First of all – this is not a BL series. It is a gay series that takes the viewer to the dark side of society, and in my opinion it's been the best LGBT series of 2024 so far.

There should be trigger warnings of violence, male and female forced prostitution of minors, torture, murder, and suicide. Doesn't sound exactly heartwarming, does it? But then there are some glimpses of happiness in all this mess, which are the more touching because of the extreme contrast to the overall situation.

The series tells the story of two young men living on the fringe of society. Chihiro (Beppu Yurai) was kicked out of and disowned by his rich family as an adolescent because of his sexual orientiation. As a young adult he tries to make ends meet with casual jobs and and prostitution. Keito/Haoren (Sawamura Rei), who experienced child abuse by his mother's partner, was abandoned by his mother at very young age. Kaji (Kubota Yuki), who later becomes Keito's closest friend, takes him to work for Maya (Asari Yosuke), a BDSM pimp whose clients are men and women who find pleasure in torturing, or even killing, kids.

The two young men meet in a bar, where Chihiro approaches Keito, who he thinks is wealthy, with the intention of fleecing him. When they get to a hotel, Keito unexpectedly beats Chihiro up as Chihiro has stolen cards from Keito's employer. When Chihiro wakes up in a pile of rubbish, Keito ”kidnaps” him and makes him help move apartment.

Keito is on the run from his former ”employer”, because after almost being killed by a client he had reported him to police, and in the eyes of the pimp was thus responsible for his 5-year sentence. This is why Keito moves house frequently, but Maya finds him once again, leaving a camera with photos of frogs as a warning near Keito's doorstep. On top of all the disturbing scenes of child abuse, Maya's malice is illustrated in a scene where he kills a frog by squeezing if to death with one hand.

As Chihiro has no place to go, he moves in with Keito, and the two young men get closer physically and emotionally. When Keito's mother, a prostitute who has lost her memory, commits suicide, Chihiro helps him overcome his deep depression.

Then Maya kidnaps Chihiro, humiliates and injures him badly. Keito takes revenge by stabbing Maya. After this, Chihiro and Keito's escape to a seaside resort to start a new life. They relive some of Chihiro's happy childhood memories, but Keito decides to turn himself in to police and is sentenced to 5 years. Maya finally commits suicide. While Keito is in prison, Chihiro manages to make a career as a photographer.

I won't spoil the ending here – only so much: as the title indicates, it isn't a sad one.

The plot of this series is sad, disturbing, dark, and more often than not ugly, but as I mentioned there are moments of happiness the two young men find despite all the evil things that have happened and are happening in their lives. The script is realistic to the point of pain for the viewer, and it depicts the protagonists' respective backgrounds in flashbacks skilfully woven into the main plot.

The setting adds to the gloomy atmosphere of the story – from Maya's run down apartment where he imprisons girls and boys, to a street of cheap prostitutes and – most of all – the barely furnished apartments where Keito and Chihiro are hiding from Maya. Some shots – like Keito crouching all alone in an empty room – are in fact masterly done, and the cinematography and the coloring in general contribute a lot to the quality of this series. Director Furumaya Tomoyuki, like in the BL series ”Ameiro Paradox” which he also directed, manages to make his actors perform brilliantly.

There would have been two ways of casting the actors for this series. It could have been made with amateurs with a similar background as the characters for the best possible authenticity, and it could have and was made with amazing actors who portray their characters absolutely convincingly. This is not only true with respect to the brilliant Beppu Yurai and Sawamura Rei, who are both able to display their characters' feelings naturally using body language and changes of expression. Kubota Yuki plays the ”elder brother” with exactly the right blend of warmth and strictness, and Asari Yosuke manages to make the viewer hate his character Maya from the bottom of their hearts.

The soundtrack is a pleasure as it sensitively matches the action – there are scenes without any music, especially when Chihiro and Keito have conversations important to the story.

To sum up – this series is near perfection in every aspect - storytelling, directing, editing, and acting. It is no series faint-hearted persons should watch before going to bed, and it does clearly not address the average underage BL fan. But everybody who is intersted in realistic LGBTQ+ series that do not hide the dark side of life may enjoy watching it, although it really hurts sometimes.

In my opinion, this is the best LGBT series of 2024 so far. Highly recommended !

You find all my BL reviews, incl. those about series and movies from countries not covered by MDL, such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Singapore here: https://www.wattpad.com/myworks/303301998-reviews-of-asian-bl-series