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 37-38 of Pursuit of Jade. We’re nearly to the end, so you know what that means: tiger tally.
I also dropped everything to start recapping Nour. Our To Sir, With Love baby brother Yang is back, only now he’s an angsty supernatural Nour. Don’t know what any of that means? Read my recap!
For Funsies, I am sharing commentary on the latest BoatOat omegaverse nonsense, Knot, and MaxkyBas gamer nonsense, Be My Player Two, on my Patreon!
What did I watch this week? Horny teenagers. Let’s start with:
Hold on, Harutora-kun – ちょっと待とうよ、春虎くん – 2026
Currently airing Japanese High School BL, I’ve watched 4 of 10 episodes.
A senior who hides his feelings behind a mask gets a younger roommate who is maybe a little too straightforward about his feelings.
As I alluded to, what this and the show below have in common is that they both depict the complicated sex lives and desires of high school boys.
And that leaves me with complicated feelings
Truthfully, even when I WAS in high school, I found the sex lives of my classmates icky. Well, I found a lot of high school icky.
Probably, that’s why I enjoy the depiction of high school in Asian dramas so much. It’s this sweet, “aren’t-kisses-exciting” world where everyone takes their time growing up. For example, this week in Weirdo 101, our nearly-adult high school students are hunting for aliens in the science building.
Some of us want/need the time to grow up more slowly. Some of us even move slowly as adults.
But the reality I grew up in was that there were plenty of teenagers very interested in sex with one another. And this is a world rarely explored in the romantic dramas I’ve seen.
So now let’s talk about this drama specifically
Our non-titular high school senior is ALSO a character I don’t see often in Asian dramas. Besides the mask he constantly wears, he stands out with his looser, more colorful clothing and shy yet overly eager-to-please demeanor. He doesn’t look or act cool.
Because of that, and because everyone knows he’s gay, he’s bullied and treated very differently from the other students. But it’s not the kind of bullying where he’s cornered in the bathroom and beaten. It’s the kind of bullying where other students act friendly while singling him out for being different, asking inappropriate questions, and telling bad “jokes” about him.
(It’s also worth noting that this character gets similar treatment from strangers on the internet. Some people who’ve tried the show find him unappealing and need to share that with everyone in the comments. So. It’s a good depiction of the type of person who gets this treatment.)
Our Senior handles this all by hiding his true feelings behind his mask and pretending that everything is okay.
Enter the titular Harutora-kun. He doesn’t stand out the way our Senior does. He’s bigger and looks more like a typical drama teenager. Also, he really likes his new roommate.
And as I mentioned, he’s very straightforward
So let’s just say, it doesn’t take them 8 episodes to get to a kiss. In fact, in fairly short order they are navigating the confusion of having bodies and trying to connect them in some way or another.
It’s awkward, it’s embarrassing, it’s hard to talk about with one another, and it all feels very real. Importantly, while it’s more explicit than most High School romances, it doesn’t feel too graphic. It’s an honest depiction of two people who care about each other, trying to figure things out. It’s not a performance for an audience.
So in some ways, having left this horrible phase of life long behind, I feel like this is not for me. In other ways, I’m glad to see a show tackling this subject matter.
But don’t get me wrong, this show isn’t ENTIRELY sex. It’s also about their romantic relationship, communicating with each other, and growing in a world that wants to punish people for standing out.
It’s not an entirely comfortable watch for me, but maybe because of this more frank depiction of reality, I’m invested in the characters in a different way.
I’m not just here so the sweetness and the light of the show can help me escape from reality. I’m here because I want to see two young people triumph over the horrible, nasty nonsense of high school and get their happily ever after.
But now I need to talk about some REALLY horny teenagers:
Summertime – 하절기 – 2026
Currently airing Korean High School BL, I’ve watched 4 of 10 episodes.
Things change for childhood friends when teenage hormones and a new transfer student get involved.
Unlike the previous review, which still had a sweet romance at its core, this feels a lot more like it’s just about horny teenagers.
But is that romantic?
So the basic premise of this show is one I’ve seen in shows like I Cannot Reach You or Secret Lover. One of the childhood friends can no longer hide their feelings for the other. They throw the relationship into confusion, forcing the other person to work out their own true feelings.
But while in those shows it feels like romantic love comes first and physical feelings simmer below the surface, in this show, the physical seems to come first. I don’t know that either of them is aware of (or has?) romantic feelings, but they’re becoming aware that they’re turned on by the other.
To make matters … worse? More complicated? They’re both horrible teenagers. Sort of.
The one who fell first is lonely, isolated, cut off, and uninterested in anyone except his childhood friend. And not in a sweet, selfless, romantic way where he wants to see him happy but hopes that he can be part of that happiness.
Nope, he wants to be his friend’s one and only. He doesn’t want him to have other friends. Happiness is not the goal, possession is. Horrible teenager is an understatement. He needs a therapist.
His friend is a more typical, thoughtless, oblivious teenager. He doesn’t feel like obeying rules, pushes the boundaries, and makes bad choices. He’s not as bad as his friend, but he’s not good boyfriend material either.
All of this reminds me of the reality that was high school, but no, I don’t find them romantic.
And that’s kind of that
Since this is a Korean BL, which historically has been more chaste, the amount of sex stuff in this is surprising. Our teenagers talk about it, think about it, and fantasize about it all the time. Only 4 episodes in, I’m not sure how far it’ll go and how much I’ll want to see.
Though, probably removing some of the “ick” factor for me is that the leads look like they are in their mid-20s, not high schoolers.
So while, again, I acknowledge the existence of horny teenagers, these horny teenagers do not have me rooting for them. I’m watching it because I have no idea what the show is doing or where it’s going.
And if you’re curious but not sure if you want to watch, the wet dream in the first 10 minutes of the first episode is a good test of whether this is for you or not.
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