Kate

They said: we want to lean into seme and uke and we will find a way to make it make sense even though we are in the holy year of 2026. And they did. If it was not for that “writing BLs” set up, I would most likely roll my eyes about the cliche dynamic a lot. With it, I just accepted it’s part of the storytelling and what connected Suzuki and Serizawa.

I honestly adored Serizawa. He was such a fun character to watch. Sure, he had this confident aura about him, but I also liked the vulnerability he showed with how cautiously he approached Suzuki. Straightforward enough, but a huge dose of patience.

Suzuki Hajime kept saying to himself not to overthink, but here I was sitting and saying: you don’t even think, don’t even dream of overthinking. Honestly, I am surprised how much his cluelessness actually worked. Usually it’s just beyond frustrating if it’s pushed to almost the end of the drama, but here, maybe thanks to Koizumi Kosaku’s performance, it kind of fitted.

Suzuki was testing Serizawa’s patience, and Serizawa was testing Suzuki’s denial skills. They both are pros in their respective fields.

Loved the whole friend group, found all their side barely existing love lines completely unnecessary. Loved the overall theme of accepting yourself for who you are and being brave at pursuing what you enjoy.

The performances were good too, for sure preferred Shisaka Ryoto - he slayed that restrained worry and jealousy. Koizumi Kosaku achieved a miracle by making his character adorable and not annoying - that’s the usual response my brain gives when I watch characters like the one he was playing.

I don’t have much to say about the production and directing. I wish the kissing scenes were better, and I know that’s the lamest thing to complain about. But with how confident and later teasing they made Serizawa, he just did not deliver when it counted… :)

Overall, extremely sweet, really fun, no stress, just chill and butterflies.