So, we're all in agreement, this episode was a waste, right? I hate that I waited all week for this. The manga is really short but there are so many things they could have added to this episode to advance the story a bit more.
Keishi telling Tojo he enjoys working with him?! This episode should have been a conflict episode, leaving another episode to resolve and at least two episodes of fluff.
Now we are almost guaranteed a rushed ending, a closed mouth fish kiss and then a fade to black, the end.
not Tojo googling 'how to keep an office romance a secret' on a company laptop and during evals, wild stuff 🤣
Look! I was screaming, "NOT ON THE COMPANY LAPTOP!" Then I thought, "They are going to get caught 100%." Their feelings are so strong they are going to have trouble really hiding it.
Do you know any other shows like this? I loved this non-toxic couple so much. And I absolutely agree with you…
"10 things..." will be a treat it's so cute I wish I'd waited to binge it. I can't think of any others off the top of my head. But I will start a list on my profile and gradually add them there since this is a common ask for non-toxic fluffy BLs.
I love that this episode opens with Keishi’s performance review. Watching them sit there, corporate masks firmly in place, hiding the obvious affection they have for each other, it’s impressive, but also a little heartbreaking. They’re both too good at hiding.
It made me think about the masks they wear every single day in that office, not just in front of each other, but in front of everyone. Masks so practiced that parts of themselves have been buried, maybe even lost. For Keishi, it’s still early, he’s young, still figuring himself out. But for Tojo, he’s built an entire career this way. He’s made it to management while carefully tucking his true self away, unseen by coworkers and the world.
There’s something quietly poetic about Tojo hiding for so long that he’s forgotten who he is and Keishi becoming the person who helps him remember. I was proud of Tojo in episode 6 when he defended his love of cute things, where before, he would have hidden it.
That’s why his unease around Keishi makes perfect sense. He’s falling for him, but he’s fighting it and terrified of being hurt if Keishi’s feelings don’t go beyond “the list.” And Keishi… Keishi’s afraid too. He’s never been in a proper relationship, always drawn to men who were unattainable.
They’re both in uncharted territory. The difference is, Keishi’s reckless enough, brave enough, to start breaking down Tojo’s walls. And Keishi’s feelings are real. You can see it in the way his expression shifts when Tojo says he spends his birthday alone, or when he defends Tojo from Tanaka’s prying questions. It’s in the quiet moments where Keishi looks almost pained with how much he wants to protect him.
Keishi wants to love Tojo. But Tojo’s heart is locked behind a fortress he’s built over years. And while he might express himself in small ways, letting Keishi in will take more than just affection, it will take trust and time.
This is such a heartfelt and beautifully detailed appreciation of Tojo! I admire your thought process.You’ve…
I totally get where you are coming from. Tojo isn't giving Keishi much to work with. But at the same time, he's expressing himself as much as he can while protecting his little heart.
In Ep. 7, even Keishi admitted that Tojo is the first gay man he's had a crush on. He knew before that all of his crushes were going nowhere. So with Tojo this is a first for Keishi too because he wants to date Tojo, but Tojo is closed off.
I can imagine 10 years without a relationship and going from work to home everyday and putting on a mask has made Tojo lacking when it comes to intimacy with anyone other than his plushie.
In the manga there was no back story for Tojo to understand why he hadn't been in a relationship for so long, but I would imagine his little heart was probably broken and he just gave up on romance.
Now, 10 years later, you're an "old man" and this "hot young man" expresses his love for you. I'm sure he's overwhelmed. Which he said in ep 7, that his heart beats like crazy when he's with Keishi and he doesn't know what to do about it. And then on top of that Keishi is his subordinate at work.
However, after all that, Tojo has to give Keishi some reassurance. It's like Charlotte in Pride and Prejudice said, "Many of us aren't strong enough to continue pursuing someone without proper encouragement". At this point, Keishi is in love with Tojo and he's getting anxious because the list is dwindling and he feels like he hasn't made any progress in winning Tojo's heart. I feel his pain.
Keishi was acting like he was setting up a wedding registry at that furniture store.🥰 He said he’s moving…
Keishi had me kicking my feet this episode. Picking out couples cups and bowls, telling Tojo he needs a floor lamp because it's hard to see in his place, and when he leaned back on Tojo in the bed I squealed! They are too cute.
Do you know any other shows like this? I loved this non-toxic couple so much. And I absolutely agree with you…
Yes! I have a lot of BLs saved in lists in my profile. But here are a couple I watch often.
- (Japanese) 10 Things I Want to Do Before I Turn 40 - super cute slow burn, it's ongoing. - (Japanese) Our Dining Table - Another comfort watch, super cute kid too. - (Korean) - Our Dating Sim - A cute story about running into your long lost crush. - (Korean) - Jun & Jun - Another lost and found love story. Kinda comical. - (Korean) - Love Tractor - The manhwa is really cute and the adaptation is cute if you can see the MC as adorable and not annoying.
It FINALLY clicked for me. I think the sisters were dressing Tojo that way because he said, "I want to not be embarrassed next to him." So I'm thinking they were trying to dress him like "Keishi's boyfriend", based on Keishi's style of dress.
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Keishi telling Tojo he enjoys working with him?! This episode should have been a conflict episode, leaving another episode to resolve and at least two episodes of fluff.
Now we are almost guaranteed a rushed ending, a closed mouth fish kiss and then a fade to black, the end.
Did you watch "Ballboy Tactics"?
It made me think about the masks they wear every single day in that office, not just in front of each other, but in front of everyone. Masks so practiced that parts of themselves have been buried, maybe even lost. For Keishi, it’s still early, he’s young, still figuring himself out. But for Tojo, he’s built an entire career this way. He’s made it to management while carefully tucking his true self away, unseen by coworkers and the world.
There’s something quietly poetic about Tojo hiding for so long that he’s forgotten who he is and Keishi becoming the person who helps him remember. I was proud of Tojo in episode 6 when he defended his love of cute things, where before, he would have hidden it.
That’s why his unease around Keishi makes perfect sense. He’s falling for him, but he’s fighting it and terrified of being hurt if Keishi’s feelings don’t go beyond “the list.” And Keishi… Keishi’s afraid too. He’s never been in a proper relationship, always drawn to men who were unattainable.
They’re both in uncharted territory. The difference is, Keishi’s reckless enough, brave enough, to start breaking down Tojo’s walls. And Keishi’s feelings are real. You can see it in the way his expression shifts when Tojo says he spends his birthday alone, or when he defends Tojo from Tanaka’s prying questions. It’s in the quiet moments where Keishi looks almost pained with how much he wants to protect him.
Keishi wants to love Tojo. But Tojo’s heart is locked behind a fortress he’s built over years. And while he might express himself in small ways, letting Keishi in will take more than just affection, it will take trust and time.
In Ep. 7, even Keishi admitted that Tojo is the first gay man he's had a crush on. He knew before that all of his crushes were going nowhere. So with Tojo this is a first for Keishi too because he wants to date Tojo, but Tojo is closed off.
I can imagine 10 years without a relationship and going from work to home everyday and putting on a mask has made Tojo lacking when it comes to intimacy with anyone other than his plushie.
In the manga there was no back story for Tojo to understand why he hadn't been in a relationship for so long, but I would imagine his little heart was probably broken and he just gave up on romance.
Now, 10 years later, you're an "old man" and this "hot young man" expresses his love for you. I'm sure he's overwhelmed. Which he said in ep 7, that his heart beats like crazy when he's with Keishi and he doesn't know what to do about it. And then on top of that Keishi is his subordinate at work.
However, after all that, Tojo has to give Keishi some reassurance. It's like Charlotte in Pride and Prejudice said, "Many of us aren't strong enough to continue pursuing someone without proper encouragement". At this point, Keishi is in love with Tojo and he's getting anxious because the list is dwindling and he feels like he hasn't made any progress in winning Tojo's heart. I feel his pain.
- (Japanese) 10 Things I Want to Do Before I Turn 40 - super cute slow burn, it's ongoing.
- (Japanese) Our Dining Table - Another comfort watch, super cute kid too.
- (Korean) - Our Dating Sim - A cute story about running into your long lost crush.
- (Korean) - Jun & Jun - Another lost and found love story. Kinda comical.
- (Korean) - Love Tractor - The manhwa is really cute and the adaptation is cute if you can see the MC as adorable and not annoying.