3
5
jpny01
Really lovely
There's a lot to praise in this - the characters are not formulaic, and the themes of the story are quite a bit more mature than the usual high-school/college boy story.
Our main character is about to hit 40, and lives safely and while he's not depressed, he's not happy either, just sort of going with the flow of life, doing the same thing every day, with only his younger employee Togawa to lighten his day. He's unaware that Togawa worships him and will do anything to make him happy. They draw closer and Togawa puts him on an anti-aging regimen which involves doing diffrent things all the time to keep him stimulated and force him out of his box.
It's a great dynamic, where the age diffrence, far from being a problem, is a plus for both of them. Togawa gets good guidance from a more experienced man, and Kozue is revitalized by Togawa's youth and unjaded perspective.
The other interesting quality is that Kozue is clearly the more passive of the two, so the power dynamic is interesting and more complex than the usual seme-uke dynamic. Kozue is older, more exprienced, and the boss at work. Togawa is always deferential and in awe of Kozue, but he's a little like a sheep dog, aggressively herding Kozue in the direction he thinks is best for him.
Where the series is a bit of a miss is that it shies from the physical aspect of their relationship - when you have a 30-year old and a 40-year old, it feels off for their interaction to be so high school, and this is underscored by a moment with a thumb that is tantalizingly domineering and one of the hotter things you'll see in a BL.
There is an inevitable comparison to Cherry Magic, and I must say I prefer this in almost every way. The dynamic between the characters is more natural, the humor is smarter and more understated, and Togawa is refreshingly weird in a sweet yet bossy way.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this - it's well-acted and shot, it's got some good fluff without being about fluff, and the characters and their interaction is not as simplistic as the BL formula generally dictates. It's also a series that you're likely to rewatch, and I don't say that often.
Our main character is about to hit 40, and lives safely and while he's not depressed, he's not happy either, just sort of going with the flow of life, doing the same thing every day, with only his younger employee Togawa to lighten his day. He's unaware that Togawa worships him and will do anything to make him happy. They draw closer and Togawa puts him on an anti-aging regimen which involves doing diffrent things all the time to keep him stimulated and force him out of his box.
It's a great dynamic, where the age diffrence, far from being a problem, is a plus for both of them. Togawa gets good guidance from a more experienced man, and Kozue is revitalized by Togawa's youth and unjaded perspective.
The other interesting quality is that Kozue is clearly the more passive of the two, so the power dynamic is interesting and more complex than the usual seme-uke dynamic. Kozue is older, more exprienced, and the boss at work. Togawa is always deferential and in awe of Kozue, but he's a little like a sheep dog, aggressively herding Kozue in the direction he thinks is best for him.
Where the series is a bit of a miss is that it shies from the physical aspect of their relationship - when you have a 30-year old and a 40-year old, it feels off for their interaction to be so high school, and this is underscored by a moment with a thumb that is tantalizingly domineering and one of the hotter things you'll see in a BL.
There is an inevitable comparison to Cherry Magic, and I must say I prefer this in almost every way. The dynamic between the characters is more natural, the humor is smarter and more understated, and Togawa is refreshingly weird in a sweet yet bossy way.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this - it's well-acted and shot, it's got some good fluff without being about fluff, and the characters and their interaction is not as simplistic as the BL formula generally dictates. It's also a series that you're likely to rewatch, and I don't say that often.
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