10 Things I Want to Do before I Turn 40

Very strong start but loosing it in the second half...

This series started very strong with the vibes of "Cherry Magic" and "Old Fashion Cupcake". It was really cute to watch. In the second half the series lost it's way with the hardcore denial of Suzume to allow him to be happy. The team expanded the manga in a meaningful way and I liked the episode with the co-workers children and the overtime work (because of a mistake of one of the co-workers). But most of the other episodes streched out the story without more substance. It would have been so much better when Suzume & Keishi would have grown naturally into a relationsship without the "denial" of a relationsship. Maybe they liked to be true to this aspect of the manga but for me it felt excessive. Otherwise they made the whole "marketing department" much more realistic and believable compared to the manga.

While they denied us the kiss during the rain they at least did it properly in the finale which is a big plus compared to most other JBLs. The actors were choosen perfectly and I liked their version of Suzume much more. Keishi is more like the manga but more reserved. I don't think there was a problem with their chemistry. It was more mature and respectful. Suzume was acted (& directed) overly shy which irked me a bit, especially because this would not be his first relationsship, so this aspect did not make much sense for me. Considering his age, he should have handled that situation much more mature even when he acts childish in some aspects at his home.

After such a strong start it was a bit disappointing in the end. I wished they would have cut this series to the typical 8 episodes without the dragging out... but on the other hand the extra storylines added personality especially for Suzume and a realistic atmosphere. It has many cute and some fluffy moments and some moments where you might get angry. Production quality was top-notch and overall it was worth watching.

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Sometimes slice of life, sometimes slice of why ! A drama that forgot its own starter pack/list.

On paper, this drama had a lot of potential with the premise of Tojo Suzume turning 40, staring down his uneventful life and deciding to tick things off a personal "before it's too late" list with his younger colleague Tanaka Keishi, who slowly becomes more than just a friend. Sounds charming, right? Unfortunately, that charm didn't last long. Somehow, what started all this, "the list", was forgotten completely, and too many fillers were in the second half.

The first half of the drama had a light, slice-of-life feel. The height difference between them was adorable, and they had this awkward yet endearing kind of bond. It is simple and digestible, almost convincing me that we are crawling towards a warm, slow burn romance with character growth.
But then the second half arrived and there was a tonal shift that was somehow very contrasting with the first half. The list that started all this conveniently became a forgotten prop. And instead of focusing on their relationship or individual growth, we were served with irrelevant subplots.

Tojo Suzume gave me the vibes of someone who buys a lot of self-help books but abandons each after skimming through the introduction. I felt like he was never evolved in 11 episodes (excluding the finale, because everyone gains wisdom here). He was adorable with his awkwardness in early episodes, but somehow still timid and hesitant till the end.
I get the self-doubt, really I do. Midlife crises are messy, and the feeling of being stuck just doesn't easily go away. But I was expecting sprinkles of self-acceptance here and there in the latter half but what we got was a man eating rameyon, assuring himself that he is better off alone rather than actually talking about it to Keishi or even to himself.
And even if you choose to stay alone because there is nothing wrong with that, I expected him to communicate better.

Tanaka Keishi, on the other hand, brought a very different energy. Even though he was almost 10 years younger than Tojo, he was very accommodating, calm and understanding. Initially, it looked like he brought colour to Tojo's life but that thought was challenged too.
The main conflict between the couple was due to Keishi's blurting out the denial to his friend in front of Tojo. While it was harsh and somehow uncalled for or could have been worded better, he isn't the villain here in my eyes. There was regret on his face as soon as he said it. Considering how Tojo was reserved and shy, plus Keishi was also paralysed by panic in the moment. Again, not justifying the line, but Tojo cutting all the contact with him rather than hearing him out was the main reason for angst.
"This is for the best! " This is one of my least favourite character traits, where one of them makes decisions for both without considering the feelings of the opposite considering both were involved equally.

The chemistry between them was sadly not convincing enough for me. They had all it takes to be good teammates and friends, but as lovers... those sparks from the initial episode didn't last, and I am not talking about the over-sanitised physical intimacy. They did come around at the end on that, and it was indeed sweet and surprising.

Acting-wise, both the leads performed decently. Though emotional/confrontational scenes of Shoji Kohei as Tanaka Keishi could have been better, especially in episode 11.

Totally unrelated things that I liked and don't know how to categorise-
^ I love the plushies and the little pep talks it gave.
^ The editing in the last episode was smooth, and the list finally made an appearance.
^ A running reunion scene. Japanese BLs would be incomplete without it.

Overall, this was a decent one-time watch. It could have saved itself if it were a bit shorter, maybe 8 or max 10 episodes. Someone said this gave "Old fashioned cupcake" drama vibe, until it suddenly… didn’t.
It's not unwatchable, but compared to how it started, it felt very average towards the end.

Will I recommend it? That's a tough one. I love J-BLs for their slice of life, cosy vibe and unique storytelling and if you are out of J-BLs, maybe give it a try with tempered expectations.
But if you are looking for sparks, chemistry or good development, look elsewhere.

Thank you for reading my review! <3

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