When It Rains, It Pours

not great but also not bad, watchable

so i will start with what i disliked then go back to what i liked

disliked:
-the chemistry, idk they do look awkward together
-im not a fan of the ending, i dont like when they get together at the last minute as i want to see their lives and issues as a couple and how they make up
-someone got away with r*pe so easily
-Fujisawa's reason for holding back and not loving the ml properly wasnt convincing to me

what i liked:
-the plot does look interesting and mostly realistic
- the characters look more human, i like watching gray characters even if its the mls, no one is perfect they dont have to be either white or black nor a hero or villain
-i was thinking that the actor Ito Asahi looked familiar to me so it turned out he acted in A Man Who Defies the World of BL, thats a pleasant surprise

*notes: if you are planning to watch , be aware that there is miscommunication, r*pe, cheating, this is a mature serie that mention/hint those topics

Read More

Straight to my favourites, but I do feel unsatisfied

This series took me by surprise, because I really did not expect anything much when I started watching it, but quickly found myself looking forward impatiently to another new episode each week.
The writing, directing, even acting (which is not always the case for me in a lot of current Japanese dramas) was good. I loved the nuanced approach to human emotions and relationships. Two main protagonists had great chemistry pretty much from the start (even during the "friendly coworkers" and "unromantic panpals" phase), so I had no problem believing they'd fall for each other. Contrary to some opinions, the topic of cheating was not romanticised, nor any of the four main characters was villainized. If anything, in some cases they were given more grace than deserved.

"When it rains in pours" is a great example of how a minimalist approach to a storytelling can bear amazing results. The pacing is rather slow, minus the final episode (more about that later), and majority of storytelling is executed by simple conversations that feel very every-day-like, quiet scenes with little to no talking and visual symbolism. Yet it manages to convey a multitude of emotions and dynamics, from supressed desire and disappointment, to avoidance of confrontation, to toxicity within relationship and psychological abuse. At some point I stopped thinking of this drama as a BL show, and just watched on as a case study in psychology (I intend to rewatch it and overanalyse the hell out of it XD)

If anything was underwhelming about "When it rains it pours", it was the final episode. I can't really say I hated it, but it left me unsatisfied. On the one hand, I felt like I was watching an epilogue, as most of the tension and momentum was gone. On the other hand, it still felt rushed, especially regarding revealing Fujisawa's background story. I felt like his character especially would've benefited from one more episode and more gradual reveal. But that's just me.

All in all, however, this was a very good drama, with surprising degree of maturity and nuance.

Also, I have a thing for stories that make use of framing in storytelling, mirror beginnings in the end and give you a feeling of a complete narration. Thus, I absolutely loved how at the end of the final episode it was Sei who brought the umbrella to Hagiwara and their little conversation about exchanging emails.

Read More

Morally ambiguous, hot and full of umbrellas

This is an easy watch about people caught in seemingly fine relationship that have been taken over by lack of communication and sexual frustration.

When one part clearly needs something else but dare not say it, finding someone who understands can not only bring comfort but also offer some kind of relief.

What I love about this drama is that it lets us in to the land of relationships gone bad from a perspective we rarely get to see and does not skimp on the consequences. The strain of thought and everything within, the different ways to deal with all these conflicting thoughts and the difference between consensual behaviour and not so consensual behaviour are all showing pretty well.

I cant say this is a sweet and pure story, but it did get my mind working.

Read More

Bitter Nectar.

Surprisingly, Futtara Doshaburi is a rather calm drama to watch and relies solely on the characters to carry the story. It deals with mature topics regarding intimacy and communication.
Hagiwara seemingly leads a perfect life with his longtime girlfriend Kaori - with the intimate aspect missing.
Sei's situation was different -- he was forever stuck in a twisted friendzone with Fujisawa, who claims to take care of him forever, yet doesn't allow Sei to lay a finger on him.
An accidental email had these two developing a rapport, which strengthens after they discover that they are coworkers.

I don't condone cheating, and there were alternate choices that these characters could've made, but they've (or rather Hagiwara) had been suppressed and confused for too long that he simply lost his composure and did what he did in the spur of the moment.

I could understand why certain mishaps happened, but it would've ended the exact way, even sans the cheating. But, this is a drama and we have a story to tell.

The OST was really good -- both the opening and the closing themes, along with the BGM, were apt for the theme. (The opening song is Bitter Nectar by One Love One Heart, which is the title of my review.)
In terms of acting and characters, everyone were able to convincingly portray their roles well -- but one highlight would be Muto Jun close to the end of EP5.
I was able to sympathize with them.

All in all, such a drama is a first for me, but I don't regret the time I spent on this.

Read More

When Staying Becomes the True Compromise

Futtara Doshaburi takes us on a rollercoaster ride through the messy grey areas of love, loyalty, and self-denial. At what point does a connection cross the line? The show doesn’t just ask the hard questions—it forces us to sit with the answers, all while balancing tension and raw emotion.

We have two individuals in very loveless situations—I wouldn’t even call what they have going on a relationship. To me, they’ve done no wrong. In fact, the only wrong they’ve done is betraying themselves and how they truly feel by not prioritizing their happiness and walking away from their current situations. But we all know that, for some, it’s not the easiest thing to do.

My favorite aspect of this series so far is how it portrays these complex emotions and encourages viewers to reflect on them. I know some might be quick to judge or invalidate their feelings because of their own beliefs and ideas of “infidelity,” but the show challenges us to look beyond that and consider the deeper struggles they face.

All I can hope for in the upcoming episodes is for them to become a tad bit braver and finally put themselves first.

I’d love to mention the amazing cinematography and pacing, but I’ll save that for after the series ends, because I’ll definitely be back to write another review.

Read More

Cannot escape so take my bias

This series is my first 10 on this platform, DramaList. Two lonely men discuss their longing and desires, which somehow resonate deeply with me. You may have already read other reviews, notes, and synopses regarding this drama, so in this review, I’ll share my own thoughts on how I’ve enjoyed it.

Rewatch: As I’m writing this commentary, only three episodes have aired. I barely have the patience to wait for the next weekly episode. While waiting, I’ve spent a lot of time rewatching the earlier episodes. I think this is because, during the airing of this series, no other BL dramas have caught my attention—only this one.

Sex and Connection: The story is unique for me. From a biological standpoint, sex plays an important role in human needs, so it’s difficult not to talk about it in the context of long-term relationships. Sex plays a significant role in maintaining healthy relationships. This series explores what happens when sex is missing from the lives of these two characters, even though they are sexually active. The show tackles this important topic, diving into an aspect of relationships that is often overlooked. The way this subject is approached is well-written—it's not rushed and feels exploratory. The scenarios presented are deep and nuanced, without oversimplifying the complexities involved. For example, being repeatedly rejected by your partner can affect your mental well-being, and it hurts when your lover seems to lose interest in you.

I really hope these two male leads end up together by the end of the series.

Read More

So beautiful yet so broken

This is one of those drama that so beautiful, that I think as a sucker romantic, could be one of my favorite. It have a lot of impact, deep meaningful conversation between the MLs.
Yet somehow, this drama so broken, that have a lot of TW: cheating, sexual assault.

I want to preface this by saying I do not condone the cheating part, but I can tell that this drama telling us that this is what happen when you don't appreciate your partner, you taking them for granted, you don't communicate to each other.

That last episode though, it really gives perfect ending to all the character, and also shining hagiwara's love to sei.

And the soundtrack... The ending soundtrack is what makes it perfect of ending every episode, and even in between scenes.

Last, I want to thank you to the writer, the director, and the actors, who make this drama awesome and makes me catch all the feeling from it.

If you are like me, that a sucker for romantic, please give this a try to watch, just remember the TWs!

Read More

it has a deep meaning, but if you're just a casual bl watcher, it's quite boring

Now honestly at first I didn't think I was watching the same drama as everyone else, it was quite boring and I only finished it for the sake of finishing a drama. I get that it's unique and has a very realistic and deep meaning that must be fun for others, it's art. But as entertainment, almost every scene past episode 5 was painful to watch. Random (and boring) dialogues, sudden appearance of characters, etcetera. Not to mention the acting of sei was horrendous, I get his feelings are supposed to be compressed but the acting felt bland the entire time, it was kind of frustrating. The timeline was also confusing. I don't know why I'm the only one that didn't enjoy this, it was simply boring.

Now as I said, this is art. If you like these type of meaningful dramas where every small detail is like a poem that you can find something beautiful if you look deeper in, then sure, watch it. But if you want a drama that can entertain you and you can enjoy, I don't really recommend it.
I only rated this 6.5 as to not ruin their ratings, I'm sure it was crazy fun to others but if I had to rate it the same way I would do to any other drama (storytelling, story, acting, editing, how fun it is to watch) I would give it a 5.

Read More