Therapy Game

Wholesome

This was cute but boring.
I love the manga, and I know that in a series adaptation it will never be the same, which is why this was cute and nicely paced, but still a bit boring.
I did like the OST. What I was missing, though, was more animal interaction. I mean, Shizuma is a vet, and the brother is supposed to own a rabbit shop, so they should have included that more in the series.
If you want to watch something wholesome, then this is the series for you.
The characters were likable, and the atmosphere was calm and relaxing, but the story sometimes felt a bit too slow, and not much really happened. I was hoping for a bit more emotional depth and character development.

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Interesting but lacking

I have to start with they did an ok job with getting actors that look the part, but that's about the only good thing. The acting was limited. I have to say I I was not a fan of Kida Naoya acting as Mito, it felt like dry and lacking. However Tomita Yuki as
Ikushima was very spot on, i enjoyed his acting. The actors sadly lacked no chemistry and there for did not real believable as a couple. I wish the series did a better job with the story as well. The manga was so good but betraying it live action just did not work with this cast to much. There were parts that felt like it was not needed and bored me. I was looking forward to the ending but the over all series was lacking in a lot especially trying to keep my attention. Sadly was not as good as I had hoped.

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Lackluster ending which spoiled the drama for me

I truly enjoyed the beginning of this BL : the plot highs and lows could be seen from miles away but despite the lack of surprises, it was a really compelling watch because the characters were so cute together with a touch of angst and twisted start that I loved. Unfortunately, pacing was a huge issue as main conflicts were resolved halfway through the series and that the plot felt pretty void after than with a very lackluster finale.

I would recommend this to people looking for a cute BL. Despite the issues in pacing and storytelling that felt less compelling in its second half, it is just a very soft and sweet watch (while pretty forgettable).

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Insta love with internal struggles

Starting with the things I didn't like!

* Girlfriend has got a lot of balls to do what she did and then act like she did absolutely nothing wrong. She had no respect for Shizuma.
* Shizuma & Minato's feelings developed a bit too quickly. It basically was love at first sight, but also not.

I liked pretty much everything else, but a couple of things more than others, and those are~

* Vet students & they actually worked with animals.
* There was a parent present!
* Shizuma's family dog looks like mine, except mine is all white.
* And most importantly, I really connected with this series because of Minato. I'm a lot like Minato in that when I like someone, the stronger my feelings are for them, the more insecure and scared I feel. I always have 1 foot out the door ready to run, and I hate that.

Many people may find this series annoying because of how indecisive Minato is, but to someone who has experienced that kind of anxiety, it's like I was watching myself fighting to love while everything in me is screaming in rejection. It's hard to explain, but I thought Naoya did a beautiful job conveying that feeling.

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Interesting premise, but executed poorly

The first half of the drama was nice and interesting. However, the plot kinda fell apart after that. It made me bored and I kept skipping some scenes because I think ‘it’s not that important’. And sure enough, it’s not.

What really irks me is the character of Shizuma. I can’t relate with him nor do I understand his actions. Why would he suddenly fall for Minato? Very hard too, at that. The bet was also resolved very quickly, which I think kinda takes away the plot, because from then on it’s like they keep beating around the bush (bahasa indonesianya bertele-bertele). The drama also focused on the background story of Minato, without giving us any on Shizuma’s. That’s why, for me, it felt very one-sided. And I do not like that very much.

The only good thing from this drama is the visuals— the actors and cinematography, and music too, yes. Anyway, I don’t hate this drama, but also don’t like it, soooo…..

I kinda recommend you watching this drama just to get the feel of it. You might like it, who knows.

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Great start, mediocre progression and ending

The other day, I was scrolling Reddit and came across a post where the poster was making a list of dramas where the FL was just as into the ML as he was into her. The poster argued that their list stemmed from them being exhausted of dramas where the ML was always chasing the FL, while she all but ignored him or acted as a spectator in the relationship

Now, granted, the post was about straight couples, and the shows in question were Chinese dramas, but if the post were to encompass all kinds of dramas, this specific show would 100% be included on that list.

Shizuma spent so much of his time chasing. He is very much the devoted husband who will do everything for his partner, even though his efforts almost always go unnoticed and unappreciated. Minato kept running. He was so hot and cold. Even his confession to Shizuma in the 2nd last episode felt like pulling teeth.

You could argue that Minato did that cause of his trauma, and I'd argue back that in the year of the Lord 2025, therapy (actual therapy, using love to therapize yourself as this show does) is more accessible than it's ever been. Find that before finding a partner. As clearly shown here, skipping that very important step leads you to deeply or constantly hurt the other person.

Also, the show kept hinting at this huge secret about Minato's background (and thus his trauma) only for the whole thing to be sorted in like half an episode. All that buildup for nothing. You couldn't even feel the impact of it because of how quickly they 'resolved' it.

All in all, the show had a great premise, but it was unfortunately ruined by a lack of proper direction. Once Shizuma finds out about the whole bet thing, everything falls apart. I'd say the show tried to do too much with too little

📷The 2nd couple... eh🤷🏾‍♀️ They are very forgettable and don't add much to the overall story. If I had to define their role in the story, I'd call them 'explainers.'
📷The kissing and NC scenes... *insert deep sigh here*

Random question:
Uhh.. does anyone else get bugged by the fact that these characters wake up with perfectly styled hair? There is no bed-head with these people.

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Buena adaptación, disfrutable y buena actuación de Naoya como Minato

La adaptación estuvo muy linda, Naoya hizo un buen papel como Minato, este manga es mi favorito porque me identifico mucho con Minato, ver que el actor pudo representar bien las emociones e inseguridades de él fue muy satisfactorio.

Si me parece que fue muy corta y por eso algunas cosas estuvieron en distinto orden de como pasaron sin embargo al final de cuentas lograron mostrar bien de una manera sencilla la historia de ambos.

Recomiendo mucho leer el manga porque en cuanto a sentimientos y drama esta mucho mejor detallado y puedes entender tanto el trauma de Minato como el de Shizuma y como ambos son la salvación de otro.

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hurt & healing

Overall: I had mixed feelings about this series. Adapted from manga series "Therapy Game" by Hinohara Meguru which I haven't read and I reviewed the series based on its own merits. 9 episodes about 20 minutes each. Aired on GagaOOLala https://www.gagaoolala.com/en/videos/5935/therapy-game-2025 (not available in Japan or South Korea).

Content Warnings: held against will, manipulation, trauma; past death, murder, manipulation, child abuse

What I Liked
- easy to understand premise
- caring moments
- a character stood up to his friend
- supportive people (friends, siblings, ex girlfriend)

Room For Improvement
- started with a flash forward
- nonsense stuff: his friends just left him when he was super drunk, a cliche in episode 1, a person couldn't get out of a necklace that had a magnetic clasp/looked very easy to break, all those candles and magically they have what they need in a 10 year abandoned house
- really wish therapy with a licensed professional was at least discussed if not shown
- in real life, Minato would be so exhausting, I'm not 100% convinced these two will stay happy together

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Good drama.. i wish people like shizuma actually existed

I don't get the hate this drama is getting cz for me a good drama is something that made me watch all the episodes and left me satisfied in the end and thats exactly what this did.

1st I'd like to address the thing that drew me to this drama and that is Kida. He's just too beautiful to skip this drama (nearly did cz of the name)

Anyways loved every bit of this drama and watched it without skipping. I also like minato not being magically healed from his trauma instead he learnt to cope with it and look at things from a different angle by the end of the drama. He always had people around him he just never realized it.

Shizuma was a total green forest. I really loved his character although ik people like that dont exist irl as for Minato he's more like a yellow flag. He did some wrongs but i get why he did those.

Overall loved it so I'm giving it a 10

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Poteva anche andare più in profondità

Detto questo, comunque un prodotto molto molto valido. E secondo me avrebbero potuto osare di più con la parte psicologica, anche se comunque mi è piaciuto molto come il protagonista abbia deciso che, anche se si sarebbe messo assieme con l'altro velocemente doveva comunque fare un ragionamento su se stesso e su quello che poi sarebbe stato il loro futuro. Mi è piaciuto anche il nostro veterinario in erba che si ritrova in una di quelle situazioni che potenzialmente nemmeno cercandole si troverebbero normalmente, e ne esce in fin dei conti vincitore. Una piccola parte di me avrebbe preferito vedere qualcosa in più del fatto che la tipa lo ha, in fin dei conti, tradito e che lui, anche se comunque in parte per la sua filosofia di vita, la perdona molto in fretta e non solo, ma la fa anche rientrare a far parte del loro gruppo verso la fine. Ecco considerando che tutta sta storia è successo per questo, magari ampliare leggermente questa questione. Detto questa serie è tanto piacevole, quanto ti permette di parlare di alcuni argomenti abbastanza profondi come la gelosia che rovina le persone e quanto male ti può fare l'amore. Quindi, no. Per essere uno dei BL che mi sto chillando in recupero, devo dire proprio molto bene.

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