Deze recentie kan spoilers bevatten
Senpai, this won't be love unless we speak our damn minds!
Feels like a cross between Mr. Unlucky and Star in My Mind. It starts funny and ridiculous like Mr. Unlucky, gets unnecessarily messy in the middle like Star in My Mind, then somewhat picks up again towards the end. Overall, it's still a pretty good show, but only because it's way shorter than Star in My Mind. Should this have longer episodes, it would be more of a pain to get through.
STORY : 8/10
Kaneda is a new employee at a CG company Yanase works at. While Yanase is tasked with helping Kaneda get used to the job, he notices Kaneda being cold and overly self-conscious around Yanase. Does Kaneda hate him? Or is there something more to his actions?
As this is a BL (and not a queerbaiting one), I can assure you that Kaneda isn't repulsed by Yanase. Quite the opposite! Unfortunately for him, Kaneda isn't that good in voicing his feelings, a trait which Yanase seems to share. To my utter annoyance. This drama is riddled with clichés, a "miscommunication" being the most prominent one. And it doesn't get better as time goes on. When the show is funny, it's refreshingly cute! But when it's frustrating... you want to scream at the leads for wasting your, and everyone else's time. The show presents itself very well in the beginning, which just made me think of all the potential that was wasted. For most japanese BLs, I tend to think they are too much. This one didn't hit nearly hard enough in the middle. Nor at the end, if we are being honest. It was a disappointing path to take.
POTENTIAL TRIGGERS (with minor spoilers included) :
Sexual harassment - nothing too overt. Most of it is limited to the first episode.
Obsessive behaviour - not nearly strong enough in the context it's put into. It serves as a comedic relief, in a shape of small interactions sprinkled all over the series.
Age Gap (?) - Kaneda is 25 and Yanase is 29. Both actors are 26. So, not much of a gap. That said, the behaviour patterns of the main leads are peculiar enough that you might feel like age is an issue. For some people, Yanase feels considerably more mature than Kaneda [Frankly, he really isn't].
WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE SHOW:
1. It's fairly light and easy to watch. Should feel good to binge if you are just looking for something to pass time.
2. Characters are cute. Their portrayal isn't exactly sexual, but it's sweet.
3. The OST and outro are well done.
4. It has its funny moments, and its romantic moments. It isn't just bland the whole time.
WHAT I DISLIKED ABOUT THE SHOW:
1. The main conflicts are overdone and boringly executed. I didn't feel any real tension in them.
2. It wasn't consistent. The first few episodes feel like a setup for completely different drama.
3. It relies heavily on tropes. Some of them worked for me pretty well, while others made me loudly exhale and look for aspirin.
OVERALL RATING : 7.5 /10
It isn't a spectacular drama. But it isn't tedious, either. It can get boring in small stretches, but not long-term. I don't regret watching it, but won't probably do it again. If you're just starting with BL shows, there are way better ones out there [for more serious japanese BL set in work environment, try "Old Fashion Cupcake". For a more silly one, try "Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But To Kiss!"]. But if you are bored and have nothing left to watch, this one will suffice. And it's short. Which is always preferable for me, when compared to some thai shows that last twice as long with half the plot.
One more point I want to address (SPOILERS FOR BOTH "SENPAI" AND "MR. UNLUCKY" ) - I don't mind them not kissing in the end. It bothered me more in Mr. Unlucky, because the relationship felt prepared for it. And I thought they haven't got enough of a progress in the last episode. But with Senpai, they barely "got together" in the end!!! While circling around each other and being shy the whole show!!! Not talking to each other, basically ever! Quite frankly, the kiss would have felt pretty weird in my opinion, considering how they were behaving. And 'kiss open to interpretation' is probably slightly better than 'kiss prevented by one of the shy leads,' as far as general consensus goes.
STORY : 8/10
Kaneda is a new employee at a CG company Yanase works at. While Yanase is tasked with helping Kaneda get used to the job, he notices Kaneda being cold and overly self-conscious around Yanase. Does Kaneda hate him? Or is there something more to his actions?
As this is a BL (and not a queerbaiting one), I can assure you that Kaneda isn't repulsed by Yanase. Quite the opposite! Unfortunately for him, Kaneda isn't that good in voicing his feelings, a trait which Yanase seems to share. To my utter annoyance. This drama is riddled with clichés, a "miscommunication" being the most prominent one. And it doesn't get better as time goes on. When the show is funny, it's refreshingly cute! But when it's frustrating... you want to scream at the leads for wasting your, and everyone else's time. The show presents itself very well in the beginning, which just made me think of all the potential that was wasted. For most japanese BLs, I tend to think they are too much. This one didn't hit nearly hard enough in the middle. Nor at the end, if we are being honest. It was a disappointing path to take.
POTENTIAL TRIGGERS (with minor spoilers included) :
Sexual harassment - nothing too overt. Most of it is limited to the first episode.
Obsessive behaviour - not nearly strong enough in the context it's put into. It serves as a comedic relief, in a shape of small interactions sprinkled all over the series.
Age Gap (?) - Kaneda is 25 and Yanase is 29. Both actors are 26. So, not much of a gap. That said, the behaviour patterns of the main leads are peculiar enough that you might feel like age is an issue. For some people, Yanase feels considerably more mature than Kaneda [Frankly, he really isn't].
WHAT I LIKED ABOUT THE SHOW:
1. It's fairly light and easy to watch. Should feel good to binge if you are just looking for something to pass time.
2. Characters are cute. Their portrayal isn't exactly sexual, but it's sweet.
3. The OST and outro are well done.
4. It has its funny moments, and its romantic moments. It isn't just bland the whole time.
WHAT I DISLIKED ABOUT THE SHOW:
1. The main conflicts are overdone and boringly executed. I didn't feel any real tension in them.
2. It wasn't consistent. The first few episodes feel like a setup for completely different drama.
3. It relies heavily on tropes. Some of them worked for me pretty well, while others made me loudly exhale and look for aspirin.
OVERALL RATING : 7.5 /10
It isn't a spectacular drama. But it isn't tedious, either. It can get boring in small stretches, but not long-term. I don't regret watching it, but won't probably do it again. If you're just starting with BL shows, there are way better ones out there [for more serious japanese BL set in work environment, try "Old Fashion Cupcake". For a more silly one, try "Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But To Kiss!"]. But if you are bored and have nothing left to watch, this one will suffice. And it's short. Which is always preferable for me, when compared to some thai shows that last twice as long with half the plot.
One more point I want to address (SPOILERS FOR BOTH "SENPAI" AND "MR. UNLUCKY" ) - I don't mind them not kissing in the end. It bothered me more in Mr. Unlucky, because the relationship felt prepared for it. And I thought they haven't got enough of a progress in the last episode. But with Senpai, they barely "got together" in the end!!! While circling around each other and being shy the whole show!!! Not talking to each other, basically ever! Quite frankly, the kiss would have felt pretty weird in my opinion, considering how they were behaving. And 'kiss open to interpretation' is probably slightly better than 'kiss prevented by one of the shy leads,' as far as general consensus goes.
Vond je deze recentie nuttig?