K-Drama 
Beautiful
You can watch it on GagaOOLala: https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/5800/the-journey-to-killing-you-2025-e01That was a great short series, I thoroughly enjoyed watching it, and I will definitely be rewatching it in the future.
Things I liked:
1. Music. I really loved the OST to this series.
2. The ending. Super satisfying, couldn't be done better. Everyone got what they deserved.
3. Sweet and caring moments.
4. Kataoka. Yes, he is not perfect, but I genuinely think he is a great character.
5. Odajima. Incredibly complicated and layered character.
6. Overall plot. An interesting, exciting, and dark story that kept me invested the whole watch.
7. Great acting.
8. Beautiful scenery.
9. Awesome cinematography.
Things I disliked:
1. Didn't affect my rating because I just enjoyed this series way too much, but there are some inconsistencies throughout.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
literally in love
when I say I loved this drama I mean it. this has easily earned its spot in my top 10 bls of this year. from the storytelling to the actors this series had me so captivated. the only thing as satisfied as I was I wish there was just 1 more episode of just them two living together in the beach that there at and seeing their love since they seemed to both not be in the mafia/yakuza scene. I literally cried on the last episode from both sadness and gap that they finally got to be together. this is a truly must watch of an amazing Japanese BL. I need to see the actors together and act again as a pairing!Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A Poetic BL of Injured Birds Finding Homes
First of all, first 10/10 rating for BL for me in 2025. The screenwriting is poetically excellent but it needs to be paired with good actors as well, so the marriage between two is beautiful. The direction and music score is superb. Really high rewatch value for me and the length of being just six episodes actually does not bother me much. It has a very cinematic pacing similar to a road movie, and the aesthetics is reminiscent of old Showa Yakuza movies.The characters are both self destructive in different ways. Kataoka, on the surface, is fearless and charismatic but has no sense of purpose for living and doesn't mind rather he lives or dies. He simply wants to die without much pain. Odajima is a tragic character who believes his existence is a sin yet clings onto reasons to live...but those reasons keep slipping away. They find reasons to live in each other through entanglement of hate and love and eventually arrives at a happy destination.
Now, I'm manifesting the production also decides to adapt the sequel volume for a second season.
Was this review helpful to you?
Dark, Haunting and Mesmerizing
Wow. This is the real deal. If you are looking for GMMTV cookie cutter University fluff stay away. Incredible directing, writing, acting and cinematography. In other words its for adults. Was on the edge of my seat! Enthralling is the only word I can use to describe my time watching this series. It was perfect... just wish it was longer.The Japanese go to places in BL that no other country does. They mix violence, pain, love and loss into a kind of poetic journey that is not easy but unforgettable. This will stay with me for a long time. Check it out.
Was this review helpful to you?
Bold and Brave
This one definitely didn’t hold back. From the get-go, it took a bold and brazen approach to BL—leaning into themes and scenes that felt raw, unapologetic, and refreshingly gutsy. The plot had real momentum. It kept me curious, kept me invested, and wasn’t afraid to stir things up emotionally or visually. Some of the scenes? Brave. Like, genuinely brave. You could tell the creators weren’t interested in playing it safe, and I respect that. That said, I couldn’t help but feel like something was missing. Maybe it was the pacing, maybe it was the emotional layering—but I found myself wanting more time with the characters. More quiet moments. More tension. More growth. It felt like the story had so much potential to go deeper, and if they’d stretched it out just a bit more, I think it could’ve really hit harder. Still, the direction was solid, and the acting carried a lot of weight. The cast had chemistry, and even when the script felt a little rushed, they made it work. Overall, it was an interesting watch—stylish, daring, and definitely worth the conversation. Not perfect, but it left an impression. Final verdict: 3.5 out of 5 stars. Bold in spirit, brave in execution, and just a few beats away from greatness.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
It’s… good. I understand the reason why the whole brother, plus funeral, plus succession plot exists but I feel that, because of that, very little time is spent (and we already have very few episodes) developing their affection towards each other—if it somehow ends up working it’s because the actors know how to deliver attraction at the level of physicality and not because the narrative demonstrates, in an effective manner, a turning point in which death drive becomes “love”. Takahashi Hiroto as Odajima, in particular, compensates for this narrative gap very well: do I want to kill him or do I want him for myself? It’s a delicious duality (complemented by Wada Masanari’s amoral horniness as Kataoka) which he’s capable of conveying with his gaze alone, but that gap still ends up leaving the latter term (“love”) necessitating, in terms of narrative, of the dead friend backstory in order to hold both of them together relationally; and yet… it’s not so much love in the sense of boys’ love romanticism… What ends up grounding their relationship, for me, is less the fact that they have a person and a past in common and more that Odajima’s self-destructiveness, fueled by a boyhood composed by blood and homicide, ends up finding a type of solace and mitigation through Kataoka’s own detachment from life itself. “You can kill me—I won’t stop you from doing what you came here to do: but aim at the right place, go on, if that is your will and your purpose then shoot… but at the right place—shoot the one that actually deserves it.” It’s a brief conclusion and it deserved to be backed by more scenes exploring their affective entanglement in the present time of the narrative, but the very fact that it chooses to resolve with a “not today—today you’re here still” ends up being effectively enlivening in spite of that. Was this review helpful to you?
A j-bl that balances between dark plot and light theme.
I usually like japanese bl because of it's light themes or extremely dark storyline but this serie was somewhere in the middle. The storyline was good and consistent, it didnt feel tiring or the story didnt lose its plot over the course of it's 6 episodes.By the standards of acting, the actors did a pretty good job at it and all the actors included no matter how big or small the role was did an incredible job at making a positive impression on the audience.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
the most interesting part of this show is its synopsis.
the premise of the show sets it up to be a messy story of push and pull, duty and desire, love and hate. indeed, the synopsis had me shaking in my boots to see how they planned to execute what sounded, in theory, like an absolute delight.so what happened so that none of the show delivered? i have no idea. till the very final episode, i have no idea what made odajima change his mind about kataoka. i could extrapolate, maybe, but it would make such little sense with the rest of the show that i might as well not have thought it. we also don't know why kataoka so much as interacts civilly with odajima when he knew since the minute he got into a car with his that odajima was sent to kill him. add onto that the rapes, the "you're now my wife"s, the hurting myself to save you's........messy messy messy.
tldr; nothing made chronological sense, the characters' motivations are a big question mark. would not recommend, genuinely a waste of my time. the only good thing was the cinematography, but if i wanted to revel in nature, i would've seen national geographic. 0/10 would not recommend
Was this review helpful to you?
Amazing, emotional and simply beautiful
You know when a Japanese drama hits the spot!!! That's one of those magnificent ones that is perfect in all aspects.For me, when a drama is perfect not because it's simply flawless, but because even it's faults can be disregarded, and doesn't decrease anything from it's great value.
This drama has it all, great story, awesome acting, strong leads, nice cinematography and direction is on point.
The story is very simple, and nicely represented in only 6 short episodes, the downside is that the ML's back story could be fleshed out more, just to gain a sense of connection with him, and if it wasn't just for the semi-r@pe scene in the very beginning, I'd appreciate him much more, but still, I loved him enough to wish him a great life with Odajima.
The actors were very good, chemistry was fine too, I loved them together, and no dead fish kisses was a bonus.
I just loved everything about it, a not so simple love story inside a shell of envy, jealousy and revenge. It really deserves more hype.
One more thing, I hardly notice soundtracks of the dramas I watch, unless they are really great, and I haven't been captivated by an ending song since Utsukushi kare, but here all the soundtracks even the BGM was brilliant.
As I said, everything was on point ❣️❣️❣️
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A Masterclass in Trauma-Bonding Disguised as Romance
This show is an absolute hot mess. While the actors might have decent physical chemistry, how the narrative attempts to derive a legitimate "romance" out of this setup is highly questionable. Starting a series with a non-consensual act is bound to throw many people off, but it also leaves a few intrigued about how the script will handle it. Unfortunately, the answer is: not well.If we look past the explicit fanservice, the entire plot can be broken down into two distinct, highly cynical perspectives.
1. Odajima: The Vulnerable Target
Odajima starts as a traumatized individual driven by a single motive—seeking revenge for the murder of his best friend, Asahi. Because this drama is only 6 episodes long, his character progression is incredibly rushed. He starts out wanting revenge, shifts to wanting answers, and then decides he just wants to move on—all within the span of three episodes.
He is easily manipulated by repeated acts of non-consensual intimacy and the bare-minimum kindness of an extroverted leader. Ultimately, he abandons his quest for justice to become a self-sacrificing minion, completely betraying the memory of his friend. If his bond with Asahi was truly strong enough to warrant an assassination plot, his rapid pivot is a total betrayal. He abandons his revenge for shallow companionship. While we cannot entirely blame a traumatized person for choosing physical satisfaction and comfort over a dead friend's ghost, we also cannot call his decision honorable, nor can we view his friendship with Asahi as sincere.
• The Virginity Dynamic: As a virgin subjected to forced intimacy, Odajima—lacking prior physical closeness and emotional trust—psychologically attaches to the first person to fulfill those needs, even if the act was forced and morally gray. He then actively manufactures excuses to view Kataoka as a kind, caring individual with a "soft side."
• The Forced Isolation: Being trapped alone on a road trip with a charming mastermind forces his walls down. Because they are isolated, Odajima interprets Kataoka’s basic attention and casual companionship as genuine care and profound attraction.
2. Kataoka: The Crafty Mastermind
Kataoka is not a romantic lead; he is a textbook cult-like leader and a master manipulator. He is a charismatic, influential narcissist who naturally commands absolute loyalty and bends everyone around him to his will.
He systematically breaks down Odajima’s barriers using sexual dominance. To solidify his grip, he oscillates between playing a caring partner and a fragile figure who needs protection, effectively trapping Odajima in a cycle of caretaking. He "listens" to Odajima’s tragic past simply because he has nothing better to do on a long, boring trip. Kataoka is fully aware of Odajima's intent to kill him from the start, yet he seamlessly uses psychological tactics—like calling him "my wife"—to turn his assassin into a loyal follower. Even his decision to take a bullet is the ultimate calculated play: he knows his time in the yakuza is running out, so he stages a graceful, heroic exit to secure his own safety while gaining a lifelong bodyguard and a compliant sexual companion.
The Evidence of the Manipulation:
The show provides constant receipts that support this dark reality:
• Kataoka proposes marriage to Odajima, only to immediately flirt with a nurse the second he gets to the hospital.
• He notices how mentally checked-out and absent Odajima is during their intimate scenes, yet he entirely revels in it anyway.
• He hypocritically claims he "never does this without consent," right after forcing himself on Odajima in the very first episode.
• Most damning of all is his total lack of remorse for Asahi. He never paid Asahi’s mother, never arranged his burial, and didn't even bother to get him medical attention when he was shot. He simply used Asahi's death as a shield.
Verdict:
Do not let the hot sex scenes fool you. The Journey to Killing You is not a story about healing through love; it is a disturbing, tragic look at a charming predator successfully rewriting a broken man's mind to save his own skin.
Was this review helpful to you?
Love in a violent world - raw, brutal and beautiful
A six-episode Japanese BL series that explores love in a violent world. The Journey to Killing You tells the story of a yakuza leader and his handler, caught in a dangerous and complicated relationship.The series is visually striking and emotionally strong. Its short length makes it easy to watch in one go. The story is honest and brutal, with no sugarcoating. The direction is artistic, giving each scene a haunting beauty.
The lead actors give great performances, and their chemistry is very real. The story is intense and sometimes hard to watch, but it keeps you interested.
This series can divide viewers — you will either love its artistic and honest style, or you won’t. If you usually like light, cute Thai BL shows with perfect visuals and polished characters, this is completely different.
Was this review helpful to you?
Was this review helpful to you?
