iijanaika

The romantic arc is toward emotional and psychological intimacy

This is a really lovely show. The main actors' performances aren't naturalistic, but if you can accept that as the premise of the production, the acting is good. Tsubasa Nakagawa does a lot with his physical gestures, posture, etc., and just his eyes in a role that required wearing a mask, not in every single moment of the show but kind of all the time. And I thought Masaya Sakuragi really made the most of the chance he got to do the whole puppy-dog thing, in contrast to the stoic character he plays in "School Trip."

High production values support a good/moving story. The soundtrack songs are all earworms, the camera placements and movements are great, and the show's use of props is thoughtful and good, I thought.

As for the good story, its will-they-won't-they progression isn't toward physical intimacy, or the extent to which they'll express or recognize their feelings in the first place, but toward a deepening emotional and psychological connection between Sui and Harutora, who are both bound up in unspoken expectations about themselves and/or the people around them. This is true for Sui especially (obviously), but it's also true of Harutora, who in his family is the oldest brother and thinks of himself as someone who (at least in certain settings/contexts/circumstances) has to be extra selfless, high-performing, responsible, etc. As is revealed early in the show, Sui is at the center of a lot of casual homophobia from classmates who seem to think of themselves as the ones at school who are friendly toward him.

So as I said earlier, the question of physical intimacy is secondary in this show; even so, the spice level is high-ish for a Japanese BL. The physical question was answered satisfyingly.

The question at the center of the main drama of the show is how confident Sui and Harutora can feel in themselves as individuals and in each other in the hothouse environment of a 24/7 residential school, and also how confident they can feel about themselves outside of school. This question is negotiated through scenes of dialogue, sometimes involving other characters, where they help each other (or are sometimes helped by those others) to figure out how wide or narrow their circle of confidence really is.

"Confidence" doesn't fully capture it though; what this show conveys more than any other show I can think of is the sense of freedom and possibility (a new life) that could be waiting on the other side of negotiating first love as a gay person, depending on luck and circumstance, but also on how well-supported and decisive you are. Freedom like that I think often needs to be approached in stages that don't all move you forward. The hurdles to getting there are internal too; I thought the most moving scenes showed Harutora and Sui helping each other let go of the overly tight controls they were attempting to exert on themselves for various reasons, and to forgive themselves and each other for mistakes, misjudgments, or doubts they'd had.

All of that combines with tones/themes of the show that are for the most part directed toward uplift and coziness. The love being expressed is defined as much by the zone of sanctuary, freedom from self-recrimination and fear, and forgiveness it provides as it is by physical attraction and intimacy (which are also there). It's a lot to fit into 8 episodes; I want more but am not left wanting. 10/10

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