#tokyo in april is... ep 4

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

I remember everything that happend after that. I knew how much these words would ruin me. But... You were the most important thing in my life. That's why, I would do anything.

For @nieves-de-sugui, thank you very much for the request! 💙

[blmpff]

Tokyo in April is... (2023) 1x4

[mineonmain]

I'm vibrating pt. 3

forehead kisses and touches: the gestures of love and affection that are the epitome of casual intimacy, intimacy that transcends anything sexual, intimacy that fulfils the carnal desire to be as physically close to Your Person as possible, to when you need to breathe the same air as them, both peaceful in the reassurance that they are together

(See the first two posts here)

[lurkingteapot]

Tokyo in April is … 4月の東京は… Ep 4

two days late because my piracy skills failed me, but

THIS FUCKING SHOW

it's so good and hurts me in so many targeted ways! I have a feeling that this episode, while not light, was the quiet before the storm. Can't wait.

rambling + a little bit of on screen text translation under the cut

I think I said this last week, but the way Ren asks for sex when he needs reassurance … ugh

GOD the eye covering scene, Kazuma is so gone on Ren and Ren is so ???? about it. (absolutely something that I bet translated from the corresponding manga panels absolutely beautifully)

the way Ren is mouthing words and not speaking-- urgh my FEELINGS

the socks look hand knitted, uuuurgh

oh no oh no

… that's right, you SAID don't get into each other's business, so whyyyy are you snooping? (I know, I know, plot reasons)

oh god he wanted to study medicine? or thought Ren did?

This says "University of Medicine" and then (in English) France and a couple of other country names. He really did try to figure out where Ren could've gone ;-;

man I love that we're finally getting Ren's side of the story.

oh NO they're both self-sacrificing idiots, oh no, oh NO.

this is why I keep yelling at folks to TALK to each other.

oh no, did Ren have to call the ambulance to that hotel? oh YIKES he would've been in so much trouble, poor baby

oh no

oh kiddo, oh KID. You didn't make him to do anything against his will, FUCK.

this is worse than I thought, he got kicked out?? oh god the poor kid

I'm one continuous mumbled "fuuuuuuuuuuuck" here

He really carried that all these years, huh.

Oh god Kazuma is so HAPPY when Ren doesn't push him away

I'd say I hope it all gets better from here on out, but I don't trust this yet

Ren being a Euro/US movie fan sort of tracks

the ice cream feeding was SO cute

Kazuma is so happy ;_; this super isn't gonna last, huh

oh god, THEY

that fucking Sanada AGAIN this is gonna go badly, I just know it

ooof the Furuya-thing is getting worse and worse -- sixteen cases, holy shit

they are so domestic and I love it but it HURTS

… YIKES the Sanada thing is building up to getting worse and worse, I'm willing to bet he assaulted or prepositioned coworker Usami and then got them into trouble/threatened them so they resigned. God, I hate this.

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - Mame is fielding one of my favorite shows, what is the world coming to?

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

(This was gonna be ready yesterday and then I realized I'd missed 2. Sigh. I'm doing well.)

Feb 2025 Week 2

Ongoing Series - Thai

ThamePo (Fri YT) ep 10 of 12 - SHUT UP. I love them more than anything. I love how nervous and hesitant Thame was the next morning. Def the younger boy who bagged the experienced older dude. This show makes me go “aww” a lot. I do hate this part of the plot though. Because I loathe parasocial fandoms with every fiber of my being and this is why.

The Boy Next World (Sun IQIYI) ep 6 of 10 - The plot has gone wildly off the rails, like into Days of Our Lives waffle iron territory. It is utterly absurd. But I'm still watching it.

The Heart Killers (Weds Gaga) ep 12 end - I love Style so much. The perfect Brat but he is playing Petruchio not the shrew! Ironic and very kinky twist on the original. I also love how most BLs are like “we’re gonna separate them for 2-5 years in the final ep” and Kant & Style were all “fuck that noise.” 

Summary

Jojo directs this action romcom about assassin brothers (Khao & Joong) meets tattoo artist ex-booster (First) and very flirty mechanic (Dunk) conmen. I dithered over how to rate this. It felt like an 8 show wearing a 9’s britches. There were dropped threads, forgotten characters, and unfinished plot lines even with a particularly long run time. And, for me, it doesn’t have significant rewatch potential. But it was fun (when one applies no expectations or logic) and I enjoyed the wildly unhinged relationships and, weirdly, music. I mean nobody claimed that we needed Taming of the Shrew only with gay Thai hitman, but we really needed it. And no one asked for Petruchio as the gayest brat ever to strut his perfect skin and copped-top across our screen, and yet we loved him for it. Sure it didn’t make sense, was utterly absurd, but it was terribly earnest and sexy about it. IN the end this goes hand-in-hand with all these other absurd crime pieces we’ve been getting since KP, and frankly I like this one the best from Thailand so far. 9/10 but I’m slightly uncomfortable with that decision.

Perfect 10 Liners (Sun YT) ep 16 of 24 - It’s cute. They were cute. I enjoyed it. But I am still mostly just looking forward to the next couple.

Sangmin Dinneaw (Sun iQIYI) ep 7-8 end - I forgot to watch this one for over a week, goes to show how engaged I am. Anygay, ep 7 amnesia trope is ago. A lot the ep was fuss in hospitals so I went ahead and watched the finale as well. It was fine.

Conclusion

Given its charmingly simple premise and a solid lead pair, this could’ve been quite an tidy little BL, but it went all weird and slapstick and overtly sexual (and I enjoy high heat). It was a little bit like YYY meets modern Thai BL but mixed with early Japanese pinks. All very strange. I ended up being half bored half annoyed half confused half embarrassed. And if that’s too many halves for you, now you know how I felt. 5/10 

Flirt Milk (Sat YT) ep 4 or 10 - Umm plot? Where are you?

Ossan‘s Love Thailand (Mon YouTube) ep 6 of 12 - Workplace harassment, form of... Thai BL. 

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

When it Rains it Pours (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 6 of 10 - Is the live-in boyfriend meant to be perceived as a psychopath or just a controlling monster? I love how blunt Sei was with him. Such and honest little bean. Ah, controlling monster.  Well, I really hope they can resolve this in the final episode. Despite all of the pain I’m enjoying it, it's being true to itself.

This is JBL doing its thing and toeing the Tokyo in April party line. I don't know why anyone would expect anything different. Go watch Eternal Yesterday and drink me later. This is what Japan DOES with BL at least half the time. The more JBL we get, the more of this kind of show we get with it. It's a numbers game - just add bruises.

Heart Stain (Korea Weds IQIYI) eps 3-4 of 8 - I have to admit that the only reason I even tolerate love triangles as a trope is because of K-dramas. But I still don’t like it. That said, I do like all of the honesty and conflict that's built into this story and frankly dealt with because of the trope. And I love how massive Woohyeon is so baby girl. The lap sitting was extremely cute. The teacher finding them lap sitting was also cute. And the handhold drag afterwards was cutest. The whole scene was adorable. 

FC Soldout (Korea Thurs iQIYI) eps 5-6 of 8 - Tiny idiots. Every. Single. One. (@heretherebedork you must be loving these boys.) Give me a sec to talk to a character: Captain. Sweetcheeks. You know there are better ways to exhaust your adorable boy-toy late at night than forcing him to do physical labor, right? Or, at least, not that kind of physical labor.

Eternal Butler (Taiwan Fri Gaga) eps 9 of 12 - Oooo. emotional Ever 4. Poor baby. I did want to see him kick ass. Hopefully that’s the beginning of next week’s episode. 

Impression of Youth (Taiwan Weds Viki) eps 6 of 9 - Very little happened in this episode. Lots of flashbacks. And stuff we’ve already seen.

Fight for Love (Vietnam YT) ep 2 - Ooo 2 timing? Coils within coils, tongues within tongues, my goodness these boys are getting around. It’s all very messy gay drama llama ding dong but... comedy. It’s a new one on me. But sooner that than Thailand’s Only Friends version.

Exclusive Love (Taiwan Fri Gaga) eps 1-2 of 12 - Shy aspiring singer inherits funeral business. Nice to have something more from Taiwan to watch. But this is extremely odd, and somewhat extreme behavior, given the premise. That is a lot of personnel and sunglasses just for one guitar-playing influencer. Even if I agree that he shouldn’t be allowed to play. Surreal that it’s a mafia funeral business, although I suppose it makes sense. It’s not creepy, but the creep-factor is high with this show. It's also v thirsty already. I kind of like the sides, but they seem to be in a different BL. So far, mostly whiplash but I'm not mad about it.

Checkered Shirt (Korea YT) ep 2 of 8 - It remains awkward and cute, but a little boring for a short. 

Teenager Judge (Vietnam Sat YT) ep 19 of 20 - Today in: how to tell your suicidal stepbro you wanna d**k him out. 

It's airing but......

Gelboys (Thai Weds iQIYI) ep 1 of 7 - I’m immediately terrified by the fact that he’s carrying a guitar around. It’s slow with that dirty gritty high school authenticity thing from OG Love Sick. Which is not my favorite style of any show, let alone BL. I always get Kids PTSD. I think I’m gonna give this show a pass. It’s just too far out of my wheelhouse. I don’t have patience for this right now.

The Last Time (Thai WeTV) trailer - from 2024, not sure about this one, looks dark. Since it's also difficult for me to get hold of I am giving it a pass until I know about the ending.

Speaking of which...

In Case You Missed it

I Will Turn Back Time (China Gaga) 6 eps - Spies report it does not end well. Stepbrothers trope = yeah! but all other messaging = boo. I'm not gonna bother.

End of year wraps are here!

2024 Trend Report

MY BEST & WORST BLs of 2024

Best Kisses (and sex scenes) of 2024

BL's 2024 Quirky Awards

2024 Awards - Quick Picks

Next Week Looks Like This:

2/21 Bali Hai (Thailand ????) no MDL listing, only rumors, unsure on deets.

2/27 Secret Relationships (Korea iQIYI) - Stars Wei's Kim Jun Seo. Adapted by Cradle Studio (Kakao). About clever and resourceful Daon who has worked hard to overcome being poor. His cheap ways annoy his coworker, Sunghyeon but after “an incident” with his parents, Daon grows closer to him. But Daon also has feelings for his former tutor. This has the signs of a classic Kdrama all over it: Office setting, love triangle, lead suffering for his self-actualization. I’m optimistic about a longer treatment.

2025 Line Up

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 1

BL Announced for 2025 - PART 2

20 BLs Announced for 2025 That I'm Really Excited About

GMMTV 2025 Line Up - My Totally Biased and Wildly Flawed Feels

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENT

Got nothing. Frankly you're lucky this came in a somewhat timely manner, with any screen caps at all. It's chaos 'round these parts.

(last week)

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @sunflower-positiiivity @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly @renafire @mestizashinrin @bl-bam-beyond @small-dark-and-delicious @saezurumurmurs

[putschki1969]

『EP “ = [equal]” Release Event』 Tokyo

Hikaru and Yuki held a release event today in Tokyo for their collab EP “=［equal］”! Apparently, they mentioned that Hikaru will have a guest appearance at Yuki's 4th Anniversary Live on April 17 @ Shinjuku ReNY. (Source)

Tweet by Hikaru | Tweet by Yuki | Instagram post by Yuki

EP “=［equal］” Artists: Hikaru × YUKI SASAKI Tracklist: 4 songs Price 3,000 yen

[Tokyo] 2025.3.19 (Wed) 18:00 / 19:00 SHIBUYA LOFT HEAVEN Ticket price: 4,000 yen 🎫https://t.livepocket.jp/e/zviaj ▼Sales Period 2.12 (Wed) 20:00 ~ 3.18 (Tue) 23:59

[Toyama] 2025.3.29 (Sat) 18:00 / 19:00 TOYAMA LOGSESSION Ticket price: 4,000 yen 🎫https://t.livepocket.jp/e/k-ptt ▼Sales Period 2.12 (Wed) 20:00 ~ 3.28 (Fri) 23:59

Hikaru's 15h Digital Single "The one" ~ Collab with Yuki Sasaki

Distribution starts at midnight JST on March 20, 2025 ♪ The song is described as "a sad medium-tempo ballad about two people who will never meet again, never be close again, living with memories they can never forget."(Source)

2025.03.20 Yuki Sasaki feat. Hikaru 3rd Collaboration Single "The one" (feat.Hikaru) Lyrics: Yuki Sasaki & Hikaru Composition/Arrangement: Daichi Morioka Link: https://linkco.re/rYecMeQM

Thoughts: What a lovely chorus, I am smitten. Could definitely listen to this on repeat. Yuki and Hikaru sound great together in this type of song.

[metalcultbrigade]

Happy birthday to Michael Schenker (born 10 January 1955) who is a German guitarist.

He played in the rock band UFO and leads the Michael Schenker Group (MSG).

He was an early member of the hard rock band Scorpions, a band co-founded by his elder brother Rudolf Schenker. In the mid-1970s, Schenker joined UFO, playing lead and rhythm guitar.

He left the band in 1978 to briefly rejoin Scorpions for the recording of Lovedrive, and then to form MSG. He has rejoined UFO three times, producing an album each time. Schenker continues to perform and record.

He has been called "a legendary figure in the history of metal guitar."

Michael Schenker Background information

Born 10 January 1955 (age 69)

Sarstedt, West Germany

Genres Hard rock, heavy metal

Occupation Guitarist

Years active 1966–present

Labels Nuclear Blast

Member of Michael Schenker Group, Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock, Michael Schenker Fest

Formerly of: Scorpions, UFO, McAuley Schenker Group, Contraband

Website: www.michaelschenkerhimself.com

Discography

Year Band Title

1966 Michael Schenker "LIVE" At Age 11 With The Enervates Live with the Enervates. September 13, 1966 Beat Club 1

1972 Scorpions Lonesome Crow

1974 Scorpions Fly to the Rainbow co-writer

1974 UFO Phenomenon

1975 UFO Force It

1976 UFO No Heavy Petting

1977 UFO Lights Out

1978 UFO Obsession

1979 UFO Strangers in the Night Live

1979 Scorpions Lovedrive Lead guitar, backing vocals on 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 10

1980 Michael Schenker Group The Michael Schenker Group

1981 Michael Schenker Group MSG

1982 Michael Schenker Group One Night at Budokan Live

1982 Michael Schenker Group Assault Attack

1983 Michael Schenker Group Built to Destroy

1984 Michael Schenker Group Rock Will Never Die Live, CD/VHS

1984 Michael Schenker Group Super Rock '84 in Japan Live, VHS

1987 McAuley Schenker Group Perfect Timing

1989 McAuley Schenker Group Save Yourself

1991 McAuley Schenker Group M.S.G.

1991 Contraband Contraband

1992 UFO BBC Radio 1 Live In Concert Live, Tracks 9,10,11,12, Recorded in 1974 and 1976

1992 McAuley Schenker Group Nightmare: The Acoustic M.S.G. EP

1992 McAuley Schenker Group "Unplugged" Live Live

1993 Michael Schenker (Solo) Thank You

1995 UFO Walk on Water

1996 UFO On With The Action Live, Recorded at the London Roundhouse Sunday 25 April 1976

1996 Michael Schenker Group Written in the Sand

1997 Michael Schenker Group The Michael Schenker Story Live Live, CD/VHS

1998 Michael Schenker (Solo) Thank You with Orchestra

1998 UFO Werewolves Of London Live, Recorded at Wolverhampton Civic Hall on 10 February 1998

1999 Michael Schenker Group The Unforgiven

1999 Michael Schenker Group The Unforgiven World Tour Live

2000 Michael Schenker Group Michael Schenker Live in Japan The Unforgiven World Tour 2000 Live, VHS

2000 Michael Schenker (Solo) Adventures of the Imagination

2000 Michael Schenker (Solo) The Odd Trio

2000 Michael Schenker (Solo) MS 2000: Dreams and Expressions

2000 UFO Covenant

2001 Michael Schenker Group Be Aware of Scorpions

2002 UFO Sharks

2002 Michael Schenker (Solo) Thank You 2

2002 Michael Schenker (Solo) Thank You 3

2003 Michael Schenker (Solo) Thank You 4

2003 Michael Schenker Group Arachnophobiac

2003 UFO Live on Earth Live, Recorded at Rockpalast, Vienna, Austria on 28 January 1998

2003 The Plot The Plot

2003 Amy Schugar, Michael Schenker Under Construction

2004 Michael Schenker Group World Wide Live 2004 Live, DVD

2004 Schenker Pattison Summit The Endless Jam

2005 Schenker Pattison Summit The Endless Jam Continues

2005 Michael Schenker Group Live in Tokyo 1997 Live, DVD

2005 Michael Schenker Group Heavy Hitters Cover

2006 Michael Schenker Group Tales of Rock'n'Roll

2008 Michael Schenker Group, Michael Schenker, Gary Barden[1] In the Midst of Beauty

2009 Schenker/Barden Acoustic Project Gipsy Lady

2010 Michael Schenker Group The 30th Anniversary Concert – Live in Tokyo Live, CD/DVD

2011 Michael Schenker Group By Invitation Only Cover

2011 Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock Temple of Rock

2012 Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock Temple of Rock – Live in Europe Live, CD/DVD

2013 Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock Bridge the Gap

2015 Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock Spirit on a Mission

2016 Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock On a Mission: Live in Madrid Live, CD/DVD

2017 Michael Schenker Fest Live: Tokyo International Forum Hall A Live, CD/DVD

2018 Michael Schenker Fest Resurrection

2019 Michael Schenker Fest Revelation

2021 Michael Schenker Group Immortal

2022 Michael Schenker Group Universal

2022 Michael Schenker (Solo) Rock Shock Compilation

2023 UFO Lights Out in Babenhausen 93 Live, recorded at the Stadhalle in Babenhausen, Germany on 12 December 1993, CD/LP

2024 Michael Schenker (Solo) My Years with UFO Covers of songs from Schenker's initial tenure with UFO

Other Schenker projects

Look at Me Now (Bernie Marsden Album) (1981) as guest

Legends of Rock at Castle Donington (2001, Live)

Siggi Schwarz & The Electric Guitar Legends (2004)

Siggi Schwarz & The Rock Legends (2005)

Heavy Metal Thunder (2005)

Numbers from the Beast (2005)

Agony & The Xtasy (Gary Barden Solo Album) (2006)

Siggi Schwarz and Michael Schenker – Live Together (2004, Live)

Siggi Schwarz and Michael Schenker – Live Together - The Bonus Edition (2004, Live)

Metal X-Mas (two-CD Special Edition) (2010)

Strangers in the Night (2010)

Seeking Major Tom (2011)

Compilations

The Essential Michael Schenker Group (Best Of-style compilation, 1992)

The Story of Michael Schenker (1994, Compilation)

Armed & ready – the best of the Michael Schenker Group (1994, Music Collection International)

The Michael Schenker Story Live (1994): see also The Michael Schenker Story Live, the audio recording.

Forever And More: The Best of Michael Schenker (2003)

Guitar Master - The Kulick Sessions (2008)

Guitar Master (2009)

Greatest Riffs (2009, US-only compilation)

Instrumental Intensity (2010, Shrapnel Records compilation)

Blood Of The Sun (2014)

[noona96n]

Yoh & Segasaki's timeline

According to Episode 7 (around the 00:33 minute mark), Yoh and segasaki have only been living together for four months. And Nikke-sensei's tweet, also clarifies that the proposal was made 3 years ago and that they’ve only been living together since March or April; which explains, in part, their shit communication lmao. 

Series timeline: June to July of year zero 

Ep 1: June 3rd (Sat)

The sunny weather forecast with Segasaki and Takatsu Reiko around the 12:30 minute mark in the latter part of Episode 1 is for 6月3日 (土). That means the present timeline, as in the drama, starts at the beginning of June; which tracks with the weather in the current episode and the weather in future episodes. Rainy season (梅雨 tsuyu) in Kanto (that includes Tokyo and Yokohama) usually starts in early June and lasts until mid-July, and, by then, typhoons already started ravaging the nation every two days lol 

Ep 2: June 8th (Thur) 

At the 8:03 minute mark, we find out that Hiyoshi Aika starts her job at EW (AHAHA WHAT A GOOFY ABBREVIATION) on the 8th of June (Hiyoshi Aika starts the broadcast by announcing the date: 六月八日). By June 10th, Yoh full-on became a sad, sulky puppy who’s pouting cutely as he made his sad stir-fry pork dinner (Yoh’s phone screen at the 9:05 minute mark reads ６月10日 土曜日). 

Around 9:56 minute mark the in-universe weather forecast shows forecasts for the 12th (Mon), 13th (Tue), 14th (Wed), 15th (Thur), 16th (Fri), 17th (Sat), and 18th (Sun) in Sapporo, Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Naha, suggesting that the day that Yoh resorts to making the Teru Teru Bouzu is June 11th. (Teru Teru Bouzu is a small ghost-like white doll people hang around the house in the hope of stopping the rain and bringing about good weather. Yoh’s desperate for some dicking down lol.) So, the day Yoh got frustrated and masturbated for erotic manga inspiration is at least a day after June 11th. Yoh and Segasaki’s clothes changed by then (the most noticeable is Segasaki’s shirt and tie). 

Since the tail end of Episode 2 probably takes place on June 12th, at the earliest, we can only assume that Episode 3 and 4 take place over the weekend of the 17th and 18th. Or the next weekend after. I’m tempted to even suggest that both episodes take place on the weekend of 24th (Sat) and 25th (Sun) because of how loud the cicadas were in the background in the 4th episode with Man-san. Cicadas in Japan are no joke, guys, they are so fucking damn loud, RIP ears, you will be missed. 

Ep 6: July 24th (Mon) 

*** I think canon dates broke down from Episode 5 onward… Around the 14:47 minute mark of Episode 5, Segasaki and Hiyoshi were presenting the weather for the 7th (Thur). There’s no monthly indication but we can assume that it’s in July; July because we were just in June in the first four episodes but also because (the beginning of) July is when the (awful, terrible, no good) heatwave starts taking Japan by storm (it lasts until fucking August and even spills into September this goddamn year, I kid you not; it was horrible). But, in Episode 6, the weather forecast at the end of the episode (around the 21:33 minute mark) was for 24th (Mon). If the 7th was a Thursday, then the 24th should be a Sunday, not a Monday. 

That’s why I’m just gonna disregard the 7th (Thur) in Episode 5, though I do think it takes place at the beginning of June or the end of July. Also, if we disregard that and count the days from Episode 1 (Saturday, June 3rd), then Monday, July 24th would make sense in Episode 6. So, let's go with that.

By the end of Episode 6, it’s the 24th of July. I know this is a while from Episode 5 but if we consider Man-san’s My Idol Boyfriend manga, then it makes sense. Yoh was ‘offered a job’ by Man-san pretty much immediately after he got dropped by his editor and by Episode 7, their manga was already in print. It would take them some time to finish their manga; less than a month is a very tight time to write, storyboard, edit, and have it approved but let’s make believe lol 

Ep 7: Typhoon No. 5

At the beginning of Episode 7 (around the 00:09 minute mark), Typhoon No. 5 was forecasted to take Tokyo by storm tomorrow. That kinda checks out, to be honest. Typhoon season in Japan could start as early as mid-May and could last until mid-October, depending on how early or late the heat begins and how long it’ll last. So I do think Episode 7 takes place some time after July 24th. 

Interesting tidbit: typhoons in Japan aren’t given names but are usually referred to by numbers. 

Personal (interesting?) tidbit #1: the first year I came to Japan, the super typhoon Hagibis made landfall in Japan. It was the strongest typhoon to hit Japan in decades and it was one of the strongest and biggest ever recorded. It was hella scary, not gonna lie lol and food was all out, even from the convenience stores. Fortunately, I was living in central Tokyo and wasn’t affected. Still scared though…. And, the crazy thing was, an earthquake struck the coast of Chiba before the typhoon hit so the typhoon’s effect was compounded. Wasn’t a fun experience, 0/10, do not recommend. 

Personal (interesting?) tidbit #2: my parents visited me this passing late May to early June, around the time typhoon Mawar wasn’t waging war in the Pacific. It was not a fun experience… we weren’t directly struck by it but the effects were kinda crazy: roads were closed, trains were suspended, rivers were flooded, and shops and restaurants were mostly closed. Felt really bad cause I took my family to Hakone (booked everything ages in advance and couldn’t cancel our reservation RIP) and we were just stranded up there… thankfully the sky cleared by our last day there and we were able to catch a glimpse of Fuji on our Ashi-no-ko’s cruise and on the train back to Tokyo. Still, wasn’t a fun experience, 0/10, do not recommend. 

Japan’s a wonderful place to visit though! Just… pick the right time. (I recommend autumn (Oct-Nov) because the weather’s great, the food’s fucking amazing, and the autumn foilage’s pretty rad.) 

Ep 8: July 28th 

The date after their (mildly) kinky sexy time was July 28th (Fri). The date can be found on Man-san’s phone around the 11:00 minute mark (7月28日、金曜日). 

There’s also another time indication later in the episode around the 17:13 minute mark where Yoh and Segasaki last texted on July 26th. Segasaki was telling Yoh about the rain and Yoh’s responses were pretty frosty if I’m being honest. Their texts go like this:

Segasaki: 今日午後から雨降る (It’s gonna rain this evening) Yoh: ありがとう (thanks) Segasaki: 洗濯物取り込んどけよ (bring the laundry in) Yoh: うん (k) 

It’s… frosty. Bare minimum from Yoh. Ofc he’s just feeling guilty (about the manga situation and stuff) but, y’know… it feels cold to Segasaki. I honestly feel really bad for the guy lol, especially because, from his perspective, Yoh’s only thinking about leaving and Yoh’s touchy-feely with that editor guy, and Yoh smiles happily and fully at and with that editor guy, and Yoh’s tired from being with him. 

Anyway, the series takes place from June to July of year zero and that’s canon. There, I said it. 

Yoh moving in: April of year zero

As you can see from my shittily drawn ‘graph’, I place Yoh’s moving in with Segasaki at April. This tracks with the timeline and Nikke-sensei’s clarification as well as in-universe narrative of them only been living together for four months. But, I’m extra so I’m gonna explain why (I found out about sensei’s tweet after figuring out the timeline lol)... and it’s not just backtracking from July. 

So, in Japan, the year usually ‘starts’ in April; as in the school year and the fiscal year ends in March and starts in April. This applies to leases as well: contracts are usually for 2 years and will likely end in March. Housing is in very high demand during that time and the prices for each unit are also very expensive because of that. Of course, you can rent a unit any time of the year but the good ones are also mostly available and up for grabs in the March-April period. (Renting a unit in Japan is… an experience lol and not a fun one. My being a foreigner does not help one bit because many landlords do not accept foreign tenants no matter who you are, where you’re from, or what you’re in Japan for.) 

Anyways, as Yoh can see, I think that Yoh graduated in year zero… so, that’s a winter graduation some time in February. (People also graduate in summer some time in August but it’s much rarer because most Japanese enter uni in Spring (April). People who graduate in September are either those who extend their uni year or foreign students who enter during the Autumn intake in September because that’s when the English program school year start (in my department, at least… I entered in April and graduated my Master's 3 years later in February but it’s a somewhat special case.)

Anyway!!! Yoh graduates ‘this’ year so, that means his lease will be up too and it makes perfect sense for him to move with Segasaki around late March or early April. 

The proposal: mid-Feb —  late-March three years ago

I place the proposal at the end of Winter, beginning of Spring in year minus-three. Weather-wise, it’s plausible because we know that the day of the proposal was unusually warm for the time and February is easily one of the coldest months in Japan. And, even though Spring starts in March, warmth doesn’t really come around until later in the month or even April. (It snowed in March, once. In Tokyo. It rarely ever snows in Tokyo but it’s been snowing every other year since I came here.) 

I also headcanon that Segasaki graduated (his Master's) that minus-three year while Yoh is only in his second year of bachelor’s. My logic is that because he’s graduating, this could be his last desperate attempt to lock Yoh down and make sure Yoh’s spoken for (Yoh’s just a dumb-dumb who doesn’t recognize a proposal lol). It also makes sense for the proposal to come up at that period if we think about it… Mizuki’s graduating and Yoh could be asking him about his jobs after graduation and whatever else which, in turn, allows Mizuki to start a conversation about Yoh’s plan for the future. It’s also not uncommon for peeps to hang around uni before they start their jobs (for whatever reasons) so it makes sense to me that the proposal was in some time between Mizuki’s graduation in mid-Feb till late-March, when Yoh’s about to start his new school year and Segasaki will have to start his job. (This could be when Yoh finds out Segasaki will be working with EW and starts watching the broadcast religiously.) 

Job prospect-wise, it’s pretty solid. Segasaki’s confident that he’d be working in a high-paying job when he proposed to Yoh. If Segasaki’s graduating in year minus-three, then he’d extremely likely to already have a job lined up for him; he’s just gonna immediately enter the workforce right out of uni. This is very common in Japan. University graduates are socially expected and pressured into working immediately after finishing their studies which is why it’s common practice for them to start their job-hunting process during the second to last or last year at uni. It’s generally advised that they start second to last year in uni (B3 if you’re in your bachelor’s and M1 if you’re in your Master's) because the process is long and drawn out and it could be a very long time before a job is offered. It’s also ill-advised to do your job-hunting in your final year because final year can be very hectic for some; some B4 and M2 students need to write their thesis, do graduation projects, finish up their experiments, etc. it’s not fun to add job-hunting into the mix. So, even if the proposal happened right after Segasaki’s graduation, Segasaki would be confident that he’d be able to support both of them just fine. 

Why I don’t think Yoh did his job hunting 

I honestly don’t think Yoh did his job-hunting because:

As I talked about here, Yoh became anxious about jobs and job-hunting in general in Episode 5 and this could imply that he didn’t go through the process while he was in university. You could do it on your own, but it’s difficult. That’s why many students take advantage of the recruitment offered by universities. Many also make use of other public recruitment services. 

Yoh’s the kind of person who does things at his own pace and does what he wants. I.E. 1; Yoh is a slow walker who has always walked slow. Segasaki made a point of commenting about his pace but instead of increasing his speed to match that of his sempai’s, he continued at his own pace and said he’s been told that before, and Segasaki was forced to match his pace. Yoh’s aware of his snail's pace, he was criticized for it but said fuck all and went about walking at his speed anyway. This is very not-Japanese. I.E. #2; He doesn’t really care to socialize. That’s it, that’s the reason. I.E. #3; my guy used 俺 (ore) with the stranger seniors. Peeps aren’t expected to drop 俺 (ore) and go for 僕 (boku) when talking to seniors anymore but they’re strangers… he should be using 僕 (boku). I.E. #4; he made fucking curry rice for a sick person because that’s the only thing he can make. Curry rice. He could’ve googled how to make porridge but nah, curry rice lol. I.E. #5; arguing with his editor that the ‘I love you’ dialogue is necessary in his 20 pages long porn manga. I don’t man, Yoh’s not afraid to do his own shit and he totally seems like the kinda guy who’d fuck around and find out when it comes to his career. Which I think is why Yoh’s secured that he has a patron in Segasaki and decided not to do his job-hunting. 

Yoh & Segasaki’s first meeting: May —  June four years ago

I think Yoh first ‘met’ Segasaki four years ago; that’s his first year in university, and that would explain why he hasn’t seen Segasaki sooner. I placed their first meeting in May — June mainly because of their outfits. Everyone was wearing a Spring palette when we first saw them at the cafeteria, but they weren’t wearing any thick outer layers so that’s probably very late into Spring and early June. Their clothes also became progressively lighter throughout the flashback and, by the time Segasaki was sick, there were more layers on everyone again, esp. Segasaki, indicating that Autumn could’ve been around the corner. (Though this could just be due to the timing of the filming!)

Also, Segasaki’s friend asked for his notebook, implying that there’s a report/assignment/quiz coming up that he needs to prepare for. So, at least we know it’s definitely not the start of the semester.

On Mizuki’s Master’s level education 

I’ll be real… I’m entirely biased when it comes to Segasaki’s educational level. I have a Master's and I’m an old, I want my fav to be an old too haha. (I’m currently doing my PhD, it’s… going somewhere lmao) 

Anyway, I didn’t make him have a Master's just because… I think Segasaki has a position of seniority in the workplace despite his young age: he led the discussion and (I presume) implemented the new weather reporting system thing. He was also comfortable with rejecting the welcome dinner (歓迎会 kangeikai) for Hiyoshi… and his co-workers, who are obviously his seniors, just accept it as it is. You don’t just reject invitations to after-work dinners/parties, 飲み会 (nomikai), especially not the kangeikai. It’s a party to welcome new members; rejecting it means you’re not a team player and unwilling to bond with your co-workers to cultivate a harmonious workplace relationship, which is a no-no in Japan (please read up on 和 (wa) if you’re interested in learning why), and definitely a no-no if you’re not high-up in position. (There’s a lot of politics going on in the background that I’m not very familiar with. I understand the most basics; like filling superior’s glasses, ‘hanging out’ with superiors, being frank and up-front and coming away unscathed, power-harassment bosses forcing people to drink, etc.) So, Segasaki must’ve entered the workplace in a relatively high position; which is achievable with a Master's. 

Interesting tidbit #1: did you know, you don’t get fired from a workplace in Japan? If the company wanna lay off people, they usually just close the entire department lol crazy, I know, but it’s legit. It’s why people can be employed for life at work.

Interesting tidbit #2: not many Japanese students go for a Master's but when they do, they usually enter right after their Bachelor’s. However, there are certain majors where having a Master’s is advantageous and students are generally encouraged to go for it. I.E. my major, Architecture and Urbanism, and Civil Engineering. These majors typically take 5 years of undergrad for students to qualify as practitioners. In Japan, their Bachelor’s only lasts for 4 years and a 2 years Master’s will put them on the same level as other practitioners from abroad. (I did 5 years of Undergrad in Architecture and Urbanism and another 3 years for my M.Arch degree lol and there are years to go until I get my Doctoral RIP)

wrote this whole thing bcs of this silly lil fic lmao

[wanderlust-in-my-soul]

Kazuma. Huh? It's okay. No. Close the curtains... If you don't want to be seen, I'll close my eyes. I'll cover my ears. Please don't hold back in front of me. It's okay. It's okay, Ren.

[animesavior]

"Hold on, before we start: If you think you can beat me, think again. Cause I'm gonna beat the stuffing out of you, with my fists." Mash Burnedead, Mashle (Ep. 08)

This is the Toonami Trending Rundown for the month of January 2025. Toonami begins its 13th year back on Adult Swim as the block is in a “transitional period” of sorts with Invincible Fight Girl presently rerunning after completing its first season and Toonami Rewind being “merged back” into the block at the rear half of the lineup.

The first scheduled Toonami of the year, January 4-5, was a holiday marathon night of Uzumaki, so no trends were spotted during the 4-episode marathon. For the night of January 11-12, #Toonami trended in the USA on Twitter alongside Mashle, Invincible Fight Girl, and Blue Exorcist. On the night of January 18-19, only Toonami would trend. And for the night of January 25-26, #Toonami would trend alongside Mashle and Blue Exorcist.

The feature for the January 4-5 edition of Toonami featured a new Toonami ID titled “Laser TOM.” You can check it out below:

January 11-12’s feature was a game review for Squirrel with a Gun, an indie action-adventure game developed by Dee Dee Creations and published by Maximum Entertainment. It received a 7.5 out of 10 score.

The developers of Squirrel with a Gun, were quite happy about the Toonami bump on Twitter.

January 18-19 saw another new Toonami ID, titled “Strange Ritual.”

And the feature for January 25-26 was supposed to be a game review for the newest Indiana Jones video game by Bethesda, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle Game. I say supposed to as the Cartoon Network broadcast control accidentally showcased a promo for Barney’s World, the newest animated series in the Barney franchise, which was probably meant to be showcased during the Cartoonito early morning hours rather than on Adult Swim/Toonami. Nonetheless, it received a score of 9/10 and you can check out that game review below.

Unfortunately, Adult Swim has decided to pull the plug on Toonami Rewind in the new year as the Friday afternoon throwback lineup was retired by the end of the year, with said timeslots being given back to Checkered Past. No official reason was given why Toonami Rewind was canceled. Alongside potential issues with Toonami bringing in additional programming for Rewind, it is likely that Adult Swim is seeing a change in strategy with the network inking a deal with Disney to bring Family Guy back to the late-night programming block for the first time since 2021. It’s not all lost, however, as the Rewind lineup would be “merged back” into the Saturday night Toonami lineup, with Naruto starting over from the beginning starting January 11th, while Sailor Moon returning on January 25th.

Mike McFarland, voice actor and ADR Director whom has lent his talents to many Toonami shows over the years including Dragon Ball, Full Metal Alchemist and Attack on Titan, was diagnosed with a massive brain tumor after originally dealing with symptoms of an ear infection. Fortunately, Mike underwent emergency surgery to successfully remove the tumor and is presently recovering. Our thoughts go out to Mike as he recovers, and if you wish to help Mike in a philanthropic way, feel free to donate to his GoFundMe set up by his colleagues.

Studio MAPPA on Friday has released new info and a key visual for Shinichiro Watanabe’s new series Lazarus. The season will be 13 episodes in length and will be airing in Japan on TV Tokyo this April 2025. Adult Swim has also announced on Instagram that Lazarus will also be airing on Toonami stateside in April with a concrete premiere date TBA. We’ll keep you posted.

Finally, The Pillows, the band best known among anime fans for creating the theme music for FLCL, has just announced that they have disbanded after 35 years following their January 31st concert in Yokohama. The band members plan on continuing their respective careers individually. All I can say is, Thank you, our twilights, and Ride on Shooting Star.

Until next time, hope you have a Happy Black History month, congratulations to the Ohio State Buckeyes for winning the National Championship, and of course, our thoughts go out to all those affected by the Southern California Wildfires. While the major fires have been fully contained after weeks of effort from first responders, at least 29 people have lost their lives; and thousands of residents, including voice actors Amanda Winn Lee and Melissa Fahn, have lost their homes. If you wish to help in a philanthropic way, make sure to donate to a reputable organization, including the Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles, the California Community Foundation, the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation, The Los Angeles Police Foundation, and gofundme (including one for Melissa Fahn. Amanda herself, in lieu of donations, has requested donators to purchase something from her Amazon Registry for her.)

Legend: The shows listed are ordered based on their appearance on the schedule. Show trends are listed in bold. The number next to the listed trend represents the highest it trended on the list (not counting the promoted trend), judging only by the images placed in the rundown. For the Twitter tweet counts, the listed number of tweets are also sorely based on the highest number shown based on the images on the rundown.

January 11-12, 2025 Trends

United States Trends:

#Toonami [#6]

#Mashle [#14]

#InvincibleFightGirl [Trended with #Toonami and #BlueExorcist]

#BlueExorcist [#13]

Tweet Counts:

#Toonami [2,505 tweets]

#Mashle [1,379 tweets]

#BlueExorcist [1,825 tweets]

January 18-19, 2025 Trends

United States Trends:

#Toonami [#27]

Tweet Counts:

#Toonami [2,224 tweets]

January 25-26, 2025 Trends

United States Trends:

#Toonami [#4]

#Mashle [Trended with #Toonami]

#BlueExorcist [Trended with #Toonami]

Tweet Counts:

#Toonami [2,445 tweets]

Tumblr Trends:

#one piece [#7]

If you wish to send me a tip for the work on the trending rundown, donations can be sent to PayPal.Me/DanielLimjoco.

It’s not the year, SARA. It’s the mileage. Only Toonami on [adult swim] on Cartoon Network.

[rifki16]

Love is Better the Second Time Around ep 4

Photo Credit : Love is Better the Second Time Around Promotional Account on Twitter | https://x.com/koi_nido/status/1772596502365356096?s=46

Gosh, this episode really made me so happy. It really compensated the massive emotional blue balls which I had because of Cherry Magic the Anime episode 11

SHORT REVIEW HERE WE GO ! SPOILERS SPOILERS!!!! DO NOT PROCEED IF YOU WANT TO BE SURPRISED BY THE PLOT

The biggest thing that popped up to me from the episode is the Sukida vs Aishiteru difference in Japanese. Before watching the episode, I had this understanding that, okay, Japanese people prefer to just use Sukida as the stand-in for "I Love You" rather than using the actual phrase of Aishiteru. Even when Hitro described how much he always loves crab cream croquette, he used the word Sukida - chuto sukidasteo -, instead of Aishiteru, granted that he was describing how he loves an inanimate object, not a person. In the cold open, Hiro used the noun form of love, which is "Koi". OH and the nighttime postdate pier confrontation. I really would love to understand which words Takashi actually used. "まずは さ僕と恋をしてみようよ" - Takashi actually used the noun form of love - koi -, the second time in the show. "のに 君が思ってる以上に僕もずいぶん君にはまってるよ" was what Takashi said before the date, here he used the word "into you" or more literally "addicted to you". But then, during the sex scene, while Hiro was riding Takashi I MUST ADD, I was so shocked that Takashi actually said "Aishiteru". The notion of Japanese people being too afraid of standing out by saying "I Love You" really just blew out of my mind immediately. Of course, the context of the scene might actually describe the intensity of their love that crosses the mass mentality of conformity and hence, the utterance of "I Love You". And also, it happened very privately. Not in some streets where other people might judge you more, ergo lowering the bar of whether to say "I Love You" or not. This case of saying I Love You or not is very interesting for me, I really want to understand more Japanese speakers preferred dictions.

The second biggest thing that I noticed from the show is their way of saying Sex. My understanding is that in BL Japanese works, they will just flat out say "Sex" rather than coding it, like what happened in Tokyo in April is..., Straight J-Dramas, on the other hand, just used the word "it". In one of the episodes of Turn to Me Mukai-Kun, the only straight J-Drama that I've watched Mukai-kun talked with one of his previous sex partners, they used the word "it" to describe their no-strings-attached sex. Of course, it's just an observation, I have not watched that many straight J-dramas. However, it turns out, in this series, they much prefer to use the word "it" as well. In episode 3, when Hiro said, before leaving the onsen, "Just because we have done it, doesn't mean we're dating". I really thought it was just due to Hiro's disbelief that he had sex with his ex-boyfriend, hence the implicit shame in admitting, and uttering that he had "sex". But now, in episode 4, during Haru masturbation scene, he says "そもそも好きだししちゃったし", again, the use of "it" Even though, I think the context has shifted, Haru was slowly admitting his love and feelings to Takashi; hence, he may not see the sex as something to be ashamed of anymore. But again, this might come from a very amateur observer of Japanese linguistic culture, I mean, the use of "it" might actually signify the idea that Haru doesn't see what he does with Takashi as "Sex" maybe they see it as "making love" lol, I know, such a corny phrase. However, maybe, Haru is just not at the point of saying that they are making love yet, but not calling it something as casual as "sex", (I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman by Britney Spears playing in the background). But that hypothesis doesn't really stand as Hiro actually said the word "sex" as they were having sex. What exactly are the connotations of the word "sex" for Japanese speakers?

I really love the consent feature of this episode. Hiro was too drunk to give consent, so Takashi just entertained him in his house, and they went out after Hiro became sober. Weird that they didn't use the trope of being too drunk and being needed to be carried by your love interest lol.

I also love that they used Uke taking care of Seme trope. it happened in My Personal Weatherman, Sasaki to Miyano [not definitive], If It's with You [not definitive], to say the least. I know it's not good in equating all of these heteronormative gender roles to a gay couple, but I think it's a nice trope to show that Ukes have dignity and play such a crucial role in gay relationships. I think it's much better for Japanese viewers to understand the out-of-the-box ness of queer couples by showing more on how Semes can also take care of Ukes - like in The End of the World with You.

ALSO. My brain itch still stands!!!! HIRO REJECTED TAKASHI. NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. Gosh, the unequal love trope was called back in this episode. Is this a new trend amongst Japanese BL works?

FURTHERMORE. How can Takashi be that rich? Are university lecturers in Japan paid that well? the apartment, the stuff? HE HAS HIS OWN OFFICE, like what?

P.S. I really love how just mid-wild the sex scene in the end is. It's so typical of this show to be crazily in the middle.

After Takashi proposed and they all got lovey-dovey, omg they look so cute in acting like newlyweds.

Of course, they're gonna break up before reuniting in the finale, wouldn't be a bl if it didn't have one. Gosh, I'm gonna cry so hard in the next episode.

[lurkingteapot]

Tokyo in April is … 4月の東京は… Ep 5

Once again this show has me in a chokehold for the entire 25 minutes of its run, and I'm already feeling like a fool for watching this ASAP because now I have to wait another whole week. AAAAH.

Thoughts and commentary under the cut.

was that Kazuma's mum then??

oh fuck I HATE Sanada, what an ass. and there's so many Sanadas out there

have we heared Maeda Ayumi's name before? also nice typo in that url

that café is so cute, god I miss being able to go to cute cafés

fuck fuck fuck of course it was something like that

and of course there's no evidence god I HATE this for them

fuck fuck fuck fuck this dude is a serial rapist and the higher-ups just ignore it

Ren's sense of justice and guilt is not going to let him let that lie, and it's all going to blow up in their facesssss

are you going to talk to your not-boyfriend about this, Ren? of course you're not. But you should.

!!! at least there's one person he can confide in and trust, goddd

this show is talking about the importance of coming forward while being careful and understanding of victims who don't want to deal with that, I'm really impressed with how they're handling it so far tbh

perspective switch! nice, I like that we're getting more on Ren this way.

aaaah so he and Yagami go way back? that's good to know, I'm glad he stuck around.

oh the poor baby, oh ffffff

oh no, is this where we learn why Ren can't stand Hide and the other classmates anymore?

god these domestic texts I CANNOT ("it cooked down nicely. around what time are you going to be back?") and god I want some of that stew

Ren, I hate to break it to you, but the way to make this stick will not take a miracle or divine intervention, but it WILL probably include having to talk about your feelings and assumptions. WITH Kazuma.

THE SHOES THE DOMESTICITY I CANNOT, help

I DID wonder how he was getting away with dressing the way he does

THE MANGA PANELLING ON THESE god, GOD, I guess I'll have to figure out bookwalker after all

d o m e s t i c i t y I'm chewing glass

uh-oh, that single pair of shoes has foreshadowing vibes

yikes

WHAT A CLIFFHANGER, holy SHIT, what do you mean I have to wait a WEEK?! (I know I could read the manga but I SHAN'T)

[absolutebl]

This Week in BL - new entries upset the rankings

Organized, in each category, with ones I'm enjoying most at the top.

April 2024 Wk 2

Ongoing Series - Thai

City of Stars (Fri iQIYI) ep 11 of 12 - Like most Thai BL pulps, this show doesn’t have much story to it. But I'm discovering that what it does have I actually really enjoy. I love that the gay boys got to play matchmaker for a change and I like how just GAY they are. It's nice. Refreshing.

We Are (Weds GMMTV iQIYI) ep 1-2 of 16 - University ensemble BL featuring PondPhuwin, WinnySatang, AouBoom, MarcPawinPoon. I like it. It’s old school Thai BL, but having fun with itself and its tropes. I’m not expecting much, so I don’t mind it waffling. All the couples are comfy. Chemistry is okay. Friendships are nifty. I like Pond's floppy hair. We fine. 

Two Worlds (Thurs IQIYI) ep 5 of 10 - What an extremely bloody episode. And bad guy turned out to be very bad indeed. And now pretty much everyone is dead. Nice kiss. Of course. 

Deep Night (Thurs iQiyi) ep 6 of 8 - It’s cute, they happy, not a ton happened. Random gratuitous bathing. As you do in BL. And I still think the sides should just end up in a thrupple

Only Boo! (Sun YouTube) ep 2 of 12 - Oh they very cute. Also very silly. 

1000 Years Old (Thurs iQIYI) ep 9 of 12 - No. NOT THE GUITAR. YES abandon guitar for the sniff test! Love this for them. And me. My most favorite trope defeated my least favorite trope. VICTORY!!!  

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

Unknown (Taiwan Tues YouTube & Viki) ep 8 of 11 - It’s just so good. Baby went away, grew up, and learned how to become a temptation... and a husband. 

Gray Shelter AKA Gray Currents (Korea Thurs iQIYI) 1 of 5 eps - SooHyuk, only just surviving, reunites with YoonDae, his (brief) younger stepbrother who feels abandoned. They end up living together. The younger brother is played by Lee Jae Bin of Choco Milk Shake. OMG. STEPBROTHERS TROPE. Lucky me! Two in one season. Yay!!!! It's Korea so great visuals too. I shallow but yeah, this is great.

Living With Him AKA Kare no Iru Seikatsu (Japan Thurs Gaga) ep 1 of 10 - Kindly Ryota goes off to uni only to find his new roommate is his childhood bestie, Kazuhito. Kazuhito doesn’t have a girlfriend and Ryota tries to help him figure out why. Same director as Old Fashion Cupcake. It’s utterly charming. I am charmed. Also the framing is gorgeous (of course). Very stylish.

Love is Better the Second Time Around AKA Koi wo Suru nara Nidome ga Joto (Japan Weds Gaga) ep 6fin - I don’t know. Kind of a flat ending with the leads apart for most of it. I enjoyed this show but it never really hit with me. 

Summation

After a teen betrayal and resulting separation a reporter reunites with his first love. That love wants him back. I enjoyed the authenticity of a reunion romance explored in Japan's quintessentially contemplative yet surreal way. The juxtaposition of the tenderness of the sex scenes with this Japanese style of authenticity was oddly elegant but all in all this still fell a little flat for me. There's nothing objectively wrong with it, but in total the narrative felt sluggish and the main couple were just... stiff (in the wrong way). Frankly, I'd rather just rewatch Tokyo in April is. 8/10

Love is like a Cat (Korea Mon Viki) eps 3-4 of 12 - What is going on with this show? No, I get the plot. I just don't get the show or why I’m watching it. Annoying. 

It's done, but I suck

What Did You Eat Yesterday Season 2 AKA Kinou Nani Tabeta? Season 2 (Japan Gaga) 10 eps

To Be Continued (Sat C3 Thailand grey) ep 7-8fin - I can't for the life of me find the final 2 episodes. Haven't had a real hunt, but yeah. No dice so far.

It's airing but...

Takumi-kun Series 6: Nagai Nagai Monogatari (Japan Furritsubs) eps 1-? of 10 - I may wait and binge it.

Lady Boy Friends (Thai WeTV grey) 16 eps - reminds me a bit too much of Diary of Tootsies only high school. Not my thing. DNF unless it turns a corner and is truly amazing.

Kiseki Chapter 2 (Sun iQIYI) 6 eps - It’s so boring DNFed at 2.

Close Friend Season 3: Soju Bomb! (Weds iQIYI) 6 - The problem with situational comedy BL is it must be situational, comedic and a BL. This show gets 1 of 3 claims correct. 33% is not a passing grade. Dropped at 3.

Memory in the Letter (Thai WeTV) - only 4 eps, tell me if I should bother?

Next Week Looks Like This:

4/18 At 25:00 in Alaska AKA 25 Ji Akasaka de (Japan Thurs Gaga) 10 eps - Yuki lands his first starring role in a BL drama alongside superstar Asami (previously his senior at uni). Said superstar suggests they form a sham relationship until filming concludes. As they actually begin to fall in love, the spotlight begins to burn. I think I've seen this before (joke) and also the trailer doesn't inspire confidence.

Still to Come in April

4/25 Boys Be Brave! AKA Roommates (Korea Thurs Viki) 8 eps - Trailer Jung Ki Sub is Kim Jin Woo's slacker friend - and secret crush. So when Ki Sub crashes at his place, his heart tingles to be near him everyday. But as the short stay turns into permanent mooch, how long can Jin Woo keep his true feelings under wraps and hold back from confessing?

4/26 My Stand-In (Thai iQIYI) 12 eps - adaptation of Chinese novel "Professional Body Double" by Shui Qiang Cheng. Stars Up (Lovely Writer) and Poom (Bake Me Please) directed by the same team as KP (not a recommendation IMHO - my biggest criticism of that show was the clashing directing styles). This one looks complicated, lemme try: Joe is a stuntman for famous actor Tong. Joe falls in love with Ming but Ming sees Joe as nothing more than a Tong-replacement. After learning this horrible truth, Joe dies. Joe then wakes up in the body of another man also named Joe. He manages to rebuild the same life as before—with the same people eventually re-meeting Ming. Ming wants Joe back but Joe doesn't understand why. But Ming seems to know what's going on and wants to give him some kind of explanation.

I'm exhausted just trying to describe the plot.

Knock-Knock Boys (Thai WeTV) - 4 college friends conspire to help their friend lose his virginity. Familiar faces like Seng (yes, Billy's previous pairing) and Best, news here. But will it actually air this month?

Upcoming BLs for 2024 are listed here. This list is not kept updated, so please leave a comment if you know something new or RP with additions.

NOTE: It looks like one of my personal favorites of last year Unintentional Love Story is getting a spin off!

THIS WEEK’S BEST MOMENT

Sniff test turning into a make out sesh? Please and thank you. City of Stars

(Last week)

Streaming services are listed by how I (usually) watch, which is with a USA based IP, and often offset by a day because time zones are a bother.

The tag BLigade: @doorajar @solitaryandwandering @my-rose-tinted-glasses @babymbbatinygirl @babymbbatinygirl @isisanna-blog @mmastertheone @pickletrip @aliceisathome @urikawa-miyuki @tokillamonger @rocketturtle4 @blglplus @anythinggoesintheshire @everlightly

If ya wanna be tagged each week leave a comment and I will add you to the template. Easy peesy.

[bengiyo]

Tokyo in April is... Ep 4 Stray Thoughts

Last week, Kazuma and Ren began their FWB relationship. It has strict rules about how they interact. Ren doesn't face him during sex, the lights stay off, and Kazuma leaves after. They stay friendly at work with no mention of it. They also hook up every day. Kazuma seems to recognize that there's something huge holding Ren back, and decides to be patient and present for now. Meanwhile, Ren put the whole company on his back to save an ad campaign after their actor was caught up in a scandal.

Trigger Warnings for this episode: Striking a minor, discussion of sexual assault, implied harm and suicide attempt, aftermath of implied sexual assault.

One of the fun things about a show where the characters are in an active sexual relationship, is any time you're present for the sex you immediately know that there are emotional stakes in play.

I love Kazuma. I like that he can feel that Ren was tired and needed closeness. I love that he turns that into an opportunity for Ren to do something for him instead.

I'm expecting the color gays to say something about this orange shirt matching the shelves later.

I'd be overwhelmed if I was Ren, too. He has fairly-valid reasons to believe that his feelings were one-sided. He's been protecting his heart in this arrangement, but now he's forced to see how real Kazuma's feelings (which have been expressed clearly since they met again) are.

See, and I totally get Ren misunderstanding Kazuma as teens. This feels a little like Lee Wan and Shin Ki Tae in Our Dating Sim, where Wan just could not comprehend that Ki Tae could also like him.

I don't have the words to convey how sad I am that Ren believed he coerced Kazuma into sex, and felt he needed to say that to their parents because he needed to be honest about all of the events that transpired to ensure that Kazuma received effective care for his condition.

It's awful to watch, but I appreciate a mom striking the self-proclaimed assailant of her son.

An exacto knife? Fuck me.

That was intense. I like delivering the history Ren has kept to himself as he breaks over the answer he's always wanted. That Ryunosuke guy had clearly heard of Kazuma before.

Kazuma is such a boy. They got the jock-turned-diligent-office-worker energy correct.

A home cooked meal shot from the side with the kitchen available in the back. I know that this is probably a fairly standard Japanese apartment layout in Tokyo, but this is sending me all the way to What Did You Eat Yesterday? I like this shift after such a heavy sequence.

Finally, a show for the quiet gays like me. I'm not surprised the same director as Our Dining Table is involved. Those boys were also Quiet Gays (Yes, I know Minoru is bi. Let me have fun). After a rough week or two at work, just taking a day to lazily enjoy each other's company is so nice compared to some date at a sponsored location.

Ren is staying over and we're getting a domestic gay montage. I am living!!

It's hard not to notice that Ren never removes that wristband now.

Oh, timing Kazuma saying that the only thing that matters to him is Ren as Ren strokes Kazuma's sleeping face is the most touching "it's mutual" thing I've seen in a while that also reflects the characters. Kazuma will say it. Ren will show it.

The framing around a coworker leaving, ominous energy about Sanada, warnings from the pissed former employee, the info in the past, and now the actor facing over 1300 sexual harassment charges.... Implications unpleasant about Sanada and that management may already know.

Yes, please dry his hair. You are a BL boy who almost died from being soaked in the rain ten years ago. We cannot repeat our mistakes.

This conversation about just taking a bath was refreshingly gay for me. I like the tacit acknowledgement about mess.

Ah, and there's the overt confirmation about Sanada. That women looked out of it.

DRAMA NEXT WEEK WITH WORK.

This was simultaneously an incredibly sad and heavy episode, but also one of the softest and most domestic things we've had in a while. The Japanese teams are really good at that balance. You can feel Ren finally softening and letting Kazuma in. The rapport between them is solid. They feel older than a lot of the pairings we've had in Japan despite just being in their mid-20s. This is really such a fantastic show.

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

Tokyo In April Is... ep. 4

[benzgarfield]

BenzGarfield Timeline 2024

January

Pit Babe x FEED January 11, 2024

The Perfect Vitamin C x Benz January 13, 2024

one31 New Year's Party January 13, 2024

Making Merit Day January 29, 2024

February

Japan Expo Thailand Feb 3, 2024

Pit Babe Final EP Feb 9, 2024

Best Time of PingNut MBK Feb 11, 2024

Pit Babe Valentine's Live Feb 14, 2024

FEED x Pit Babe Feb 15, 2024

Chula-Thammasat Football Match Feb 16, 2024

March

Love's Journey Bangkok March 2-3, 2024

Garfield 26th Bday March 5, 2024

Love's Journey Hong Kong March 16, 2024

This Love Doesn't Have Long Beans Presscon March 20, 2024

Vanillin Spring Summer Show March 23, 2024

EFM Fandom Live March 28, 2024

April

Love's Journey Tokyo April 7, 2024

Change 2561 Changing April 25, 2024

May

Love's Journey Korea May 11, 2024

Love's Journey Taipei May 19, 2024

TLDHLB Kaprao Challenge May 24, 2024

June

Love's Journey Vietnam June 8, 2024

Love4Garfieldmily June 16, 2024

TLDHLB Blessing Ceremony June 20, 2024

Love's Journey Manila June 22, 2024

Tsubaki x BenzGarfield June 29, 2024

July

TLDHLB Premiere July 5, 2024

EFM Fandom Live July 11, 2024

Plern Live July 12, 2024

Daily News July 12, 2024

FEED July 12, 2024

Love's Journey Macao July 14, 2024

Mellowpop July 17, 2024

TLDHLB Sound Check July 17, 2024 (aired July 23)

KAZZ Online July 17, 2024

Praew Talk July 21, 2024

Chato Studio July 24, 2024

S Vorarit Bday July 31, 2024

August

4x4 Celebrity Gameshow August 3, 2024

iQiyi Check-in August 4, 2024

Kluer Wonder August 5, 2024

TLDHLB Cast Crew Karaoke Party August 7, 2024

PoohPavel First Date August 10, 2024

Love's Journey Brazil August 17, 2024

TLDHLB Final EP August 23, 2024

BenzGarfield Sunshine Day August 25, 2024

Affair First EP August 30, 2024

ADDA Let's Walk Together August 31, 2024

September

Benz MBK Bday Project September 1, 2024

Fluke's Bday September 1, 2024

Comma And September 3, 2024

Love's Journey Cambodia September 8, 2024

Benz's Bday Party September 14, 2024

BenzGarfield x Dr Ally Sun September 15, 2024

FEED Y Awards September 21, 2024

Evotec September 27, 2024

SX Charity Concert September 28, 2024

IDEA Live September 30, 2024

October

Benz's Graduation October 3, 2024

BIFW October 4, 2024

Torriden October 11, 2024

Pit Babe the Movie October 17, 2024

Prada Opening October 18, 2024

Pit Babe Anniversary IG Live October 24, 2024

November

iQiyi iJoy November 1, 2024

SWU Open House November 10, 2024

Quickzabb with Benzalert November 16, 2024

Pit Babe 1st Anniversary November 16 & 17, 2024

SailubPon & BenzGarfield Manila Fanmeet November 23, 2024

December

BenzGarfield Made My Day December 1, 2024

Pit Babe 2 Fitting December 12, 2024

P'Chod Bday December 24, 2024

Amazing Thailand Countdown December 31, 2024

Part 1 (2023) Part 3 (2025)