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.
Was this review helpful to you?
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.
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.
Was this review helpful to you?
quietly, beautifully, but intentionally told
first off, i need to express how quiet this story is. it builds the story around itself. not once does it assume the audience is stupid -- that is its strength, overall.everything that happened, happened exactly the way it needed to. this series very quietly but intentionally created two beautiful, complex characters. the cinematography was amazing and minase and hirukawa were a delight to watch. so so good at subverting expectations!
also, the way they look at each other is INSANE omg. now that i've seen the story unfold, the rewatch is gonna be insane
Was this review helpful to you?
Extraordinary, outstanding, magical
I don't write reviews, but this story was so beautifully told that I had to take a moment to make sure that anyone who's wondering if this is worth a watch knows that YES! IT IS!This is a quiet journey; subtle but poignant. The actors playing Minase and Haruki are perfect for their roles. They don't overplay it, and yet the emotion pours out of them. The story itself, through its twists and turns compels you, episode after episode to just...keep...going. It is heartwarming and heartbreaking. Bittersweet and hopeful. It will shatter you and then stitch you back together, and you will love every moment. The directors have come for your tears, and you will give them gladly.
I doubt don't for a second that I will be back again and again to watch this one, and I hope you all will too.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Definitely One of the Best BLs Out There!
A lot of reviews say this is good, but I never expected it to be this good. My eyes were glued to the screen in every episode, and it has easily earned a spot in my current top 5 favorite BLs.I love heavy drama, but heavy drama BLs often come with homophobic elements, so I was really relieved that this one has little to none. The cinematography is pure chef’s kiss—every frame looks like a piece of art you could hang in a museum.
I’ve watched it multiple times, and it still brings me to tears every single time. The writing is incredibly strong. While the story mainly centers on Minase, the emotional weight leans heavily toward poor Hirukawa—constantly misunderstood, never catching a break, yet eventually finding his way and putting his life back together after everything he endured, with Minase as his motivation to become better.
If you’re looking for your next BL to watch, I highly, highly recommend this.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
so. fucking. good.
for a japanese BL series, i was thoroughly impressed. especially with the intimacy. it was just enough, satisfying, and made sense.the storyline was tasteful. set largely in high school, yet still unique from other series'. their chemistry was beautiful, everything felt from the heart which isn't something you see everyday.
every episode is about 20 minutes, so extremely easy to binge in one go, which i really like.
i have no notes. the characters and their actions made sense, there weren't any unnecessary discrepancies, and we got our matured, confident love in the end. very good series and one i'm sure i'll find myself coming back to.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
This was good, overall. Depressing all the way until the finale and special episode though, so you’ve got to be in the right mood.The beginning of the story was very much about high schoolers being in situations bigger than themselves and making high schooler level decisions as a result. Haruki had so much going on with his abusive father and his head was a mess, so he kept disappearing and then re-appearing at his convenience. The separation, with Haruki pushing Jin away and leaving because he felt like he wasn’t good enough, and Jin letting him go without a fight, was very much high school-level thinking and frustrating, because it was a situation that could have been dealt with as partners with some communication.
I think Jin initially let Haruki go because he was a kid, Haruki dumped him, and he felt like he didn’t have the power to make anything better. But I didn’t really understand why he never reached out during their years of separation, especially once he found Haruki’s letter. They showed that Haruki tried to find Jin again, but Jin’s number wasn’t working and he had moved, so why didn’t Jin ever do the same?
The beginning of their relationship was a lot of dub con/non con and sexual harassment. The first three kisses were all dub con or non con, and the fourth started dub con and became consensual. It frustrated me that Haruki kept non consensually kissing Jin, even after promising that he wouldn’t anymore. He also did a bunch of other things that made Jin uncomfortable, like making him feed him water, hugging him from behind while Jin was washing his hands, smelling him, licking ice cream off his hand, sending kissing emojis, asking if Jin was trying to seduce him after Haruki pulled him and Jin fell on top of him, and the list goes on. I don’t understand why boy love dramas as a whole think this whole non-consent thing is a romantic way to showcase a developing relationship. It’s not sweet, it’s not cute. It’s sexual harassment and sexual assault and it shouldn’t be romanticized. Once they got together though, everything was consensual, both before and after the separation.
As typical for JBLs, the kissing is very chaste. Mostly pecks and dead fish lip presses. Even the shirtless make out scene had pretty much no lip movement. I thought the beginning half of the story was fine with those types of kisses. After all, they were inexperienced and awkward high schoolers. But when they reunited in college in the finale after being separated for so many years, a single lip peck was absolutely unacceptable. Even a passionate hug would have been better. It totally took the passion out of the situation. There was a proper kissing scene in the special episode, but if they were going to include a proper kiss, it should have been when they reunited.
The special episode was realistic, but disappointing to me as a romantic. Gay marriage isn’t legal in Japan and homophobia is a realistic reason not to want to come out. But all the same, I wish they had ultimately told their friends and at least had a symbolic non-legal marriage, especially given that Haruki was on board for that. It was just Jin that stopped them, although for fully realistic reasons. All the same, they did promise to be together forever, married or not, and I think a full epilogue-type episode like that was really needed to wrap the series up.
Was this review helpful to you?
A new perspective on how queerness is portrayed in media
Beyond being a simple BL, Our Youth is a great representation of queer people discovering who they are and facing life's problems. I think the way the main couple's relationship is portrayed is one of the most beautiful and well-done representations I have ever seen. With just a few words, looks, and beautiful cinematography, the feelings were clearly conveyed. Although it may seem a little slow at times, the acting and the story make you understand that those moments of slowness are necessary to develop the couple, the chemistry, and the YEARNING that the couple goes through, making it a story that stays in your heart long after. This story not only made me appreciate JBL much more, but it also gave me a new perspective on how queer relationships are represented, even after years of watching BL.Was this review helpful to you?
This series is a harsh reality to most teenagers out there; parents divorce, physical abuse and drugs intake are some of the major issues raised here. Basically, how all this can ruin or affect your promising youth. Hirukawa Haruki and Minase Jin falling in love was only hope for survival, also being with each other made them view their future as possible and bright.
10/10 for me because it was well written from start to finish. Well acted and directed.
Was this review helpful to you?
Let’s get married - when the law changes
I’m not one to write a lot of reviews about the things that I watch, but this truly was a show that captivated me in a way I never could have prepared myself for.I’ve heard a lot of praise for “Our Youth” ever since its release, but I never got around to watching it. Until now. The story, characters, music, filmography; everything was perfect from beginning to end. I felt so much for both Jin and Haruki, they have a place in my heart forever now. This series was poetic and warm in the most heartbreaking way possible.
Being young, figuring out your identity and what your future will look like; I think that is something we all can relate to. There is something so beautifully painful about growing up.
I went into this thinking it would just be another show I ticked off my watchlist. But it was so much more. A 10/10 experience I will not forget!
Was this review helpful to you?
One of the Best BLs I’ve Watched
One of the best I've seen so far. I don’t usually watch shows that deal with heavy themes like physical or emotional abuse, because they’re often too painful for me. But this one isn’t just another lighthearted, cutesy show, it really goes deeper. It’s about finding your own path and holding on to hope, even when the world feels unfair. Truly worth watching.P.S. Which Japanese BL would you recommend to me? I probably already know the famous ones, so something more underrated would be awesome. Cutesy is okay too!
Was this review helpful to you?
