Shoebill

It's so sad that this isn't out on any official platform when it's one of the best BLs to come out this year.

I think that's a good idea. According to the producer's tweet just today, ep10 will be an angsty one XD

I think you mixed up the names of the MCs LOL.
But Kohei HAS defended Taichi. In Ep8-9 he's always responds with Taichi's good points whenever Maya talks down on him. He knows she's struggling and traumatised, having experienced the same thing, so he speaks to her patiently and empathetically. He believes that Taichi can help her and that she'll eventually see the good in him, and is trying to get her to open up. And I don't think he sees Maya as a threat to him and Taichi's relationship at all because he's clearly amused by their bickering. His insecurities come from his internalised ableism, which he's always struggled with, and Maya's cynicism is unintentionally touching that sore spot.

The unfortunate part about long-running manga adaptations is that they must decide on a stopping point, and this season only adapts 2 out of 8+ volumes, so there is actually tons of unadapted story featuring their established relationship. The next arc is very long and spans 3 volumes, perfect for a season 2 which I'd like to see, but I try not to be too hopeful lol. However, the overall story is indeed not very romance-focused, and more so about coming-of-age and disability commentary.

Unfortunately this is a human drama so it is written to be realism-heavy. I guess this is just not the series for you then.

That's what having a normal realistic relationship is like. Unlike most of romance genre which is written as a fantasy, most real-life couples don't spend 24/7 together; they have separate jobs, career aspirations, and social circles. Because of that they have to actively make the relationship work, and that's what Kohei and Taichi must do to maintain their relationship despite significant changes/differences in their lives. Right now they're still grappling with how to do that, but that's just life.

Kohei starts the series sitting alone at lunch and now because of Taichi he's become more outgoing, and has befriended Maya and the sign language club of his own accord. Taichi's become a better ally and has found what he wants to do in the future from helping Kohei, though he's still struggling with abandonment issues. Out of curiosity, what is character development to you if that wasn't "actual" development?

He thinks that Taichi is impolite and disrespectful towards someone their senior. From the beginning Taichi has always gotten into trouble for being loud and not adhering to Japanese norms.

People forget that Kohei had kissed Taichi 8-9 months ago and Taichi has not made a move to reciprocate the feelings this whole time. It's natural that Kohei would assume Taichi doesn't feel the same way even if Taichi doesn't mind. Plus Kohei has deep seated internalised ableism; he still subtly believes he's a burden because he can't hear and it doesn't go away just cause a hearing boy is accommodating to him, in fact quite the opposite. It's not planted by Maya but a feeling that's present from the start; in fact Maya struggles with it too.

The drama introduction says it's a "melancholic and transient human love story that delicately depicts the hearts of two awkward people", which is very accurate. The "human" already tells you it leans towards realism and the blurb even touches upon their miscommunication habit and their changing relationship/lifestyles in the second half. MDL is not official so it's not the promotion team's fault that the tags cause misunderstandings.

This ep has actually been built up for quite a while and is a direct follow up to previous plot points. Back in ep 6 they were already talking about "the future", as well as all the uncertainties about whether Taichi will be Kohei's notetaker again (the receptionist even comments that their arrangement isn't feasible in the long run). Taichi's desire to help HoH people ties into Maya's criticism of his notes and her question about "what he can do for Kohei".

It should be in the next ep because it was in vol 2 chapter 4. This ep adapted chapter 3.

Taichi wasn't shredding him. They're both right in a sense and Taichi is aware that he is less knowledgeable than Sai. It's true that specific groups have specific needs and that a single company cannot meet all.

Maya's beginning to suspect things but that's it. No one knows at this point.

I think Yasu and Yoko are just coming from a friendship perspective because they jokingly told Taichi that "Kohei doesn't need you" after the dinner party in ep7.

A lot of these insults are passed off as hate for the character, but they are hate that also applies to the actress herself (insulting her appearance, for example). And yes some people have been commenting hate (for the character) on the actress' socials. They might not be intentionally trying to hurt the actress but it's still rude.

When will people realise that they can dislike a character without insulting the actress and her appearance? At least this page isn't the official tags, but even on Twitter I sometimes see people editing her face onto derogatory memes and I'm just like, 🤡 were you not taught basic manners?

Of course they'll end up together.

I generally agree but for this show I feel that "it can't be helped" due to the nature of adaptation. This is a long-running BL manga and we are still at the beginning 2 volumes in. I too would like their established relationship to be shown earlier, but it's not feasible because the subsequent story arc is very long and simply cannot fit into the 12-ep slot without compromising the overall pacing (that arc is 3 volumes, 1.5x longer than the entirety of this season). Good thing is that this show is popular enough for a 2nd season, but of course it's best not to be too hopeful.

Don't worry, the drama will end with them mutually confessing love and getting together. It'll just happen in the final episode because Taichi has black hole level density.

I can reply to express my disagreement with your comment. What else is the reply function for? Lol.
And yes, we certainly don't have to argue if you don't want to. Have a good night!

An unlikable character doesn't equal to horribly written character. Maybe you should think about why a story about HoH people might include a HoH female character? Why are you simplifying the conflict to "women vs gay men" and overlooking the disability aspect which the conflict is based upon?