Welcome to my Saturday blog post, where I give thoughts on dramas I’m watching, whether at the beginning, middle, or end. Whatever I want, because I’m petty that way.
This week, I recapped episodes 13-14 of Pursuit of Jade. Yan Zheng and Changyu are running out of things to keep them from kissing. Also, I think Qi is evil.
I also recapped episodes 3-4 of ClaireBell. These two aren’t having trouble kissing, but every time they do something terrible happens.
What did I watch this week? I finished two Japanese BLs with dead-fish kisses that Upset The Internet and Don’t Matter At All To Me. I really enjoyed both.
Let’s start with the Unexpectedly Enjoyable:
Unexpectedly Naughty Fukami ~ やたらやらしい深見くん – 2026
Recently aired in-it-just-for-the-sex BL with 10 episodes.
While on a work trip, a man discovers his frumpy co-worker is secretly hot and gay, sex ensues.
Here’s a highlight from episode 1.
I get it. This is a low-budget, silly, awkward show where bodies intersect in ways that don’t physically make sense. It’s not secretly brilliant, and it’s not going to do much for a lot of people.
But I found a lot of charm in our absurd characters, their quirky attitudes, and the relationship they tentatively create together.
We’ve got two lonely guys who interact with the world very differently
Our non-titular guy hides from the world by being as charming, outgoing, and popular as possible. It’s all a facade, and he knows it. He judges everyone around him, keeping everyone at a distance. He’s not a great guy.
Our titular Fukami is similarly lonely and disconnected, but doesn’t overcompensate to fit in. He’s good-looking, but doesn’t care to dress nicely or attract attention. He doesn’t bother being friendly or charming. But actually, he’s a much nicer guy than his eventual partner.
They embark on something that feels a lot like My Stubborn, but with much clunkier, unbelievable sex scenes and reversed power dynamics.
Because while neither man is initially interested in an emotional connection, it’s our Awful Guy who catches feels first. Too in love with himself to handle this in a green-flag manner, he quickly makes a mess of things.
But this is a Japanese drama, so the big mess is more like a silly, nonsensical mess, well contained within the low budget and short run-time.
Titular Fukami gets his turn too, grappling with both the difficulty of Having Feelings and the fact that he’s fallen for an Awful Guy. This suggests to him that feelings are more trouble than they’re worth.
Probably my favorite part is that neither tries to change the other
Awful and judgmental as he is, our Awful Guy does not make his disconnected partner dress nicely or treat him as a trophy. He comes to find him quite cute.
And Titular Fukami doesn’t care that his partner is Awful any more than he cares about anything else.
Not that they don’t change, but they decide to make these changes themselves, for themselves and the relationship.
I’m just a sucker for an odd couple.
This is not a warm-toned, slice-of-life Japanese show
If you’re in the mood for another Silent, Contrast, or If It’s With You style show, maybe skip down to my review below.
The lighting is bright, the production value low, and the acting exaggerated, embracing the over-the-top manga roots. The plot is also fairly shallow. It doesn’t hit all the tropes, but it doesn’t venture into any deep, uncharted BL territory. No one feeds anyone. There are no piggybacks. But the end conflict will only surprise someone who has never, ever watched a drama.
Yet for me, this is a potential rewatch because I enjoyed the out-there character too much.
If, like me, you enjoy out-there characters and exaggerated, manga-styled production enough to get past awkward, non-euclidean sex scenes, give this a try.
But if you want something more slice-of-life, here’s something very different:
Life in Smokey Blue ~ スモークブルーの雨のち晴れ ~ 2026
Recently aired old-dudes-getting-it-on BL with 10 episodes.
A man restarting his life in his mid-to-late-30s runs into a former co-worker/one-night-stand, and it turns into something more.
Here’s a link to the trailer (in Japanese because it’s what I could find).
Yes, we’ve got heroes over 30. Basically Grandpas.
And another show where they get the sex out of the way early. Why is this a thing right now?
Anyway, our older leads take us on a mature, smokey exploration of love and relationships
These two have been there and done that, and the excited newness of love you find in something like School Trip is nowhere to be found here. They’ve experienced love and loss, and the reality that sometimes you just have to keep moving despite it.
Once upon a time, they were co-workers. The day one of them was leaving the company, they had a one-night stand, presumably never to see one another again.
Some number of years later, our second guy has also quit. Struggling with what to do now or where to go next, they have a chance meeting and more sex.
But this really isn’t a show about sex. Nor is it a show with a strong plot. Yet, it has a lot of BL tropes, more than the show above in some ways. Projects need to be completed on time. Characters need to move by certain dates. Parents get sick. There are drunk piggybacks, and one of them has to feed the other.
Compared to most BLs, however, it’s all so understated. It feels like just another part of life, and not something huge that needs to be overcome with a montage and the right OST.
It’s a meditative, reflective story with plenty of VO but little stated
Our leads never sit down and have conversations about their relationship and what they mean to each other. They don’t make grand plans or declarations.
Except they kind of do, but again, there’s no dramatic editing and OST to tell you that it’s happening. They just happen. In some ways, it’s not very romantic. It’s just two people doing things for each other. But even without being telegraphed, these moments made my heart grow three sizes larger.
This does give the show a kind of wandering feel. Though it has to start in one place and end in another, it doesn’t really feel like it has a beginning or an ending. To me, this is very true to life.
The downside is, it’s true to life. And I like stories because I get the satisfaction of seeing the beginning and the end, the clear triumphs, and the linear narrative. This story is a little unsatisfying because life’s a little unsatisfying.
But what is satisfying is watching them grow closer and support each other through all of life’s hard, unsatisfying moments.
To me, this is another potential rewatch
I haven’t even mentioned that one of our Old Fashioned Cupcake guys is here, getting fed again. He was soft in Old Fashioned Cupcake, but here he is SOFT. It was really good to see him again.
And this really is a slice-of-life BL, with the warm tones and settings that go with it. Everything felt grounded and real, and like I could go there and find the characters right now. There is one house in particular that the show made me want to visit.
So basically, if you want the OPPOSITE of the show I mentioned above, give this one a try.
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