This review may contain spoilers
A sweet tale about mature men finding happiness. It's a quiet and calm story with no big upheavals and little drama. Sure, there are a few hiccups there, on their way to happiness, but it's more of a "let me think about it first" rather than "oh no, whatever we'll do, the world is against us!" thing. It was actually quite interesting that Nozue was more worried about what would people think of him eating sweets and taking photos and being openly happy rather than stoic and whatnot than he was about what everyone might think of him dating a man. I wonder if that was intentional?
Seeing Takeda Kouhei play Nozue was kinda a whiplash thing for me because the only big part I've seen him in so far was in Kamen Rider Build where he played Grease who went back and forth between a stoic soldier and a fanboy, there was no in-between. And Nozue was neither so it was intriguing to see this side of him as an actor.
Also, I really loved that Takeda Kouhei decided to try out this genre after seeing that his Kamen Rider Build friends - Akaso Eiji & Inukai Atsuhiro - both played in BL dramas already. Nice.
Overall, an understated slice-of-life story. Recommended to those who are fed up with big roller coaster dramas.
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JUST GO FOR IT-U WILL LOVE THIS
I wonder y this kind of best dramas always rated low , and hyped low. This one surprised me hugely with just 5 episodes and 20 minute long .(I must say i was disappointed with a 14 episode 45 min long most hyped bl drama in the meanwhile)I cant describe this drama just with a word cute.It has everything -the lovable tension bw leads,jelousy,caring, life lesson,cute moments,bestest conffession ...everything
only miss is a kiss in the end.But thats fine for me.Thanks for the comment section which made me found this gem.
I want to take the life lesson from this drama that 'Try something new everyday'
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Beautiful, anti-aging, appreciating the small things in life.
Old Fashion Cupcake follows Togawa and Nozue, Togawa being 29 and Nozue being 39 years old. They're coworkers, but Nozue has always been a huge inspiration for Togawa. He has followed his boss's advice and is close to him. To return this favor, Togawa makes Nozue enjoy his life more. Nozue mentions that girls have more fun, and so the two do girly things like having girls talk, going to cafes, and eating sweets. They become closer and closer, the two can feel the tension as their relationship becomes more than boss and employee.This drama is a great new addition to BL dramas. It is rather short, which is a little disappointing to me. The five episodes make it more like a movie, which is fine but I would have liked a bit more time to flesh out the characters and the relationship. The music is good and the acting skills are strong. The setting, while being explored in other BLs like Cherry Magic and Life: Love on the Line, is still unique. Older people deserve fulfilling love lives too. I love how Nozue feels like a shy person even though he is portrayed as 10 years older than his lover. They have great chemistry. I would recommend this BL to BL fans in general, as well as anyone who likes silly slice of life movies.
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Try for a fresh experience!
I opened an account just to write the review for this piece of art! Old Fashion Cupcake is a clear distinction from the other Japanese drama works in the BL/Yaoi genre. As someone who has read the manga innumerable times, and loved it every time, no less, this is the first time I'm finding the live action actually better than the manga. Mostly adapted dramas are either a far throw from the manga and good, or they're just bad (this observation is as per my experience only!) . This one here has exact lines from the manga (in some places) resulting in an enjoyable, thoroughly flirtatious dialogue throughout the series. The best part of the drama for me, was the settings and the aesthetic involved. Other than the obvious attraction of getting to see the ultimate kawaii dessert parlors that the protagonists visit, the coloring, props, even the side cast are all on point. Muted colors give off a comfortable, relaxed vibe that the show carries consistently, the character's homes, the office all appear natural and lived-in. That's a plus point for me as mostly dramas involve clean, tidy living spaces that seem very unnatural. But that was not the case with this one! The actors deserve kudos for being able to play their characters with the essential feels involved, not at any point did I feel any discrepancies with what I've understood about the protagonists from the manga, in the drama portrayal. The drama on the whole feels surreal, yet extremely simple and warm.Was this review helpful to you?
Old fashion? No, a classic
a beautiful (but short) series tackling the process of adulting and reigniting the flames of passion for life, work and love.The story is a typical office romance for BL: one of them is in love and the other is oblivious to the advances until the breaking point and then they get back together after a tearful confession (looking at you cherry magic ;) ). A classic trope which can be seen as overdone or cliché but OFC was anything but that due to the unusual conflict/drive of the story: how to deal with having a midlife crisis?
The maincharacters were charming and compelling and the chemistry between the two leads was amazing!
I also liked the interactions between the ensemble cast. The script was also amazing, the confession reeally tugged on my heartstrings and Nozue/Togawa's expressions were both so beautiful.
My favourite quote is: "You must use your regret as fuel to burn for the motivation in the future"
(i paraphrased that)
I can't believe this series only had 5 episodes? They deserved more!!! I do think that some of the editing/cutting was at times a bit weird and confusing when switching between the past and the present but overall the series was of high production.
The cinematography was just *cheffs kiss*. They chose a lot of pretty lighting whether it's from the sunlight hitting the characters in the face, or the streetlights, so beautiful.
This series is a must watch!
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A love story that are just as sweet as newly cooked pancakes despite their age and gender
This is a short yet amusing ride of witnessing mature men engrossed in deep romance. The establishment of the protagonists’ life accomplishments, in the beginning, was such sensing subject to tell. Some people are content enough with their daily life cycle between eating, sleeping, and working. Adds the idea that even when a person gets old, it is still hard for some to know what they truly wanted to achieve in life. These kinds of topics are rarely included in the BL shows nowadays, which mostly revolve around the adolescence stage. Realistically good!The story is giving me a new version of butterflies. The anti-aging activities that the main characters decided to try are the cutest. Their sweet food dates and playing pretend as teenagers along with their girls' talk are the fluffiest. Togawa works hard to accomplish his flirtatious efforts to invite his one-sided crush on an indirect date. His punchlines, jealousy over the harem lunch and mix-up, the jerk off-topic, and implying that exercising to build stamina is suitable for sex; all of these are just hilariously applaudable.
Mr. Nozue’s innocence despite him being in his late 30s is adorable. The misinterpreted no email reply due to his unfamiliarity with switching from a keypad to a smartphone was a memorable scene. At long last, maybe he decided to change his phone so that he can also document both their sweet dines by means of video recording both the food and Togawa.
The moment they finally finished testing each other’s water and began breaking the ice in a forceful way was a difficult scene to portray but both actors played the climax naturally and perfectly. I love the tension and emotion that runs throughout their facial expressions, gestures, and voice intonation. Specifically, Togawa cried so hard in this scene that he unintentionally split out the nasal liquid in his runny nose.
My only desire is that they should offer another intimate kiss at the finale, after becoming boyfriends for real. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that the whole 5 episodes successfully manage to bring a certain amount of enjoyment and value to the viewers. Along with the soothing and captivating OST. I want more and hopefully, they will give us another season because it was worth it to spend time binge-watching.
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Very Light Romance Yet Heartfelt Life Reflections
Realization slapped me so hard while watching this five-episode series. I watched this without being mentally prepared. I may not give this an emotional 100% appraisal for their romance since I was too focused by their situation as a near 30 and 40s aged men. Living life without new challenges only begets a stale life. Everyone wants a Togawa that could bring the light to life.The story focused on the two main characters. All supporting characters made their justifying roles for a 2-hour entire series. This series doesn't give any side stories which I really want for a short-length series.
A must-watch for viewers who want a share of slice of life.
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This review may contain spoilers
The great thing about this drama is that the characters are grown up...
I really like this drama. The acting was good. The scenery was nice. It is one of the best bl dramas I have ever watched.The great thing about this drama is that the characters are grown up. They definitely have this school image behind them, which is shown in most of the dramas. Most of the time, the action takes place in a very calm atmosphere. Later we get Togawa's confession, which broke my heart by the way. The fifth episode has the most action compared to the previous episodes. I really liked that declaration of love in the last episode. It was perfect for me.
There are two things about this drama that I don't consider to be a disadvantage, but "Old Fashion Cupcake" would even be better if they were different.
The first is that the characters actually don't have any background. This drama is just about those few days that change their lives. There is only a minimal amount of flashback to the first day they met, and it is related to Togawa's feelings. I understand this is because the drama only has 5 episodes of about 25 minutes each - which is the second thing that could be different. It would be great if the drama had more episodes. The creators could then expand the character's background.
However, I did enjoy watching this drama.
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BL office story with really relatable life lessons, wish it was longer!
I really enjoyed the story of the show: it is a standard BL office romance but it somewhat manages to touch on deeper topics which I found vey relatable. There are discussions around age gap, anti-ageism, work relationship, routine and fear of trying news things as you get older. I was quite moved by all of it.I still wish that the show would have been longer and that there would have been more romantic scenes and overall sexual tension between the two main male leads. They were cute together but I felt it was a bit lacking to me in terms of passion...In addition to the fact that Japanese BL are in general more subdue, I'm wondering if it not also linked to the fact that the writing focused more in providing some interesting life lessons rather than giving opportunities for sizzling and hot chemistry between the two main characters.
I would recommend this show to people looking for a sweet office BL romance. It is super short, so it is really worth trying it.
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A mature story about two men falling in love? Yes, please!
At first, I thought this was going to be a rather protracted story, with more bromance than romance. I don’t know what made me think that maybe TikTok or the series description I read online, but OH LORD I was so wrong! A stunning cast, mature storytelling, and the best part is, that you never get bored.Nozue and Togawa complete each other so perfectly, as Nozue is afraid of not living a fulfilling life but is also afraid of trying out something new, while Togawa wants Nozue to accomplish all that and helps him to do so.
I was concerned Nozue would be portrayed kinda goofy and rather immature but no, he is exactly what you would think a 39-year-old guy would act like. Amazing. The pacing was just right in my opinion, the slow yet constant development of their relationship made me feel invested and curious about what was going to happen next.
It's so amazing to see Japan improving their BL-Series, hopefully, we will get to see more of this kind of storytelling soon!
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So good for a quick and cute watch
It’s just so cute really! It’s a quick watch and their relationship is adorable! I almost gave it 9 stars bc i thought it wasn’t long enough i want more of them?? but i really love it so much and it’s not too mature other than a couple of convos! Other than that it’s pretty wholesome and enjoyable! 4 stars on the soundtrack bc i don’t remember any song besides like theme music and bgm but that could be bc of my attention on them ? anyways i really really love it and think if you like cute shows :)Was this review helpful to you?
CUTE BL ABOUT TWO GROWN ADULTS
i think this drama was nice. although short, it was very sweet. i loved the fact that they were both older men which i honestly don't see much bl's about older men so this was refreshing to see. the interactions between the two and the whole entire storyline was cute and interesting. it is a bit plain but even so i still ATE it up lmao.If anyone has any recommendations with bl's with older men pls comment on this !!
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