S. Yue Michaelis

Kazunari Hira (Riku Hagiwara) is in the 3rd grade of high school. He suffers from a stuttering problem and he doesn't have any friends. Without any dreams, his only hobby is to take pictures of daily life around him. On the first day the new semester, he finds himself in an uncomfortable situation. His classmate So Kiyoi (Yusei Yagi) happens to save him from the situation. This causes Kazunari Hira to fall in love with So Kiyoi. His classmate is popular and he purses a dream that nobody knows about. By chance, Kazunari Hira learns about So Kiyoi’s dream. This becomes a secret between the two of them. (asianwiki-2021)


I am happily surprised by this drama because I loved it and may be my favorite Jdrama of 2021. I wasn't planning on watching it, except it got quietly popular and reading some comments I became interested.

This kind of BL is right up to my taste since it is the kind of plot I do love to read in books. More specifically, this drama reminded me a lot of the Straight series, a MM romance series where almost always the leads are so f**ked up and may need therapy but you can't help but root for them because of their intense chemistry and lusty romance. They are flawed characters and I love it; I realized this year that I do like my leads to be imperfect, but still perfect for each other.

Is their relationship toxic? Depends of every person but to me it wasn't. It is not like their dynamic made them unhappy; they do have a miscommunication (they are teenagers after all) but once they lay out all their feelings *coughkiyoionhiracough* they are on the same page. And about the "kimoi" thing... I love it. I love when in my MM romance books the term of endearment is "jackass", "asshole", etc precisely because it is said with love and endearment, not as a way of abuse.  I certainly cringe when the term of endearment is "baby", "honey", etc **cringe** Again, it depends on anyone's taste.

Some people were offended by the gun imagination thing... it made me laugh when I watched it 😅 who doesn't have a violent imagination once in a while? As long as it doesn't get real it's fine, no need to be so prude.

The acting was excellent, both were amazing and had a nice chemistry. So nice I didn't have any 2nd hand embarrassment with scenes like the finger sucking... it was actually pretty hot and kinda sweet. The only time I had 2nd hand embarrassment was at the shower scene in the school yard...it was too long 😅 Even if it were a straight couple I would have felt the same.

I also like the OST, both OP song & ED song.

My only complain? Too short, but on the other hand the drama was mostly about them and very little about others. Just like the Straight book series 😅

Akaza Yukiko attends a high school for blind. She has amblyopia, which causes her to recognize colors only vaguely and she can recognize large letters with a magnifying glass. When she walks outdoors, she always carries a white cane. Nevertheless, she has a bright personality. One day, Yukiko happens to meet delinquent boy Kurokawa Morio. At first, Yukiko doesn’t like him, but she somehow gains an understanding of him. They become attracted to each other. (AsianWiki-2021)


This was so cute and one of my favorite Jdrama of this year. So much, I am currenty rewatching it.

Not only cute, but informative as well. I love watching romances with MC with a disability, because I always learn something new. And it is nice to see how people around this MC, like the love interest and new friends, learn as well. Yukiko is so brave, with a bright personality and always trying her best. Being played by Sugisaki Hana no doubt helped to love her. The episode where she was new at her part-time job.... so strong! If I were her I would have given up and cried till sleep. But being Yukiko-san, she was motivated and made people around her be more emphatic. The two times I watched this episode (ep04) I got all teary-eyed, it was truly an inspiring episode.

Sugino Yosuke was a sweetheart as Morio, truly a wholesome character. I love how he reacted when a friend (better said, TWO friends) confessed their feelings for him. Or how he looked up for Yukiko or how inspired he was by her.

Every one in this drama was a nice person and when there was a not-so-nice one, there was always a nice character development that didn't take much to happen, such as the sister's or Hachiko's. I wish it could have been like this til the end, but unfortunately, ep8 and ep9 were kinda MEH because of Hiyama and it ruined the pace a little bit. The ending of ep09 was specially eye-rolling because it was so cliche (in the bad sense) but luckily the final episode was good and maintained the lighthearted tone of the show, with sprinkles of sweetness.

I also love to see (and listen to) the manager of the BBurguer, played by Furukawa Yuuta XD what a great boss! He was right when he hired Yukiko to give a fresh air in their work environment... Yukiko's determination taught the other co-workers and made them changed their mind about prejudices.

Regarding the other couples... I don't understand the development between Shicho and Izumi, are they going to stay close friends forever? As in, Izumi knows he is never going to love her like a woman but they will have a close relationship like a couple would except with no benefits. So Izumi is forever stuck with a guy who is gay but as long as she loves him, they will be together? I didn't understand that part :S As for Hachiko and the friend.... cute couple but getting married??? oh well.

Overall, cute, uplifiting with no big dramas. Anyone who watch this will have zero concerns.

"Hayashi Miyoshi is one quirky high school student who enjoys doing fun things that don’t always quite make sense. Despite being hard to pin down, his mysterious charm never fails to draw others to him.
In order to finance his activities, he sometimes helps out at his parents’ restaurant, allowing him to continue living by his motto, "It’s comfortable to have enough free time to waste. (MDL-2021)"


A cute and quirky show; it is a bit hard to describe it since describing it will sound very random; however, it was well executed and very loyal to the manga. When I first saw the poster, it seemed fun so I checked the manga. I think in this case it is better to read the manga before the show to maybe understand things a little better? For example, Hayashi will seemed too robotic just watching him in the drama, but he is just a weird boy XD The actor was ok, but I think he was the least "good" one in the whole drama. He isn't exactly a newbie (being a Johnny) but I can't say if it was him or just because Hayashi is more difficult to portray since he doesn't show much in his expressions.

Needless to say, I loved Nikaido and Medaka's story. Bando Ryota as Medaka was so good! A natural and very charming. Takahashi Fumiya as Nikaido was good too, he talks like he used to wear braces, isn't that cute? And he looks like a Nikaido too, I love how the lighting changed according to his personalities (dark or the "real" Nikaido).

Besides them two, I liked the 2 girls so much as well, Fukumoto Riko as Matsuya is a sweetheart and Kawai Yuumi as Arakawa is very charming, no overacting at all and super cute both of them. I loved the bromance and the sismance and the friendship overall in this drama. I hope all these 4 have a bright future because I fell for them 4, not only their acting and looks but I loved their stories. It was my first time watching them (except for Fukumoto Riko).

If I have to say a complain it will be that it is too short! 5 episodes of 24 minutes each... movies are longer than this! The characters were well developed, but the ending seemed incomplete and open to interpretations. Which is of course something normal in Jdrama/Jmovies, but there wasn't any closure. Barely an opening :( Unless there is a movie in the future??

Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan is a Live-Action adaptation based on the manga of the same name set to premiere on December 28. The lead, Rohan Kishibe will be interpreted by Issei Takahashi. (jojo.fandom-2020)


Takahashi Issei is such a good actor. It is like I forget sometimes till I see him again, shining on screen. His voice, his eyes, the intensity in his acting... He doesn't even look ridiculous nor out of place with that headband in the series.

I do not know the manga/anime character at all nor I am too familiar with Jojo (I've only watched 3?4? episodes of the anime), but from the little I've gotten to know the character in this live action, he is very cool with a sharp mind and a special talent. He is a bit egocentric, a bit grumpy, but he is smart and quick. There are 3 cases, one per episode, all of them supernatural. I confess I decide to watch this after I knew Moriyama Mirai was in one episode... he acts like a crazy guy here (I wish he had a "normal" character for once! Like a samurai in a Edo period... ergo, like "Mi wo Tsukushi Ryouricho".. Yes, I am still sad/mad the SP isn't subbed yet, nor even the raw anywhere! grrr).

All 3 cases were interesting and engaging. I liked them all; I didn't even care Iitoyo Marie's character (the typical cute, naive, silly with a nice heart girl-type). I found her good in other series but in this one, she was by far the worst :S I guess her part doesn't give much space for improvement...

There is a mini-reunion from Nagi no Otoma, Issei + Nakamura Tomoya. I guess Tomoya's role was only relevant because of the final episode, but besides that, he doesn't contribute much.

Three episodes only was too short; it needed to be longer tbh. It is like watching Ep2-3-4 from a 10episode drama, there is no beginning nor a proper end. Perhaps they will make a Season (?) 2, but I doubt it....

While still a virgin at 30, Adachi Kiyoshi gains a magical power – the ability to read other people's minds by touching them. At first, he’s overwhelmed by his new ability, and it’s not proving to be helpful to him.

But that all changes when he accidentally touches Kurosawa Yuichi, whom he learns has romantic feelings for him. (MDL-2020)


I loved it, love it and will love it. My 2nd favorite drama of the year (after WataNagi). Pure, funny, cute, romantic, what is not to love?? My standard for romance in general is ruined. I am not even talking about Gay Romance... I mean Romance in general.

I watched each episode at least thrice (actually, only ep11... all the others I watched them at least a dozen of times). Sure it is short and it made me want for more, specially since I started in Week 2 and to wait for the next episode was a torture (didn't help that each episode ended in a cliffhanger! a genius move from the director/staff).

When I've read there was going to be a drama, it made me curious since I knew Machida Keita and I've only seen him in delinquent-type roles. And the cover looked so awkward! Perfect for a romance. At first I thought Akaso Eiji was too good-looking to play Adachi, but he did it so well and convincing (his innocence, his clumsiness, his "mousiness", making himself look small and cute) I was sold by the end of ep1.

Keita was perfect as Kurosawa, but it took me till ep02 to noticed it, unlike with Eiji. The pinning in his eyes was sooo good! He made me fall for him, so much I watched other dramas of him (and of Eiji, while waiting for the next episode); Keita is a real charmer and very good looking too. And the chemistry between him and Eiji **chef's kiss**. I could see him (Keita the actor) being a a real tease to Eiji behind the scenes.

In spite of watching all episodes several times, each time I watch it, I giggle like the first time. It is so funny and cute! Of course there are moments of 2nd hand embarrassment as well... like in ep03 in the rooftop... Adachi's face while Kurosawa was grabbing his neck **covers eyes** OMG I still cannot watch that part with a straight face. Or Kurosawa's thoughts of their first date *blushing** I didn't care about all the cliches, they were all done so cutely and sincerely I love each one of them.

The secondary characters were all charming and loveable; most of all, Fujisaki (Sato Ryo) and Rokkaku (Kusakawa Takuya). Real golden-hearted! And totally opposite one from the other. I also liked Tsuge (Akasa Kodai); a true friend and also very funny. Too bad most watched didn't like him; but I see that the haters are all J-dramas non-watchers so it can be also because of ignorance only. His acting is very Japanese-like and also one of the charms of Jdrama.

The OST! The angel-choir **chef's kiss** so funny... it made each imagination even funnier. The OP song is lovely and suits the drama perfectly. The ED song is nice as well, but I liked the OP more. I skipped the ED sequence several times tbh.

Only 2 things I was not a fan of: 1) of the actor who played Minato. His make-up and wig... and he looks like a teenager, and the reason why many hated poor Tsuge. Not his fault that Minato looked like a kid! There was only a 6-year-age difference between them in real life, but most complains were about Tsuge being a creep because he liked a "kid"... a "kid" of 22 years old **facepalm. And 2) while I am happy that this beautiful drama got recognition internationally, it was also a confirmation that it is better if Jdrama get their recognition locally only. Jfans -and yours truly- were super happy and satisfied with the ending. It suited the tone of the story: pure and all fade to black. I didn't need to see skinship and naked bodies to be convinced that both of them were on love; their actions, words, and eyes speak for themselves. But intl fans complained rudely about this, sending hate messages to the director, the mangaka, etc; even pointing fingers at Keita that his company didn't allow kisses between them; or that the actors themselves decided this. Really?? And that the show is "homophobic"... really?? Toxic mentality.

Now that is done, I am in a drama slump. I keep re-watching the episodes and reading reviews.. I missed them so much! And not even a week from the ending :(

To solve contemporary social problems involving NEET (unemployed young adults), low birth rate, aging population, and other issues, the NEET protection program is created. The NEET protection program pairs a single working person and a single NEET person to marry. Himari Sawamoto (Rinka Kumada) and Shin Akiyasu (Toshiki Seto) are selected to take part in the experimental program.

Himari Sawamoto is a 21-year-old NEET. After she graduated from middle school, she devoted herself solely to taking care of her grandparents who raised her. Her grandparents have now passed away. She doesn't have other family members and she does not have any dating experience. Besides her old cat Momotaro, she is alone.

Meanwhile, Shin Akiyasu is 28-years-old. He is an elite public officer for the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. He has dating experience, but he has zero desire to marry. He accepts to take part in the experimental program, because he wants to become successful at his job. Due to the NEET protection program, Himari Sawamoto and Shin Akiyasu marry and begin their marriage life without having romantic feelings. (asiawiki-2020)


What I liked the most about this drama is that it is short and to the point. 25minutes long is sometimes all it takes to tell a good story without prolong it unnecessarily. There are no fillers and it is mostly about the character and romance development between both MC. Yes, there are some issues they encounter (his parents, his ex-gf, her school suitor, etc) but they all take one episode to resolve. So yes, the pace is good.

Cast was nice, my first time watching both of them. The girl (Rinka Kumada) has a very sweet smile. There was a nice chemistry between them.

Overall, nice drama, easy to watch, sometimes it was a bit too "quiet" and maybe a bit forgettable. It is like a shoujo but not cringy, thank God. There is nothing "anime"-ish about the acting, so I wonder if webtoons are more tamed than manga? And I also can see the good side of marriage of convenience between a NEET and a working man, especially if the working man is as nice as the lead was here. Just someone who wants to protect the NEET girl, who thankfully wasn't a weirdo.

Mitsutaka Oji (Hidekazu Mashima) is 43-years-old and works as a sales department manager. He is divorced and lives alone. His colleagues respect him at work, but he has a secret. His secret is that he likes cute things, including dolls of the Pug Taro character. (asianwiki-2020)


I am very happy to see Imai Tsubasa doing well! He looks amazing, and I am happy that this drama did it so well.

It is a very lovely and funny drama; my 2nd favorite of this season. The trailer may look a bit silly but fun: a middle-aged man loving kawaii things secretly. A tsundere loving cats secretly. A boy loving shoujo manga secretly.

While it is cute and funny to see grown-up men loving characters so much, it is also showing us our secret desires that we feel we must hide because of our age. Other people may look at an adult otaku like he/she is a freak, only for the fact that he/she likes anime and manga. I have the same issue, not because I like to have a keychain of Sebastian Michaelis it means I am weird! But people like to judge, and because we do not want to be ridicule or whatever, it is easier to hide it. But it also can make us a bit miserable, having to pretend we are someone else. Ahhh if we can only show proudly what we like without having other people judging you!


This is what the drama is about, and also, while hiding who you are, you will feel lonely eventually. Oji-san (haha, ojisan) is very reserved because of that.. we may listen to his thoughts when he is happy but since he doesn't show much, sensitive people like Kenta may feel like their feelings are not conveyed. Oji-san is super happy to have a new friend that understands him and share the same feelings as him, but if he doesn't say it out loud, Kenta wouldn't know. It takes him some time to properly say his feelings XD


Their friendship is so cute (remember, it is a FIRST for them) so it may look like a BL: the overthinking, over-analyzing, both of them thinking about each other, being happy just being together; the little gifts, some awkward encounters and the final "I like you" XD But it is really just about a treasured friendship between two older guys who, finally, are not afraid to show their "feminine" side XD


There are many merchandising about Pug Taro / Pagtaro thoughout the drama... it is so cute I also want a plushie! Both Oji-san and Kenta visit a big store, full of kawaii things, called Hakuhinkan. I've read it has like 5 floors of toys and plushies, and I want to go there sometime! I visited Kiddyland, which was cute of course, but it can also be a bit overwhelming.

"Set in Qin Dynasty during the warring states period in ancient China. Shin (Kento Yamazaki) was a war orphan. He has a dream of becoming a great general Shin has a fateful encounter with young King Eisei (Ryo Yoshizawa). King Eisei aims to unify all of China. (asiawiki-2019)"

I was delightfully impressed with this movie, from the plot to the fighting scenes. It may be like 2 hours long, but time flew by, there wasn't any boring scene, it has plenty of action scenes and it was fast paced. I've seen Yoshizawa Ryo in just one drama and I wasn't impressed, but he was the star in this movie (sorry Kento). He wasn't as dead-panned as I remember, or maybe his character just suited him. Yamazaki Kento was good as well, he still needs to get better but I have a soft spot for him. And Kanna... ah well, she is pretty and that's it :) Kanata Hongo is just perfect for cowardly brat type of characters, his sneer is always excellent.

I wish Nagasawa Masami had a bigger role... this movie made me realize she is great for badass-warrior-like roles (but she is also great for silly roles like Dako-chan... she just doesn't suit the cute, romantic, pathetic role).

As someone who has not read the manga nor the plot of the movie, I loved it. I will even re-watch it maybe this weekend. If the budget for the sequel is the same as for this one, I will definitely watch it, since the CGI was excellent, as well as the script and the action scenes.

Shiro Kakei (Hidetoshi Nishijima) is an attorney and he works for a small law firm. He lives with his lover Kenji Yabuki (Seiyo Uchino) who is a hairdresser. The two men are gay.

Shiro Kakei's regular routine is that after work he buys groceries at a mart which has discounted prices. He has a monthly budget of 25,000 yen ($225) for food that he does not go over. Afterwards, he goes home and makes dinner which usually includes rice, soup and three side dishes. When dinner is about ready, Kenji Yabuki comes home from work. While they eat, the two men talk about pretty much everything. Their time during dinner is a precious time for them.

One day, when Shiro Kakei and Kenji Yabuki are out in public, Kenji Yabuki's customer comes up to them and asks "Is he your boyfriend who is a lawyer?" Shiro Kakei is embarrassed. He did not tell people at his law firm that he is gay, unlike Kenji Yabuki who is open about his sexual orientation. Shiro Kakei feels uncomfortable. (asiawiki-2019)


I liked this more than I thought I would, and that's a lot since I had very high expectations for this drama before it started. It is a very simple and heartwarming drama that is far more enjoyable in live action than in manga (for me at least). I do enjoy gourmet manga, but I think watching the food ao vivo is much better than watching it on paper.

As for the story, it doesn't have much drama except for Shiro-san being a closeted gay guy in his work place, while Kenji is very open about who he is. At first I liked Kenji much more than Shiro; he is carefree and loves Shiro so much, while Shiro is more uptight and doesn't show much his feelings. I though that was particulary because Nishijima Hidetoshi is more of a "tough actor" who is more used to look cool and cold, but there is a big character development with him and at the end, I loved him almost as much as I loved Kenji.

There were scenes that were comforting, as well as funny scenes and poignant scenes. I think my favorites were the last 4 or so, where it shows the character development, and I enjoyed all scenes between Kenji-Shiro and Kohinata-Gilbert.

For me this is far, far better than Ossan's Love, and more realistic as well. Besides, the addition of the cooking and recipes were very useful.. I am now dying to try the "mentsuyu". While it is based on a gourmet manga, the cooking takes around 2 minutes and the joy on eating around 3, and the rest is all story development.

I am so glad this was loved by the audience, and I am also very glad that Uchino Seiyo and Nishijima enjoyed working on this drama :)

The OP sequence is very, very cute, and the song was lovely.

Junko Harumi (Kyoko Fukada) was once a model student during her middle school and high school days. She failed to enter prestigious Tokyo University and her life has not gone smoothly since then. She has a hard time finding a job and having relationships with men. Now, at the age of 31, she works as a teacher at a private institute. 3 men, who vary in type, appear in front of her. Masashi Yakumo (Kento Nagayama) is smart and a cousin of Junko, Kyohei Yuri (Ryusei Yokohama) is a disorderly high school student and Kazuma Yamashita (Tomoya Nakamura) is Kyohei ’s teacher in high school. (asiawiki-2019)

It's been a long time since I've been this giddy with happiness watching a drama. A fresh (pink) air of breath XD Each episode was better than the previous one. And every time I finished an episode, I couldn't wait for the next week, so much I rewatched the last episode and couldn't think of nothing else XD

As the J-netizens said, I would like to think Yuri was the heroine of this drama. I loved how supportive was everyone of him. There isn't a single bad character here. And all 3 rivals were nice, handsome guys who wanted nothing more than Junko's happiness. Each one of the guys had their amount of support from the netizens, I am not sure who was the most popular. But since episode 1 I had my favorite, and that is because I am a huge fan of manga-Shinkumi <3 The chemistry between Yokohama Ryusei and Fukada Kyoko was AMAZING. I think she had a tiny crush on him, they were so cure together! I wouldn't say they have a 14-year-gap at all. Maybe 8 or 10 top.

Yuri-Yuri was a delight to watch; he has a lot of character development. The actor is not only super handsome but such a nice actor as well. Every time he smiled, I was happy. His tears were also so beautiful... His hands... his teeth... awwww handsome XD

I have yet to watch the final episode subbed, but just watching it raw I loved it (I covered my eyes but peeked between my fingers in the last scene). I'll write a proper review (with a proper rant over this actor I fell head over heels) when I finish the subbed last episode.

Favorite scenes, in no particular order:
- The "heroine in a dating game" (but the whole study camp made me happy)
- The "betrayed" look in front of Junko's house
- All the hugs (kyaa they were all amazing, the most romantic I've even seen)
- every time my favorite smiled
- Nishioi and Miwa were funny, but together they were hilarious

Favorite drama of the year? XD too early to tell but I loved it so much I am having drama withdrawal symptoms ^_^ And listening to the OST ("Happy birthday" by back number) isn't helping ^_^