Utsukushii Kare (2021)

Unbearable bully-whos-actually-in-love trope.

I saw so many people talking about how this was now the best Japanese BL, but turns out it was the toxic relationship romanticisers at it again.

The first episodes are unbearable to push through, with the main character being walked over and ordered around by the guy he likes and his "friend" group.

Being called disgusting and pushed to the ground after confessing, but still running after him like a lost puppy. Obviously not his fault, and I felt terrible for him. The problem here is the "I bully you because I can't express my feelings, but I actually love you" trope. Bullying isn't romantic.

Obviously not all relationships are healthy, but this? This crosses many lines. And the amount of people defending it is insane. It's not ok because "it's just a show" and "they're not real people". If it's wrong in real life, it's wrong in media as well.

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Meh-ish

This show is an honest portrayal of a not-so-healthy relationship. The series has to be watched in its entirety to be fully understood. In my opinion, the show gets interesting after the perspective changes in episode five.

Both Hira and Kiyoi have their own insecurities and issues. The show, because of its duration does not resolve these issues. They are just highlighted and left at that. Do the characters evolve, develop and grow to become better people? No. For me, therein lies the issue.

The mark of a good story is not that two people end up together. But that they grow as individuals in the pursuit of their love, learn about themselves as they evolve in the course of the story, and remain individualistic while eventually falling in love. Sadly this drama has none of that.

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This is addictive

Was is problematic? Yes. Was the communication a complete mess? Yes. Was it a roller-coaster of emotions? YES. But I loved every second of it. This was sooo entertaining. It reminds me of every good Japanese yaoi (but less toxic, I think) from the early 2000s but there is something special about it. Maybe it´s the combo of the stalker nerd and the tsundere, who ends up having to pursue the former, even though it's hard for him. The popular kid x the awkward outcast but with an twist. The characters are both more complicated than I first thought and are very interesting.

Also, their chemistry is amazing and the actors poured their whole heart into it.
The way Hira acts will definitely make you feel so frustrated though, but the show is self-aware in that regard, we are suffering together with Kiyoi lol.

They are both not exactly healthy but it's funny how perfect they are for each other. Even though it bugged me that Kiyoi was so aggressive and the time skip.
OH THE TIME SKIP. I hate time-skips. Still, at least the time skip here was reasonable and it made sense to have one. (I still have trauma from that one Taiwanese BL, I won't spoiler but if you know you know)

All in all, it´s the best short BL series I´ve watched so far, will definitely re-watch (again...) it some time. And it´s actually way deeper than it first seemed, because it´s about how people are idolizing their crushes, while their crushes are just normal people too and want to be seen as the person they really are.

Btw. if you wondering why it isn't a 10/10, it's because of the weird fake kisses, the fact that the student looked like they finished high school 15 years ago, and the unstable camera, especially at THAT scene in the end at the school.

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Lovely drama

It was cute but cringy at some parts and that was ok because the last episode made up for it.
I do have a problem with Hira's love for Kiroi though. I did doubt what he was feeling as some moments were weird. I shouldn't bring another series into this but I couldn't stop myself from comparing it with Miraculous and cat noir because of the romanitization of stalker behaviour. Him following Kiroi to the dance studio, him looking at that photo of him lovingly and then sleeping beside it, which by the way what were those noises about and if they were what I am thinking then I don't want to know. There were some other parts too but I don't wanna list them. But as Kiroi said : " Gross"
I must confess that I liked Kiroi's perspective more, or maybe because after that we kinda progressed more into their story.
Okay I think I talked enough about the characters, I liked the acting and the chemistry between the both of them, what I didn't like was Hira's obsessive behaviour. Oh to add here I liked the character development. Can I consider it that ? It was more prominent in Kiroi as he went from the cold guy in the first part, to a guy simply misunderstood who was actually very sensible and cute.
Now the story on the other hand was acceptable actually, it wasn't bullies to lovers more like these guy that seems cold on the outside and then a puppy that follows him everywhere and obeys him. And then we got to Kiroi's pov and we got to see another side of him and basically both were madly in love with each other but because of lack of communication they drifted apart, Kiroi wanted to be chased but instead he thought that Hira deleted his number and that kinda means rejection and Hira who thought that he didn't deserve him ( sounds like Heaven's official blessing ) because they were so different, but in the last episode they cleared everything up.
Does it make sense what I say ? English isn't my first language so I hope I didn't make any mistakes or invent new words or grammar rules.
All in all it was good, this review was just me wanting to express my dissatisfaction regarding Hira's feelings that would always cross the line between love and obsession cus if you go down that path, this wouldn't be a romance drama anymore, but a horror story. But I'm pretty sure fans of dark romance would still consider their story cute.

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PERFECTION!

STORY AND CHARACTERS. Here lies the strength of this series. Both male leads (and Kazuki) are not absolutely good or bad. We see both sides of each character. We see Kiyoi at first as a brat, user, bully, then later we realize he also feels like he’s a victim. Hira, on the other hand, despite being seen as a willing victim, is also unwittingly using Kiyoi for personal, selfish reasons. Kayoma, who seems to be the most “normal” of the three, can also do the wrong things at the wrong time.

We understand where the two MLs are coming from with the help of animated scenes showing how they grew up. This is what is missing in MR. UNLUCKY CAN ONLY KISS. That series ended leaving us with no clue where the two ML’s families are.

Pacing is just right: too slow, not too fast. Also there’s no irritating side stories of side couples, so the focus is just on the main leads. Attention, Thai BL producers!

Also, this is the only BL I’ve seen so far in which the POV switched from one character (Hira) to another (Kiyoi). This switch made us see more where our main characters are coming from.

ACTING. Superb ang acting from the entire cast. Special mention is the final confrontation. Acting on that scene was spot on. Good writing, too.

TECHNICALS. Cinematography is above average, seasoned professionals obviously are behind this. Same with editing and music, above average.

REWATCH VALUE. I’d watch this over and over again, yes!

10 / 10

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My In-depth Analysis of My Beautiful Man

I was reading through a lot of these reviews and thought I'd add my two cents.

As someone who has already rewatched this series a gazillion times since it first came out, I'm probably gonna be a bit biased.

I have seen many mixed reviews on this drama, with many saying its perfect and amazing, and others claiming it to be the worst drama ever.
I can understand where many are going with their opinions, but as story analysis is basically my life at this point, I thought I'd try and clear a few things.

Many people who see this drama as terrible and the worst thing they'd ever seen, seem to have a trend with their opinions. Its always, "Hira's an obsessive loser who is bullied by Kiyoi, and Kiyoi is this prideful asshole who bosses Hira around." While I get where they're coming from, it seems they have only taken this drama at face value.

It takes a while for one to understand the certain complexities of these characters. I wont say they're stupid, cause thats not right either, but understanding where each of these characters is coming from takes a lot more thought and deliberation.

Hira's character is one of my favorites, mostly because of how he sees the world. There are many insecurities woven into Hira's character that not many dramas, bl or not, try to portray. While many see Hira's character as a helpless loser, its more because he's "different". Which i unfortunately relate to a lot more than i should. Hira has a hard time expressing himself, its literally one of the first things explained in the series. Also, while Hira seems like a push over who lets people walk all over him, its explained in the novel (not as much in the series ig) that Hira lets people tell him what to do because he'd rather not deal with the issues that would come from him refusing and standing up for himself. This is also why i believe that hira never really cared for doing errands for Kiyoi, because he was used to being ordered around by other people. Sad, but true for a lot of people. Now, to address Hira's obsessive behavior. Its bad, but i will admit, he's a lot more tame than many other obsessive characters in dramas. I've seen both A Round Trip to Love and the Effect series. I know what obsessive is. Hira's obsession is more of a one sided idolization of Kiyoi. This is expressed multiple times in how Hira sees Kiyoi as a "god" and how he's "untouchable". Hira never sees Kiyoi as an object that belongs to him, like many obsessive characters. Once again, ARTTL has scarred me. Now, i get how you might say "Hira's just obsessed with Kiyoi as a person, not that he wants to own him." And yes, that's true, but its similar to the way a teenager is obsessed with their favorite celebrity, which is normal, yet in some cases odd. To adress the machine gun scenes, those are metaphorical. I saw many a comment on how its insane of him to want to shoot his classmates. Let's get this straight. Hira never wanted to actually kill his classmates. It's a metaphorical feeling of wanting them "dead" not in a way of killing them, but wanting them to stop or to just disappear. Now the matter of Hira and the photos of Kiyoi. I saw someone say it was weird for hira to tuck in Kiyoi's picture with him in the bed, but, honestly, thats not that bad. And while Hira masturbating to Kiyoi's photo was weird, its not that uncommon. People fantasize about their idols/celebrities in unsavory situations all the time, and be it weird, you cant just get on him for it.

I'd like to also include my take on Koyama and his relationship with Hira. I've seen many people talk about poor Koyama and how could Hira choose Kiyoi over him. I can understand as Koyama was a true friend to Hira, but i dont think many people are getting the point. There's a few reasons Hira chose Kiyoi over Koyama. Main one being that Hira never thought of Koyama as anything more than a close friend. Even though Hira and Koyama were friends for a few years, Hira still had a crush on Kiyoi the entire time. While i think that Koyama does deserve to be happy with someone, i dont think that person could ever be Hira. Even if they did get together, it would be one-sided on Koyama's end and would only hurt both of them in the long run. Ive heard some rebuttals of "Well, Hira would just learn to love Koyama and realize how much he does for him." That's not how Hira works. Hira has a hard time "liking" things to begin with. I'm pretty sure Hira understands how much Koyama does for him, and appreciates it dearly, but never thought of it as anything more than helping out a friend, in the same way of how Hira took care of him when he was sick. Also, Hira's love for Kiyoi is probably a "once-in-a-lifetime" deal. Kiyoi was the first person that Hira had ever truly "liked". It is implied that Hira feels this way ever since he first sees Kiyoi, so if Hira has known Koyama for a few years and hasnt felt anything, i doubt those feelings would change, especially since Hira has very complicated emotions.

I'm going to get a bit opinionated with this part, so if you are a big Koyama supporter, i recommend skipping this bit. I think that Koyama is just as selfish as the rest of the characters. He claims to love and cherish Hira more than Kiyoi ever could, but fails to take Hira's feelings into account. (I will admit that he's a bit more tame in s2 but the salt is still vefy much so present.) Koyama repeatedly asked Hira how and why he could like someone like Kiyoi and tells him how terrible Kiyoi is. Hira tries to tell him that he doesn't know Kiyoi like he does. (True with a capital T) I wont get mad at Koyama for the first impression he gets of Kiyoi, since its understandable that he sees him as rude and mean based of of their interaction. And while i can see how Koyama telling Hira that Kiyoi is not a good person is just concern from a friend, what gets me is the fact that Koyama has the hardest time accepting that Hira likes Kiyoi instead of him. The fact that he asks why Hira couldn't give him a chance is proof enough to me. When someone is madly in love with someone else, they're not just gonna stop loving them just because you tell them too, especially with someone like Hira. As much as i love Koyama's actor, i don't think he's as good of a person like everyone chalks him up to be.

Onto Kiyoi. Get ready for a roller coaster. There were many comments talking about how Kiyoi is such a bully and how his past doesn't excuse him for his current actions. Kiyoi is what i like to call, the most perfect tsundere character to ever be created. The reason his character is perceived as the popular bully is based off of a one sided view point. (Considering many of the people who called him an asshole and a bully dropped the series after only 2-3 eps says something bout yall.) Up front, yes, kiyoi is rude, mean, a bully. But it takes a bit of analysis and dissection of his character to really understand him. I will say it outright, Kiyoi bullied Hira the least out of that entire friend group. (Maybe second least if you count Kurata.) Yes, he did bully Hira in the beginning by ordering him around, but he never directed bullied him. (Ill get to Kiyoi's "disgusting." comments later) If you didn't notice, Kiyoi never called Hira, HiHi or Stutz, (the nickname changes based on the translations) like the rest of the group did. Kiyoi also never really let Hira get pushed around by anyone other than himself. And even when he ordered Hira to buy them things, Kiyoi always paid him back. This is implied when Hira talks about the flask of coins from the change Kiyoi would give him. Also, in the novel, when Shirota gets mad at Hira for getting the wrong sandwich, Hira brings up how Shirota hadn't been paying him for the food. The reason most likely being that Kiyoi wasnt paying him since Kiyoi wasn't top dog of the group anymore and the job of paying went to Shirota. (This might be a bad interpretation cause i want able to finish reading since the translation wasnt finished) Anyways, this same scene is also where Kiyoi tells Hira to not go back and buy a new sandwich cause he needs to eat too, further proving how Kiyoi didnt let Hira get pushed around by anyone else. I get how you might think Kiyoi pushing him around and not letting others push Hira around is still bad, but it would be a lot worse if Kiyoi just let those things happen. Now, i saw a comment on how it was wrong for Kiyoi to get physically violent with Hira. I'm guessing they're talking about the bench scene after the cafe when Kiyoi lost the competition. There is a perfectly logical explanation for this. At that time, Hira basically trapped Kiyoi in his arms, told him he liked him, and wouldn't stop when Kiyoi told him to let go. I dont know about you, but I'd sure as hell fight tooth and nail to get away, even if the person was someone i knew. Finally, im going to adress Kiyoi calling Hira "gross", "weird", and "disgusting". As i mentioned at the beginning, Kiyoi is a tsundere character who has a hard time expressing his true emotions. So when he calls Hira these names, hes not insulting him. Its the same as someone calling a friend or parter "stupid" or "dumb" when they do something silly. Its not meant to be an insult, just something they say as a light-hearted tease. Adressing the "stalker" situation, while Hira following Kiyoi to the dance studio can be seen as stalker-ish behavior, it only happens once, and the only other time that you could kind of count him stalking is when Hira follows Kiyoi behind the school, but its obvious that Kiyoi intended for Hira to follow him. There is also Kiyoi's jealous behavior, which even I cant deny is toxic. Kiyoi does tend to lose his temper with Hira when hes mad at something he did.

I personally dont have a direct opinion on their relationship, because i believe that no relationship is perfect and that if people truly love each other they can overcome differences and change for the better. I will never deny the fact that Kiyoi and Hira's relationship is toxic, especially with the amount of jealousy and miscommunication woven through their storyline, but that doesn't exactly mean that they arent good for each other. Both are toxic in their own ways and, oddly enough, that kinda makes them perfect for each other. I will, however, address the king/sevant dynamic. Many of the negative comments would talk about how this show glorifies a master/servant relationship (which is a very toxic dynamic), but they never really glorify this dynamic and actually express how Hira's mindset of Kiyoi being a king and how Hira is just his lowly servant has hurt them and prevented them from being true to their feelings. Kiyoi even says in the last episode, "I'm not a king, okay?" and refuses to be with Hira as long as he still sees him as an untouchable god. In my opinion, they do the exact opposite of glorifying the master/servant dynamic. Remember, people, just because a thing is a major plot point in a show doesn't mean it glorifies it.

To end it off, because i realize this is going on longer than i expected, i will say that the story itself isnt perfect, but this is largely in part by the fact that the series is only 6 episodes long and doesn't have that long of a run time anyways. Even though i haven't been able to find a full english translation for the novel, of what i have read, it does go a bit more into detail compared to the series. All in all, this is one of my favorite series, mostly because of my love for Yusei Yagi, but i do think it provides a different and unique take on the regular school dramas.

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Conveys plot and emotion beautifully

If i had to describe this drama in one word, it would be beautiful. I feel like this drama encompasses the beauty and simplicity of a plot which conveys pure emotion without over complications. The contrast between kiyoi and hira’s lives and lifeview but then the similarities are uncanny, and the almost unexpected romance between the two is so fascinating. I feel like you can’t really describe this drama in words and you have to watch it. The drama is the perfect length to perfectly portray the story and everything about this drama is perfectly done.
Really satisfying to watch and i really did enjoy watching this- the two have an unspoken connection that is beautiful to observe. Oh and the ost bangs.

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Needs to be watched at least twice

I know I'm late to the party reviewing this, but one of the reasons I waited so long to watch it is because I read several opinions saying this was a very toxic series. I finally got around to watching it a couple weeks ago and the first watch was definitely very different from what I expected. I could see what people meant by "toxic", but when you put yourself in the characters' shoes, you see that it actually isn't. The main character is an unreliable narrator, and for that reason, there are things you only really understand on the second watch, and it's 100% worth it.

The series has an amazing amount of details and it's very impressive how much plot the director and screenwriter managed to fit into 6 episodes without it feeling rushed. And of course, the actors are extremely talented and really brought the characters to life. Easily one of my favorite dramas.

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I really admire the concept that both, Hira and Kiyoi are flawed characters with many insecurities and self doubts and what mystifies me is that their love story is like that 'adorable yellow duck'in that 'gutter'.

The romance that bloomed at the least expected place of life.

Also i love another symbolism that yellow duck in the gutter part holds.. the part where kiyoi sees that duck floating in the gutter and says nobody cares about that yellow duck while literally on the other side hira's taking the picture of that duck admiring it to the fullest. That's what summarises beautiful man for me.

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[If you please, ignore the star rating here. Because, again, this is one of those reviews that should get no star rating at all from me, since my subjective feelings and my objective knowledge of the quality are at odds with each other.]

Kiyoi's and Hira's love is a twisted one, one that is more co-dependency than love. One feels that his only meaning in life is to adore the other. The other needs another person to look up to him. It reminds me of the relationship in "Double Mints", just without the drugs and violence.

I can see that this is a story that fascinates a lot of people -- it's raw, painful, and beautiful in its pain.
Additionally, the quality is exceedingly good. The actors are excellent, I don't think any viewer could imagine another actor in their roles. I love that the drama tells the story as much through sounds and silences as through visual elements, colours and inner monologue. The script is tight, and there's not a second that is unnecessary for the story.

For me, though, I would have needed a different story-telling to enjoy this drama. As a victim of bullying myself, I would never be able to adore my tormentor, even if I would have found them attractive (and, sorry, I don't find Kiyoi attractive at all, let alone beautiful). I cannot, for the life of me, see how Kiyoi's non-action (he just enters a room!) is more impactful for Hira than his college friend's active support from minute one.
Maybe it would have helped if I got to see Kiyoi's internal struggle earlier -- but then, he does not seem to see anything wrong with his actions during high school at all.

I do understand that we need stories about twisted and painful relationships, we need more than just sugar-coated rom-coms -- it's just that this one with it's central theme of school bullying is not the right story for me.
So, if you ask me: Should I watch it? Then, yes, absolutely, do so. Even if you, like me, will never understand their story, watch it just for the outstanding performance and the beautiful way this drama was made.

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A most recommended watch!

I LOVED this series. It's honestly a great piece of work. I loved how nuanced the writing of the characters was; the show presented us characters that are flawed and pretty unconventional but they took care to contextualize those character traits (we know right from the start for example that Hira has never felt real interest or attraction for anything as he grew up, that he saw doctors because of that) and they actually tackled those issues in the last episodes. I was fully expecting them not to do it, as I have seen SO MANY shows romanticizing "problematic" behaviors without ever shedding light on their problematic aspect, so I was overjoyed when they did.

This show has a lot of depth, and a psychological dimension that I did not expect at all. Watching it is like peeling an onion: each episode uncovers a new layer of depth and give us a better understanding of the characters. It is very moving and beautiful.

The music, camera language, lighting are also expertly chosen and contribute both to creating atmospheres and to building further Hira’s characterization in subtle yet powerful ways (the two gun scenes from ep 3 left me mind-blown).

Finally the acting from both main leads is absolutely perfect - and the more you get to know the characters, the more you understand how on point their acting actually is.

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Flaws and All

This was a refreshing change of story for the BL world. No triple takes of basic moments that don't deserve it, No bully that fall in love, no ridiculous high school drama... My only negative is that the final shot could have been anything else. Literally ANYTHING ELSE.

The cast for this series did very well in portraying their characters and their characters were well written. I say this because they were all flawed, which made them human. While this can be considered unhealthy by some, their brokenness is what made their love seem worth it. They had moments of fear where they acted out, moments of insecurities were they withdrew into their shells. They lived, learned and eventually found the courage to let themselves live.

Give it a watch and remember while watching that nobodies perfect. Even if you want to treat them like a king.

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