Ximmich

I really like the ending song for this drama, is really unique and fitting, i can`t stop listening to it.
The story is lacking a bit compared with the anime, but i can`t complain about it, because they added as much content as they could for a 6 eps drama.
I still prefer the anime more, but this drama is a decent adaptation of the manga too.

Yes. I was talking with someone about HK and UK, and i have said that i like more UK because the story, characterization of the characters, the conflicts and themes addressed, makes it a much better drama than HK.
I knew from the beginning that the story in HK will never be able to have more depth than what it looks on the surface and that the relationship between the characters will not change that much over the course of the story, because the source material (manga) is like this. The manga has an even more superficial take on the characters than the drama.

Japanese BLs that are adaptations from a novel/manga etc, are really faithful adaptations, like they really try to adapt almost everything that happens in the source material, with only some changes added to make things as realistic as they can, but they really try to keep the essence of the source material and to convey the same message. If people don`t trust me on this, they should watch for exemple the movie Restart after come back home or the dramas Given or Life: senjou no bokura and read the mangas that they are based of , and do the same with HK and UK and other japanese BLs adaptations and compare them with the source material , and i am sure they will overall agree with me.
This is why, when a japanese BL adaptation (being a movie/drama) is released, if the source material has a story that is realistic, has depth, has really complex and flawed characters, the probability is really high that they will portray the story in the adaptation in a really similar way. This is why i love, just love Japanese BLs much more that the BLs released by other asian countries.
I also put HK on hold after ep 7, and i will get to it soon, as it finished airing, but in the end, i will continue to watch the drama only for the entertainment value, because my investment on it is really low.

For people who have discovered asian BL dramas /movies for a lot of time ( in my case i started getting into BL more than ten years ago) and has watched almost all that is there to watch, will most likely not be that impressed by dramas like HK.

People have to understand that every drama has it`s own audience who look for it and watch it, just like how people like cute, fluffy stories, other people prefer to watch realistic, psychological, complex or grey/dark stories. There is something for all of us.

So we should all respect everyone preference, and as i also don`t comment on dramas/movies with cute/flufly light stories like HK and other BLs that i feel they could have more depth, even through i have a lot of things to say about them ( i know the story is not catered to me, but it has it`s own audience, so is pointless to complain about the drama for having a story that is how it was meant to be portrayed from the start), i also expect other people to show the same consideration and respect i have towards the dramas i like and enjoy, and refrain themselves from writing negative comments that criticise the story for being the way it was meant to be from the start ( i am not refering to people who express their dislike on the drama for reasons that are obviously easy to understand, but these who i feel they even don`t know what are they talking about and just want to trash the content).

I also want to take this chance to thank everyone who has taken their time to share their toughts and defend this drama and the story it wants to convey, and also for addressing a lot of issues about BL dramas/movies and BL fandom that i observed for a long time. It makes me all happy and warm reading the comment made in this page, when i see people willing to share their toughts like this.

Today, i woke up to find the page of this drama "IN FIRE", in the positive sense, because i am really happy people are taking their time discussing issues related to BL dramas and fandom that i noticed for years, but i didn`t find many people willing to address them.
I should write a comment thanking everyone for their comments, because of everyone this page has become one of my favorite place i enjoy to be part and share my toughts.
Anyway, i really liked your comment, and i related to a lot of what you writed.
I have the same opinion with you about the reason Kiyoi thinks Hira is arrogant. Kiyoi has noticed that Hira does whatever he thinks is right, without taking the time to think how his actions affects others, and definitely without taking the time to think what Kiyoi might be thinking about him (basically without taking time to reflect on what might be the reason Kiyoi has helped him, wants to hang out with him, kissing him too etc).
Hira awareness on what people think or do when they are around him is not that bad, but he almost never takes the time to think about this in a more serious way. Especially when it comes to Kiyoi, he is really clueless, so clueless that i wanted to shake him up several times while reading and listening to the CD.
Hira awareness on what Kiyoi might be feeling for him is not only bad, is really inacurrate, sigh, at least he will finally get it next episode. But even in the second novel, Hira will have moments where he gets too focused on other things, that he fails to pay attention to Kiyoi feelings. This habit of him will make Kiyoi really feel frustrated in the future, but Kiyoi learns to accept this side of him too, and he will be more communicative, so it don`t impact their relationship that much.

Another thing i really like about what you wrote and i agree with, is that both characters knows each other flaws, but come to accept them. This is why Hira and Kiyoi relationship is so fascinating to me, because even through they fail in understanding each other sometime and they do things that hurt each other, they love each other for who they are, with all the flaws they have.
And this is the most realistic part of this drama in my opinion, because this is how relationships between people are in real life. People are flawed, everyone has some weaknesses that prevent them from being the best version of themselves, and is wrong expecting people to react like everyone else and be perfect all the time.
Hope Japan will make and release more dramas and movies like this, because as i and others has said before, Japan explores grey/dark and realistic/psychological stories, like no other countries does. It may be the fact that their acting industry is an old one too and it had the time to grow until this point, but i think another big reason is the mindset and the way people live in Japan, the respect they have towards the creative and original content.

The drama has not finished airing yet. We have one more ep to go.
It`s happy ending in the source material (novel) and the drama followed closely what happens in the novel, so it should end the same.
There is not a really serious love triangle in this drama, is related to a character who likes Hira and it don`t last long, is only shown in two episodes from the total of 6.

Yes. I will continue visiting this page too, and i will post the translation of the first novel in the Discussion thread for the novel that i made, when the novel is made public. The translator who i talked too ( not Straylations) has told me she will finish the first novel next month and hope she will made the novel public then. She told me she plans to translate the other two novels too. The complete novel has three parts yes, but is basically separated in three novels/volumes, each novel with a different name, from what i found

No. The manga has a happy ending. I have read it myself.
From what i read, the production team of the drama has decided to end the story more earlier than in the manga, to make it more realistic most likely.
In the manga, when Kyoichi has gone to meet his fiancee to break up with her, Imagase has remained in KyoichI apartment ( he hasn`t left in the morning like in the movie). But because Imagase gets impatient, his insecurity kicks in, and Kyoichi takes a little more time to return, Imagase decide to leave Imagase apartment, but he don`t go far, he only goes to the near bus stop and he can`t bear to leave more far away.
Kyoichi returns to his apartment, don`t find Imagase, but he can see Imagase at the bus stop from inside his apartment and he goes after him.
At the bus stop, they have a serious conversation, in which Kyoichi tells him he has really break up with his fiancee, he reassures Imagase to not do stupid things like leaving from now on, and they decide to live together and commit to a longtime serious relationship. END.

Yes. This drama kind of took over my life.
I will be sad when is over, but i want it to be over you know. To move on with my life.
I think it was more than a year since i had such strong feelings and attachment towards characters from a BL drama.
It`s also that i only watch BL japanese dramas, and sometime from Korea, so when i watch something i like, is like i can`t think at anything else but the characters from the story.

Hahahaha.
And yes, i noticed too that Kiyoi looks really tiny in Hira clothes

There is also available the CD of the second novel ( in japanese, that was released this year) to be listened too. Someone shared where the second audio drama can be listened too, i can send you the link to listen to it. It can be listened in a chinese website tough, so is a censored version.
I listened to the second CD. It seems they removed the sex scenes, but it has some kissing scenes and anything else that happens.
From what i understood from the second CD, these things are what happens:
- Hira and Kiyoi are living together, with Kiyoi taking various jobs from modelling, acting etc, and Hira is starting to look jor a job.
- Hira founds a job he likes, using some recommendations, and starts from doing little things to actually working as a photographer, but i am not 100% sure about this ( this is what it looked to me)
- In their personal life, things are going well for the first part of the CD, but as Hira is working more and more and rarely comes home, Kiyoi feels that Hira don`t pay enough attention to him and after a fight ( which is not even that serious) they separate for a bit. It was Hira fault in this more lol, he shouldn`t have simply listened to Kiyoi, because he was just frustrated and angry for a moment.
- Anyway, in this period they are separed, which don`t takes long, something happens to Kiyoi ( i know what happens, but i guess is best to not give you unecessary spoilers), Hira comes to save the day, gets hurt, and this makes Kiyoi really break down, like OMG. God, this scene is painful to listen too. After Hira gets better, Kiyoi decides to have another serious conversation with Hira and he really reassures him to not do things like leaving when he is angry, when he tell him he wants to break up and things like this anymore. And that as long as Hira would stay by his side not matter what he says, they will be able to be together forever. Tears, i got so emotional in this scene. So i will stop here. Hira was so moved too, he wanted to do it with Kiyoi right away, hahahah.

Hira gets a lot more confidence in himself in the second CD, especially in his profesisonal life, but in his relationship with Kiyoi too.
Hira really develops a lot over the course of the second audio drama, it almost feels like a different character than the one we encountered at the beginning of the first audio drama.

I don`t know what happens in the third novel, but i heard that is as good and moving as the second novel.

Nagira Yuu

Ohh. This is such good news, i will take 30 minutes too.

😊😊🙈🙈🙈 You're amazing.
I will take what the director has said seriously, very seriously.

As a response of what both you and Nana writed, based on what i know about the novel/CD, while their relationship don`t start as the most healthiest one and is not as easily to understand for people who don`t know that much about the source material, the love they have is there ( and is for the right reasons, they just need to understand each other better and have a well needed conversation where they are honest with each other) for a long time and is growing all the time ( this is why Hira has said that "he can`t go back to the way it was anymore", he has said those words in the novel too), to the point where at the end of the novel both of them are unable to help themselves, but give in and gave each other a serious chance to what they have.
They also love each other like two men who are in love, is just that is not that obvious until know, but it will be really obvious the next episode.
There are some really touching romantic moments between the characters, but it happens at the very end of the first novel, and the key to understand how much those two unusual characters like each other is by reading/listening to them actually becoming more close to each other and be intimate. This is why is really important for this drama to have some kissing scenes and at least a vague implying of them being really intimate.
In ep 5, things didn`t happened exactly how people who read the novel hoped it would happen, this is why we are really worried if they have time to show all the important concluding scenes who even through they are few ( maybe they will change things a bit, but they can`t change too much, just at most be rewritten a bit) they`re so memorable, it can change a lot of people perception of their love and relationship. 30 minutes helps a lot too, i am looking forward to watch the next ep even more now.
I haven`t encountered anyone who didn`t changed their mind about the characters relationship after reading the novel or listening to the CD, and i discussed about this drama with so many people, both of them are just too well done.
I am not kidding, it was a long time that i encountered a novel that has a content that is so well writed, and where i feel everything make sense even through the characters are so unusual and different from each other in everything, being their love for each other, personalities and everything really. No wonder the novel is so popular in Japan, is not easy to write a novel that has characters that are totally opposite individually, but fit so well together.

She really, really said that??? 🙉
I mean you're serious, or you're kidding and getting my hopes up for nothing.

I don`t know what kind of changes did you think of, because they aren`t many other reasons that can explain why Kiyoi is behaving this way towards Hira, than him wanting for them to become closer and interact more, so at some point he can ask Hira to be his boyfriend.
And i don`t they will touch/change this, since is really important in the novel, like crucial level.

Hi Bye is right. From what happened until now in the drama, without taking into consideration the source material, from the moment Kiyoi has come in Hira`s life again, he wanted Hira to be his boyfriend. This is why he was so interested in finding out if Hira and Koyama are already dating.
Kiyoi is already sure of his feelings and what he wants to from the moment he decide to make everything possible to see Hira again. He knows he likes Hira for a long time, this is not the issue.
Kiyoi is the kind of person that wants to be in a proper relationship with someone and to date the person he likes . He has also been rejecting people who wants him as a lover before and after meeting Hira again.
Is just that Kiyoi is not the kind to ask someone to be his boyfriend directly, at least not if he has another choice.
It`s also that what he wants to do and what he is actually doing and saying don`t go hand in hand when it comes to him, at least in this period because his fear of being vulnerable and hurt gets in the way of him expressing and showing what he really wants.

I think they did a good job in showing Kiyoi POV, is just that some people can`t see it because they most likely already made up their mind about the characters or they have to see the next episode and see more of Hira and Kiyoi interaction for them to make their mind about Kiyoi.
We have to remember this drama only has 6 eps of 24 minutes, and even through the content is organized and showed well, they don`t have that much time to show more, i am sure they have chosen the most important scenes.
I was talking with someone who read the novel and has said to me that she is amazed that they plan and managed to show Kiyoi pov in only two eps, because in the novel, Kiyoi POV is described in almost half of the novel.
I could see where they could have done better, but overall i really enjoyed ep 5.
I mean Kiyoi has said that he likes Hira several times in ep 5, and is obvious Kiyoi really likes Hira, he is starting to directly initiate things, he had actively made their reunion happening, he was jealous several times through the episode ( if even jealousy don`t count as a sign of genuinely liking someone, i don`t know what it counts. Like a person who only expect someone to worship him/like him only as a fan isn`t jealous of him possible being with someone else and don`t care about what the person who worship him does)

Yes, exactly hahaha.

Kiyoi don`t have the same height as Hira, Hira is more taller than Kiyoi, is just that Kiyoi looks more bigger than Hira because of his physical constitution. It`s obviously Yagi Yusei is working our regularly.
Anyway, i gave up trying to understand people who make comments like this, because i can`t understand why those things matters and should be discussed. At the end of the day there are just excuses used by people to dislike the character.
But you`re right, when the bottom or the character that is rude or is doing impulsive things like how Kiyoi has done, has a smaller build, a thing that happens especially in Thai BL dramas, almost nobody is complaining. The hipocrisy is easy to spot, like i said is useless talking with these kind of people, but i also have my moments when i get so angry, that i have to comment just how absurd they sound.

The funny thing is that it works too almost every time, because even when Kiyoi has his most vulnerable and weak moments, Hira still sees Kiyoi as cool, even in the other two novels.
Well, Kiyoi also manages to say or do cool things in any situation not matter how embarrasing might be, but still Hira is so blinded by his love for Kiyoi, that he only sees his cool and beautiful side.
The impression that Kiyoi has given to Hira was so strong when he first meets Kiyoi in high school, that he isn`t able to see him in any other light.