I Would Have Happily Taken Five More Episodes
If It's With You is one of those series that somehow makes five episodes feel both completely satisfying and nowhere near enough.
The setting alone had me immediately. Enoshima, the sea, the little restaurant, the summer light — there is something genuinely warm and unhurried about this series that makes it easy to sink into. And the characters carry that same quality. Ryuuji is a green flag in the truest sense — grounded, patient, someone who clearly had to grow up early after losing his father, taking on responsibility for his siblings and his mother without making a performance of it.
And then there is Amane.
What I appreciated most about him is that he is nothing like the typical naive, innocent Japanese BL protagonist. The first scene we see him in already tells us everything — he knows what he wants, he's been hurt before, and he has decided that serious love isn't worth the risk. His playfulness feels less like a personality trait and more like a carefully constructed shield. Which makes watching it slowly come down around Ryuuji all the more satisfying.
The series takes its time with them in the best way — small moments, shared routines, the quiet accumulation of closeness. It doesn't need dramatic declarations to make their feelings feel real.
My only genuine complaint is that it ends precisely where I wanted it to begin. The moment they finally become a couple, the credits roll. I would have loved to see what happens when summer ends — do they go back to school openly, or carefully? What does their actual relationship look like once the initial rush settles? And given that Amane already has experiences Ryuuji doesn't, how does that shape what they each expect from being together? Those questions felt like the most interesting part of their story, and the series leaves them entirely unanswered.
A few more episodes of quiet, organic closeness — not dramatic conflict, just them figuring each other out — would have made this something I'd return to again and again without hesitation.
As it stands, it's still very lovely. I just wanted more of it.
The setting alone had me immediately. Enoshima, the sea, the little restaurant, the summer light — there is something genuinely warm and unhurried about this series that makes it easy to sink into. And the characters carry that same quality. Ryuuji is a green flag in the truest sense — grounded, patient, someone who clearly had to grow up early after losing his father, taking on responsibility for his siblings and his mother without making a performance of it.
And then there is Amane.
What I appreciated most about him is that he is nothing like the typical naive, innocent Japanese BL protagonist. The first scene we see him in already tells us everything — he knows what he wants, he's been hurt before, and he has decided that serious love isn't worth the risk. His playfulness feels less like a personality trait and more like a carefully constructed shield. Which makes watching it slowly come down around Ryuuji all the more satisfying.
The series takes its time with them in the best way — small moments, shared routines, the quiet accumulation of closeness. It doesn't need dramatic declarations to make their feelings feel real.
My only genuine complaint is that it ends precisely where I wanted it to begin. The moment they finally become a couple, the credits roll. I would have loved to see what happens when summer ends — do they go back to school openly, or carefully? What does their actual relationship look like once the initial rush settles? And given that Amane already has experiences Ryuuji doesn't, how does that shape what they each expect from being together? Those questions felt like the most interesting part of their story, and the series leaves them entirely unanswered.
A few more episodes of quiet, organic closeness — not dramatic conflict, just them figuring each other out — would have made this something I'd return to again and again without hesitation.
As it stands, it's still very lovely. I just wanted more of it.
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