Aira

Anyone who watched N no Tame Ni (like me) should have seen that coming but maybe I turned a blind eye because I want everyone to be happy in the end. 😭

The way I cried for the entire last 20 minutes of the drama.

Right?? I was thinking Hira only asking Kiyoi if the hoodie was big for him was a bit underwhelming, haha! But yes, maybe Hira wears bigger sizes and Kiyoi just happens to wear the hoodie moe style. 😆 (And I haven't read the novel so I'm not really sure if it's also just a fleeting moment there. 😅)

" I can tell you that some of the greatest pieces of literature also contain "problematic" relationships. "

OMG thank you so much for this comment! I wanted to touch on this matter when I was replying to someone the other day but after exchanging few comments with them I realized that they're already too bent on insisting that people liking this show is "problematic" so I didn't bother anymore.

But yeah, I took up journalism in college (at a Catholic university at that lol) and we had subjects called "art appreciation", "literary criticism" and "rhetoric" and literally I had to look at/read a lot of works which are actually waaaay more "problematic" and "toxic" than the subject matter of UtsuKare. And of course I had to spend many sleepless nights writing papers about them so I'm really puzzled by some people's reaction here haha! I mean, how sensitive and easily offended are some people nowadays? 😅

Anyways, as the others have mentioned already, UtsuKare being able to spark discourse from several points of view means that the show is doing a good job capturing people's attention to the point of having even the viewers who don't like it to still continue watching it, and even compelling them to spend more time writing rants about it online (similar to how some of those "problematic" literary masterpieces found their way to me because they have been passed down from generation to generation and me having to sacrifice my sleep to write a critique about them 😂) .
(And God knows how many medical dramas I dropped even though my favorite actors are there and the storyline seems promising simply because the story didn't manage to hold my attention and I'd rather spend my time doing something else.)

I re-watched episode 2 from Viki and it reminds me how I'm puzzled that we didn't get a 10-minute monologue from Hira about Kiyoi wearing his clothes lol (the one he was wearing at the start of the episode and Kiyoi wearing by the end of the episode). I wonder if he washed it afterwards haha!
On a more serious (but not really) note, Kiyoi in Hira's clothes looks so tiny, I'm amazed that they managed to make him look smol and cute wearing those clothes (Kiyoi in moe sleeves 🤤🤗) when Hira and Kiyoi almost have the same height. 😆

I do understand what you're trying to say but "not every parent being a good parent" or not "every parent has that control" is not exactly the show's fault. If every producer/director will always think of that "young soul with no basic morals set up yet" who might come across works like this one or the possibility of parents/guardians not being able to guide those young souls away from shows like this for some reasons, we'll only be left with wholesome shows, I guess?
Anyway, it seems your opinion and feelings on this show are already too fixed so let's just leave it at that. Thanks for your time! :)

" If a young soul with no basic morals set up yet watched this show and sees how wonderful this relationship is, it is problematic."

I think it's problematic if "a young soul with no basic morals set up yet" managed their way to this show when this is shown in Japan at around 1AM local time and rated as 16+ in most online platforms. If their parents or guardians are not able to guide them or shoo them away from media/form of art that contains problematic (as others like to call it)/dark content or themes while they basically have "no morals set up yet", it's not really the show's fault.

You mentioned in your comment that you are perfectly aware that this is fiction, so I'm finding it hard to understand why you think people admiring/justifying/being fascinated by this show and its subject matter is concerning/unsettling/problematic.
I mean, that's exactly why some people are fascinated by this -- because this is a work of fiction. There are people who can appreciate how this unconventional relationship is being presented as well as how the actors perform their roles as a form of entertainment (because a TV show is supposedly for entertainment only). Like as for me, I find Kiyoi's tsundere-ness in this show cute, but if he were a real person I've probably slapped him by now lol.
If people's moral compass is being affected by a mere TV show, I think the problem lies within them, and not with the show. Also, if a person's no longer entertained by a show meant for entertainment but still keeps on watching it while there are hundred of other shows they can watch instead, that's already on them.

Seriously, watching it must be one of the best 5 seconds of my life recently haha! If it's a different character from another show maybe I'll be like "hmmm too cliché, petty, and immature" but with Kiyoi I was like "beautiful, elegant, magnificent". 😂😂😂

They really do suit each other, it's like they're in their own dark but beautiful world which is inaccessible to other people.

P.S. It kinda puts me off that the official subs keep translating Kiyoi's "ja, mata na" / "ja na" (see you later (or see you again) / see you) as "goodbye".... I think it's important to know that literally Kiyoi never says "goodbye" to Hira, while Koyama did say "goodbye" (sayonara) to Hira. 😓

That scene of Kiyoi side-eyeing and smirking at Koyama seriously deserves an academy award for best acting and cinematography lol. Even if you remove Kiyoi's voice-over it will still be equally impactful.

Yes totally agree! Of course I also appreciate the paraphrased/localized subs since they help the story make more sense but yes, if I'm heavily interested in something, it makes me appreciate the more literal translation (like when I'm reading a translated manga and I see a phrase from a character which has left a deep impact on me, I try to look for the raw and check how the line was exactly said in Japanese).

And for example, I was only able to think that Kiyoi's cocoa CM was deliberate to parallel with Hira's description about Koyama being like a hot cocoa in winter when I watched your subs, so it's really helpful for someone like me who likes to over-analyze haha!

Thank you for your subs! Personally I like it better when the translations are literal since that way, in my mind I can give my own meaning/interpretation to what they say (because I like to over-analyze some things lol). I only understand very limited Japanese but there are some times when I think the localized(?)/simplified translation kinda removes some nuances from what was actually said, so I really appreciate translation like yours. <3

It should be here but I'm not sure if there's any region restriction:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/%E3%83%86%E3%83%AC%E3%83%93%E6%9C%9D%E6%97%A5%E7%B3%BB%E3%82%AA%E3%82%B7%E3%83%89%E3%83%A9%E3%82%B5%E3%82%BF%E3%83%87%E3%83%BC-%E6%B6%88%E3%81%88%E3%81%9F%E5%88%9D%E6%81%8B-%E3%82%AA%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B8%E3%83%8A%E3%83%AB-%E3%82%B5%E3%82%A6%E3%83%B3%E3%83%89%E3%83%88%E3%83%A9%E3%83%83%E3%82%AF/1597690688
(Some of the words in URL should be in Japanese so maybe that's why it appears weirdly when copy-pasted)

Yes, I was also thinking that haha! Kiyoi is a tsundere so he might appear aggressive most of the time but I think he really treasures what Hira does for him so he always ends up choosing whatever Hira chooses for him. 😅

I'm glad I'm not the only one!! While watching the second episode I told myself "wait, this was totally my jam back in high school" haha! So the "uncomfortable" feeling I had during the first episode completely disappeared. XD

Oh interesting!! Thanks for bringing this up because I've been thinking about these details too but I thought it might just be me over-analyzing things haha! Although I have a different interpretation:
Ep1 - I think Hira bought water for Kiyoi because he thinks it's the best option to drink after doing the dance practice, but he also bought ginger ale since it's Kiyoi's favorite. Kiyoi asked for the ginger ale first but perhaps after realizing that Hira's first choice for him is the water, he took the water instead.
Ep4 - Hira bought ginger ale since it's Kiyoi's favorite (that's why he offered it first), but he also bought water just in case. Kiyoi said he couldn't drink the ginger ale (though not sure why? is it bad for someone who has consumed many alcohol?? sorry I wouldn't know since I don't drink alcohol and ginger ale hahaha) so Hira handed him the water. But I think after Kiyoi realizing ginger ale is Hira's first choice for him this time, he took the ginger ale.
(I remember Hira offered the ginger ale first then the water,and that Kiyoi took the ginger ale so I checked again just to be sure)

I have no idea about the novel so this might be totally off but it's really interesting to discuss about this! :)

After watching mostly fluffy BLs and romcoms the past few years (because I just wanted to be happy after stressful days at work lol), I honestly felt a bit "uncomfortable" watching the first episode (I had to pause several times) because it has been a while since I watched a romance story with a darker atmosphere.
But I continued to watch because the cinematography is really outstanding (better than other dramas getting more hype actually) and the cast is really good. Then by episode 2 I remembered this is actually the type of BL story and dynamics I was seriously addicted to when I was in high school LOL (I even wrote a fanfic back then with almost the same premise as this and contrary to what some "woke" people might think, I grew up to be a normal functioning adult who can separate fiction from reality haha).
So in short, to see my high school fantasies in high-quality (finally!!! I had to sit through a lot of low-budgeted BL movies back then just to get enough angst) is certainly an amazing experience lol. I can't wait to watch Kiyoi's POV!! <3

It has just been released today so I think it will only be available once it's December 15 on your end?

Kieta Hatsukoi OST is now on Spotify, yaaaay!!!
https://open.spotify.com/album/7aRStU9aurtTkY2iBGGnqU