Simple and Sweet
Totally loved this series. It didn’t try too hard or go over the top—just a simple story told with so much heart and finesse. The writing was clean, the pacing felt natural, and the way the emotions were portrayed – spot on. You could really feel the characters’ highs and lows without it ever feeling forced or cheesy. The ending was classic rom-com territory—predictable in the best way possible. It gave me that warm, fuzzy feeling and wrapped things up just the way I hoped. Sometimes, you don’t need a big twist or groundbreaking plot to make something memorable. This one just leaned into the charm of straightforward storytelling and nailed it. For me, it’s a solid 4 out of 5 stars—comforting and well-crafted.Was this review helpful to you?
A soft bl with younger/older and workplace romance
This bl is good for people who like bls that are not that intense.It drags a little bit on from episode 7 to 12. The length of the episodes is a bit short for my taste and the last 2 episodes could have been one plotwise. The jbl has two music pieces that are played in every episode.
The story reminds a little of old fashioned cupcake.
The acting is good but the pacing is a little bit short. I wouldn't watch it again but thats my preference.
I liked:
•Acting
•Plot (ep 1-7 and 10-12)
• Music
What could be improved:
•The plot could be quicker
• It is predictable so they could have build a little more suspense
I never read the manga so i only based the review on the series
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“It’s Never Too Late: A Slow-Burn Journey of Love and Rediscovery”
When I first started this BL, from Episode 1 to Episode 2, I honestly didn’t fully understand what it was trying to show me. At first, the pacing felt slow, and I couldn’t quite catch the point. But after rewatching and paying closer attention, I began to see the strength and sweetness behind it. That’s when this story really opened up for me.
The focus is on Suzume Tōjō, a 40-year-old man who suddenly realizes how much of his life he has missed out on. For years, all he has done is work, work, work. His whole world has been about being responsible, dependable, and respected. But deep down, he hasn’t really lived. Watching him reminded me of how many people strive to build a “better life,” earning money and stability, but in the process, they forget to actually enjoy life. Suzume is the perfect reflection of that—someone who has everything on paper, but nothing that truly makes him feel alive.
This is where Keishi Tanaka enters the picture. Keishi has admired Tōjō-san for years, seeing him as a role model and someone deeply respected in their company. There’s a large age gap between them, and Keishi is his junior, but the love Keishi feels for Tōjō is real and persistent. At first, Tōjō doesn’t know how to respond—he is lonely, unsure, and almost too rigid to accept what’s being offered. But Keishi’s warmth, persistence, and ability to show him small joys slowly open up Tōjō’s world.
What I love about this drama is how it reflects real life. Many people, especially as they grow older, look back and realize they never really lived for themselves. They didn’t chase simple joys, they didn’t allow themselves love, or they let time slip by without grasping it. 10 Things I Want to Do Before I Turn 40 is about recovering that lost time and discovering that it’s never too late to embrace life, even if it feels unfamiliar at first.
The romance itself is slow and gentle. In fact, it took almost the entire drama before Suzume and Keishi finally shared their first kiss. That slow burn made it even more rewarding—it wasn’t rushed, it wasn’t forced; it felt earned. The series teaches that sometimes accepting love takes time, and sometimes healing means relearning how to live.
In the end, this BL is not just about romance. It’s about regret, rediscovery, and the courage to accept joy even when you think it’s too late. It shows that love doesn’t care about age or timing—it only asks if you’re willing to take that chance before the moment passes you by.
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Adorable and will rewatch
Adorable series and while some parts were a tad slow, overall it's worth watching again.It's a feel-good show that has MLs that are convincing. They are both LGBTQ in real-life, so for Japanese BLs I feel this helps in production value.
The storyline is convincing, the characters' feelings are also convincing as well.
The topics regarding LGBTQ in Japan are explored, but not in a heavy-handed manner, which I think is sometimes needed to help Japanese viewers understand what LGBTQ members in their country experience. It helps to convey a message that more than likely,a coworker or family member may be gay but cannot be 'out' due to the conservative culture.
Thankfully, Japan is changing but a 'snails pace' pales in comparison to the actual truth if how backwards the country is regarding gender and sexuality.
Considering women are struggling for rights still, it's going to be a long time for gay people to be accepted and feel safe to be 'out'.
The supporting cast are charming and other societal issues regarding gender roles in heterosexual relationships are explored, which is needed. Today, women are still seen as 'less-than' in relationships, urged to seek 'good wife and mother' status over personal dreams by their own family, and considering the current majority in the Diet, as well as the new PM are of this opinion, it's no wonder that the birt-rate is dropping.
Again, I think bringing up these issues in some lighter series is helpful to create dialogue. While serious programs are essential to bring issues to the forefront, having them explored in lighter settings is another way to give light to what is happening daily, right under everyone's noses.
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35歳なるまで見ては行けないドラマ1選 The 1 drama you should NOT watch before 35 !
... I wasn't expecting this. But Japan have sometimes this ability of producing good sensitive drama. There is still a bit of over the top sometime but really this drama pretty much hit on the spot.It's not happy go fluffy, and despite the heart warming general feeling you get to see the struggle someone can go through, reaching a certain age, about the fear of missing out, the insecurities, the worry to go out of your confort zone once you're not young anymore, the feeling of responsability toward the others ...
I like the pace because the problems are true questions one can go through and the character are well built that their behaviour is relevant.
But it might not be understandable if you haven't experienced it, though I think it can give a good insight and hopefully get teach us all what it takes to grow older.
smart scenario, great accuracy, first time for me getting to think the age gap didn't feel unhealthy.
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Cute!
I must be honest, the first episode didn't quite reel me in, but after the second episode i got more invested. It really had to grow on me, but later on i found myself looking foreward to each new episode.It's a simple story, but a nice one, very sweet and cute. About being afraid of happiness and dissapointment and learning to trust your heart.
The music and visuals are good.
It was well acted, the dynamics, chemistry and kiss between the leads was good.
I think i will watch it again in the future.
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This review may contain spoilers
thoughts on bad reviews and hate
omg I have so much to talk about so bear with me . first of all let's clear some bad reviews that I read before starting the show that made me rethink if I should watch it or not .1. they dragged it out for no reason ? Idts the 1w episodes were all worth it and I'll definetly watch a sequel be it a s2 or a movie .
2. the casting was bad. the suzume in the manga does look different and their height difference isn't much despite tanaka being really tall but I think both the actors did a great job with the roles.
Now , as someone who's read the manga multiple times and owns phyical copy of it idt it was that bad and worth the hate it gets and should be much more popular !!. Also one thing I liked the most is unlike other dramas with significant age gaps , it wasn't the main point everything was balanced though the mc had his insecurities and shortcomings it never felt too much and inconsistent .
though there are some points id like to highlight , the budget was great but wasted potential . it's almost like they made a bl for the same of it like no nc and kiss scenes (they are not important to show chemistry and love between two people) but going with the manga they did hold importance .
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When you only get halfway through the list
This series started off with all the promise of being a main contender for one of this years favorites. Yet, somewhere along the way, the ball was dropped and the focus was lost. I would say the last four episodes were extremely hard to get through and honestly I really needed for these two to have a serious conversation about things that were said. I feel like everything was iced like the cake they ate for his bday. And it left things feeling a little hollow for me.Was this review helpful to you?
my new source of existential crisis
Not gonna lie, the title alone gave me stress. Like, bruh… why remind me of my unfinished life goals? But anyway, I clicked play and ended up watching the whole thing. And honestly? It’s cute. It’s slow. It’s awkward. But somehow, it works (most of the time).I’ve seen tons of series in this vibe (Old-Fashion Cupcake, Cherry Magic, etc.), and while they’re all cousins in the “slow-burn gay office romance” family, this one has its own personality. The best part? They actually used the side characters! I loved that Utagawa got some screen time, finally someone remembered the coworkers exist!
Now… about Suzume and Keishi. I really wanted to love their chemistry, but it felt like watching two shy penguins trying to hold hands. Even Ossan’s Love made me believe in ridiculous love stories, but here it was a little stiff sometimes. Suzume’s “I’m too old for this” energy mixed with Keishi’s “I’ll do anything for my boss” vibe made things both cute and confusing.
That said, the show still gave me a cozy, slice-of-life feeling. It’s not about grand gestures , it’s about little moments, growing up (a bit late), and realizing it’s never too late to live or love again.
Would I rewatch it? Maybe while eating takoyaki and ignoring my own to-do list before 40.
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This review may contain spoilers
real and full of a lot of heart
While I do think the writers bit off a bit more than they could chew, I thoroughly enjoyed this! The first half is really cute and fluffy, but then the second half dives a bit deeper into Suzume's fears and insecurities. While I do think some of these heavier hitting ideas deserved to be explored more - for example, truly grappling with what it means for them to become a couple when Suzume is Keishi's boss - I do think directly bringing up these topics was important. We needed the full picture of why Suzume was so reluctant to admit his feelings so the audience can understand the true gravity of Suzume overcoming those fears and confessing how he feels to Keishi. I mean Suzume has (presumably) spent multiple decades closeted and that is a mindfuck that most people cannot fully understand. He had gotten so accustomed to his solitary life, but then spending time with Keishi made him aware of just how lonely he actually is. Of course the idea of being in a relationship is going to be terrifying to him! Especially when you add in the age difference and the fact that he is in a position of power over Keishi - any repercussions are going to hit Keishi harder and it would be his fault.I also think the show deals with very real queer experiences in a genuine way. Again, as Suzume has (presumably) spent his life closeted, we see his repression - not in terms of sexuality as there is never a moment of him denying being gay, but in this sense that he feels he doesn't deserve or can't have certain things that are considered normal for straight couples. Keishi and Suzume are caught by the office gossip, and the guy immediately jumps to the conclusion that the two of them are dating just from the two of them being in the same place outside of work - Keishi calls this out as being inappropriate and it (eventually) leads to this coworker questioning his biases. There's also the fact that prior to that the office gossip had repeatedly tried to pressure Suzume to use a dating app to find a girlfriend, and he is rather relentless about it, giving the audience a sense of how suffocating it is to be on Suzume's end of this situation. There's surely other examples I could offer too, but they're escaping me at the moment. Idk, this show definitely isn't perfect, but if nothing else I think it gave a valiant effort to start some conversations.
Also the size difference 😵💫😵💫😵💫😵💫😵💫😵💫
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Beautiful realistic, story line and script and acting
beautiful gem in the BL drama world. The storyline is heartfelt, realistic, and filled with emotional depth, exploring the complexities of love, identity, and dreams with maturity and sincerity. It’s not just a romance — it’s a journey of self-discovery that resonates deeply. The actors deliver outstanding performances; their chemistry is natural and compelling, bringing raw emotion to every scene. Each moment feels authentic, making it impossible not to get invested. This drama is a must-watch for anyone craving a thoughtful, well-acted, and deeply moving BL experience.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Kawaaiiiiiii...this is cute as hell.....seems like a sure shot mood lifter
The older virgin-clueless in love-cute office worker and his younger hot-popular-savvy colleague entangling in an unlikely romance....there have been many of this trope in JBLs (Ocean's Love, Old Fashioned Cup Cakes, etc.)...and they get me every damn time...this one seems to be headed the same way...and I'm not complaining at all!!BL-needle Score: 8. High BL-ness
I love the stereotype of middle-age, shy Japanese gay man who has never explored any dating, romance or even kissing...who spent his life so far just working and getting back home, and then repeat...but also the slight break away from that stereotype where Suzume buys all those soft toys, dresses up in that cute suit at home and eats what he wants to....the adorable details of a cute character....and then the way Keiji uses the 'Oh he is good looking and must have a girlfriend' to conveniently hide him being gay, while secretly watching and crushing over his senior colleague...in other words, both the stereotypes and the quirks in this drama make me grin like the chesire cat :D
And that scene where Suzume jumps at Keiji to try and take his phone and struggles due their height difference, and how Keiji hugs Suzume from the back....awwww...it has me melting all the way.....
Watch if you like them JBL tropes, and also if you feel out and blue....it will surely lift your mood
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