Kabe Sa Doujin Sakka no Neko Yashiki-kun wa Shouninyokkyou wo Kojiraseteiru (2022)

Unique, Humorous, and Heartfelt

This series defies the cookie-cutter feel of much of what passes for BL in some circles and instead offers fans a genuinely touching, and often hilarious, star-crossed romance driven by its well-cast characters' personal hangups and journeys of growth. Some may quibble with what's NOT there (I won't, because I just enjoyed the whole experience so much, naysayers be damned), but I'd rather highlight what IS there: namely, surprisingly diverse, positive, and humanizing representation of different LGBTQ characters as well as a really uplifting central message.

In fairness, yes, it has one notable shortcoming (I'm sure others will address it), and the camerawork and production are not perfect (you can feel the limited budget in places, as happens with most BL). But, frankly, who cares? If you want pathos, laughs, a bara-within-a-BL, a BL-within-a-BL, shippable idols, stalker-y journalists, and one of the most adorable opposites-attract main couples in recent years, then give it a chance!

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Comedy over Romance

It's kooky in a good way. I agree with other MDLers in that this reminded me of A Man Who Defies the World of BL. It's got a similar style.

I had some laughs and it's fun and all . . . But the build to a romance wasn't done very well, in my opinion.

I would say you will enjoy this more if going into it you view it as a slice-of-life-ish-comedy rather than a romance.

Side Thoughts: I thought it was neat and unique of this drama to reverse the trope of BL writers being women who just have some obsession with writing about Gay guys in a stereotypical/unrealistic fashion and make it be an actual Gay man doing it.

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A feel good story about personal growth and love.

Is physical intimacy always needed on screen to show how much characters care for one another? I personally think not. I'd much rather have strong chemistry between two leads and a great story with character development, which this show has in spades. I will also add that I'm not a viewer of only bl dramas. I watch jdramas of all kinds and don't care if there are little to no love scenes, it does not affect my rating of a show.

So with that said I'll begin my review:
I didn't know what to expect when I decided to first watch this drama that had the longest title I'd ever seen. I ended up falling in love with the story from the first episode though and looked forward to watching it every week. I'm going to miss it. I consider this drama to be a slice of life and about the journey the doom & gloom manga artist "Mamocchi" goes through in order to accept love, friendship, and career setbacks. The second male lead, Issei, is an idol that's always smiling and puts others first before his own desires. He has a lot of people including his fellow band mates counting on him to keep a squeaky clean image for the public. So what happens when these seemingly polar opposites that knew each other as teens are reunited again as adults? Well I'll leave that for you the viewer to find out.

Bonus/ some things I loved:
*Zany whacky characters that weren't too over the top, but made me laugh and smile every time they were on screen.
*The fictional idol group "Shiny smile" were awesome! I became a fan haha. Their song was a bop! Seriously I never skipped the opening credits so I could listen to it. I also liked how a slowed down instrumental version of the song was used in the show's serious moments. It really tied everything together.
*Loved the clever production of this show and how it felt like a manga that's come to life.
*Great acting by everyone in the cast.

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good production value and acting, but not a fan of the main character

Overall: the production value and acting was great but I actively disliked Mamoru's character and might be judging more harshly than normal as I was in this type of relationship (low self esteem/affect/morose and happy go lucky) and it was terrible. Aired on Viki.

Content Warnings: manhandling, non con photo taking/posting, unwanted outing, homophobia, punch

What I Liked
- funny moments like after Mamoru and his friend/fan ate
- the editing/animation references its manga origin
- Mamoru was set up well
- Issei's backstory for the constant smiling
- Mamoru's female friend/fan
- production value*

Room For Improvement
- really terrible communication especially from Mamoru, but Issei definitely should have talked to Mamoru before he said what he said on the stage
- never saw a reason for Mamoru's moroseness (and drawing nsfw stuff in high school and being (understandably) made fun of for it does not count), and there was a lack of character growth
- non reason in episode 7 and then sudden switch in episode 8
- the false idea that love can cure mental health struggles (been there, tried that, it was awful)
- Issei was at the end of the line, then vanished but later had the book???
- stereotypical character at the convention
-*too much spinning camera work end

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Japan Does iI Again!

Another pleasant surprise that I can add to my long reasons why Japanese BLs have been the best out of everything this year. Once again, the title-that-I-will-not-spell-out came through, delivered, and left. And while there were some hiccups here and there, this series did what it came to do, and I appreciate any short subtleties that come in, do their job, leave a lasting impression, and become only memories from there on out - good memories though.

Let's Dive In.

The only reason I will not give this series a 10/10 is that we received no kiss. At one point in my BL endeavor, I was okay with that (Keita Hatsukoi, Cherry Magic, etc). But now, BL has gone way further than I ever thought possible, with profound and rich storylines, amazing emotional and physical chemistry, and heartfelt moments. So no kisses in BL now feels like an utter crime. And there wasn't a single reason why these two MCs shouldn't have kissed. It's getting old Japan!

Other than that, I freaking loved the plot. An erotic manga writer has a fat crush on his idol friend who also has a very open crush on him. and these actors played their part perfectly. I don't think the story would've worked without them. Issei's deep smile, warm aura, and generous eyes mixed with Mamoru's stale demeanor, and cold attitude, yet such a hopeless romantic was *chef's kiss*. They had such good chemistry, even with Koudai being cold for more than half the series. The way my stomach would bubble when Issei would go out of his way to make it to Mamoru events or do anything just to see him. Also, the character development was out of the park. One thing that will drive me over the edge of being in love with a couple is if that slow burn comes with character development, and these two had that.

I'm not the one to really enjoy anything outside of the BL couple's story, but Tsubasa's story had me on the edge of my seat. I really wish that he and one of the other band members (preferably Kyou) would've been a secondary couple, but whatever. He also had great character development (or more so we saw why he was so brooding) and it warmed something in me. Koharu was also a great addition to the team. She brought a light that was desperately needed and became a companion like no other.

Overall, this was a very peaceful and enjoyable watch. No need for a second season, but I do wish we could've seen an endearing kiss between the leads. But oh well.

Ratings:

Story: 9/10: The best part out of everything. It brought some pretty unique plots to the table. It came and went with a bang. I don't think there was any point in the series when I was watching and I was bored. It flowed so naturally and at a steady pace. It was exactly my cup of tea. I'll only take off a star for no kiss scene.

Acting: 9.5/10: as close to perfect as it could get. The story wouldn't have worked if it wasn't for this cast. Amazing job.

Music: 7.5/10: I liked it more than I usually like OSTs.

Recommendation Value: 9/10: I recommend it highly. It's a quick watch, which is a downside, but it's a really nice series, with some really nice characters.

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UPDATE - Okay but could have done more

The good:

Not your typical BL lead, the pessimistic Mamoru is an interesting character that makes me much more interested in the storyline. His emo side oddly enough gives a refreshing feel to this series and his reactions are hilarious. I also enjoy his opposite, Kazama, and their potential chemistry!

The bad:

After watching all eps, the storyline felt repetitive, ironically because of Mamoru's personality and its effects on his actions. By the end of it the series, I felt like very little yet so much had happened. Maybe it was because of how much they were trying to do with the story/topics with only 8 eps, but a lot of it was forgettable. The consistency of tone throughout eps and the entire show was also lacking - one moment it's comedic and the next I'm getting thrown into the deep end with the characters' sadness and trauma.

Overall, I was disappointed with it's potential. This is an okay watch if you want something not to get invested in, but go into it with no expectations.

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Original and Diverse Gay Characters

In my opinion, this was one of the best BL series of 2022. This series is unusual, and it can be zany, and has a typical Japanese comedic feel with narration and the mango superimposed at times. Some people are upset that the MCs do not kiss, but Japanese culture is more reserved. I was more enraptured by the amount of different types of gay men in the series. There is Mamoru, the nerdy doujinshi artist, Issei (Issay), the J-Pop idol, and Framboise, the guy who runs the doujinshi event, who is more of a bear, and at times presents flamboyantly. Although Issei is an idol, we do not see him shirtless, and his bleached hair is almost jarring.

I know some viewers thought that the MCs not kissing was "unrealistic," the mangaka is an openly gay man, who also draws sexually mature stories, and he chose to present Mamoru and Issei's story in this manner. This quirky slice of life series is based on a manga that has 5 volumes published and is still in serialization. Hopefully there will be further live action series based on this manga.

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celebrity romance, sunshine/tsundere

Basically this is A Man Who Defies the World of BL + Senpai This Can’t be Love and equally painfully EXTRA. Nakao Masaki playing a sunshine bouncy himbo character is a fucking revelation, I didn’t think he had it in him. This should’ve been my favorite BL of all time (IT’S AN IDOL LOVE INTEREST!), but the tsundere is too tsundere for me, I really hate the stalker photograph thing it’s apparently a trigger I didn’t know I had until BL tried to romanticize it. I kept feeling like there were the bones of good story in this drama, and I got glimpses of it, but then it’s covered again - like tasty steak smothered in Kewpie mayo.

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Watch this...like right now. Ignore all of the negative comments and the low rating. Watch it.

This has proved to me - maybe once and for all - that MDL ratings don't mean a damn thing and are pretty much irrelevant and meaningless. 7.9 for this gorgeously acted and emotional gut punch in all the best ways....no frickin' way. This has become a new favorite - Matsuoka Koudai is an absolute revelation, and Nakao Masaki continues to hone his craft in masterful ways.
This is one of the best BL's I've ever seen - and I will hear nothing else that could possibly change my mind. The fact that this story was written by a mangaka who is himself a part of the queer community makes me love it even more.

This short drama is one of the best portrayals of depression and social anxiety that I've ever seen on screen. He was morose for a reason...which was one of the whole plots of the drama. Other commenters have called Mamoru an unlikable tsundere character. In my opinion he wasn't tsundere in the classic sense, he had significant depression and anxiety. I'm not saying that he was easy to be around, it was obvious that everything in his suffered from his illness, but as he learned to love and accept himself (and someone else) more, his mood and his environment lightened. The lighting even went from pretty dark in spots to much lighter by the end.

I love J-dramas, firstly, because they're quirky and interesting and pack a lot in about the human condition in a few episodes. JBL's tend to be the same - they're witty and funny and sometimes they're emotionally intense and angst-filled, but they more often than not say things that we didn't even know we needed to hear. This one is no exception.

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Nekoyashiki-kun desires to BE RECOGNISED

I'm rewatching this, and I just realised that the reason I didn't like it the first time is what makes me like it now.
The plot doesn't revolve around the romance but around two persons who love and care for each other, who struggle with problems related to work, family and colleagues.
After all, the title already says it: "Nekoyashiki-kun desires to be recognised", not 'desires to find love', or 'desires his crush to love him back'.

During my first watch, I wanted the romance between the two mains, and I felt robbed. But now, rewatching it without the urge of the romance to happen, I'm enjoying it much more. And it's a good BL 😍💕

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Lost it's rhythm and comedy

I really enjoyed the first 6 episodes of this series. I would wait for Mondays to watch it. At first it was light, Gave 'A man who defies the BL World' comic vibes with over the top comedy elements. But then episode 7 was heavier and with only 23 minutes per episode it was asking an awful lot of episode 8 to bring it back to the same levity as before

Acting was superb and the OST was fun but overall I would not go into this one expecting anything too light as the subject matters are quite heavy. I won't spoiler it
I scored it reasonably high though as it shows the struggle of two types of artists and there are some important messages on popularity, the fickleness of fame etc. It was well produced and directed so it's definitely worth watching.

Re-watch is low for me as the tension week to week is lost but, it's worth watching once if only for the BTS look at how idols live,

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Japan delivers again one of the most wholesome BL series

This is just one of those series that makes you draw a smile every minute that you are watching it and when it ends you just want more. Story-wise you will find it's about two childhood friends whose paths cross again when they are adults, one who wants to be a successful idol and the other who wants to be a successful doujinshi artist. Their dreams are somehow tied to their past selves and is unravelled as the series moves along.

Unlike many other series, you see that both the characters are flawed and go through an arc to discover themselves and strive to achieve their dreams. We have the pop idol Issei who always has a smile on his face irrespective of the situation or hardship. We find that he has been traumatized by his parents’ behaviours but decides to pursue being an idol because of Mamoru's passing comment. Mamoru is a closeted gay guy who suffers from low self-esteem and wants validation from people in the form of book sales and being at the "Wall".

This series is not heavy with romance and certainly isn't preachy but instead humorous. The interactions between the main and supporting characters is where the comedy lies and I simply enjoyed every moment of it. There is a bit of emotion in the last few episodes and I was eagerly waiting for it as you know that it will just propel these character's journeys even further.

All in all, a pleasant experience watching this series with great characters void of any angst and unreasonable breakups.

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