School Trip: Joined a Group I’m Not Close To

Pure Japanese BL Magic

Japanese boys' love dramas have a very specific, undeniable charm, and School Trip: Joined a Group I'm Not Close To (2025) is the perfect example of why this genre is so beloved. The story follows Asahi Hioki, a gentle and ordinary high school student who finds himself completely alone when picking groups for a school trip. Unexpectedly, he gets invited to join a group made up of the school's "Four Heavenly Kings"—the most popular and handsome boys on campus. What starts as an awkward situation quickly turns into a beautifully sweet coming-of-age romance.There is something incredibly unique about Japanese BL series that sets them apart from others. They possess a special ability to craft wonderfully innocent, cozy, and soft atmospheres that make your heart melt. The storyline focuses deeply on emotional connection, lingering glances, and a slow-burning affection. School Trip does not need over-the-top, loud drama to capture your attention; instead, it relies on a comforting, pure narrative that reminds you of how beautiful first love can feel.The ultimate highlight of the series is just how unbelievably adorable the boys are. The chemistry between Kodai Fujimoto (playing Hioki) and Hideyoshi Kan (playing Tsukasa Watarai) is pure gold. Hioki is the definition of a precious, endearing klutz, while Watarai is a deeply protective, slightly possessive school prince who falls completely for Hioki's kind heart. Every single interaction between them is filled with a soft sweetness that makes it impossible not to smile at the screen while watching them navigate their feelings.To be completely honest, like many other Japanese BL dramas, the show struggles a bit when it comes to the physical intimacy department. It is a well-known trope in the genre that the characters sometimes look completely clueless or slightly awkward when they try to kiss. However, even though they might not know how to kiss passionately, it absolutely does not ruin the experience. In fact, it almost adds to the innocent, shy high-school vibe of the story. You love them so much that you easily look past the clumsy kisses because the emotional execution is flawless.Ultimately, School Trip: Joined a Group I'm Not Close To is a solid 9/10. It delivers a beautifully sweet, heartwarming escape that highlights the very best elements of Japanese storytelling. If you can appreciate a pure, incredibly cute romance and don't mind the typical awkward kissing scenes, this drama will easily become one of your absolute favorites.

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JBL cliches always works

I love jbl. I love clichés. I love the same storyline repeated over and over. I love seeing the same trope. And you know why? Cause they always make masterpieces.

So the story was very simple but very good. Hioki is a guy with no friends, that while creating groups for a school trip, gets invited into this group of four guys, the most popular guys at school. He create a special bond especially with Watarai, who cares a lot for him and seems to always be around. If u wonder, yes, of course he liked him before and of course he was the one suggesting to invite Hioki with them for the school trip. He fell in love with him cause he was the first person that ever saw him for who he was and not for how he looked like.
The story, given how SHORT it is, its full of small moments of jealousy, insecurity and their bond getting deeper.

Very cliche, right? Well I unfortunately could not give less of a fck. It was SO good. REALLY good. I'd always eat those series up. It was sweet. Really sweet. It made me want to fall in love and get into a relationship. I so wished it happened to me, so many times. The character were all green flags, Watarai I love you so much he was so nice throughout the whole show and ge was clearly so in love. Hioki was so cute and he looked soooooo good in the maid dress ep.9

The acting was good, I always love how Japanese act, and of course, I love how the script works. They were so cute, and honestly all the guys did very very well. Even if they got like two minutes screentime I think that the group was soo cute and I so wished we just got to see more, cause I geniunly believe that they could give so much more.

The vibe was immaculate, whatever filter they put in this show to make it that magical 1000% worked, it gave that "nostalgia of places I've never been" typa feeling and it made the show so much better under so many aspects.

Its a pity that it was so short (10 ep/23 minutes each + 1 special ep) cause I feel like they always cut short the part where they date, which it was longer and wish they gave more insight.

Overall it was such a fun and cute series that I cannot really find the bad in it, and its a suggestion for wveryone tjat needs a cute series to kinda just fall in love again and again.

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Charming and Unassuming

I honestly thought this was going to be a BL version of F4 at first, but it turned out way better than I expected. Each episode just kept getting better as the story unfolded. It’s such a simple, cute young love story, and I really liked how they kept it straightforward without throwing in unnecessary distractions. The pacing felt clean, and the way it was told just worked. The characters were fun to watch too — the actors really nailed their roles. I have to give a special mention to the actor who played Watarai, because honestly, his presence on screen was just beautiful. He really elevated the whole vibe. Overall, I’d give this series a 4 out of 5 stars. It was enjoyable, easy to watch, and left me smiling by the end.

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A cute and light-hearted story

It was so refreshing to watch a light-hearted high school drama which mainly focused on the school trip, just like the title. I'm not that into hardcore bls, so this was good to watch. I liked this story approach because the story felt natural, two boys getting to know each other and gradually realizing their feelings during the school trip.

Kan Hideyoshi (Watarai) played his role amazingly. The high school crush who's introverted but gentle, caring, and supportive. How can I forget he's very possessive too. Hioki's acting felt a bit unnatural in the beginning, like the over-introvertness. However, it became ok after a few episodes.

I'm glad they're releasing another two episodes, because I wondered one scene in the opening credits wasn't included in the 10 episodes. The story was completed in the 10 episodes, but who doesn't love more episodes containing their life after that!

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Quietly Strong and Charming Japanese BL

The drama wastes no time making a good first impression. Right from the start, it feels polished and surprisingly strong for a Japanese BL in this genre. The opening episodes pull you in easily, and what’s nice is that the show doesn’t fumble its momentum halfway through. For most of its run, it keeps a steady rhythm and knows exactly what kind of story it wants to tell. It’s comforting without being dull, romantic without trying too hard.

One of the biggest reasons it works is Watarai. His character is a breath of fresh air in a genre. He’s honest about his feelings from the very beginning, clear in his intentions, and never hides behind unnecessary misunderstandings. The show also deserves credit for not dragging out “character development” just for the sake of it. Instead of spending episodes circling the same emotions, it lets the relationship move forward naturally, which makes everything feel more genuine and emotionally grounded.

Another standout, in a very different way, is Hioki’s friend Tsujitani. He’s a complete goofball and easily the comic relief of the show. Every time he appears, the mood instantly lightens, and his scenes are genuinely entertaining to watch. He brings a natural, effortless humor that never feels forced. Honestly, I couldn’t help wishing he had more screen time.

Toward the final stretch, the story does start to feel a little repetitive. The beats are familiar, and you can sense the show settling into a loop. Still, it ends before that repetition becomes tiring, so it never crosses into boring territory. If anything, it feels like the drama knew its limits and chose to bow out gracefully rather than overstaying its welcome.

Where the series falls slightly short is in its use of side characters. With a ten-episode runtime and decent episode lengths, there was real potential to expand the world beyond the main couple. The supporting characters, especially the "Four Heavenly Kings," remain mostly in the background, existing only to push the central romance forward. A small backstory, a parallel arc, or even a side pairing would have added depth and made the story feel fuller.

As for physical intimacy, the restrained approach is very much in line with youth-oriented Japanese BLs, so it doesn’t feel like a flaw worth penalizing. The emotional connection carries enough weight on its own, and the sweetness of the interactions more than makes up for what’s left unsaid or unseen.

In the end, this drama is undeniably charming. It’s soft, warm, and incredibly easy to fall for. While it could have done more with its supporting cast, the core story remains strong and heartfelt. Compared to others in the same genre, it holds its ground well and, in many ways, stands out. A genuinely enjoyable watch that understands its appeal and delivers on it with sincerity.

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A very typical Japanese BL

It feels like all Japanese BL have basically the same plot structure, especially the HS romance ones. This one was no exception. I did not find anything particularly stand-out about this drama besides the amazing chemistry between the leads and the fun friendship dynamics. Otherwise, it's just another drama. The production value was obviously pretty mid (which is ok... BL & GL typically don't get the same care in the entertainment industry unfortunately).

In the bonus episodes 11 and 12, I was a little discomforted by the slightly sexual connotations of some of the scenes. While nothing was outright sexual, it was enough to raise my eyebrows considering the leads were highschoolers. However, I think it was generally appropriate for their age group to most people.

I will say that the popular male lead was not very... expressive. However, I felt Hioki was very expressive and deserved his times to shine!

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A touch of archetype subversion

The story is a concise, well drawn progression of Hioki and Watarai from strangers to boyfriends. The show manages to illustrate the inner life of both of the main characters so well, that it would have been nice if the writers were allowed to go even further with more episode runtime to explore some more of the psychology and the impact of the popularity hierarchical expectations that haunts the both of them and the other popular kids as well. The switch in perspective to Watarai was especially fascinating. Watarai himself is suffocated the unwanted idol status that has been forced upon him just because of how he looks, particularly in the way that his otherwise normal actions causes the class to smack talk a classmate that he just randomly lent a pen to. He hears the shallow way people gossip about him, which is why he's so incredibly touched to overhear Hioki describing Watarai the way Watarai sees himself to Hioki's friends, as a normal guy. We see through Watarai's perspective that Hioki is not an awkward loner at all, he's actually very sociable and well liked among his school sports team friend group. His own friendship with the other guys was also only formed because they happened to be in the same class and started talking to each other because of the weirdness of being grouped together as "The Big Four" by their schoolmates though they literally never met each other until that sophomore year class.

Both Hioki and Watarai are trying to figure out things as they go and it's lovely how they are both communicative through their feelings. I love how Hioki acknowledges how brave Watarai has been making the first steps to connect with Hioki and confessing to him and Hioki steps up to bravely ask the question to solidify their relationship as boyfriends. The supportive adult of the series is Ryoto who is the older brother of one of the popular kids Morisaki. He has a rather horrific introduction in which he tricks Hioki into thinking he's been kidnapped to be murdered. That's not a funny prank to anyone let alone a teenager. Though I think guys should be shown this scene to understand the perspective of what women have to deal with and fear. Outside of that terribly unfunny prank, Ryoto notices Watarai's feelings for Hoiki and lets Watarai know that Ryoto it was nice for him to subtly let this queer kid he just met know that he's not alone.

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Adorkable

Let’s dive right in.

Our main characters are:

-Mr Popular, who appears to be a standard aloof and very good looking pretty boy, but who quickly turns out to be neurotic, insecure, high key jealous and clingy, and sick to the back teeth of being fawned over by girls like he’s a fucking zoo animal.

-Then we have Shy Guy, who is basically a very quiet guy who does his own thing with his nerdy friends but finds himself on his own after being assigned to a new classroom and is really not liking it, also he is neurotic, insecure, socially awkward, and very easily flustered.

High school, amirite?

Our side cast are:

-Three other boys who are also in the category of being fawned over by girls as if they’re zoo animals, but they’re handling it better than Mr Popular. They are also buddies with him and 100% on his side.

-Shy Guy’s nerdy friends who are even weirder than him, if that’s possible, who are seemingly terrified of the popular guys and all of them are mildly insane.

-Various girls who are waaaay too into the popular guys and act seriously bitchy to Shy Guy, and one girl who is actually not bitchy, just kinda sad, but we’ll take it.

-Finally: we have the older brother of one of the popular guys who is basically watching this nonsense play out and keeping an adult eye on everyone.

And so our story unfolds: The class is going on a school trip and they have to get into groups, and Shy Guy gets invited to join the group of Mr Popular and his buddies. Why? Because Mr Popular is HELLA into him and also too much of a coward to even talk to him. But what he does have going for him is that his buddies are (a) perceptive and (b) 100% ready to be his wingmen, and they’re all like, sure let’s invite this guy we’ve never spoken to before for no real reason, wink wink.

Hijinks ensue when it becomes clear on the trip that Mr Popular is constantly in danger of just forgetting where he is, grabbing Shy Guy, and snogging his face off. Shy Guy is adorably oblivious/confused, literally everyone around them questions why he’s even hanging out with the popular guys, and the usual tropes are played so hard it feels less like a nice cozy drama and more like a rugby match.

Anyway it’s all very romantic and it turns out as you expect, and it was exactly as awkward and stupid as high school should be so props to the writers for realism, I guess. It’s adorable enough to land on my rewatch list and a very solid, cute little series in its own right.

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Made me wish that I too, was in love

Did I start watching this because someone over on Reddit referred to it as 'School Trip over Flowers'? Yes, yes, I did. I've never watched 'Boys Over Flowers' and I never will, but I've heard about it — and that reference made me laugh so hard I decided to start Ep 1.

The story in this is nothing new or groundbreaking. It's a cliche we've seen hundreds of times before — two high school boys falling in love. One is hella popular, and the other is an awkward loner (kinda, Hioki isn't a loner per se, he just didn't have friends in this specific new class).

However, what makes this story stand out from the rest in this sea of high school BLs is how beautifully it's done. I thought I'd have to deal with miscommunication, or the utter lack of it, but that wasn't the case here. Sure, they (largely Hioki) get all up in their heads sometimes and overthink things, but they are promptly dealt with. That helps keep the story at such a great pace - it's also great for my blood pressure, but that's neither here nor there.

🚌Stand-out episodes for me were episodes 7 & 8🚌

Episode 7 - Here, we get Watarai's backstory of how he fell in love with Hioki and the confession scene. Watarai fell for Hioki in such a simple, slow, and pure way — simply because Hioki saw him as a regular dude, contrary to what he'd experienced most of his life. It was gratitude and curiosity about Hioki that eventually turned into love

I also appreciate Hioki's reaction to Watarai's confession. It's common to see the person confessed to in BLs be dumbfounded. They remain silent and will often avoid the other person as they try to make sense of the confession and their feelings towards the other person. Or even sweep the whole confession under the rug, pretending it didn't happen, till something eventually down the line pushes them to acknowledge it. I despise that trope. I 100% expected that this would be the case here.

To my surprise, it wasn't, and thank the Lord for that. Not only does Hioki acknowledge the confession, but he also tells Watarai that there's nothing wrong with him liking another boy. And that he'll genuinely take the time to consider Watarai's confession. That consideration was very heart-warming to see. Hioki is such a cinnamon roll - an easygoing and warm soul

Confessions are hard as it is. Confessing to someone of the same sex without knowing if they are of the same orientation in a society that's still very much against queer people..... Oi (I'm not pointing a finger at or highlighting Japan here, just the world in general. It isn't all that kind to queer people). The fact that Hioki rushed after Watarai to speak to him after the confession really stood out to me

Episode 8 - This made me fall even more in love with Watarai's friends. Not only did they accept that 'hey, our friend is bi', something they didn't know about before, but they also do their best to bring these two together when they sense that something's wrong.

Their teacher was right in that final episode. That friend group will probably last forever. They were so genuine not only to each other but to the new face in their group, and later to Hioki's friends. Hot, popular guys that don't fall into the asshole/bully/playboy tropes... Hallelujah. More of this, please!

🚌💐🚌💐🚌
All in all, this is a cute, long angst, low drama, slice of life story that's very easy to revisit and rewatch.

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