cherry magic

30 years of virginity
can turn you into a wizard?!

as said in japanese.txt, this is my favorite bl drama of all time. i genuinely believe it to be perfect (nothing is perfect, and neither is this, but it's about as close as i'm ever going to get). again, as mentioned in many of my reviews, i'm a big fan of toxic yaoi. you will not be finding that in here, however.

synopsis

cherry magic is about a virgin named adachi. when he turns thirty years old, he gains the ability to read minds of those he touches. within (what i believe to be) a week, he learns that his perfect coworker, kurosawa, has the softest, cringiest, warmest, fluffiest crush on him. adachi starts to navigate his changing relationship with kurosawa with the help of his mind-reading powers, and ends up falling for kurosawa as well. the show follows him as he learns how to use his powers, and then learns how to give them up.

thoughts !!

at its core, cherry magic is about learning how to love and how to be loved. adachi, the main character, is about as loser as you can ever get. he's never been in a relationship, so he's never learned how to be loved romantically. but of course he suddenly has to face this super hot sexy smart fantastic coworker of his is lovebombing him in his head, which is a less than ideal way to step into the world of dating.

adachi learns throughout the show that he doesn't have to be perfect to be deserving of love, and that he as an individual hold worth and sparks joy just for being who he is. he also learns that it isn't his ability to read minds that makes him deserving of love. in fact, the fact that he can read minds serves (in my opinion) as a metaphor for communication within a relationship. if one person does everything to ensure the other's needs are met without regard for their own, the relationship will fall apart.

it's like adachi says to kurosawa: both people should be having fun on the date, not just one. their relationship should be mutual, which is why the mind-reading is such a point of contention for them. aside from the obvious privacy issues, the fact that adachi was able to read minds meant that he was entirely focused on what kurosawa wanted. only when adachi comes clean about his mind-reading abilities and communicates with kurosawa is their relationship able to progress and deepen.

one of the reasons i love this show so much is because of this emphasis on how important communication is within a relationship. it is my biggest pet peeve in dramas when the main issue is a miscommunication which could be solved with one (1) conversation, so having a show go the complete opposite direction was really refreshing.

the second season (if you can really call it that, i'm pretty sure it was just an additional movie?) was also wonderful. i think it's so funny that they retconned them having sex so they could maintain the mind-reading gimmick and make it hard for adachi to "read" kurosawa long-distance. ooh drama! but anyways i think the second season/movie does really well in continuing the main theme of communication, because adachi is forced to take kurosawa at his word. and! it's practice for when they get freaky freaky for realsies this time, no retcon in sight.

i just really love this show. i think it's wonderful and i've seen it like five times. unfortunately, i have yet to read the manga (woah! crazy! insane!). i really don't have a good reason other than executive dysfunction strikes hard when it comes to manga (my various friends have tried to get me to read various manga over the years to varying degrees of failure). i will, however, one day own the boxset of cherry magic and i will make it everyone's problem. they don't even make a boxset in english! i will own it regardless. they will make it exclusively for me!

the thai adaptation of the manga is also wonderful. while they are different, their differences are able to highlight different aspects of the main themes present within the manga. i wrote an academic paper on this (yes i write about yaoi in my philosophy papers. what about it) that sums it up more succinctly so i'll be linking to it here later probably maybe.

on the topic of adaptations, i'm currently watching the anime adaptation. however, this is very slow going as i was watching it with my roommate. we are currently no longer living together because the semester ended. hopefully soon i will be able to resume because it was very promising :3

woah i typed so much more than i thought i would but that's all folks! at least for now. i'll have more thoughts later probably. anyways, go watch cherry magic! i showed it to my best friend and she didn't like it because there wasn't enough drama. obviously she is not a woman of culture.

eternal yesterday

ah eternal yesterday. i picked up this show on a random tuesday night, thinking it looked innocent enough. i was wrong. at 3am, when i finished it, i was irrevocably changed. i don't recommend reading the synopsis on my drama list, so here's a spoiler-free one instead! where my cherry magic rant discussed spoilers, i will try my best to avoid any for this show, as i believe it's important to the experience to go in blind! despite this, it's hard to talk about this completely spoiler free, so you have been warned.

synopsis

eternal yesterday is a show about mitsuru and koichi, two high schoolers who have opposite personalities. the first episode sets up the dark and somber atmosphere present throughout the whole story. the show follows these two boys as they navigate young love and loss.

thoughts !!

eternal yesterday took me completely by surprise. this show is a masterpiece about love (romantic and familial) and loss, and how you can heal one with the other. the two main characters are very compelling, and i enjoyed watching them develop and change throughout the timeline fuckery and flashbacks the drama utilizes to tell its story.

overall, it's a beautiful story that speaks on the importance of enjoying things while they last, and learning to let go when it's harmful to continue holding on. it covers topics nearly every other bl i've seen doesn't dare touch with a 10-foot-pole, for fear of upsetting the audience with a less-than-happy ending. i'm thankful that eternal yesterday filled a niche i didn't even know i needed.

HIStory3: Trapped

the HIStory series only has one thing going for it and it's titled HIStory3: trapped. i don't remember exactly when i first watched this, but it definitely was before HIStory3: make our days count came out, so around early-to-mid 2019. i remember being gobsmacked, flabbergasted, the whole works. up until that point, i had really only watched shitty Thai dramas (love by chance i'm looking at you), so to have something of actual quality come around was life-changing.

synopsis

HIStory3: trapped follows a police officer named shao fei and a mafia (mob?) boss named tang yi who is working on legitimizing his gang. the two are linked together through an incident that happened years prior, in which another police officer and tang yi's adoptive father are killed. convinced tang yi was the one behind it, shao fei has tracked him for years. after some fun forced proximity, however, the two become even more linked as they try to solve the mystery together.

thoughts !!

this show might not be all that anymore, but it certainly was all that for me when i first watched it, so here in the hall of fame it will remain. i remember being so amazed that a show could convey a genuinely healthy relationship where most of the drama is external instead of internal. i guess that makes sense when the story is about gun fights and murder. those tend to take the front seat over petty love rivals and misunderstandings over text message.

anyways, the relationship dynamic between tang yi and shao fei is one that i don't really see in many other bls. incredible chemistry aside, their relationship is incredibly mature. they communicate (somehow a foreign concept within many bls), they help each other grow, and they teach each other important lessons.

additionally, there is a very good mix of plot and romance, again a very rare find within the genre. this, however, i'm not really complaining about, since the romance genre is in fact defined by its romance. the plot is genuinely interesting, and there are some twists i didn't see coming! of course, there are also quite a few very predictable twists but hey we can't have them all can we.

overall, this show was my first experience with a bl of actual quality, so you can imagine my surprise when i was faced with the... curiosities of the other shows in the HIStory series. i'm planning on making a deep dive of the HIStory series, but not tonight. it's nearly 3am and i'm starting to see monsters in my room.

cherry magic

30 years of virginity
can turn you into a wizard?!

12 episodes

let me be cringe and say this is my favorite bl of all time. it's truly a masterpiece, but i'm going to rant about it in the hall of fame so go read everything over there so i don't have to write it twice.

amber paradox

8 episodes

don't get me wrong i love me a little toxic yaoi but this didn't really do it for me. i watched it as it released, but wasn't excited to the next episodes, it was more just something to do.

i became the lead in a bl drama

3 episodes

the surprise fanboy was very silly! but other than that the chemistry was very lame. i don't really know what i was expecting from a 3 episode long show, but it really is what it advertises: a mid bl.

eternal yesterday

8 episodes

WAHOO!! another hall of fame resident! go there to see what i thought other than MASTERPIECE!!

mr. unlucky has no choice but to kiss!

8 episodes

apparently i rated this an 8/10 but i can't really remember what happens in it. the gimmick of "lucky outweighs unlucky" is very cute though!

jack o' frost

6 episodes

the lack of communication is a little iffy. i usually love toxic yaoi but if it's going to be toxic at least make it fun :/

Kabe-Koji-Nekoyashiki-kun Desires to be Recognized

8 episodes

the comedy of this show was silly, but the fact that they tried to add serious conflict with the idol guy's idol activies fell kinda flat. i'm always a big fan of the superfan trope though!

My Love Mix-up

10 episodes

my first impression of this show was that it was not really my style, but now that the thai adaptation is slotted to happen, i've rewatched it and decided i really like it. the craziness of it all is really what does it for me. i needed to make a diagram for myself when i first watched it to keep track of who thought who liked who and who actually liked who it was a shitshow but its MY shitshow y'know.

Love is better the second time around

6 episodes

i watched this as it came out with my roommate and disliked it immensely. again. love me some toxic yaoi but only when it's entertaining! this show was plain boring, and the progression made no sense.

life~love on the line

4 episodes

i think this is one of the first dramas i've watched! way back in the good old days of sophomore year of high school... i think this story is fine i suppose.

old fashioned cupcake

5 episodes

for such a short show, old fashioned cupcake BANGS! i love LOVE togawa he's so everything to me. the message is also super sweet, and their kiss scene is one of my favorites in jp dramas! i was appalled to see that I had rated it a measly 8 stars on my drama list, and it has been rightfully amended.

the novelist

6 episodes

ok... for all my harking about toxic yaoi... listen. i love some good toxic yaoi. and there is no denying that the novelist franchise is exactly that. something about this particular brand of toxic yaoi rubs me the wrong way though, so i gave it 1 star. oopsies.

seven days

2 episodes

i'm including both movies in this review. i really liked this franchise! i think the idea is super cute, and the execution was well done. i've rewatched both a fair amount of times too, and i'd say i will continue to rewatch. high rewatch value these guys!

takara-kun and amagi-kun

8 episodes

despite knowing exactly what the two leads look like in this show because i see their faces plastered everywhere on my viki account, i couldn't tell you what this show was about. i gave it 8 stars though, so i guess i thought it was good!

my beautiful man

6 episodes

now this is the toxic yaoi i yearn for! the obsession and worshipping is sooo special to me. hira being the most pathetic man you've ever seen and then becoming super possessive is sooo tasty. kiyoi is also just so everything to me as well i think he's really scrungly silly.

the man who defies the world of bl

2 episodes

i really liked both seasons of this show! the parody of all the tropes really tickled me. i hear there's a 3rd coming out, but it won't be released internationally for the time being, so i simply sit in sorrow.

a shoulder to cry on

7 episodes

ok i get it both of the leads are from the same kpop group... kissing would likely prove difficult. however. is it not good business practice to kiss the homies? i just think it will be good for everyone involved.

blueming

7 episodes

would this really be a list without blueming? beloved. showstopping. perfect. i love her your honor! the beginning is alright but i really enjoyed the ending the best. we need more kbls like blueming.

choco milk shake

11 episodes

i don't know why someone thought that animals coming back from the dead as humans and then becoming romantically involved with real human people would be a good idea. but it happened anyways! and so here we are.

color rush

8 episodes

the only redeeming qualities of this show are hwall and the fact that the gimmick inspired my favorite oc of all time, arai qwynn. other than that, this kinda sucked. the gimmick was cool, which is why i stole it.

first love again

6 episodes

one of the first few kbls i watched iirc! the reincarnation was silly but i don't think it was executed as well as it could be. as is typical for kbl.

happy merry ending

8 episodes

i watched this (as i typically do with short bls) in one sitting and didn't really enjoy it. i can't really remember why though.

jazz for two

8 episodes

the second couple is what did it for me i love them dearly that trope is sooo special to me i love one-sided devotion (wow really? really? you, hale, with jayrai, korvette and viscaikos? like one-sided devotion? no!). the main couple was lame and stupid. but the second couple redeemed the show as well as it could (not well).

kissable lips

8 episodes

this show is fucking wild. erm spoilers i suppose. i remember two things. 1) vaguely suicidal vampire meets "pure-blooded human" and falls in love. 2) said love prevents him from drinking his blood and saving himself from dying. so he dies. sick! what makes this even funnier is that one of the leads is now a part of hit kpop group zerobaseone. i voted for him in boysplanet!! kim jiwoong beloved!! anyways he couldn't save this show lmao.

light on me

16 episodes

a higher-quality kbl that proves that not all kbls are bad! i like the twist on the first love trope, and that the love triangle was handled in the way it was. i wouldn't say that i am a particularly big fan of this show, but i would watch it again.

love class

6 episodes

absolutely no recollection of this show. none at all.

love for love's sake

8 episodes

i really enjoyed this one! i understand the hype, but what i don't get is why everyone's ok with a near 30-year-old falling for a 17-year-old..? did i miss something? like yeah he's physically 19 but mentally... 29....??? i choose to ignore it . i enjoyed the message present, and also the unique take on the genre. i will be rewatching! also, the love interest was my favorite type of character. i think he's very interesting and Very cute.

mr. heart

8 episodes

apparently this is the same length as love for love's sake which i find impossible to comprehend. this show was.... the only word i can think of is lame.

ocean likes me

8 episodes

holland makes an appearance!! also! the guy from where your eyes linger! the concept of this show was quite lame. i disliked the untilization of tropes.

oh! my assistant

8 episodes

again i cannot remember anything that took place in this show. i only recall that one of the main characters drew comics! i liked the love interest's personality i think.

our dating sim

8 episodes

another rare instance of a kbl i genuinely enjoyed! the concept was interesting, and i liked the love interest a lot. his personality scratches an itch in my brain very few can. i rewatched this with my roommate and remembered why i enjoyed it so much! it's just a very fun show.

roommates of poongduck 304

8 episodes

ok listen i am not saying this show is objectively good. it's objectively not. but! i think it's a masterpiece. i love it so much but i can't explain why. it's silly and the chemistry is wonderful. it's a shame kim jiwoong will no longer be able to act with yoon seobin now that he's in zb1 but i'm glad he's doing so well!

semantic error

8 episodes

ah yes. semantic error, everyone's favorite. even though this has the highest rating amongst my kbl watchlist, i don't believe it's my favorite. it's good, don't get me wrong. it's really good. it has my favorite first kiss scene in kbls (which doesn't mean much. it's very slim pickings out here) and i plan on stealing it for my oc fantasizing moments .

the eigth sense

10 episodes

i rated this 9.5 stars, but i don't feel like it deserves the rounded up 5/5 hearts, but just know it's leagues better than the other 4/5 hearts on this list. i really enjoyed the eigth sense. i feel like it was a good blend of romance and story, and the darker topics were handled with some semblance of grace. congrats!

to my star

9 episodes

i really don't get the hype. i hear that the second season is really good but i don't feel the urge to watch it. overall, simply i feel eh about this show.

where your eyes linger

9 episodes

i know for a fact this was the first kbl i watched, because at the time of its release i thought it was the first kbl to ever exist! oh i was very sorely mistaken but it was hyped to me by my high school friend as such so who was i to be skeptical! i like the chemistry and find myself drawn to rewatching this often, if not for the quality then for the nostalgia.

you make me dance

9 episodes

yet another lackluster and lame kbl. who am i to be surprised. i feel like they all follow the same format and it fails every time. but hey fujoshis are crazy and will watch anything. look at me! i watched it!

about youth

8 episodes

i have watched this show. i know i have. but every time i scroll past it in viki i pull it up, read the synopsis and think "sick! a show i haven't seen before!" then, i watch the trailer, and think the same. i then proceed to watch two episodes before realizing that yes, i have in fact seen this show before. it's the cross-dressing side character that reminds me.

be loved in house: i do

12 episodes

i really enjoyed this one! i've rewatched it a few times, and enjoyed it every time. i believe this is one of the only ones i've rewatched where i didn't skip around. i love the dynamic between the two of them, i love forced proximity, and i love the twist on the love rival! overall wonderful show.

dna says love you

12 episodes

this one is genuinely just weird. just plain weird. it seems so normal for the first part and then you get to the "big twist" and you're just sitting there like what. huh. what. anyways enjoyed despite the weirdness! i think! i don't remember anything about the romance my mind is plagued by the weirdness.

HIStory: all of them

i'm doing a deep dive into the HIStory series because woah is this a doozie. anyways look at HIStory.txt for my in depth look at what the fuck is going on here. for a specific HIStory 3: Trapped review, look in hall of fame!

my tooth your love

12 episodes

i watched this as it came out with a sense of morbid fascination. whoever has a dentist fetish and managed to make this come out of the writer's room, congrats. i commend you for your determination. the reasoning behind the main character's fear of the dentist is a little strange and convoluted but it's whatever.

plus & minus

12 episodes

i want to rewatch this one so bad! i feel like i don't remember much, but it was very enjoyable. childhood friends to lovers, it's always a good time.

2Moons

12 episodes

very little recollection of this one. i know they remade it into 2Moons2, which i do recall very little from, however it's not on my drama list... so maybe not? i do remember joong though so...??

2gether

13 episodes

ah the infamous 2gether. i watched this as it came out (as did many people over quarantine) and don't get the hype. i suppose i do get the hype if it was someone's first introduction to the world of thai bls, which leaves a lot of bias. hey, my first was love by chance and i thought it was the greatest thing in the world.

a tale of thousand stars

10 episodes

one of the more recent shows i've seen! i suppose. it was nearly 2 years ago but! fine. it was good, my big return to the world of thai drama. the concept was interesting and the drama was unnecessary but overall silly show.

bad buddy

12 episodes

not actually 10/10, but 9/10 and deserves the round up. anyways, this is a wonderful show that subverts tropes that i hate. the dynamic and gimmick of "we are supposed to hate each other but now that i think about it i don't really so let's just kiss about it" is so superb to me.

cherry magic

12 episodes

this one is 10/10! you can read my review on the japanese adaptation of cherry magic in the hall of fame! since it's from the same source material, my thouhts are very similar. however, both adaptations are different in their own right, as the thai adaptation does go to the end of the manga. perfection, incredible, beloved.

dangerous romance

12 episodes

i love perth in anything but the show itself was kinda strange. i wish perth had a different partner but now he's stuck with chimon till the end of time.. i hope they get that boy some kissing lessons soon.

dark blue kiss

12 episodes

i love anything taynew. they managed to deliver one of the best thai bls (cherry magic) and i thoroughly enjoyed kiss me again when i first watched it (i know it's lame now), but dark blue kiss didn't really do it for me. a second season full of drama after an established relationship is never my cup of tea.

great men academy

8 episodes

i think this show's concept was interesting, and it was executed well by having a bisexual love interest. i'm also a BIIIG fan of the very specific trope of wishing for love and expecting it to be granted with one person but surprise it's with another!

hidden agenda

12 episodes

i really want joongdunk to be good. i really do. however, hidden agenda didn't do it for me. i'm getting tired of university settings when it's not necessary for the plot. get these guys out!!

i am your king

5 episodes

no recollection whatsoever about this one. apparently i hated it. wowza.

i told sunset about you

5 episodes

i don't really get the hype about this one. maybe i just don't understand it like the others do. it was interesting sure..?

kiss me again

14 episodes

taynew again! beloveds! this show was my everything in high school when i had only seen love by chance and together with me. upon further reflection, it really isn't all that. accidental kiss scenes my beloved, though! also !!! the pool kiss scene.. wonderous. the kiss wasn't all that but the vibes? wonderful.

last twilight

12 episodes

FIRST JIMMYSEA MENTION!!! i love jimmysea so much. i loved this show sooo much, but i wish the ending was better. the build up and message in the first 11 episodes was great, and then everything kinda came crashing down in episode 12. but if i just ignore it and think about my fix-it fics in my brain everything's perfect.

love by chance

14 episodes

ah, my first. i need to give you thanks for everything you provided to me. tincan you were my everything for a solid Year. when a second one came out i was so ready to drop everything and regress back into my tincan haze, but i was quickly shaken out of it by the horrible quality and refresh of the tincan story. anyways this is not good. don't watch it.

love sick

12 episodes

this is like. the blueprint. i watched it a long time ago so i don't remember much. apparently i thought it was mid.

lovely writer

12 episodes

i really liked this show! i thought the meta commentary was super interesting, even if the romance itself was quite lack-luster. i really liked the main character!

puppy honey (1&2)

14 episodes

my first introduction to offgun! i'm so glad they're still going strong they're so fun to watch. i remember jack shit about this duology though, so maybe i didn't enjoy it as much as i thought i did when i first rated it.

sotus

15 episodes

this one was everyone's bitch back in the day. i myself don't really like it all that much, i thought the relationship was lackluster and acting subpar. but apparently kristsingto are making a crazy comeback soon so! i will be tuning in.

tharntype

12 episodes

woah. i remember watching this one as it came out. i feel like this is one of the most generic yet simultaneously most outlandish show i've seen, and i've seen choco milk shake. i hate the gimmick of a homophobic guy gets "turned" gay through sexual assault, so it's a big no for me.

the eclipse

12 episodes

another more modern watch of mine. i enjoyed it! i really think that first and khaotung are incredible actors. i haven't seen anything else from them, but i've seen snippets of only friends and their range (especially first's) is pretty wild!

theory of love

12 episodes

more offgun! also i am reminded of the fact that earth has gone through like twelve million screen partners before "settling" down with mix, which i find very humorous. what do you mean he's been with new, white, and like twelve other main name guys??? anyways, this show marked the turning point (at least for me) for offgun shows. the quality only goes up from here folks.

together with me 1&2

26 episodes

i also remember this being one of the big shows when i was first starting out. maxtul were suuuper huge iirc. looking back on it now, it's basically a carbon copy of every other bl during this period, except that everyone was obsessed with the "they're both tops" trope, which made it stand out from the rest of the crowd. but i havent seen it in years so i could be miles off about this.

water boyy

12 episodes

hoowee mama water boyy. i hear they're remaking it?? maybe?? anyways this show sucked. i don't remember why but it sucked and i think it had something to do with the ending. anyways, earth and new in a show together is astounding to me.

what the duck

12 episodes

LMAOOOO this show was CRAZYYYY i don't get anything that happened in it other than it was a waste of time. i don't know how it got two seasons. i am also baffled to learn that mew was in it, as a whole side couple too! i feel like i recall none of this.

HIStory 1&2

there are five of them

now. i actually haven't seen all of the three HIStory1 shows. i actually might have, but i've just forgotten because they're so lackluster. i'm grouping 1&2 together because they share the same vibes in my head. short, 1h20m runtime shows with very little going for them. except crossing the line she's my baby.

HIStory1

first up we have HIStory1: my hero. this one is bad in the funny way. a girl dies, possesses the lamest man ever, and has to make her old boyfriend fall in love with her as a guy or else she'll die forever. it's a wild synopsis i know, and it's even wilder if you watch it. it's only an hour and 20 mins, so if you have time to waste it's quite silly. watching on 2x speed might not be a bad idea.

coming in with a banger title is HIStory1: stay away from me. i love the direction this is taking (sarcasm). i remember i did watch this, but i don't know if i watched it all. i only remember it as a short, and it very much is not a short; it is a full movie length (a short movie, but a movie nonetheless). the gist is that a random guy tries to make two stepbrothers fall in love. it works . i'm pretty sure it's dubiously consentual, but i don't care to review my source (the source material).

wrapping up the first HIStory is HIStory: obsessed. this is one i'm certain i never watched, but i'm told the story is that a guy stuck in a time loop keeps dying in a car accident and tries very hard to stop falling for the same guy, who causes him to die in all of these car accidents. i can't tell you any more because i know nothing.

HIStory2

finally some good food! HIStory2: crossing the line is for all you haikyuu fans out there. it's a volleyball romance, baby!! the general story is that a rambunctious teen is forced to join the vollyball team, where he meets the cool, calm, and collected team manager. sparks fly, etc etc. i love this show and it's great and cheesy and dumb and perfect. except... for the side couple. we'll get there. side couples are a common sentiment amongst the HIStory franchise.

after that brief, tolerable intermission, we are back in the trenches. HIStory2: right or wrong is titled pretty well, because it's wrong. glad to help! i haven't seen it though so i could be vastly misjudging it. all i know is i believe it's a teacher student relationship? but anyways a full grown man with an 8 year old kid falls for a college student so do what you want with that information i suppose.

overall

i think you get the gist of the 1&2 series. they're lackluster, poorly thrown together, and milk tropes and scandalous themes to rake in that good good fujocoin. they are low-budget and poorly produced, but somehow managed to rake in enough of that good good fujocoin to produce the rest of the HIStory franchise, which blew up in production quality, length, and tolerability!

HIStory3

there are two of them

HIStory3 is where things really start to pick up. there are two shows under the HIStory3 label: trapped and make our days count. they both are 10 episodes of 50 minutes each, and are a significant quality upgrade from the previous HIStory installations.

HIStory3: trapped

I already talked in length about HIStory3: trapped in the hall of fame, so go check that out for actually coherent information about this masterpiece.

when i say that the flip from HIStory2 to HIStory3: trapped is of astronomical proportions, you just have to take my word for it. it's crazy how much of a 180 occurred. from a mediocre 5/10 rating to being featured on my hall of fame list?! what happened?! i genuinely cannot tell you what happened i too am baffled.

HIStory 3: trapped is a nuanced story about a cop and an ex-mafia boss falling in love. it sounds cheesy but it's pulled off relatively well! the relationship is mature, and instead of drama revolving around fighting each other, they face the trials and tribulations of being a cop and ex-mafia boss together. how cute. and get this, the side couple isn't even that bad! they're a little weird, sure, but nothing morally reprehensible! a win for the community!

HIStory3: make our days count

pay attention to that fucking title... unfortunately, it appears that HIStory3: trapped was the peak of HIStory, and we will only ever go downhill from there. farewell 2019, you will be missed. while make our days count is no where near the shitty quality of 1&2, it unfortunately falls short of our favorite masterpiece trapped. this is an unfortunate trend that continues throughout the rest of the HIStory franchise as we know it.

HIStory3: make our days count follows two high school students who fall into an unlikely relationship with each other. they get together around halfway through the show, and a majority of the late-show problems focus on them facing the trials and tribulations of being gay high school seniors togther. overall, a very cute show! just ignore the last episode and the last 5 minutes of the penultimate episode, and you'll be fine. also. the side couple. yes. it's the return of "except for the side couple". hold onto your pantsuits we're almost there.

HIStory4

only one! we made it!

of the non-HIStory3: trapped installments of this franchise, HIStory4: close to you is my favorite, hands down. don't get me wrong, it's by no means fantastic, but by golly was it entertaining.

HIStory4: close to you is about three friends who work together. one tries to hit on a female coworker who just so happens to be a fujoshi by… pretending to be into one of his male friends. little weird but he comes around by acctually falling for said male friend. listen dude you got too close to fujo magic it's powerful.

anyways, the relationship is over-dramaticized and goofy, but if you look at it as camp, you're good to go. i think it's dumb as hell but it's entertaining so who gives a shit. it's a fine show. except... for the side couple.

history5

ok sin time. i never finished this installment. i watched it as it came out then just genuinely forgot i was watching it each week. if that's not indicitive of its quality i don't really know what else to say.

HIStory5: love in the future has an interesting concept, but they failed in the execution. the idea is that this one guy from the year 2000 gets transported to 2020 and has to learn how to live in the future. he ends up falling love with someone in the future, then has to grapple with whether or not he should stay.

if you didn't tell me it was a romance, i would not have thought that the main couple were supposed to end up together. their chemistry is so bad it's called physics. the execution of the gimmick isn't even that good, so i understand past me accidentally dropping it. if you're looking for a bad waste of time, here's your answer! it's a shame that they wasted a mediocre (not morally reprehesnible!) side couple on this show, though. i would have appreciated it in HIStory4...

so what's up with the side couples??

i'm so glad you asked! i've compiled a cute little list below for your viewing pleasure. hopefully that clears everything up!

2. (CtL) they are step brothers!
3. (MoDC) one is a high schooler and the other is 30!
4. they are step brothers (again! third step brother use!) and one is coerced into the relationship!
5. boss employee (ON THE UP AND UP!! a win)

my biggest gripe with the addition of the strange side couples is that most of the time they add nothing to the story. they appear for like five seconds, perform something problematic, then disappear. this is not the case for 4&5, where they take up around 30-40% of screentime, meaning more meaningless fluff for me to skip to get back to the main couple. i love me some toxic yaoi but felonies aren't really my cup of tea.