This review may contain spoilers
No bullshit BL but wholesome...
While I did not expect much from this series, it was very refreshing. It's many stories about many bizarre people which will grow on you the further you watch this series. They all have their quirks but most of them are just good people regardless.The center pieces are a soon to be gay couple and a girl which is neglected by her parents for different reasons. The stories tell about the life of the people, all the struggles they face and how they grow together. The gay romance is not the focus of the stories, it just happens naturally without much fanfare and I would have wished for a bit more focus there and some intimacy.
But overall that was fun to watch, educational to watch and a series needed for Japans society. This is of course on my "must watch" list, even when the beginning seems to be very comedic, the stories have depth and meaning and will warm your heart. This is a series for the whole family.
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Chosen Family (need a season 2)
Overall: "Our efforts were not wasted, right?" "Yes, it was worth it". The writing in this series is impeccable. Themes and characters I thought were random were later seamlessly integrated. Shifts between comedy and seriousness were impeccably executed. 10 episodes about 45 minutes each. Aired on Netflix https://www.netflix.com/title/82153387Content Warnings: slap, internal and external homophobia, sexism discussed
What I Liked
- addressed marriage equality in a realistic way
- that I didn't know what the next episode will have in store
- discussion of sexism (one of the few romance series I have seen that passed the Bechdel test multiple times)
- how characters had their quirks, but still feel like people I could meet in the real world
- intentional characters, they might have seemed insignificant, but they came back later
- no cartoonish antagonists
- avoided evil ex cliche
Room For Improvement
- I couldn't really sympathize with the mom
- at times the pacing was a bit slow for me
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Sweet and innocent (ish)
This is a lovely drama about family, love, animals and society.WhatI loved abaout this s the found family teen friends all went to different schools and had a hard time at home but could find a connection and friendship in each other. Viewd by many as delinquents but actually just a bunch of decent kids. Tehy reminded me a lot of the found family friend I had in my teens so I could relate.
It also showed how finding just one grown up who cares can make an impact in a lonely teens life, done pretty okay.
While there are a lot of wonderful friendships and characters in this, I still find it kind of lacking a spark,Some parts of this drama felt kind of refreshing and it does really own up to the name found family but it was also kind of draggy at times, some of the acting felt a bit off. So I guess Im trying to say that though it has so much good in it there is still something missing. Keeping me from rating this higher
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The best thing about it, is that it didn't only show gay people's problem, but also tackles other issues like families, dreams and accepting your own self.
At the end of it I wanted them all to live together in one place with each of them being in his own flat but all come together during evening and have meals together, maybe talk together about their days and what happens in their lives.
And I mean anyone, except maybe for the father, he is terrible and I hated his character.
I wanted the show to keep going, I didn't want it to end which is a first, probably the only show this year that I watched without skipping a scene and wanting to see even more of it.
The cast carried their characters well, heavily focused on gay issues so if it's not your cup of tea don't watch it, this isn't really a BL, it's about gay people yes, but you won't find any romance or lovey dovey moments, however I had a good laugh in some scenes, not because they were funny but because they were very awkward or odd.
The characters are unique and very very weird, all of them are like that, you won't find one normal character here and that is what makes the show more interesting ~
Highly recommended if you like slice of life dramas about belonging and family and friends bonds~~
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Very Realistic BL
This was a really enjoyable series to follow. It's a very realistic BL drama showing the true struggles for two men in today's society on how to deal with their emotions and the obstacles they keep running into along the way. It's a slow moving story, but very entertaining with some meaningful storylines blended together with a touch of comedy, too.I wasn't familiar with anyone in this cast, but they all do such a great job at keeping it interesting, without all the glamour & fluffiness of a typical BL series. Mitsuhiro Oikawa mixes well with Yuya Tegoshi, showing you sadness and loneliness, but can also put a smile on your face with the comedy wit they both possess.
The supporting cast adds some side stories that all center around these two main protagonists. Just a nice all around series to enjoy!!
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Wholesome
This drama was so beautiful. It's all about the life yourney's and struggles of several completely different people.The series is very down to earth, very natural, and that makes it very appealing.
I love how the leads balanced each other out, the over exited and meddlesome Hatano Genichi and Sakuta Saku that keeps him in check.
Visuals and music were beautiful, and the acting was very good.
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This review may contain spoilers
This is plain beautiful.....hilarious, and heart tugging, slice of life drama
This will make you laugh, cry, and end up feeling like 'pickled-in bliss' 💖BL-needle score: This does not feel like a BL really, though the main male leads are gay
I started this with zero expectation, mainly because I was intrigued by the synopsis and the fact that this is a drama from Japan which has episodes that are 45 minutes long...I thought, what's the deal here...and boy, am I glad that I started it!!! This low-key reminded me of Forest Gump, the same dumb hope, goodness of heart, and those 'you-want-to-believe-utopia' feels
Clumsy, a tad naive, kind, and an old gay man -that is one of our leads...the other, in his 30s, is more practical, if not cynical, mostly open gay man...and the other key character is a girl, sharp, a tad eccentric, and seemingly bordering on rebellious, high school student, who feels abandoned by her parents and doesn't want anyone to know anything about her family.....these odd trio comes together by fate's stroke and share an icecream tub...which promises to change their lives...🥰
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It’s a beautifully written, brilliantly directed slice-of-life story that stands out for its gentle, honest conversations and everyday gestures that carry symbolic weight, showing that home is built through small choices and for the courage to portray mature characters in a BL romance, something you rarely see in the genre.
The characters are layered and well-developed. Each one adds a thread to weave a beautiful, rich, intricate tapestry, with their stories intertwining in a way that powerfully explores the idea of family, not just the one you’re born into, but the one you build day by day, through conscious choices to stay together, through bonds of care, trust, and affinity.
The series also dives into themes like growing up, finding where you belong, late-in-life love, generational differences, challenging social conventions, and representation. The whole cast delivers genuine, charismatic performances, but special mention goes to Shiratori Tamaki as Kusunoki Hotaru and Hiiragi Hinata as Kishibe Kazuki, the grandson of the guitar factory owner. Kazuki gave me the most bittersweet moment of the series and honestly, if there were a spin-off about his story, I’d watch it in a heartbeat.
Through love and revolution, Hatano and Sakuta manage to find their own version of happiness, not the one society dictates. Hotaru realizes she can be whoever she wants to be and starts carving out her own path.
Chosen Home is a heartfelt, moving, inspiring, and fun story that’s going to stay with me for a long time. Highly recommended.
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My favourite show of 2025
What a wonderful drama. It was not perfect, but in a way it also was.This was an incredibly heartwarming show full of quirky, silly, loveable characters, it made me laugh so much, but it also made me sad and angry and tear up. It is overall not a particularly realistic story, but it deals with very real topics, and the way in which the more serious aspects were addressed and highlighted in this otherwise often hilarious drama, without undermining or ridiculing the issues it talked about, deeply moved me.
This is a beautiful story about found family, about people who might not always fit in, but can still find their place in this world, about equality and dreams and being happy, it is comforting and made me smile, but also serves as a reminder to keep fighting and demanding the same rights for everyone.
There are a few minor details that could have been written a little bit differently to make me like this show even more, and some topics are explored in more detail than others when I would have appreciated them getting the same attention, but overall I still loved this show and its characters so much and can wholeheartedly recommend it.
Just don't binge-watch it, this one needs to be savoured and I am glad I watched it weekly and not all at once.
This turned out to be my favourite show of 2025 and may even become one of my all-time favourites when I revisit it in the future. Which I surely will, this is definitely going to stay a comfort watch of mine.
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Chosen Masterpiece!
The best way to describe this series is that it is off-beat and quirky. It is also warm, gentle, loving, peaceful, reflective, tender, devoted, relaxed, reverent, nurturing, and supportive. Have I left anything out? Oh yes, it is joyful! And underlying it all, is a powerful message for change. A change that will come. I could have quickly finished this series, but I deliberately did not want to. I wanted the warm snuggly feeling that came over me while I watched each episode to not leave me; so, I spaced out the timing to watch this series as long as I could to feel that pleasure.This is a story about a ‘family’ that serendipitously forms almost by fate. It looks like all the members are lonely but in reality, they are not. They are unique individualists who have carved out singular spaces in society for themselves. But there does come a time when companionship becomes a necessity; this is their journey to amity. While the story may seem simple, it is uncommonly intense. It covers so many planes of human connections that it almost becomes overwhelming in scope.
This is one of the best gay stories I’ve seen, blending gentle storytelling with thoughtful commentary on outdated social norms. The narrative was presented in soft, off-beat tones not meant to offend anyone. It powerfully suggests that gay people and other marginalized silent classes deserve full inclusion in the culture and perhaps it is time for them to be seen as part, and whole, of the society to which they belong.
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Chosen Home (2025) — When Love Is Just… Normal, and That’s the Whole Point
Chosen Home is one of those dramas that made me stop asking “is this BL?” and instead ask “why do we still need to label love at all?” And honestly, I think that’s exactly what the drama is trying to say.Going in, I expected something closer to a typical BL romance. Two men fall in love, conflict happens, feelings explode, happy ending, done. But this isn’t built like that at all. The romance exists, yes, but it never feels like the center of the universe. It just… exists. Quietly. Naturally. Like it would if it was a man and a woman. And that’s what hit me the most emotionally.
The story is really about connection and chosen family more than romance itself. At its core, it follows two gay men who end up building a life together in a very unconventional way, eventually forming a household that also includes a troubled young girl. It’s messy, warm, awkward, funny sometimes, and painfully real in others. It’s not about proving their love to the world. It’s about building a life that feels safe and meaningful, even if it doesn’t look “normal” from the outside.
What really worked for me is that the drama treats their relationship like just another relationship. No dramatic “BL framing”, no over-romanticizing, no fetishized tension. Just two adults trying to figure out life, love, and responsibility while carrying their own emotional baggage. Some reviewers even described it more as a queer found-family story than a pure BL, and honestly… I get that.
Emotionally, this hit me in a very quiet way. Not the kind of drama that makes you scream or throw pillows, but the kind that sits in your chest and makes you think about what “home” actually means. Loving your partner. Loving your family. Loving yourself. Loving your work. Loving the life you built even if it’s not what society expected from you. That theme is everywhere here, and it feels very mature, almost healing in some moments.
The cast really sells that natural feeling. The chemistry isn’t loud or flashy, but it feels lived-in. Like people who learned to exist around each other instead of performing love for the camera. That kind of acting is actually harder to do, and I respected it a lot.
That said, I do understand why my score isn’t higher. The story sometimes feels like it could have pushed emotional conflicts further. Some plot points feel like they stop right before becoming devastating. And maybe that’s intentional — maybe the drama wanted to stay grounded instead of dramatic — but part of me wanted just a little more emotional punch in some arcs.
Rewatch value is lower for me, not because it’s bad, but because once you understand the message, you kind of get it. It’s not a comfort watch. It’s more like a quiet life lesson disguised as a drama.
At the end of the day, Chosen Home isn’t trying to scream “this is a BL love story.” It’s trying to whisper “this is just love.” And honestly, that made it feel more powerful than a lot of louder romances.
If you want butterflies and dramatic declarations, this might feel slow. But if you want something that feels emotionally honest and very human, this is absolutely worth watching at least once.
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Slice of life, heartwarming drama
This queer drama is so sweet and heartwarming, i enjoyed it more than i thought, for some ot might be boring bcz its not typical love stories or series, but i found it very lovely, all characters are weird in a way, flawed but i ended up having empathy anf understanding each one of them, even if i dont agree with some of their action.The drama talked about serious topics like
patriarchy in work places, the pressure from society expectations, irresponsibility of parents, parents lost dream and prejudges against gay people in japen.
Genichi, saku , hotaru, landord lady are my favorite, ill miss them
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