Kiss de Fusaide, Barenaide. (2025)

A spicy Jdrama with the classic office romance setup!

This drama was pretty classic, straightforward office romance, nothing deep or overly complicated, but that worked for me. The story is basic but it’s done well enough that I found myself enjoying it more than I expected.

What really stood out to me was the chemistry between the leads. They had such a natural, easy connection that made every scene together fun to watch. I also liked how they communicated. It felt mature most of the time, which is kind of rare in dramas like this.
And for a Jdrama, there was a lot of skinship and kissing and surprisingly, it was all really well done. Nothing felt forced or awkward, which made their romance feel more real.

That said, I wasn’t totally on board with the ML in the initial episodes. He definitely had some boundary issues and it bugged me a little that he didn’t really take “no” seriously at first. It did get better and didn't bother me that much because the FL clearly liked him back and reciprocated his feelings.

Even with a basic plot, this drama somehow manages to avoid most of the typical romcom trope pitfalls like overly jealous ex sabotaging present relationships etc, which made it a smoother watch.

Overall, this was good one time watch. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but the overall vibe made it fun and light.
Recommended if you are looking for something simple, sweet and spicy with the touch of usual Jdrama flair, this definitely can be one of your picks.

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Spicy but not too Spicy

Well, @Jojo said this is spicy, so I’ve got to check it out for myself. LOL 😉 Compared to your average J-drama, “Kiss de Fusaide, Barenaide” aka “Kiss Bare” does have more kisses and skinship. Are they all executed well, mm…. Not really. The first few kisses were fish kisses, but they do improve. There’s a stark difference between the first and the last kiss. But I do think the kisses and the intimate scenes happen naturally enough plotwise (except for the first couple episodes) and don’t feel too forced.

Shioya Daisuke (ML) is actually a reserved but good and sweet guy. But unfortunately, his introduction to viewers does not cast a positive light on him. He’s like a horny guy who has too much pent up sexual energy and can’t wait to release them all out, after FL showed her affection. On a very petty and subjective note, I don’t find the actor, Fujii Ryusei, attractive because of his bangs. I also didn’t like his acting very much. His supposed soft and caring eyes look pretentious and insincere to me. Actually, I don’t find any of the male characters attractive. But FL and the ex are pretty!

Plotwise, it’s a very simple office romance. Sometimes, we all need a comfort drama like this. But there are a few frustrating moments and decisions that make me cringe or shake my head.

I don’t think I would recommend “Kiss Bare”, as there are other similar dramas that are executed better. But if you are curious and want to check out how ‘spicy’ it is, the drama has only ten 20-23-minute long episodes, so it’s an easy and quick binge.


Completed: 4/26/2025 - Review #570

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