Popular Serizawa Acts Weird around Me Episode 3

So very sweet

The show is absolutely adorable. It’s a standard trope of the popular kid choosing the outcast kid. But the whole group takes him as one of their own, and it’s not just about budding love. They give him a place to accept himself as he is and to develop his own confidence. I love episode 3 where they all come to his defense as former friends are harassing him. Shirizawa comes to stand beside him, the others stand behind them. Then when it becomes more escalated, they all step forward. I rewatched 3 times when the friends very gently moved to stand in front of him. It’s a simple thing, yet very profound. A hand on the shoulder, a nod- letting him know they’re there for him before directly addressing the others. Yes, they’re typical high school boys. Teasing each other, rough housing, being a bit clueless, etc. But their support for and protectiveness of each other is absolute. As Suzuki states, it’s a very gentle world as opposed to the cruel and lonely one that he’s used to. Japanese bl is definitely in a class of its own.

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A Lesson About Being Yourself

When Suzuki’s ex friends from freshman year started bullying him and saying nasty things, they told him that Serizawa’s group of friends were not serious about him and were just messing with him. They also mocked him for liking BL.Then Serizawa came out and said, “Hey, what’s wrong with that? I love BL too. What’s so weird about it? You guys are pathetic. Just because you don’t understand it, don’t trash what other people care about!”That was honestly so satisfying to watch. Go, Serizawa! You scared those bullies away. 😂Then Suzuki explained that he started watching BL back in high school and became completely hooked. This is literally all of us. I still remember when I started watching BL with Addicted back in 2016. I was so hooked that I read the novel five times. Now, almost 10 years later and after watching more than 500 BL series, I’m still completely hooked. 😂But this episode also taught such an important and sad lesson. Don’t mock people for the things they love, because your words can seriously damage someone’s self esteem. Suzuki was mocked for liking BL during his freshman year, so he eventually learned to keep that part of himself hidden. He wouldn’t even sing at karaoke because he felt like he couldn’t truly be himself around others.Then he met Serizawa’s group of friends, and everything changed. They listened to him talk about BL, never mocked him, and even encouraged him to keep watching and writing if that was what he enjoyed. That is what true friends should be like. They make you feel safe enough to be yourself instead of making you feel ashamed of who you are.My favourite part was seeing Suzuki slowly regain his confidence and finally sing in front of them. It was such a small moment, but it meant so much. After being made to feel ashamed of himself for so long, he finally felt comfortable enough to be himself again.This episode really made me emotional because bullying can leave scars that people cannot see. Sometimes, something that seems like a harmless joke to one person can stay with someone for years and completely change how they see themselves.I love this series so much. It isn’t just giving us a beautiful love story, but also so many meaningful life lessons throughout the episodes. 💔

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