Jero

The ratings are going up, omg. Totally deserved!

And I also want to commend the pacing of the story, just like what the OP mentioned below before my comment. It’s genuinely ideal. The romance unfolds in a way that never feels rushed, but never drags into an excessive slow burn either (and don’t get me wrong, I love slow burn but a good slow burn lol)

I just finished it, and I really didn’t expect it to be this good. As someone who has no interest in punk fashion at all, I actually felt overwhelmed at first, so I held off on watching it because I prejudged it as something that would feel overly masculine (Idk the more accurate term)

What really stood out to me was the dynamic between Chiaki and Enaga. The chemistry is overflowing, and I wish we could’ve gotten more. It also feels like Chiaki falls in love with different versions of someone: AE gives him the excitement, the initial spark, that flutter or butterflies in your stomach kind of feeling. While with Enaga, there’s warmth, safety, and emotional security that feels like home. Or maybe that’s just my personal reading, but it also feels like the story wants to explore the idea of loving every version of a someone else, not just the polished or romanticized one.

Tbh, I’m still unsure if that ending will resonate with me for a long-term, but the whole story itself is strong enough to make an impression. I just kind of felt sad about the ending, idk lol. Since AE said he won’t hide it anymore, I’m not really sure what he meant, but it feels hinting at the possibility that Enaga might disappear in the next chapter

This definitely earns a place in my Top 10/15 Japanese BLs. Director Shindo Takehiro continues an impressive streak. 3 strong works in a row (even though I’m not the biggest fan of Cosmetic Playlover). You can tell the casting choices are excellent across School Trip, Punks Triangle, and Cosmetic Playlover. This is the power of chemistry holds, because all 3 lead couples have that undeniable connection

That’s why I’m in the minority who doesn’t really wish for a Season 2 lol. After reading the novel, the ex-girlfriend basically just exists to question the boys’ relationship and be homophobic, which isn’t something I want to see more of. There are so many better ways to write supporting female characters, and we’ve already seen great examples like Fujisaki from Cherry Magic and Hashimoto from My Love Mix-Up

I really loved Season 1 bc it was funny and unhinged like the OP said below. But with Season 2, I’m still stuck at Episode 3 because something just isn’t clicking anymore. The relationship doesn’t feel genuine and instead of growing, it kind of feels stuck in the same place. I still get the humor, but I wanted to see more progress between them. At this point, Yuichiro acting the same way isn’t cute or funny anymore, it’s starting to feel repetitive and a bit icky

Honestly, Eternal Yesterday and Monster are my top two queer media ever and they’re the only ones I’ve rated perfect 10 stars so far, and School Trip, Cherry Magic, and Kiekoi complete my Top 5 😂

I checked it out because it was directed by the same director as School Trip, and I ended up watching the whole thing in one sitting

And honestly, it’s not as bad as many people make it out to be. Tho I do have some issues and reservations with the acting, especially Toma, but Okuno really carried it a lot

I think my biggest problem is with the climax and revelations. They don’t really hit that hard, and some of the big moments feel a bit weak and forced. But compared to 90% of MBS BLs, this is still way better in quality. I feel like some people being harsh on it maybe haven’t seen shows like Sepakoi, Tokyo in April, or Candy Color Paradox etc. bc those were honestly much worse and horrible

After enjoying two of Shindo Takehiro’s works, I think I’ll try watching Punks Triangle next

It’s really impressive knowing he’s still a bit new to the industry. This is the ‘natural’ acting I’ve been looking for in other Japanese actors

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.