A beautiful addition to the world of dorama

I got interested in this dorama because of the fansubber who also does great work for another show I am currently watching. My roots lie in the world of Japanese drama, lately my focus has shifted towards BL drama from Thailand and Japan - so that's why the synopsis made this sound like a very intriguing dorama to me. The story contains a gay love story as part of its main plot, but it's also a story about family, friendship - and sometimes also the difficulties of living in a society whose ideas of what may be deemed acceptable is shifting very slowly.

Makoto is the father of a family whose members are slowly drifting apart. He is also someone who feels safety in holding onto his "ignorant" values. But one day he meets a young, gay man whose openness and spirit surprise him - and in order to save his struggling son and keep his family together, Makoto decides to update himself and his values. What follows is a story that watches him change - and thus influence the life of the people around him for the better.

It's a very warm-hearted story that believes in our ability to appreciate and understand each other for what lies inside of us and what truly matters. Friendship, love, our ability and want to connect with others. In reality this change may feel unrealistic at times, but in the world of "Ossan no pants..." it is something that results from communication, trying to see the world from someone else's viewpoint, from making new experiences. And even if you can't convince everyone, at least you are not alone, at least you have someone right next to you that you can count on.

The only thing I didn't like about this dorama was a very silly comparison that came up in one scene in one episode. So in the grand scheme of things it doesn't truly matter.
What I liked about "Ossan no pants..." though was so much more and much more meaningful as well. First I enjoyed that each member of the Okita family had an important part to play and had their own lil life within the story. Nobody was just there to simply exist, everyone had their own important feelings and life. My favourite part was probably Kakeru and how he slowly opened up once again. Watching his journey unfold felt very precious. Daichi and Madoka's relationship and their moments together felt special and moving. It was very easy to see the beauty in their relationship - and it was great to see that Daichi was not "just" the knowledgeable and strong gay guy who could convince everyone of his views - he is someone with his own struggles and someone who sometimes needs help as well. I enjoyed the friends at Kakeru's school. How the change in Makoto affected his workplace. I enjoyed watching his wife Mika and her own world of emotions slowly unfold. I enjoyed that one lesson of this dorama is to give each other time, not to rush into figuring out our own feelings, to be respectful of that process.
And of course I deeply enjoyed the way the lessons here were transported in a very dorama-like way. Lessons and words that stay with you while a grand orchestral soundtrack can be heard in the background. It gave everything a nostalgic/elegant feeling and tied up those moments beautifully.

Definitely give this dorama a shot if you love shows that focus on family or if you enjoy BL. Or if you enjoy the type of shows where you can watch people heal over time. It filled me with a lot of warmth.... all while filling my eyes with a lot of tears at the same time. ^^ Enjoy this amazing cast of likeable characters!

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The simple life of cute university students

"We Are" is a slice-of-life drama, a drama that some may describe as "healing" content. The image that comes to mind when thinking about it, is a river, something that flows naturally and steady, without any huge obstacles, that is relaxing to watch. I am writing this so you don't go into "We Are" with the wrong expectations: it is a lot of silly fun at times, but it's more of a drama that simply wants to make you feel good.
Its whole plot can easily be summarized in a few words: two groups of friends connect with each other, go on small everyday adventures, and some of the friends fall in love with each other and have a lot of fun. So yes, no huge problems that stand in their way, instead you watch some great friends live their life and find their happiness along the way.
Now whether you will enjoy this drama or not depends very much on what you want to get out of it, what your expectations are. I started watching right before it had ended and binged all the episodes within a few days. I am the type of person who loves some fluffy content and who doesn't mind a more relaxed type of drama, and thus all of "We Are" very much appealed to me.
So what did I like? The positive portrayal of the friend group, the way they are so supportive of each other and their happiness. How even in their teasing you can see the fondness they feel for each other. Soft moments of understanding and romance that get mixed with the silly humour of some young guys who have known each other for some time. Some chaotic moments that end in more laughter. Great chemistry between the partners in each couple. The way that each couple feels different from each other: the teasing type of relationship, the lovey-dovey relationship, the slowly blooming type of relationship, a cat that falls in love with his puppy.

If you are the type of person who needs something positive in their life, something to lift you up when things get dark, I think this is the perfect type of drama for you. Just follow these friends along on their ride through university life, through their personal life, and it will give you a well deserved distraction, a massive boost of happiness.

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