Toshishita Cherry Boy-kun ni Honro Saretemasu (2025)

Skip the full-length drama version and watch this instead

Watched on the Bump app with English subtitles!

As someone who was publically underwhelmed by the longform version of this story, I think it's kind of my duty now that I've watched this version to compare the two and give my recommendation so you can save drama watching time.

When I started this one, I didn't even realize it was another adaptation of the same work until I looked it up, which is pretty telling of how little of an impression the MBS drama left. Given that this is a fraction of the runtime, there is obviously not enough time to really flesh out the backgrounds of the two main characters, but I think that's a point in this version's favor. The only thing unique/interesting about this story is the premise, which this version preserves while cutting a lot of the filler and cliche, and I liked that this ends on a more open, friendly note between Teito and Karen rather than them explicitly getting together because it made their romance feel more organic rather than plot convention. I also think the two leads have more chemistry than their longform counterparts and are personally more my taste visually lol.

Neither version is the pinnacle of their craft by any means, so if you just want a cute, quick watch, the efficiency of this version alone makes it a better experience in my eyes, and I would even say that it holds up on its own as one of the better vertical dramas in general.

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