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 continued recapping Nour with episodes 7-8. Things are getting super dark and intense. Except for when they stop to talk about rainbows.
I also recapped episodes 3-4 of The Last Oath. For a moment it looked like we wouldn’t need another 20 episodes, but then A Lie had to cause trouble.
In this week’s Mid-Week Update on my Patreon, I had thoughts about You Maniac, Mr Fanboy, and Police in Love. Join my Patreon to get a Mid-Week drama report, as well as advance notes and rough drafts of the shows I’m recapping.
What did I watch this week?
I’ve got a backlog of shows I’ve finished but haven’t been able to review. Picking through them, I decided to go with the theme of “quirky,” starting with:
Connecting to You – 整個世界，只有你連上了我 – 2026
Recently aired supernatural Taiwanese BL with 12 episodes + 1 special.
A young do-gooder with supernatural senses finds himself unexpectedly connected to a coldly rational cop. Hijinks and romance ensue.
When I initially reviewed this show, I was excited by the combination of supernatural and light-hearted quirk. The early episodes got my hopes up that it could even be an all-time favorite.
I think that set the bar too high
In the end, this show wanted to be cute and fun and not go too deep. Rather than all-time favorites like See Your Love and Oh No! Here Comes Trouble, this was more like Stay By Side.
In that show, one character seeing ghosts was just part of who he was, not a thing that needed exploring or solving. It wasn’t tied to any bigger plot like in Khemjira or Goddess Bless You From Death.
And similarly here, seeing these relationship threads was part of our Perverted College Student’s life, but not much more. It got him in trouble, it confused him, it motivated him to help people and gave him insights, but it wasn’t tied to a larger supernatural world or story.
For me, this was disappointing. Unlike the well-covered world of seeing ghosts, this premise was so unique that I wanted to know more about it. I wanted it to take them on an adventure.
Maybe that was too much to hope for from a 12-episode series.
The story also got really choppy towards the end
To the point where it even seemed like some pivotal scenes were missing. Big things happened all of a sudden, once seemingly off-screen and once it felt like we were just dropped in without warning.
It made me wonder if they ran out of time and money to fully develop/film the needed scenes.
At the same time, the romance was a very slow burn. Not something that I usually mind, but that plus the choppy ending meant it never really felt like it, er, climaxed. There was no lovely rush of whatever happy chemicals a couple coming together is supposed to bring.
It’s there if you want light and quirky
Despite this list of things I wanted and didn’t get, it was still fun. There was cute comedy, and they played with the production at times. The other characters were developed and had their own stories. It really was about people connecting.
It was a fun little world.
Maybe if you went into it with lower expectations, you can enjoy it for what it is and not hope for more.
My other “quirky” show is:
Your Summer, My Storm – 夏色の雲が恋と嵐をまきおこす – 2026
Recently aired Japanese family-friendly… BL? with 10 episodes.
A young man with bad grades is forced to accept his sister’s boyfriend as his tutor. Then he starts to fall for him.
You can find the trailer on this page.
I have absolutely no idea how to characterize this show.
The set-up makes it seem like it’s one of those Japanese dramas that’s going to dive deep into the taboo pool. Yet the reality of the show is a lot closer to Sesame Street.
It’s less about a couple and more about a family
The show’s tone is VERY bright. We’ve got a mother who cooks. A father who works somewhere. A sister who cares for her brother. And a gaggle of family friends to support and help them through whatever mild misfortune befalls them. Like misplacing the family dog.
There’s a lot of smiling, nodding, and laughing at what life can throw your way.
Meanwhile, there’s this romance growing between Younger Brother and Tutor. Which I promise isn’t anything dark or gross, despite what the show premise seems to WANT you to think. I don’t know why.
Seeing a couple develop within this bigger world was refreshing
Especially with Japanese dramas being so short compared to other countries’, their worlds can feel very isolated. High School students seemingly exist without parents. Adults only exist at work or in their apartments. Nothing exists outside of the screen.
Here, not only did the parents EXIST, but they had their own arcs. Younger Brother’s whole family became an important part of his relationship with Tutor.
Something about that bigger world creates this paradox for me, where their struggles feel both smaller and bigger. The bad things that shaped them are such a small piece of a larger story, yet you can see how much it affects them across this big picture.
And again, despite the seemingly salacious premise, their relationship is achingly sweet and charming. (Yeah, no, this is not a spicy show. That would have made it even stranger.)
I mentioned Sesame Street? How about some pro-AI propaganda?
The show REALLY wanted to have teachable moments for small children. It’s NOT subtle in having adults spell out to small children how to be open-minded and kind.
But also, there’s homophobia. If you watched Your Sky, you’ll remember the whiplash that was a homophobic father in this bright, happy, kind world. The same thing happens here, although on a smaller scale. Though, like the rest of the show, it never feels like it won’t resolve with important lessons and knowing smiles.
Also, it’s very oddly pro-parents using AI to understand their children. Some AI company must have given the production money or something, not that I remember a specific AI being named. But it’s jarring and strange.
Am I telling you to watch this show or not?
I… have no idea. It’s certainly one of the stranger BLish shows I’ve seen.
At the end of the show, there’s the vague hint of a season two, so this is what I can say: I don’t think I’m rewatching this, but if there is a second season, I’d absolutely give it a try. And if there isn’t, I’ll go on with my life without suffering.
Leave a Reply