come from traumatic circumstances -- should feel exhilarating, not exhausting. But by Ep. 5, exhausted is all I felt.
Notes (written down before I quit):
1. Gang, it happened! At the end of Ep. 5, Bingo!!
2. "Infect me!" has to be the sexiest and most romantic thing anyone has ever said in a BL.
3. If my sampling of JBLs is correct, at least a third of all Japanese fathers must be in jail for child abuse.
4. I really wish they would stop casting idols in JBLs and KBLs. They can't all act, and evidently they have a problem with filming intimate scenes. I don't know about you all, but everytime they "kissed", I cringed. They barely opened their mouths, and it never felt natural.
5. "But we're both men." Really? In a show set in 2019? The writers should watch Smells Like Green Spirit.
This review is dedicated to jpny01, the final word and authority on all things BL.
Reader's Digest:
DO SAY: Sweet Bird of Youth
DON'T SAY: The Young and the Restless
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this show will definitely stay with me for a long time
For me this was such a refreshing watch, as the love story that played out was carefully portrayed and it was beautiful. I really felt every single emotion that was played out on the screen; this show will definitely stay with me for a long time.I can't remember the last time I watched a series, where I was able to understand and sympathise with both leads during times of conflict/disagreements. It was like a breath of fresh air, I particularly loved how natural the storyline and the love between the characters played out on my screen. I will genuinely miss tuning into this each week.
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Opposites attract and complete each other
This is a story about foremost two youths both troubled, broken, lonely but in very different ways, living in two very separate realities but within the same space. Maybe I should say spaces as while one space is the type that is so close but yet so far. Floating around like two parallel rivers. The other one has this window or maybe this small stream that connects the two rivers but only has space for the two of them. A space that allows the two to forget the worlds/rivers they come from and focus on each other.While the story is a sweet, youth love story it is surrounded by the pain, lowliness and hardships of youth. A story that needs to be told. Letting us know that there are those who are predators, those who are victims and those that are bi standers. Thus explaining how the adult world could let these youths live the way they do.
It is really beautiful and fun to watch how these two find each other, watch these opposites interact, in more or less subtle ways.
A decent drama for most.
Edit:
Just watched the extra episode, that one is a 9, an interesting wrap up, while somethings change some things clearly stay the same.
one silent, closeted the other free spirited with a sense of fight inequality, Il get married wen I can vs. I dare not say anything about... anything. But one thing is clear the love and lust is there. But how long will they be able to hide?
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This review may contain spoilers
This is how you do a perfect BL
Without a doubt, the second best BL series of 2024 (behind only Happy of the End) and one of the BL series with the best cinematography I've ever seen.The story grabs you from the first episode and builds a captivating, painful, melancholic but hopeful narrative. I found myself hooked on each episode, completely immersed in Minase and Hirukawa's story.
They give an amazing performance here and it's captivating to follow Hirukawa's transformation and the way he finds love and security in Minase, who at the same time breaks down his barriers and opens up to explore new perspectives with Haruki.
It's a simple series but with an impeccable execution. The subtlety, the violence, the construction of their love, the adversities, everything is done masterfully.
The direction is assertive and the cinematography delivers a beautiful work that manages to express the pain, love and nuances of each character brilliantly.
I confess that I missed them coming out to their friends and families at the end but the criticism about the ban on same-sex marriage in Japan is courageous and absolutely necessary.
Without a doubt a captivating story, a talented cast, a sharp production and an exceptional script. The perfect recipe for one of the best BLs of 2024.
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What can I say about this series?
I really enjoyed watching it. Each character has a well-defined personality. Jin and Haruki, although they seem very different, share a lot in common, not least their loneliness in the face of parents who don't understand them. The tension between the two characters is well-developed and captivating. I would have liked to see more of their adult lives, but the ending is satisfying. It really is a touching story.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Raw Emotion & Devotion
This is my first writing a review, so please ignore my mistakes.I just completed watching the best and honestly i am astonished by it. The chemistry between the leads are top notch and cinematography is amazing and little connecting scenes ( where Minase checked the temperature and in the next scene it was the car number) were amazing.
Minase Jin: the character conversion from a top student to a guy who is head over heels for Hirukawa. Eyes don't lie and it was proved my him in the scene when we was drunk and looks at him.. I was literally crying. Mind blowing performance.
Hirukawa Haruki: honesty my favourite character and how bare love changed him. I was speechless when he kissed him for the 1st time, like it was so sudden, I thought he is a red flag but by the end, I was indulged in the character.
The music is also pretty soothing and pleasant.
One more thing I would like to highlight that during their kiss or other moments, they kept it simple without putting other bgms or weird sounds in it. Just the sound of the moment, which let me enjoy the bare emotions.
I really enjoyed every ep of it and looking forward to other good Jbls.
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in this moment, we can be happy forever
Our Youth traces the relationship between a delinquent and a promising student in a Japanese high school.After watching Minase getting ruthlessly beaten up by his father without retaliating, something shifts in the air between them. Minase develops a curiosity for Haruki that quickly turns into an inexplicable attraction. Haruki, despite his best efforts to remain distant, is pulled into Minase’s gravity.
The boys build a clandestine relationship that’s difficult to describe. Is it friendship, love, or is something ambiguously in-between?
The series takes its time with the story, something which I appreciate greatly. In its 10, 20-minute episodes, the series can really focus on developing the relationship between the boys. Doing otherwise would try to cram too many messages into one series, diluting the impact of the story.
The tension is just right, and doesn’t feel overly manufactured for the views. Nothing is rushed, and yet nothing is too slow. Everything unfolds naturally as their dynamics shift over time, at a pace that it should.
Most importantly, the visuals are impeccable. The series unfolds with metaphors and symbolic moments, which make the storytelling even more beautiful.
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Our Youth: an absolute masterpiece.
In a industry where the relationship between people of the same sex is extrapolated, superficial, cheap, misinterpretaded and souless, "Our Youth" comes as a reminder that there are people out there whom are actually working to embrace the art of the complicated love thats upon two young, confused boys in the real world, with real problems and relatable feelings.As the series keeps being swinged between past, present and future, Minase, a polite, quiet student, finds out the truth about Hirukawa, the so-called school's rude and problematic boy who's actually a sweet, needy boy who deals with a alcoholic father, a distant mother and no references of being good at all, at least until Minase steps into his life.
That's what kept me going the most, the way the storyline manages to feel delicate, quiet almost, subtle and soft in every single take, even when portraying heavy themes and profound emotions. It's an absolute proof that the care of the filmmaking team was really there, that the actors were exploring their characters, that everyone involved in this project were in synergy while producing the whole thing. It's something you can feel.
Junsei and Kenshin acting still keeps me speechless to this day. They're young actors yet so talented and a hardworking duo. When the timeskip came and a suddenly-smoker Minase glances to nowhere, I knew instantly that everything had changed, yet everything was still the same. It's Junsei's prime in this series, the hability to portrait the loneliness, the sadness, the emptyness and the longing without saying a single word. He's just walking by the beach where his father had filmed his first love's favorite movie in silence, yet you know everything.
Kenshin's acting keeps up with Junsei, no doubt. Hirukawa's beach confession were probably one of the most emotional scenes that I have ever seen. He's talking about how he were in the dark, and how he felt afraid of being alone, but when the moring came, he thought of Minase, he thought of their love and contemplated how it warmed his heart. It's heartwarming and heartwrecking at the same time, it's unbelievable. We go from a reckless punk to a birth of a new Hirukawa, who smiles more, who talks more and who's finally happy and chasing a good life for him.
I must say, "Our Youth" it's a beautiful series that tells the story of how love found two lost, empty boys. It's the kind of show that makes the watcher sit and wonder after finishing the last episode. It's the kind of show that has lots of details, of little hidden things. The kind of series that's interested in the emotions, in the art and in the message. It's quietly stunning, gentle and deep. The realization of it finds me at the very end, when they're in the sea, playing and laughing together and they understand each other, and there's pure love and tenderness in the sound of the waves, their glances and the silence. Makes me think about lots of things, which is the purpose of art, to provoke and wake feelings up, and "Our Youth" does it perfectly in its every second. An absolute masterpiece.
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This review may contain spoilers
The magnetism is so yummy
It was an absolute delight watching the main character's relationship evolve and blossom. From disgust and indifference, to curiosity and pity, to attraction and confusion, to passion and recklessness, and finally trust and respect. I liked how both characters were such polar opposites yet fit each other so well, and thoroughly enjoyed their chemistry and the magnetism of it.Hirukawa is such a fascinating character, seemingly brash and crude on the outside, but an absolute romantic and fierce protector at his core. Minase on the other hand is seemingly emotionless and goal-driven on the outside, but is actually insecure and caring. He shed the most tears in the series (and what beautiful tears they were). The actor playing Minase masterfully pulled it off (standing ovation), and my only gripe would be that i wanted Hirukawa's character to be more gritty and "bad-boy", instead of one that just dressed up as a bad-boy. And also, what happened to Minase's parents? or maybe that was a the whole point...
Some of my favourite scenes include the ice-cream kiss scene, the scene in which Hirukawa breaks down after his father's death, and the final scene where Hirukawa comforts Minase at the beach and reassures him that even though they cannot be officially married in the eyes of the law, and in the eyes of their friends and family (which is even sadder), they belong to each other in their own hearts, and that is enough.
For someone who doesn't usually binge-watch, this is a binge-worthy series and I regret not waiting for all the episodes before start because it broke the flow for me.
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Low expectations with tons of praise
As someone who has been watching Japanese BL for more than 15 years, I've pretty much seen it all in terms of how good or how head-banging a show can be. Up till now, even the most well-loved shows of mine, I always end up somehow having some issues with *Yes, I'm talking about those shaky-ass camerawork that ruin the beauty of the scene and acting*. But even so, aesthetics and a solid OST have always been very successful traits amongst Japanese BLs. And if you're lucky you get that together with immersive acting, or splendid directing, or a smooth editing and production, but it's only ever one or the other. Now couple that with a manga/webtoon adaption, the bar is set even higher.
I remember looking at the poster of this drama back in September and having absolutely no expectations. Honestly, I was probably suffering from the trauma that is Happy of the End (another very painful adaption, I might add), and in combination, with 2 very fresh actors tackling their first few main roles, I think I wanted to play it safe.
I am so ecstatic to say how beautifully wrong and surprised I am about this drama. The actors Junsei and Kenshin are absolutely stellar in their roles as Minase and Hirukawa. The direction is fantastic, the editing and the pacing of the scenes and episodes make perfect sense. Even the most painful of episodes were painfully good. I am in awe of how this gem of a show just swept me off my feet just like that. Perhaps chasing this show back to back since its first episode release also contributed to the longing I had for each episode thereafter. It’s just that good.
As someone who had read the webtoon, the show did a great job of talking about difficult topics (after story spoilers?) that Japanese BLs generally move away from, particularly since it ruins the fantasy image that the majority of them aim to achieve. Our Youth artfully tackles realistic topics in the settings of present society but still manages to mix in the fate-esque aspect of relationship development. There is a lot of callbacks in this show, and re-watching it from the beginning almost brings you a second layer of answers to questions that you carry during the first watch.
This show is not absolutely perfect in every way, foremost, I definitely wished they put in an extra episode or two after the time jump to really reel in the story development but honestly, the extra story just capped off all my worries ( I highly recommend to watch ). The execution of this drama is really a compilation of a stellar team production to push this through (FYI, one of the directors was a director in some of the best episodes in I Hear the Sunspot too), and a lot of heart. An absolute gem in one of the most competitively good Japanese BL years ever..
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