How Our Youth Captures the Fragility of Growing Up?
I still have a huge amount of tolerance for time-lapse or time-jump stories, maybe because I’ve seen much worse (yes, looking at you, “Reset” 😅). But honestly, Our Youth surprised me in a good way. My friends keep telling me I haven’t changed much in the past ten years, and maybe that’s why I connected so easily with the whole “time passing but people staying the same” vibe this series carries.
First of all, the chemistry between the two leads is absolutely undeniable. Minase Jin and Hirukawa Haruki feel real and raw. Their dynamic moves from hostility to curiosity to something deeper, and it’s so subtle yet emotionally charged that I found myself completely drawn in. The acting, especially Minase, was just chef’s kiss. His eyes literally told the story before his words did.
What makes Our Youth stand out among 2024 BL series is its balance between tenderness and pain. It doesn’t romanticize trauma, but it doesn’t wallow in it either. Instead, it lets the emotions breathe. There’s this quiet sadness under every soft moment, like the characters know their happiness is temporary, and that makes it even more beautiful.
Now, I do think the series could have gone a bit further in showing how their relationship exists within the world around them. (This is the part I struggled to explain before, I meant how their love connects to other people’s perspectives.) We see a lot of their private, intimate side, but not much about how their friends, families, or classmates perceive them. I would’ve loved to see more interactions that reflect the challenges they face as a couple in a society that doesn’t always accept them. That external lens could’ve added another emotional layer and made their bond even more meaningful.
Still, everything else like the cinematography, the music and the pacing work beautifully. The use of water throughout the story as a metaphor for cleansing and connection was brilliant. And that final episode did not give us a fairy-tale ending, but something more grounded. A quiet promise of love despite the odds.
So yeah, Our Youth might not be perfect, but it hits deep where it matters. It’s poetic, tender, and brave in how it portrays queer love with honesty rather than spectacle. 💙
First of all, the chemistry between the two leads is absolutely undeniable. Minase Jin and Hirukawa Haruki feel real and raw. Their dynamic moves from hostility to curiosity to something deeper, and it’s so subtle yet emotionally charged that I found myself completely drawn in. The acting, especially Minase, was just chef’s kiss. His eyes literally told the story before his words did.
What makes Our Youth stand out among 2024 BL series is its balance between tenderness and pain. It doesn’t romanticize trauma, but it doesn’t wallow in it either. Instead, it lets the emotions breathe. There’s this quiet sadness under every soft moment, like the characters know their happiness is temporary, and that makes it even more beautiful.
Now, I do think the series could have gone a bit further in showing how their relationship exists within the world around them. (This is the part I struggled to explain before, I meant how their love connects to other people’s perspectives.) We see a lot of their private, intimate side, but not much about how their friends, families, or classmates perceive them. I would’ve loved to see more interactions that reflect the challenges they face as a couple in a society that doesn’t always accept them. That external lens could’ve added another emotional layer and made their bond even more meaningful.
Still, everything else like the cinematography, the music and the pacing work beautifully. The use of water throughout the story as a metaphor for cleansing and connection was brilliant. And that final episode did not give us a fairy-tale ending, but something more grounded. A quiet promise of love despite the odds.
So yeah, Our Youth might not be perfect, but it hits deep where it matters. It’s poetic, tender, and brave in how it portrays queer love with honesty rather than spectacle. 💙
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