Stay by My Side after the Rain

This series is not that good but I was deeply emotionally involved.

The plot is standard, nothing outstanding. One thing I have to mention is the focus on family dysfunctional dynamics. I’ve experienced feelings like don’t be accepted in your own family, being different, having an exhausting parent who doesn’t know how to do their job, lack of communication… I believe all those things are well portraited here. I could see how the childhood dynamics interfere with today’s life and relationships, even in the little things and behaviours. Also, how someone can overcome all this, by finding people who want to and try to love them correctly and genuinely.

In particular, Natsuki’s acting is what struck me the most. He’s always happy, joyful and cheerful and enthusiast but inside there is the mother and the lost of a crucial person. His phone buzzing every single minute, its noise is so frustrating that you get to understand Kosuke’s pain a little more. Masashi’s performance isn’t bad either, but feels less natural. A scene I love is the one with Kosuke’s mother. He is great there, really. I have to say something about Kosuke’s mom as well, her performance is great and the character very interesting. This mother-son dynamic is the most appealing thing of the series.

Unfortunately, the intimate scenes are a huge, enormous, giant problem that cannot be ignored. Both the actors and the director don’t do a good job, at all. Everything, every single thing, is so synthetic and fake. First, the kisses (there should be two more, by the way, because they can’t say goodbye with the hand anymore): the kiss itself, the slowness, the touching. Everything is a ‘no’ for me. Second the filming: if the kiss is bad, because that’s what it is, why do you zoom on it? It’s absurd. You should hide it, film from another angle. The s*x scene (if we can call it like this) is also not good. And this is making me thinking: how do they select actors? Why did they chose them if their kissing is like this? There are only two/three intimate good moments that feels natural. My favourite is a Shinichiro’s kiss on Kosuke’s back (the morning after).

It's a shame. The rest of the filming is good and matches with the atmosphere. I wanna mention a shoot when they’re arguing: the camera is positioned in an angle that expand the space, increasing the distance between the two. Also, the music is fantastic, marvellous, fabulous. I play the flute and I enjoyed listen to it the whole time. There’s also the piano. I can tell this aspect was well looked after. I loved it. This is definitely my favourite thing from this show.


thank you for reading, kisses <3

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So so

I liked it in the beginning... But as I watch I slowly lost interest.

The drama is good, chemistry isn't, story is nice and fluff and Kanada was adorable and funny, I need to see that actor in a comedy role, I'll gladly enjoy it.
But the two leads interaction was slightly off, and intimate scenes were too forced and fake.
Also dead fish kisses were too awkward, if you don't want to add kiss scene, don't!

I remember watching cherry magic, the whole show is without any kisses at all and still it's one of the best Bls ever, so no need for forced kisses which sadly made the whole show worse as we won't believe their strong overpowering love to eachother.

About the story, it shows a little bit of many obstacles and how to overcome them which is lovely and light, also enjoyable.

I wouldn't rate this too high because it got boring after maybe ep9, but the comedic relief and the whole vibe of the show is good.

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Cute & Fluffy!

I really liked the actors who played Kosuke and Shinichiro
I thought they had a nice easy chemistry between them, which never seemed passionate but thats fine. Not all relationships are all fire and thunderstorms.
The setup of 2 highschool friends reconnecting as adults and finding that they always liked each other was nice and I liked that they showed the various stages of their relationships— from the happy honeymoon period to the arguments to the personal growth. It was all kinda superficial and fluffy without ever getting serious, but thats okay. This was a fun and cute watch for me.

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Sweet, awkward and honest

Sweet story, good show of parenting done bad but kind of ruined by the whole mama I love you bits and even the worst parents chan change and secretly mean well... when honestly people should know by now that they don´t and its not your fault so stop giving people false hopes.

Kisses where not fully dead fish but almost. There are som good acts of friendship and well portrayed fears of coming out and the creation of an environment that will make you feel coumphurtable enough to come out of that closet.

The leads yell ahhhh just a few ot many times but other than that no one was truly annoying and I appreciated the pprtrayal of hardship, and how deeply famiy can harm you family before they went all forgiving... There are a few very memorable scenes that I really appreciated seeing on screen but I will admit that most of the drama is pretty forgettable even if the boys do have lovely smiles.

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I thought they were the last boss of communication

*happy ending*

I didn't plan to watch this before because anything with rain in the title oftentimes is a sad story and I don't want that. But, the synopsis seems lighthearted so I tried it.
I reached episode 7 before getting bored of it and started skipping scenes just so I could end it faster.
Just like other commenters, the kissing scenes are so awkwardly done that it was so damn nostalgic as JBLs before used to do this. But I don't understand why the kissing is like that. I understand if it is the first few episodes but even when their relationship develops, the kissing stays the same. I also understand if it is Kanade, because he is really an awkward introverted person, but I don't think Mashiro is a character that would kiss like that especially when he, most of the time, is so damn thirsty for Kanade. Was it Kanade's actor? Because Mashiro's actor is from Exile Tribe, an idol group well known for acting on several bls and Hori already acted in one before too. I just don't know. The plot has a lot of potential to be better with better intimacy but it became lackluster and awkward. Definitely not sweet at all. Better yet to just hug each other or kiss on the forehead type of thing.

I was also so mad on the other office worker at first. She was so meddlesome that I thought she was as toxic as Mashiro's mom. But I stand corrected. If you plan to watch this, give her the benefit of the doubt. The mom is still toxic though. A gas lighting, toxic mom. I feel so bad for Mashiro.

I thought this was a sad one but a lot of the scenes made me giggle, and toss on my bed. The shouting is also cringy but fun. First few episodes in, I loved how straightforward and honest Mashiro was that I thought he was the last boss of communication, but he was actually hiding more of himself deep within and I think the actor did fabulously that.

Ikeda, the actor of Kanade is so adorable and pretty too. So it is very surprising when he shouts haha. He doesn't pass that well as a high schooler for me though, only for me to find out Hori is older than him by three years. Haha.

This is a nice, cute watch. But definitely won't rewatch.


Edit: so I found out I already read the manga version and it's freaking shounen ai. No wonder the kisses are like this. The manga even did camera angles where you cannot see the lips touching hahaha. Also another thing to note is the emotional depth of this series is soooo good. It is not melancholic or sad but it definitely explores human relationships and puppy adult love

Another edit: please read the manga before watching or if you are in the middle of watching and you somehow feel bored. Oh em gee I did the same and they almost did the series to a tee with the manga. You can even side by side them. Some dialogues are changes but I am so happy when they do the original justice. It makes watching the series enjoyable

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Stay by My Side After the Rain is a warm and easy-to-watch Japanese BL series about two childhood friends who were once very close, but grew apart because of misunderstandings and one-sided love. Years later, they meet again as young adults—and this time, they get a second chance at love.

The story is soft and emotional not too heavy but touches on real-life issues like coming out to your parents, standing up for yourself at work and among friends, and growing up with a parent who struggles with mental health. These themes are handled with care, and give the story some extra depth.

The characters feel more real than in many other recent Japanese BL dramas. Their emotions, reactions, and struggles are believable, and the two actors do a great job bringing their relationship to life. The chemistry between them is natural, and the slow build of their romance feels sweet and sincere.

Even though the pace is a bit slow at times, it fits the mood of the series. It’s a calm, feelgood story that still manages to say something meaningful. Definitely worth watching!

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Solid premise, yet still a letdown

This show really set itself up for a homerun and then pivoted a full 90 degrees right before the touchdown and took off over the bleachers, never to be seen again.
I love nothing more than a solid, slow exploration of characters' inner lives and their complicated relationships to themselves and others. And this show really seems to be going solidly in that direction, with interesting and likeable characters and several quite excellent and meaningful moments.
But then it just... doesn't follow through. Instead of properly exploring any of the interesting topics it brings up - like the politics of coming out later in life, complicated parent-child relationships, etc. - it opts for barely brushing past those issues, resolving complex emotional stakes in mere minutes, and focusing instead on domestic drama and drawn-out, static scenes which grind the plot to a screeching halt more often than not (the final episode is especially guilty of this).
I would also have loved it if Kanade didn't look like he was getting shanked every time he engaged in even the mildest of physical intimacy. It does detract quite a bit from the genuinely sweet second-chance romance when every now and again you're forced to sit through a scene of one of the main characters looking physically pained at having to kiss his partner.

All in all you can't really go wrong with watching this show per se, there's nothing egregiously terrible or offensive about it, it's just... mildly disappointing. Mid, if you will.
Personally I'll be busy sulking in a corner over how much of a missed opportunity this was, rather than rewatching the show.

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it was cute buuuuut

damn those kiss scenes kinda ruined it. This is one of those series where a simple would have been 100x better than a kiss and 'sex' scene. Gawd, those scenes was so awful to watch. They were literally so awkward with it. It made it seem like they could fit another person between their lips. and that 'sex' scene. LMAO dont even get me started because wtf was that Mashiro was just hovering on top of Kanade not doing anything. Gawd, Japan really need a workshop on intimacy, kiss and sex and what not cuz I know they can deliver it. There are some good series that have good makeout scene. Like come on, its 2025 either do a proper kiss scene or sex scene or just don't do it AT ALL. It feels more homophobic to do it and be such a mess than to not do it. Gawd, I didn't mean to go into such a rant over that but it needed to be said. Next the plot is pretty simple imo. The first episode made it seem like I was in for a ride but that ride was just as scary as a rollercoaster ride in spongebob. The plot was so basic and plus they wanted to dive into more heartfelt and deep touching topics but they were kinda afraid so it made it just seem bleak and tasteless. The problems like Mashiro's mother being negligent and Kanade's dad homophobia was dealt off so easily that it lacked any dept. It is not easy to be a good mother so quickly and to unlearn homphobia that well. It takes time and lot of cut and stabing, but they didn't really dive into that and just made all those problems exist one day and disappear the other. But i get it time constraints what you gonna. Anyways, it ain't all that bad I guess if you ignore those awful kiss scenes. A mediocre plot with a pretty sweet ending, I guess.

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A try at adult love

I enjoyed that the series bought out the shyness and insecurities related to first time dating and how it's nothing different as to young love experiences. Another lovely aspect of the plot was the coming out where the ML does not shy away but rather is eventually bold of his true self (seems love really does make you brave). The show is really special in highlighting that no matter how different the people in a relationship are, but the struggles are almost identical. The end is also satisfactory but i felt that after EP 10 the plot kind of slows down. It's absolutely recommended for people who are newcomers in the Y universe.

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