When It Rains, It Pours

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.

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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.

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The acts of fate or faith?

It's been a while since a story as realistic as life has been told. The complexities of relationships and the motives propelling the willing and unwilling participants to their ultimate fate. Somehow, this series is very cathartic. Processing the reasons why each individual acted in the manner they did, brought what was a one sided relationship to full circle, laid open by honesty, kindness and forgiveness.

Nakarei Sei and Hagiwara Kazuaki both cohabitate with their significant person. Cohabitate is used correctly as neither receives any warmth reciprocated at them. For varying reasons, they live emotionally isolated in their homes. Any form of intimacy is rebuffed or easily side stepped under the guise of being occupied or of tiredness. Though throught to be an error, NS and HK start sharing their thoughts on their similar plights via email. I am reminded that NS views on life changes what was thought to be an error to destiny. He resolutely believes that no one is to blame for the death of his parents. They were to die at that time. We, the viewer, must then believe that the first email was fate. NS and HK were always going to meet.

HK's girlfriend's actions were duplicitous and selfish. She desires the title of wife but doesn't share with HK the reason she no longer wants to be intimate. Stringing him along, she feigns tiredness and preoccupation. Unwilling to share with him, she tells a friend who is in the same predicament. Falsely entrapped into marriage by a husband who doesn't desire sex with her, she knows the pain of her existence and reveals the partial truth to him. He is stunned.

NS desires his roommate and as this is not returned, in essence this is what they are. Predetermined events place them in each other's lives. There is a nonchalant detached coldness that NS displays in every action. This is his armor. He appears disinterested with life beyond his home but cannot escape the fact it is in his home that his armor is essential to his survival. He knows a secret is being kept and wishes to return the hurt he has felt. He rebels.

It is at a point of mutual frustration that NS and HK meet. The culmination of their desires both shock and release pent up feelings of rejection. NS places boundaries on their meeting but it is HK who makes the bold move to seal their fates. In their tender moments, he rocognizes what he feels and acknowledges that he has bonded with NS. This is just a moment, he wants a lifetime.

Returning to their homes, their meeting sets off a ripple effect of events fated to happen. Eventually, they both learn the reasons for their partners attitudes. HK's girlfriend admits, she cannot maintain desire for her partner beyond a certain point as it has happened before. Selfishly, she forces him to break up with her to appear as a victim to their acquaintances. HK does so as he really wants to be free of the relationship. His other motive is his kindness and decency to everyone. His secrets are for their protection.

NS has to face his demons also. The unwilling partner reveals the pain and guilt he feels towards NS. He believes that NS only grew to have feelings for him as he was cared for by him after NS was left an orphan. He believes he was the reason they were killed. He becomes twisted mentally and shuts out NS. He feels some pleasure in knowing he has created a vacuum that seals them in and allows no one to be close to NS. The pain he inflicts on NS is his internal struggle projecting at him. In one scene, he presses NS swollen toe, inflicting more pain to get a reaction.

I feel no sympathy for the girlfriend. She shifts the blame to avoid scrutiny and to seek help. She is too proud to admit she is at fault for the distance between them. The roommate hides his guilt, and makes NS feel vulgar for wanting more from him. They could have had happy lives had they been honest at the beginning. After his revelation, we see how his methods caused his loss but the kindness shown to him, he is thankful for it and vows to do better.

I applaud the writer for tackling adult subjects in a mature fashion. Here, we see:
The effects on relationships when true feeling are not expressed.
The lack of desire for sex can affect both parties at any given time.
Under the weight of a lie a relationship will not flourish. The prejudices that can still cloud the judgement of a supposedly modern woman.
Two hetero males entering a gay relationship without fear of the outer world's perception. Previously, NS says to HK that until he fell in love with his roommate, his desire was for the opposite sex. It is with HK that he delves into gay sex. He feels safe.
Truly loving someone will allow you to forgive, give them grace and encourage healing.

I will remember this series for its use of the actors and the script. Every interaction and word was necessary for the propelling of the story. None were wasted. The actors were utilized skillfully. HK's declaration of his growing feelings for NS at the office was very descriptive. The pain etched on his face was believable. I especially loved the ending as both intending on sacrificing their personal feelings for the other, meet again by fate at the museum.

This is worth every moment of viewing pleasure. Trust fate.

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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.

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...shows you that genuine chemistry and decent casting can carry it all

This is a quick one and definitely not a pass. It was intended as my evening chill binge and it perfectly met the expectation.

I cannot say that they have not done well for seven episodes. The relationship was believable and genuine. The contrast between the mains was subtle but powerful. The premise with the sexual frustration and rain did work for the most part.

On the other side, the girlfriend did not have layered rationale for her acts, although she could have been written worse (I have seen way worse). The artist friend got better treatment than her (also his acting was bomb) albeit incomplete. Also it felt like the drama could be stretched to a few more episodes.

I loved Hagiwara's stability and consistency as a character with straight-up morale (I do see evident irony in that sentence ok?). He is quite simple but efficient. Casting was amazing. I did not see one second of poor acting.

Nothing disappointed me and nothing blew me away.

A recommend!

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So, this feels like a hate crime.

I too fell into the trap of projecting my feelings onto Kaori and Fujisawa and was sorely disappointed when neither character turned out to be asexual. Instead, Kaori sometimes treats Hagiwara like a child (but at other times I was also kind of scared for her, so there are layers) and Fujisawa is abusive. Delightful. Clearly, Sei and Hagiwara were incompatible with their partners, and not just in terms of sexual needs. Still, and regardless of anyone’s sexuality, the lengths this story went to villainize the partners of our two male leads felt like a personal attack.

It’s all well and good to ask for sympathy for the main characters because they’re unfulfilled. But can we agree that nobody owes anyone sex and that being in a sexless relationship is not the literal hell on earth the main characters proclaim it to be? And it bears repeating that I really could have done without the rape. Sei and Hagiwara’s mutual reassurance that they’re oh so good people was a bit much too. Is the insistence on viewing every conflict through the lens of sex not just a societal ill but also in part a problem of this genre? I don't know.

Everyone’s non-confrontational to a fault in this one -- right up until they blow up on each other. No one is really honest about their identity either. Points for realism! I would also be remiss not to mention the good acting. If only this story wasn’t so set on sex being essential to romantic relationships, it could have meaningfully expanded upon the complexities of intimacy. It’s all very frustrating because the building blocks were there, and it’s not like the show can’t do nuance at all. It’s just that the amatonormativity won out. Even for a self-proclaimed enjoyer of toxic erotic relationships like moi, Futtara Doshaburi went against one too many of my core beliefs to remain a pleasant viewing experience.

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It is entertaining , melancholy and sad and happy at the same time. The rains added to this mood. The scenes are beautiful especially when the two lovers are together. The only thing lacking is an extended finale. There are still some questions to be answered and longings to be fulfilled. Over all, the series is excellent because of the chemistry of the two leads and the story that keep us glued to our screens week after week. . The two main characters are really for each other and the actors delivered their love in such a subtle but convincing acting. I wish to see them more in other BLs.

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Sometimes we dont get the closure that we crave for

I felt the need to write something under this piece, maybe just to remind myself why I gave it a 10.

Let me start off by saying that I did not know what I was getting into when I started the serie. At first I was attracted by the title, which I love. The comparassion between the proverb and the action in this is simply good.
We have two complex characters with their own complex relationships.
Let me talk about both:
-Hagiwara and Kaori, your normal couple at first, two people who undeniably love each other, no matter what everyone says. A sexless relationship that is but they still love each other. Its interesting to see how Hagiwara changes throughout the serie in his relationship and also his mindset. I wanted to hate Kaori so bad, I thought I would, like in any BL ever but I just couldnt. Let me explain her, Throughout the plot, we dont know the reason Kaori doesnt want to have sex with Hagiwara but it still makes sense. I dont think it was ever a problem that she doesnt want to have sex, it was just that it was not communicated good enough. I didnt blame her one second, seeing how she actually cares for him, if you dont want to have sex, you dont have to, but you should also communicate why. I tried to portray their relationship as something else and look at them maybe like a mom-son or a brother-sister relationship but they didnt fit. I thought -maybe she just sees him as her brother- but it was not that. I feel like the author also had a hard time with her character, making her look bad when saying that she doesnt like it -when he gets masculine- or whatever was the translation, but at the same time, her giving her reasons at the end, making her look like she cared for him all of this time. She also was really offput by the fact that Hagiwara cheated on her with a man which I feel like it can come from either internalized homophobia, her pride or the fact that she realized that its not just sex Hagiwara is dissatisfied with (seeing how he could just hook up with another woman if he wanted sex but he was actually unhappy in general). I fear I cannot dislike her. She feels very human. Lets not forget tho that Hagiwara cheated on Kaori at the end of the day, when he couldve talked with her about all these things before.
-Sei and Kazuaki, an even more complex couple, who could, in my opinion, be even more developed. I was actually shocked to see that Kazuaki (from what I understood) actually liked Sei but he refrained from his feelings, afraid he might damage him even more. Kazuaki was the one who stayed by Seis side the whole time and while this doesnt justify his actions later, its true that he actually cared for Sei and was afraid of feeling more, in case Sei only attached to him because of his trauma. It seems to be revealed that Kazuaki sees Sei as someone very fragile and thats why he is so taken aback and reluctant everytime Sei mentions something sexual around him. I find his reactions to be exagerated of course, and I think the actor build such impecable temper for the role, because we see this side of him from the begginning until the end, so we shouldnt be shocked when he reacts like that in bed. Same as Kaori goes for Kazuaki too. In the beggining I didnt know what was the reason he didnt want to have sex with Sei but at the same time I didnt blame him. If you dont want to have sex, you dont want. Its good that its communicated but you should also say why. But again, I didnt blame him. He really said all of his intentions from the start and I appreciated that. I actually wanted a real flashback of how they met or how they interacted before, like the first couple had. Their relationship developes into something controling and toxic and it is not to forget that Sei was RAPED by Kazuaki. That is unforgettable, and is not justified by anything.

I saw some people saying that its not really adressed the fact that Sei got raped or the fact that Kaori didnt take responsability and I have one hard truth to share. That is how life is. That doesnt mean that thats how it should be. I assumed everything is intentional. Especially since Sei didnt want to put a bad light over Kazuaki. He respected him, he liked him. Maybe it really never got adressed (and maybe this will develope into a trauma for him and a problem in the relationship with Hagiwara, that is, if this was real). And especially since Hagiwara also respected Kaori and liked her for a long time. I imagined that it happened just like in real life=you get in a fight with someone close and you want to tell them so many things and make them feel bad but when you actually see them you just want to get it over with because of the history you have together.

I liked the interactions between Hagiwara and Sei. The actors did a fantastic job making me love or hate them. They all seemed very genuine and normal. Also the conversations felt very real and the characters were made very mature. This show portraits perfectly the importance of compability and especially sexual compability. Even if you love each other, you have to be on the same wave on each level. Also this perception of sex as being dirty and disgusting is so real. I dont need to elaborate on that.

Dont forget that a huge stepping stone, which might not seem, was the interaction with the couple friends with the pregnant lady that actually revealed a side of reality that not many can handle. I believe it was put there to give an isolated example of the same situation so that we can look at it more objectively.

I could talk about this more and Im sure I forgot a lot of things but for myself, this is my hectic review.

For a good series to be good, the characters shouldnt be visualized as perfect, each with their own complexity. We dont always get the closure we want like talking about the scars that Sei was left with and how are those going to affect his next relationship. We shouldnt see this as a romance but more as a piece of life.

I gave this series a rating for how it made me feel.

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When Silence Hurts More Than Words

It was heavy from the beginning. You can feel the misunderstanding between both couples. I was feeling very weird watching it, like my heart and head were somewhere else, and it made me feel very sad. As the story goes on, the tension keeps building, and the lack of communication becomes more painful to watch. Every small moment feels loaded with emotion, like things could fall apart at any second. The characters don’t say what they really mean, and that silence hurts more than any argument. By the end, it really shows how misunderstandings and unspoken feelings can slowly ruin relationships. The film leaves you with a heavy feeling, almost like the rain never really stops, and it makes you reflect on how fragile love and connection can be.

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