49
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11
7
1
I want to kill you, but can I live without you?
A dark Yakuza romance that hit me with a wave of emotions that I had never felt before.
As an admirer of unconventional Yakuza/Gangster romance previously, I've read my fair share of novels, mangas and manhwas. Most of them amazed me with their intriguing storytelling, but I had yet to meet the drama of my imagination and THIS WAS IT. My words are not enough to describe how I feel about this drama.
✧ Storyline:
Just like any other Yakuza dramas, this had one traumatic unforgettable night and a deadly fling with a warm fire lantern. When the past haunted him, the lantern gave him light and warmth which kept him safe and sane.
✧ Acting:
The actors who played Kataoka, Odajima and Kairii, did a brilliant job of portraying the characters who felt like they jumped out of the manga, so alive and real. There's one thing that kept me going through was the constant tension between the two leads. I never mentioned this in any reviews, but I have to admit, it was the best JBL kiss I've ever seen. Best in terms of what? Delivering emotions. I've never felt emotional watching a kissing scene. Indeed, I was. So beautiful!
✧ Cinematography:
The best. The colour grading, dark and yellow tones created a lot of tension in serious situations. The camera angles and lighting added depth to the characters. There were many scenes where the screen was closely dark and yet the character's emotions were portrayed skillfully.
✧Music:
My love for the OST, Tsurezure, knows no bounds. From the moment I heard it for the first time as the intro, I was sold. It's been playing on repeat with my other fav OSTs of the year. Just fabulous! Other than the OST, the melancholic music pulled my heartstrings. It was sad yet so soulful.
✵ Honestly, I had no idea about the release of this drama, so I started watching it only knowing the fact it was a Yakuza romance and that's all I needed to know. I was blown away by the contrast between the light and dark aura of the characters and the storyline. In every episode, I felt that "pang" in my chest, hands covering my mouth in awe, disbelief and also there were several instances where I could hear those thumping heartbeats in my ears echoing. Altogether, the angst had me in the palm of their hands, gripping, choking, and I let them torture my heart willingly. My heart ached for Odajima. His eyes, his heart, how empty and traumatized it was that he never lived for himself. That scar of survival bears deep wounds that never healed fully until Kataoka opened the wound and let it heal slowly. Kataoka was the missing piece of Odajima's life he didn't look for, and yet he became the most important person he'd live for. Their storyline deeply moved me. Definitely going to rewatch and binge this soon.
Overall, it was an awesome experience watching my manga faves alive. They needed no publicity or anything, but unexpectedly, this proved to be one of my greatest BLs of the year 2025. If you are interested in torturing your heart with the prickly thorns of BL Yakuza romance, then sure you will not be disappointed.
As an admirer of unconventional Yakuza/Gangster romance previously, I've read my fair share of novels, mangas and manhwas. Most of them amazed me with their intriguing storytelling, but I had yet to meet the drama of my imagination and THIS WAS IT. My words are not enough to describe how I feel about this drama.
✧ Storyline:
Just like any other Yakuza dramas, this had one traumatic unforgettable night and a deadly fling with a warm fire lantern. When the past haunted him, the lantern gave him light and warmth which kept him safe and sane.
✧ Acting:
The actors who played Kataoka, Odajima and Kairii, did a brilliant job of portraying the characters who felt like they jumped out of the manga, so alive and real. There's one thing that kept me going through was the constant tension between the two leads. I never mentioned this in any reviews, but I have to admit, it was the best JBL kiss I've ever seen. Best in terms of what? Delivering emotions. I've never felt emotional watching a kissing scene. Indeed, I was. So beautiful!
✧ Cinematography:
The best. The colour grading, dark and yellow tones created a lot of tension in serious situations. The camera angles and lighting added depth to the characters. There were many scenes where the screen was closely dark and yet the character's emotions were portrayed skillfully.
✧Music:
My love for the OST, Tsurezure, knows no bounds. From the moment I heard it for the first time as the intro, I was sold. It's been playing on repeat with my other fav OSTs of the year. Just fabulous! Other than the OST, the melancholic music pulled my heartstrings. It was sad yet so soulful.
✵ Honestly, I had no idea about the release of this drama, so I started watching it only knowing the fact it was a Yakuza romance and that's all I needed to know. I was blown away by the contrast between the light and dark aura of the characters and the storyline. In every episode, I felt that "pang" in my chest, hands covering my mouth in awe, disbelief and also there were several instances where I could hear those thumping heartbeats in my ears echoing. Altogether, the angst had me in the palm of their hands, gripping, choking, and I let them torture my heart willingly. My heart ached for Odajima. His eyes, his heart, how empty and traumatized it was that he never lived for himself. That scar of survival bears deep wounds that never healed fully until Kataoka opened the wound and let it heal slowly. Kataoka was the missing piece of Odajima's life he didn't look for, and yet he became the most important person he'd live for. Their storyline deeply moved me. Definitely going to rewatch and binge this soon.
Overall, it was an awesome experience watching my manga faves alive. They needed no publicity or anything, but unexpectedly, this proved to be one of my greatest BLs of the year 2025. If you are interested in torturing your heart with the prickly thorns of BL Yakuza romance, then sure you will not be disappointed.
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