Jero

It might be an unpopular opinion, but I think I’m in the minority who doesn’t really want a season 2 (or at least wants the ex-girlfriend arc skipped)

Disclaimer: It might contain some spoilers

I’m just tired of BLs adding a female character whose only purpose is to be disliked by viewers. That kind of conflict feels outdated and lazy. If you’ve seen I Hear the Sunspot, the ex-girlfriend here would probably get the same backlash Maya did. There are better ways to do this. Characters like Hashimoto in My Love Mix-Up or Fujisaki in Cherry Magic worked because they weren’t written as obstacles. They blended naturally into the story and didn’t exist just to stir drama. My bottom line is: if the male characters in School Trip are so easy to watch, then the female characters should be just as easy to watch too

The ex-girlfriend arc also feels unnecessary. Watarai clearly doesn’t have real or sufficient romantic feelings for her, certainly nothing close to what he feels for Hioki. Turning that into the story’s climax feels forced. The core is already there between the two male leads. And all the girl really did is question the relationship between two boys and act homophobic

Actually, I’d prefer it more if there were a new male classmate of Hioki that Watarai gets jealous of, especially since they end up in different classes

That said, I won’t deny there are parts of volume 2 I enjoyed

Stop wasting energy on negative or ragebait comments, especially that one insufferable guy who shows up in almost every BL thread. If you get this show, you get it and that’s all that matters

It’s going to take me a while to fully get over this show. Watching it, I felt this quiet weight of regret, thinking back to my own high school days and realizing how much I held back, not just in romance, but in friendships too. I feel a bit like Mitsuru from Eternal Yesterday, I mean, if I had to cite someone specific... that kind of introverted, grumpy guy. But the difference is, there was no Koichi in my life and no one took the first step to really get to know me. Maybe it’s because my world wasn’t as open… or maybe it’s just the kind of environment School Trip shows doesn’t really exist for queer kids in the real world

As a closeted teenage boy, I wish I had been bolder back then. But life doesn’t give you do-overs. That’s why I’m grateful for this show, it somehow healed that ghostly past part of me. It showed me a glimpse of what life could be like when you have real support, real allies, people who accept you without questioning who you are. I just wish life would’ve been easier back then

Honestly, my first kiss wasn’t exactly some cinematic masterpiece either 😭 If anything, it was probably just as awkward (if not worse than these Japanese drama kisses), even though my kisser was experienced. Lol, that’s probably TMI, but yeah, nerves really do take over, especially when it’s your first time. So I kinda get why some people freeze or don’t react “realistically”

That said, since this is fiction, I do agree with you. The tightly closed mouths during “surprised kisses” can be lowkey icky, especially when it’s grown adults in Japanese dramas doing it like that. It pulls me out every time

I’ll let this one pass, though, since it’s apparently novel-accurate. But yeah… let’s see if the specials make up for it

Is that Smells Like Green Spirit? Tbh, I don’t really agree. I personally found that kiss kinda mid, especially considering how his character had been fantasizing about Mishima for so long. I think we can also admit that Japanese drama kisses, whether straight or BL are often pretty dry. I get where others are coming from with that critique because sometimes the genuineness come through with those dry kisses and I dont find the relationship believable. That said, School Trip already sold me, and I don’t find the kiss as dreadful as others do

Not being biased, honestly. I’m very aware that “dead fish” kisses are a common issue in Japanese dramas, whether BL or straight. But in this case, the reaction actually aligns with the source material. In the novel, Hioki is meant to be genuinely dumbfounded during their first kiss and he doesn’t even process what’s happening at first

tbh, I was just expecting a fish kiss, which I also would’ve understood since that’s how it was described in the novel, but man… I just loved it and it’s so refreshing to see a real kiss in a Japanese BL, and in a high school romance? And that’s exactly what I’m saying and asking for

Can I just commend that kissing scene 😭 I really wasn’t expecting that from a high school romance in Japanese BL. The way Watarai went super gentle for the first kiss bc it was clearly Hioki’s first, then actually made the second one more passionate??? and he STILL wasn’t done and slipped in that short stolen kiss at the end that seems like wasnt part of the script?? they knew exactly what they were doing!

It kinda s*cks that it didn’t spark as much conversation compared to other BLs this year, maybe, it just got overshadowed by the more popular ones. It’s been almost a week, but the impression this queer piece left on me is still there. The story is really healing and comforting in a quiet way. I liked how it shows how the system and the environment affect the queer community, yet the characters still choose to move forward anyway

I also really appreciated how it talks about not wanting to be in a relationship, and how your life can still be full and meaningful without one. That part honestly healed something in me, especially thinking about my future as a gay person. It also touches on broken dreams, irresponsible parenting, and other real-life issues. Even when the system keeps failing them, the story still leaves you with hope

(I ended up deleting my review because I’m honestly still unsure what score to give it. Part of me wants to rate it higher than a 9.0, but the way the story handles irresponsible parenting really holds me back. Those parents are clearly problematic, yet the narrative softens them so much that it almost feels like their actions are being brushed off. Japan really knows how to tone down or sanitize problematic characters, and that approach doesn’t fully sit right with me here. That said, this might just be me being nitpicky)

Should I continue this? I stopped watching at ep 3 bc I can’t really connect with it, but judging from the comments, it supposedly gets better in the latter half??? 😭

As another year comes to an end, and as my new favorite BLs conclude, I still find myself considering this BL my best of all time. It’s a shame it hasn’t sparked as much discussion as other BLs with overly tragic or melancholic stories. I think part of the reason might be its production values. You can’t help but wonder what this series could have done with the kind of cinematography seen in some Korean BLs, or in movies by Japanese directors like Koreeda (such as Monster)

Good cinematography really lifts a story. Even mediocre stories can feel powerful with the right visuals. This show, on the other hand, already has a strong story, which makes its limited production feel like a missed opportunity. That said, I still can’t laugh at moments some people find funny, like the famous white truck of doom scene with Koichi, because it just doesn’t feel real, lol.

Still, the show deserves all the credit. They took what could have been a low, limited-budget adaptation and turned it into a faithful, moving version of the original book, with strong casting and care for the story’s depth. In the end, the series stands out as a quietly impressive piece of BL media, one that deserves far more attention than it currently gets

I appreciate you explaining your perspective. I agree that adaptations do have to stand on their own. That said, for me, the novel still matters because it is the “original text” or source material the adaptation was built on, and it establishes the emotional and thematic core of Watarai’s realization. Changes like this can alienate readers who connected deeply with that original context, and that’s where my perspective is coming from.

I also want to be clear that this isn’t about ranking identities or suggesting that one experience is more valid or more oppressed than another. The same logic applies either way, just as people who like more than one gender don’t need their feelings reframed, people who are attracted to only “one same gender” don’t need their clarity softened. That’s why the change feels significant to me.

That’s all I wanted to say. Have a good day.

And to add more context from the novel:

"Maybe for the first time, someone of the same gender had complimented something about
who I was—my personality, not appearance.
And not even directly, but in a conversation he thought I’d never hear.
If it had been from a girl, maybe I’d have felt differently.
But being praised by another guy—it was… surprisingly nice.
A warmth spread quietly in my chest, and I found myself smiling without realizing it.
Maybe I was easier to please than I thought."

Watarai is clearly noticing the gender of the person giving the compliment, and it matters to him. That attention from someone of the same gender seems to hit differently than it would from a girl.

The warmth in his chest and the smile he doesn’t notice are classic signs of attraction or a romantic flutter.

The “If it had been from a girl” line shows that this reaction is special because it’s a guy, pointing toward a queer (and that includes being gay as well) interpretation. It doesn’t outright say “I’m gay” but the way Watarai experiences these feelings makes them different from ordinary friendship or admiration

It’s not, and that’s why I can’t understand why others keep pushing the bi/pan narrative when the novel makes it pretty clear that he’s still in the stage of self-discovery. He just accepted his ex-girlfriend’s confession because he found her shy, which he thought was cute, and there are remarks showing that middle school relationships were kind of childish

The line “whether you are a boy or a girl” is overused, and it’s a hard truth for some to admit, some people still feel uncomfortable accepting that a guy can simply love another guy, so they try to give “options” instead. My bottom line is that he could also be gay, but the majority isn’t ready to have that discussion

I got hooked on the series bc of Hioki from the very first episode, so I’m second in line right after Watarai 😘

I don’t think the text actually supports that reading. The novel doesn’t frame Watarai’s realization as “gender doesn’t matter at all” and it frames it as him moving away from a hypothetical scenario and toward a specific person in front of him. He explicitly starts with, “If someone like Hioki were my girlfriend” then immediately corrects himself, realizing he doesn’t need an abstract versionn

The novel reinforces this later with, “I realized… I really do like the real, unadorned Hioki” Not “whether you’re a boy or a girl” That distinction matters. It doesn’t soften or reframe his feelings for a presumed straight audience, I think. It’s direct and sincere, rooted in who Hioki actually is.

Even the side story about Watarai’s ex-girlfriend makes this clearer: “It started around the summer of second year. She was the one who confessed. I don’t remember exactly what she said, but I do remember how nervous and shy she looked, and I nodded because she was cute. Middle school dating was childish—walking home together, going to the local mall—simple stuff like that” Watarai isn’t even confident about his feelings there. It reads less like proof of a defined sexuality and more like someone going along with something uncomplicated before he truly understands himself. It’s all about self-discovery and not a confirmation that he’s bi or pan.

The adaptation shifts the focus in a way that feels “safer” as if it needs to explain or neutralize gay attraction for presumed straight viewers. But that completely undermines the quiet courage of the novel. The story was never about Watarai liking a hypothetical girl when it was about him realizing he likes Hioki, specifically and honestly. That’s why the change feels so unnecessary. It tries to reassure people who were never the target audience in the first place, and in doing so, it erases the clarity and integrity of the novel’s queer realization.

It’s just a living truth that some people are still uncomfortable admitting gay feelings, and we can’t erase that. But the context makes it clear that Watarai is still in the stage of discovering himself. Let’s admit that it’s hard for others to accept that he could also be gay but the majority still finds it uncomfortable.

My bottom line is this could just be a story of two boys falling in love, and adding unnecessary “neutralizing” lines can feel offensive to certain viewers, as a gay guy, like me. I see these kinds of lines in almost every series, and it’s overused. Why is it so hard to simply admit that a guy likes another guy? The same goes for women, it’s frustrating when shows imply that being a girl is somehow “convenient” or necessary for a love story

Actually, the author has some short stories (if I recall correctly, about the winter season) while Koichi was still alive. But my computer files are a mess right now, I have no idea where I sorted them 😭

Thanks for sharing your perspective. I can see where you’re coming from and why that line might feel reassuring or contextual in the scene.

But at the same time, in the novel, Watarai’s realization is very clear and precise: “Maybe I didn’t need to find a girlfriend like Hioki because right here, was the person I’d been looking for”

He imagined a “girlfriend version” of Hioki for a moment but immediately understands he didn’t need a hypothetical or safer version, bc what he wants is the real Hioki as he also realized that “I really do like the real, unadorned Hioki”

For me, the adaptation’s added line shifts that emotional logic a bit. It turns a more specific queer moment into a generalized statement, which is why it felt like a shortcut for me compared to the novel. I get that in-universe it could be read as reassurance, but the novel frames the attraction as unambiguous and precise, and that’s what made the moment so meaningful to me

Someone finally gets my point, and to be honest, that line wasn’t originally part of the novel. In the novel, Watarai immediately realized: “Maybe I didn’t need to find a girlfriend like Hioki. Because right here was the person I’d been looking for” and later in the novel: “I realized… I really do like the real, unadorned Hioki”

His attraction is specifically to Hioki as he is, not a gender-neutral version of Hioki

While the whole audience is asking for one Watarai...

me, just asking for one Hioki