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 finished recapping When it rains, it pours with episode 7. There were no last-minute runs in the rain, but there was a shared umbrella. If you want a mostly spoiler-free review of the entire show, check that out below.
I also recapped episodes 21-22 of Love Game in Eastern Fantasy. There’s child sacrifice and mass murder, what more do you want from your Chinese fantasy dramas?
What did I watch this week? I have two completely different shows that are about the same thing. Let’s start in Thailand with my initial thoughts on:
My Stubborn – ไหนเฮียบอกไม่ชอบเด็ก – 2025
Currently airing Thai Workplace Sex Drama, I’ve watched 3 of 12 episodes.
A bunch of people work together and lust after each other, I’m not sure how they get work done or what their work is.
For better or worse, this show is entirely about sex. To its credit, it’s very upfront about this, with both masturbation and a hand job in the first ten minutes. Since then, each episode has had sex scenes that make Love in the Air look restrained by comparison.
Right, but what is the plot?
No.
The set-up is just about as trope-y as it can get, and we’re talking tropes that are as old as BL.
We’ve got a hot, large, dominant, bossy top with an earring and a cold attitude. He’s taken it upon himself to train his young, bratty, smaller, adorable twink friend in having sex. I’m not sure I should call them friends, because the twink thinks they’re enemies. Or something.
They work together at an office that is a convenient place to forcibly kiss, flirt, and talk about each other’s sex lives. And the bathroom…
Besides our leads, there’s another BL pair and a GL pair, and as of episode 3 I’m confused about what’s going on with any of them. Not even in an “I’m confused about what attracts them to each other” way, but a “literally what just happened in that scene? What did they do and why?” way. There’s staring, video calls, kissing, and… All the relationships seem to have old history that I can’t track.
Maybe if I paid better attention, I’d follow it better, but I resent the idea that this show requires focus to understand.
So, do I like it?
Yes. But I’m not ready to recommend it.
Our lead couple is hot with the perfect size difference, essential in a show like this. Considering how often these shows avoid doing anything about sex, it’s refreshing to see a show that tackles it openly. There are conversations about sexuality and who wants what. Monogamy and marriage are not the default, and exploration is treated positively.
On the other hand, a lot of it feels aimed at titillating the audience. There’s no plot to follow, so that leaves me with character. But I can’t grasp their real inner lives, their hopes and dreams, even for our leads. I don’t feel much emotional investment. I want our leads together because the actors have great chemistry.
At this point, I’m in because I want to see the bossy top fall and fall hard. And I want to see how they fill twelve episodes. And we’ll see if, after those 12 episodes, it had anything more than its leads and novelty going for it. Or if I wanted anything more.
Now for a full review of another show that was entirely about co-workers and sex, but so, so different:
When it rains, it pours – ふったらどしゃぶり – 2025
Recently aired Japanese office BL-ish with 7 episodes.
Two men trapped in sexless relationships accidentally start an anonymous but intimate email friendship, not realizing they work together.
This is the least sexy show about sex that exists. Unlike the show above, it’s not trying to titillate. The characters are desperate and pathetic at times. For me, this is a plus.
Would our poor leads here have all their problems solved by working at a sex-focused office like our guys in the review above?
It’s an entertaining idea, but I don’t think so. This show is focused on intimacy, touch, and the need to connect with the person you love. Did I miss warm fuzzies and hot kisses? Yes. Did I appreciate it being about something more? Yes.
Let me give you more of the set-up
Hagiwara lives with his long-term girlfriend, whom he hopes to marry one day. Over time, they’ve had less and less sex, now they don’t have any. His attempts to initiate things always lead to gentle, smiling rejection and no explanation. His options are to confront her or accept her unspoken, unexplained boundaries. He’s been going with option B.
Then we have Nakarai, who is in a situationship with a friend who will do anything to take care of him. But he won’t do that. The friend’s undivided attention and care keep Nakarai forever hoping for more. Unlike Hagiwara, Nakarai isn’t afraid to push, but the only result is rejection and depression.
Not being desired by their partners leaves them both ashamed, isolated, and desperate. When they accidentally start an email conversation, they find an outlet for their frustration. An intimacy develops between them that they don’t have with their partners. It helps that they don’t realize they’re co-workers.
I like our two guys. Hagiwara is one of the most average-nice-guys I’ve seen in a BL. He’s sweet, oblivious, and asks questions he maybe shouldn’t.
Nakarai is quiet and introspective. He comes off as the more vulnerable of the two, but isn’t. Under Nakarai’s soft, thoughtful exterior are hard edges and sharp opinions.
Because this is a romance and not… something else… the solution isn’t getting laid
Sex is only part of the problem. Hagiwara and Nakarai know their partners aren’t telling them some bigger truth, but they can’t force them to talk. This leaves them profoundly stuck.
I get frustrated when lazy writing equates good sex with love, so I like this kind of deeper dive. Love isn’t just sex, and sex isn’t just physical release (I mean, for some people it can be, but again, that’s the above show). There’s a lot more going on in relationships.
It’s a shorter show, and it could have used a little more time. Like his personality, Hagiwara’s situation was straightforward and easy to understand. Nakarai was trickier, with his more complicated thought process and longer history with his situationship partner. In the end, I wished I understood him a little better.
I liked that it wasn’t a typical BL, and I missed some typical BL stuff
I got warm fuzzies from seeing them get closer. But it’s not a show with abundant warm fuzzies.
At the same time, because the characters connect over something so personal and intimate, I felt they had a stronger relationship than many drama couples. Their relationship felt real and solid and already tested by the time the show ended. Sometimes that’s better than warm fuzzies.
So, as long as you aren’t looking for fluff that makes you squeeze a pillow, I recommend this show. It’s a slower, quieter romance that will stick with me.
Leave a Reply