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 3-4 of Love in the Moonlight. There’s more moonlight, more love, more tears, and more skinship. It’s perfect.
I also finished recapping The Proper Way to Write Love with episodes 7-8. The universe conspires against Hiro to force him to RUN, as is required in the ending of 75% of Japanese dramas.
What did I watch this week? Let’s begin 2026 with a show that brought me nothing but comfort and joy:
School Trip: Joined a Group I’m Not Close To – 修学旅行で仲良くないグループに入りました – 2025
Recently aired Japanese high school BL with 10 episodes.
A high school kid joins a group he’s not close to on a school trip. Romance ensues.
There are also 2 special episodes, and one of them has aired… somewhere. I’m not sure how they’re streaming internationally.
I’m reviewing this series assuming they don’t ruin the show, which I think has only happened once in BL land.
But that would never happen with this show
In fact, during the holiday season, this was the one show that never made me anxious it would veer into “tragedy and crying makes things important” land.
The show was so gentle, so sweet, and so comforting that it was an entirely stress-free watch. Our leads are kind and only have the best intentions. Their friends are nothing but supportive. Their classmates are … there. We never see their parents, but let’s assume they’re dream parents.
While it is so sweet that it’ll hurt your teeth, it’s not the stinging saccharine sweet of grocery store cake that has no flavor EXCEPT sweet. There’s still some depth to it. Our hot guy isn’t just a hot guy. Our loner isn’t just a loner.
I wrote in my initial review about the set-up, our 4 hot イケメン・ikemen, and the one other guy. In that review, I focused on the charming humor of Other Guy, so in this review, I’ll focus on the hot guy who likes him.
He has a name, it’s Watarai
(Other guy is Hioki, for the record.)
One of the great things about this show is that it is NOT a slow burn, and we have Watarai to thank.
From episode 1, he’s interested in Hioki, and he’s not shy about showing it. While it may not be romantic at first, it is intense and exciting in a high-school relationship kind of way. It’s also so obvious that our slower-moving Hioki can’t help but notice it, too.
This leads to at least one heart-fluttering little moment in every episode. In the first episode, we already have handholding, in the second episode, there’s a little hug, in the third episode, there’s a bit of a declaration on a merry-go-round, in the fourth episode… You get the idea.
Watarai makes sure that every episode, our hearts skip a beat, and we keep coming back for more.
The final important ingredient was that it never took itself too seriously.
While the show overall has a realistic feel, with warm tones and beautiful lighting, there is a hint of the over-the-top humor flavor you can find in something like My Love Mix-Up.
The fact that there are 4 extremely hot guys in one class is played up to an amusing degree, with dramatic camera angles and squealing classmates. Watarai’s jealousy and Hioki’s badminton friends’ fear of him is gently absurd. They also lean into how adorable Hioki can look with animal ears on.
This is the kind of escapist fantasy I look for in High School romances
And why I keep watching them even though I am progressively getting older than the leads, and really, really hated high school. It’s for shows like this, where everyone accepts everyone else, supports each other, and gets to move at their own pace.
No one is misunderstood, mistreated, or an outcast. People are just different, and it’s fine.
Is it literally perfect? No. Nothing is. I could nitpick some things. But I’m not gonna.
The world it creates IS perfect. If you only want to watch one heartwarming, wholesome High School romance, I suggest it be this one.
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