Completed
Pinoy Ares
25 people found this review helpful
Sep 30, 2024
9 of 9 episodes seen
Completed 3
Overall 8.5
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

Sweet B*thcy Life

A testament that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach!

Its a story of two guys, both living alone and finding comfort in ach other through good food. One is an awkward cutie college student and one is a suave police officer.

What i liked about it is it's sweet and slow-paced approach to the story. Both characters hinted of having a sad backstory, but that wasnt the focus of the story and was only slightly brushed upon, instead they decided to keep it light and palatable that unfortunately if you look closer may make you feel that the show lacked depth. The intention of the show is just to show life is better experienced with someone you love!

Of course it didnt hurt that they cast two very good looking leads and the Japanese robotic (that should have been patented by now) acting worked out great in its favor. To be perfectly honest, nothing much has been happening every episode and the whole series would have been perfectly ok in maybe 6 episodes but seeing both of the actors just being cute together is enough to keep me watching the show. I also liked Isumi's friends especially Yohei, who acted more like a fairy god BL mother in the story.

HOWEVER, in what feels like a big clickbait BL thirsttrap, I initially thought that they were spoiling the story in the credits sequence which showed a lot of scenes of Isumi and Kyosuke being sweet together and holding hands in public. The truth is those sequences wasnt even shown in the actual series (the same exact sequence and a just a tad more was just shown in the last few minutes as a closing montage of their time together). There was even a time around the middle episodes when i was even questioning whetherthis was in fact just a bromance show and a one-sided unrequited love and that Amasawa only really saw Isumi as a younger brother and Isumi was only misinterpreting Amasawa's actions. Every next episode preview would tease us that something sweet will be happening in the next episode only for it to turn out into nothing the next week. It only really paid off during the last few minutes of the finale and by that time you feel like you just havent seen enough of the two as a couple together.

With that consideration aside, i still feel like it is a good enough show that would even be better binged in a day or two seating. Will i recommend the show? Yes definitely. Will I rewatch? Maybe not entirely.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Honglou Meng Finger Heart Award1 Flower Award1
57 people found this review helpful
Sep 24, 2024
9 of 9 episodes seen
Completed 27
Overall 5.5
Story 4.0
Acting/Cast 6.0
Music 5.5
Rewatch Value 6.0

A Recipe for Gastronomic JBLs

Or: How to trap a man in 9 easy episodes.

Ingredients:

For the series:
10-15 year age-gap
6-10 inch height gap
2-4 side characters with no depth or individuality
1 astonishingly small kitchen
1 knife and 1 pair of ryouribashi (cooking chopsticks)
1 serving (at least) of onigiri
1 serving (at least) of a Western dessert (preferably cake, preferably for a birthday)
2-4 instances (at least) of misunderstanding & miscommunication
1 episode of illness or indisposition
1 wet white towel, to tend to that indisposition
(Story or plot optional)

For each episode:
10 mins. of food porn, of which:
2 mins. for broth-based dishes
2 mins. for rice-based dishes
2 mins. for curry
2 min. for lingering shots of chopping
1 min. for serving
1 min. for presentation
2 min. (at most) of interaction with the side characters
1 exclamation (at least) of "oishii" or "umai"
(Plot and character development optional)

For serving:
2-4 shots of chopstick choreography per episode
3-5 near-kisses per series
1 fish-eye or camera-angle non-kiss per series (optional)
(Payoff optional)

Preparation:
1. Toss the ingredients together in a medium-sized show
2. Be careful to keep the right proportions for each episode
3. Simmer slowly to break down all chemistry and tension
4. Gently stir the camera around the top of the pans and apply suitable filters
5. Decant the bland broth into clean 25-minute containers
6. Garnish with the non-kiss
7. Serve lukewarm immediately, or tomorrow, or five years from now. It doesn’t matter.

Special Notes for Sugar Dog Life:
1. I-su-mi-kun! I-su-mi-kun!
2. Do people really check for fever by huddling their heads together?
3. Kyosuke is coded as the husband and Isumi as the wife, right? Look at the poster.
4. What on earth is a sugar dog life? Is it a Japanese idiom? Can someone enlighten me?

Note: This review also appears under Mitsuya Sensei no Keikakutekina Ezuke, but with a different set of notes.

Reader's Digest:
DO SAY: Itadakimasu.
DON’T SAY: Ittakimasu.

See Also: Mitsuya Sensei no Keikakutekina Ezuke, Bokura no Shokutaku, Kinou Nani Tabeta, Perfect Propose.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
BL Compilations
9 people found this review helpful
Aug 6, 2024
9 of 9 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 8.5

cooking and cuteness (please give fans an international release)

Overall: I was hooked right away on the characters and their dynamic. 10 episodes about 25 minutes each. No official international release.

Content Warning: kind of non con pulling, spying, attempted violence

What I Liked
- clear premise
- their dynamic
- sweet moments
- the food/cooking
- interesting characters
- *supportive friends

Room For Improvement
- wish what happened the end of 8 had happened an episode or 2 earlier so we could have seen a character's conversation with his dad on screen instead of off screen and also instead of a montage at the end we should have seen those scenes play out
- not clear about how much time passed in episode 9 but I was frustrated with 1 character's indecision for what felt like a longer amount of time
- *the friend overstepped boundaries and took up too much screentime, it wasn't funny that they were basically stalking their friend
- repeated misleading cliffhanger endings
- sick from the rain trope
- the final press kiss, I was fine with the earlier one but the last one seemed a tad too chaste given their relationship at that point
- (neutral) a love rival but thankfully handled it well
- unfortunately there was no international release (didn't take off points)

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
ariel alba
11 people found this review helpful
Aug 14, 2024
9 of 9 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 9.5
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 10
Music 9.5
Rewatch Value 9.0
Short stature and a childish face play tricks on Sakuraba Isumi, when one night the university student, mistaken for a teenager, is stopped on the street by Amasawa Kyosuke, a police officer, while returning home late, with a few too many drinks, after attending a party with his friends.
However, the cooking-loving boy manages to convince the tall, sincere uniformed man with a natural and calm charm about his true identity after showing him his personal identification.
To his surprise, the next day he meets up again with the police officer, who works at a small police station, near the convenience store where he works part-time, in search of late-night snacks.
Becoming a regular customer at Isumi's workplace, both young people can see each other daily.
From then on, whenever they meet, Amasawa asks him for recommendations on what would be most appropriate to eat, and Isumi, concerned about Amasawa's eating habits, offers, "How about I come and cook for you?" Visiting Amasawa's house, they grow closer through home-cooked meals.
After the chance meeting, Isumi can't help but fall in love with the charming police officer, while struggling with the complexities of first love. Will the kind policeman feel the same way about him?
As the two deal with their feelings and the challenges of adulthood, the story touches on themes of acceptance, self-discovery, family, friendship, culinary art.
'Sugar Dog Life', the live-action adaptation of the manga of the same name with its Japanese title シュガードッグライフ, Hepburn: Shugā Doggu Raifu, by Yoriko, and serialized in the monthly yaoi manga magazine Gateau in 2019, is faithful to the original, by drawing various tropes, such as soul mates, a romance with a difference in age and height, with characters with great disparity in their personalities and distinctive characteristics, with the striking black hair and blonde hair that adorn the head of the protagonists, and the Grumpy Guy x Tall Kind Ball of Sunshine type dynamic.
Directed by directors Honda Ryuichi ('Pussycat Daisakusen'), Ouchi Takahiro ('Mimicry Freaks') and Kozue Sasaki, the Japanese series seeks to tell an addictive and friendly story with ordinary characters, while offering a rich palette of emotions capable of attracting viewers, and to do so it relies on a good script, notable performances and shots full of color and life to express a shy and honest love.
Although it is the story of a romance, there are no sex scenes in 'Sugar Dog Life'. It is, in that sense, a "discreet" series, which suggests more than what it shows.
Along with the visual and performance spectacle, the music composed by Erina Koyama stands out. Its opening theme "Sweets", performed by Super Dragon, and ending theme, "Futari Yōbi", by YaYuYo, make the framework of the story even more attractive.
The script, by Motoko Takahashi, Ayumi Shimo, Shiori Ueno and Fumino Kimoto, brings us the original manga in cinematographic language, to tell us a fun love story between a boy university student and a police officer five or six years older, starring Tawada Hideya and Tanaka Koki, who play Amasawa Kyosuke and Sakuraba Isumi, respectively.
Hideya Tawada, from Bungō Stray Dogs, is known to BL lovers for giving life to Kōhei Sugihara, the protagonist of 'Silhouette of Your' ('Hidamari ga Kikoeru' (ひだまりが聴こえる), director Kamijo Daisuke's debut film, filmed in 2017.
His character has an honest, slow but lively dialogue. This ductile and consistent actor manages to correctly reflect the calm and naturally flirtatious personality of the police officer. This role constitutes one of his best works to date and has served to demonstrate that he moves with the same ease through the comic genre as the dramatic one.
For his part, Kōki Tanaka, a member of the vocal and dance unit Super Dragon, who had a supporting role in the LGBT+-themed series 'One Room Angel', from 2023, manages to overcome the challenge thanks to his fantastic performance of a young orphan with culinary skills, a tsundere personality and vibes of a slightly "cunning", "naughty" and "pure-hearted" boy. The actor gives vitality to his character straight out of a manga.
Isumi, who has a kind and youthful image, harbors sensitivity and a desire to help others.
The chemistry between him and Hideya Tawada on screen gives rise to some intense scenes in which we sense the sincere love relationship that arose from a misunderstanding.
In the supporting cast, Souta Uemura stands out as Yōhei, Isumi's best friend, and Raiku as Shōji, another friend and fellow student. Their roles are important in the story by allowing a different side of Isumi to be shown compared to when she is with Amasawa.
On the other hand, while Isumi shows his pain at thinking that Amasawa only sees him as a friend, Yōhei feels alone and abandoned by Isumi, who before his eyes is building a world in which he has no place. However, their friendship is constantly strengthened.
The sensitivity with which 'Sugar Dog Life' is told is evident in the most moving scenes, capable of showing with great honesty and with complete naturalness the relationship between the two protagonists and its evolution throughout the time they shared.
Although its plot does not have any major dramatic twists, the series seeks to explore the emotional connection between two young men, and carries out a gentle development of their romantic relationship, offering a unique perspective on love and romance.
YA

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Jojo
4 people found this review helpful
Oct 3, 2024
9 of 9 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 7.5
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.5

Was hoping for a full course feast, was only served starters!

Sugar Dog Life feels like a comforting bowl of porridge - light, stress-free and easy to digest. However, like porridge, it lacks depth and excitement, leaving you wanting something more flavorful. The story was enjoyable but it only skimmed through the surface without exploring the characters.

To me, this felt more like a one-sided love story. While Isumi clearly carries romantic feelings for Amasawa, we don't get Amasawa's POV till the very end. It felt like he treated Isumi as a friend rather than a lover or a partner. Their interactions felt very platonic. I am all here for a good slow burn but feelings should simmer on both the sides. It was frustrating at times.

I wanted a full-course meal to know more about the characters and their intentions but instead, I was served starters which left me craving for more. Both Isumi and Amasawa's characters hinted at complex flavours with fragmented glimpses of their backstories but ultimately couldn't make it to the table.

Despite this, it skips all the heavy drama to keep the narrative light and feel-good. The lead actor's performances are what carried the drama. It felt very authentic. Isumi's friends as supporting characters were such a delight. I enjoyed their warm camaraderie.

Overall, the pacing was a bit uneven here and there, and the romance felt undercooked, but I would still recommend this if you are looking for something simple and full of gentle moments and of course food.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
J-atty
2 people found this review helpful
Sep 30, 2024
9 of 9 episodes seen
Completed 2
Overall 7.0
Story 7.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 5.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

LIFE

If you are looking for a feel good story with no drama this is it. It's simple and formulative. It doesn't surprise in any way and yes, the cook gets his man. Still it left me smiling, and anxiously waiting each week for approx 30 min of cuteness. Isumi and Amasawa delivered every week. Truth be told, it shouldn't take 9 episodes for this series, but I'm glad it did. At a relaxed pace, it showed the internal struggles of one sided love and the courage it took.

College student meets older policeman and ends up cooking for him. Along the journey, Isumi falls in love with Amasawa. Amasawa, not thinking beyond their friendship, doesn't realize until the confession. That's it. Yet, Isumi and Amasawa are a pleasure to watch as they match so well. Think Mitsuya's Planned Feeding with a younger cast. At least, Isumi got his kiss. The main actors are easy to believe in their roles which was a huge plus. No exaggerated interactions beside the usual misunderstandings but they always thought of each other's happiness.

I will miss them as it doesn't take much to fall in love over good food with a smile.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Eliot_Rulez
3 people found this review helpful
Sep 29, 2024
9 of 9 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 9.5
Music 9.0
Rewatch Value 9.5
This review may contain spoilers

Very sweet & cute, lacks some substance but still a good show

The story is nothing new, but executed well. Only the finale is a bit disappointing. We could have had two episodes and could have seen Amasawa growth and reflection of what happend, not the typical "but we are two guys" 🤮 stuff, But that's expected from a manga done by a woman for women. The (male) directors/screenwriters did change the end of the manga which now is more sensible and makes more sense, but not really got into the struggles for Amasawa in depth. We also don't know what happend betweens Isumi and his dad, except what he told him (Amasawa). The only thing which does not matter is, if they are the same age or 10 years apart. Who carez about that? I don't. What I also appreciate of the directors was that the two characters did not have the dominant masculine and submissive femenin vibe and Isumi is also not a Tsundere which would be also typical for JBLs. So they did improve from the manga a lot.

So the final verdict is that Tanaka Koki was the showrunner and without him, this show would be very forgettable, He did an exceptional job and filled his character with emotions and made it fun to watch. Isumi itself is a contrast with his puppy look but deep timbre. They also avoid stupid things which are Thai shows are famous for and for gods sake no stupid sound effects 🤣. As usual in most JBLs there isn't any real kissing which is lame. Production quality was great, filming in "their" confined apartments must have been a nightmare.

Even if it's a womans fantasy it's a good show. So after watching heavy stuff like "Happy of the End" an episode of this will build you up and will ligthen your mood considerable and at least for me, made me smile a lot. This is a light comedy done (mostly) right.

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
sjay
4 people found this review helpful
Sep 30, 2024
9 of 9 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 8.5
Rewatch Value 10
This review may contain spoilers

A Classic Fluffy Japanese BL Drama

Honestly, this is a perfect show to watch when you're tired from watching plot-heavy and intense dramas. It's just so light and fluffy (like cotton candy) that it calms you down. It also doesn't require you to pay too much attention. It has all the aspects of a Japanese fluffy bl, which is = food, age gap, one terribly clumsy cook + one wonderful cook, a simple story, adorable music, supportive friends, and tiny bit of parental problems. The way the main characters process their feelings is just so mature and well-done that you don't get to have any moments of frustration. This show might seem cliche and boring to some people since the story is so simple. However, the execution is done so perfectly that even this simple story seems so beautiful.

To the people who plan to watch this, the only thing I'd say is "expect a simple story and that's what you'll get". If you go in with high expectations about the plot, then you're bound to get disappointed. Happy watching!

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
YAntoine1
2 people found this review helpful
Sep 30, 2024
9 of 9 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 9.0
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

Comfort BL

This is just a nice and cozy drama to watch. They match each other’s aura very well, nice chemistry. The supporting characters also add their own element to the series. Very good rewatch value, if you want to relax and just enjoy an adorable bl series. This is for you. Personally, I recommend giving it a try
Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Komentator isenk
1 people found this review helpful
Oct 10, 2024
9 of 9 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 9.0
Story 8.0
Acting/Cast 8.0
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.0
This review may contain spoilers

ordinary life

Many talk about this in the feed, and all the food post make me want to watch it... So here I am finished watch this.. Let's talks drama...

Story about Sakuraba Isumi (SI), a university student that like cooking. One night, he drunk and a police officer approach to check on him & end up escort him home. The next day, SI met again with the police officer at the convenience store where he works part-time & find out his name, Amasawa Kyosuke (AK). From then on, every time they meet, AK asks for recommendations for convenience store dinner dish. Concerned about AK eating habits, SI offers, "How about I come over and cook for you?" And start from AK accepting SI offer, they relationship start to swift, from just acquaintance to friend.

Getting to know AK more, SI is getting more and more charmed by AK natural, friendly & easygoing charm. But that's also mean several misunderstanding about AK behavior with other people. So how will they relationship move forward from this point?

What I like:
+ The simple daily life of SI & AK, yet unlike other drama, not really a boring one.
+ All the drooling food...
+ The growth of their relationship feel very natural.

Overall this a really good one simple BL drama

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
The BL Xpress
1 people found this review helpful
Oct 22, 2024
9 of 9 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 7.5
Story 7.5
Acting/Cast 7.5
Music 7.5
Rewatch Value 8.0
This review may contain spoilers

The Most Heartwarming Romance Ever

Sometimes, the greatest strength in life comes from the special connections we build with others, especially in those quiet moments when we realize just how much simple gestures like saying “good morning” or “welcome home” truly matter.

In the Japanese BL Sugar Dog Life, the journey of finding that special connection is explored in depth. Adapted from Yoriko’s manga of the same name, the series follows university student Sakuraba Isumi (Tanaka Koki) and police officer Amasawa Kyosuke (Tawada Hideya) two men who are not only drawn together by chance but find in each other the missing pieces they didn’t know they needed.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/10/22/sugar-dog-life-series-review-ep-3-to-9/

Read More

Was this review helpful to you?
Completed
Althokhai
2 people found this review helpful
Sep 28, 2024
9 of 9 episodes seen
Completed 0
Overall 10
Story 10
Acting/Cast 10
Music 10
Rewatch Value 10

Adorable Series

The most adorable bl series, the acting the musical even the couple it's really like feel romantic and make your heart doki-doki
such a good love story about Student fall in love with local policeman and how to deal with this feeling and realizing you love someone make me happy too, the director did amazing job and we know that this bl series it's just 9 ep even though it's not enough but it's still clearly that this drama is the most comfortable BL series for this year watching.................
Was this review helpful to you?
Sugar Dog Life (2024) poster

Details

Statistics

  • Score: 8.0 (scored by 3,342 users)
  • Ranked: #2424
  • Popularity: #2130
  • Watchers: 8,136

Top Contributors

24 edits
20 edits
11 edits
11 edits

Popular Lists

Related lists from users
Japanese BL Master List
241 titles 1201 loves 28
Best BL Drama
309 titles 2628 voters 609 loves 39
gay/bl (Japanese)
154 titles 195 loves

Recently Watched By