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.
I was in Japan! So my blogging slowed down.
Over the last two weeks, I posted recaps of the first two episodes of Cinderella Closet and also episodes 3-4.
This is a favorite show of mine, so I’m recapping it for funsies and the hope that it’ll inspire someone to watch it. We’ve got a modern-day Cinderella, her modern-day Prince, and her modern-day cross-dressing Fairy Godmother who falls for her too.
While in Japan, I was too busy buying BLCDs and getting goshuin to watch dramas. Since I’ve been back, I finished one and decided to drop another. Let’s get into it:
I am officially dropping Gimbap and Onigiri.
While I dislike putting my faith in strangers on the internet and dropping things I’m reviewing, I’m afraid I’ve fallen prey to both here.
I love cross-cultural romance, I love communication issues, but the story felt like it was passing off poor communication as a cross-cultural issue. That didn’t work for me. When those nice strangers on the internet said it didn’t get any better, I found myself unable to press play again.
As always, I’m sure someone else found something to love about it. I’m not the one who can recommend it.
But I finished:
Countdown to Yes – 親友の『同棲して』に『うん』て言うまで – 2026
Recently aired friends-to-lovers Japanese BL with 11 episodes.
After living apart for several years, best friends from high school reunite and grapple with their changing relationship.
In my initial review, I wrote about this story’s slow pace and photo essay style, creating a show that could be soothing or boring.
The pace never picked up. There was never any story. Each episode was 20 minutes of thinking while living life, then in the end, someone makes a small decision, and it all starts over again in the next episode.
Yet, I still liked it. I have some guesses about why.
We’ve got Dork on Dork Love
The staple of Japanese BL is the loner and the popular guy, so it’s easy to think that’s what we have here, too. One of the guys is quieter and a little off beat, while the other is more open and friendly.
But it becomes clear that they don’t fit this standard mold. When we’re shown the high school years, there’s no emphasis on social status. Still, it’s not hard to guess that these two, obsessed with photography and little else, would not be popular at parties. Despite that, they have their own friend group of nice-seeming guys who aren’t as obsessed with photography.
Flashing into the future, they’re still dorks living in their own little world. They have girlfriends but can’t keep them. They go on trips together just to take pictures. Then, they do their own little photo exhibitions in their apartment, just the two of them.
This would not generally be considered cool. (And is that what’s wrong with the world?) Kiyoi would roll his eyes. Or worse. (But also, he’s dating a dork.)
I can’t say for sure if I’ve seen dork with dork in a Japanese BL, or any BL, before, but I liked how they occupied their own little world together, unbothered by anything outside of it.
I might call this an Extra Strength Japanese BL
Because another staple of Japanese BL is the friend-to-lovers plot. Usually, one of them catches feels or is aware of their feels before the other. They can’t take being side-by-side with the object of their adoration anymore and make a move.
This leaves the other one lost and confused, trying to navigate their own feelings and the sudden change to an important relationship they thought would never change.
Usually, that is just a part of a (slightly, Japanese BLs are always short) larger story. Here, it IS the “story”. It is 11 episodes of the characters grappling with these feelings, avoiding them, confronting them, avoiding them, trying something new, avoiding them…
While dorks can certainly be into sex, these aren’t those kinds of dorks. It’s not about one of the guys wanting sex with the other. It’s about wanting intimacy.
There is nothing dramatic about it. There’s no hidden trauma, no dark secrets, no pivotal moment where one of them “saved” the other from a sad childhood. It really is just two different people, coming from two different places. One of them wants the relationship to change, and the other is terrified of the relationship changing.
While at times I felt like I was missing insight into the character’s inner workings, I found myself appreciating the idea that sometimes feelings are just scary. You don’t need a traumatic moment in your past to explain why you are afraid of losing your best friend if you become lovers. Change is just scary, regardless of your past.
This show is basically all feels.
I admit, I have a high tolerance (a strong fondness?) for slow, plotless stories
It shouldn’t be shocking that I like arthouse cinema too. People staring moodily into the middle distance in nice, warm-toned lighting fill me with peace and calm. There’s a lot of that here, so I felt very peaceful and calm.
It’s helped that this is a Japanese BL, with the understated but strong production. There are no bright lights or silly sound effects. It’s beautiful to look at, shot at nice locations, with our attractive leads looking good in their sweaters.
Still, it is 11 episodes of 20 minutes each. When I finished it, it didn’t immediately go on my “rewatch” list, though I can imagine being in a mood to rewatch it.
If you have even the slightest dislike for a slow story, I’m going to guess this isn’t for you. Give this a try if you really like Japanese BL in particular, if you like arthouse cinema, or if you like the emotional turbulence of friends-slowly-becoming-lovers.
Leave a Reply