Takara-kun to Amagi-kun (2022)

We are kindred spirits, you and I

A sweet and genuine high-school romance with a refreshing twist.
This show picks up where most other romances end - at the beginning of our main characters' relationship. Instead of exploring the typical highs and lows of falling in love for the first time, this story shows us two kids trying their hands at being in a relationship for the first time and their earnest and consistent efforts to navigate this bewildering maze together, ideally while holding hands.

You will find no villains in this story, no big evil to overcome, no dramatic separations, no tragic incidents to tear our leads apart. What you will find, however, are a cast of charming and lovable characters, a well-written well-paced and often genuinely hilarious script, and standout performances from both leads and several supporting characters (here's to you Katori, here's to you). The characters all feel solid and real and the dialogues are both fun and true to life, so much so that I found myself reminded of conversations I used to have with my high school friends, which was genuinely delightful.

All in all this show serves as a welcome change of pace for the high-school romance genre. If you are looking for a quick and easy show to watch on a cozy weekend on the couch or if you are someone who likes romantic comedies that are grounded in realism without getting to dramatic, then this one is for you.

Leia Mais

One of the best Japanese BL live actions

For those who are wondering, this serie has a *happy ending*

Now, for those who plan to watch this, keep in mind that this is a Japanese BL. Jap BL is always light, sweet, and slow. It's like a shounen ai manga (well it is). So, if you are looking for NC scenes and tons of kisses, this is not for you.

I said that this is one of the best live actions as they astonishingly followed through the original work, even the acting is on point. Even Takara's dead voice and expressions. He's just designed that way 😂
I love the communication of the couple is this series, just chef's kiss. No issue is prolonged and they make sure that they tell what they feel upfront.

I have no issue whatsoever in this series. It is light and cute and kept me giggling and feeling butterflies till the end. I recommend readers to watch this!!

Also, best character for me is Katori. I love him!

Leia Mais

Amagi-Lover

I won't play much on the aspect that everyone seems to have been worried about: the plot. Which I can agree is nonexistent, but I give this series credit for being so precious enough that I didn't even realize there was no central conflict or obstacle to get over. That's what Amagi's cuteness did to me.

Let's dive In.

Again, yeah I agree, zero plot, and the plot we did get was by-episode conflicts. But there wasn't any conflict that lasted from beginning to end unless you want to argue about Takara and his unwillingness to let others know he was dating Amagi. But it wasn't a problem until the later episodes, so I guess that doesn't count either. Either way, I actually didn't mind that there was an absence of conflict/plot. I liked that it was just two boys running around with their frivolous problems being all cute and in love. it makes up for what we got, or lack thereof. Anytime Amagi was on screen, I was just giggling and smiling ear to ear. That little dude is just too fucking cute. and mixed with Takara's stern and stoic nature, it just added more to my excitement.

Speaking of them, I think their chemistry was decent. There were moments when it felt awkward, but maybe that was the point because their young and it was their first love. Takara fell flat for me at times, just because his character was so one-dimensional that it got to be a bore seeing him on screen. His friends were like, "Gosh, look at him, he's so happy," and he still had his very basic stare, so idk.

I wish they would've made it more clear when flashbacks were happening. There were multiple times throughout that I was so confused about whether or not something was taking place in the past or the present. I know one episode I thought everything was current until the last few minutes. It was frustrating cause then instead of focusing on the episode, I was focusing on when the situation was happening.

Ratings:

Story: 7/10: very very very basic. Nothing spectacular, but because I think the characters are the cutest things ever, it still gets a pretty high score.

Acting: 8/10: Amagi was excellent, but I think the direction of Takara's character was too flat to where he became annoying. Everyone else was decent.

Music: 5/10: didn't pay too much attention to it, so it wasn't distracting at least.

Rewatch value: 1.5/10: mmmm, Nah I'm good.

Again, pretty basic, but it was a fun watch. I recommend it to anyone just wanting something lighthearted and fluffy to watch, something that's not sad and doesn't have some complex plot to figure out, I recommend it, it didn't take very long to watch, and Amagi made up for everything wrong in the series.

Leia Mais

A wholesome BL

This slow burn romance could not have been sweeter. The two main actors are very attractive and display opposite character traits. Takara Shun has a reserved manner and expression yet is often straight forward in his speech. Taichi Amagi is naive and childish with a strong insecurity because of his experiences as a child. This sense of less worthiness adds some of the storylines tension but it is mild and the two continue to tentatively explore this secretive romance.

The story is not rushed and there are no distracting sub plots so it fits the short timeline.

Others have mentioned the cringe factor perhaps in relation too Taichi Amagi being overly animated I however think it is in character with a young, self conscious person who is trying hard to attract someone. I liked the use of internal dialogue to display the inner turmoil of these two shy teenagers. Overall I liked the respect shown by the more experienced ML and also the support of the friend of the shy Taichi Amagi character.

Leia Mais

cute show that could've been more

Takara-kun and Amagi-kun was a cute show that felt very cosy and lighthearted at first but felt a little lost at the end.

Pros:
- Amagi and Takara shined when they hung out and just enjoyed each others company. Amagi was expressing his feelings for Takara constantly and that was so lovely to hear. And whenever Takara showed any physical reaction to Amagi's words or actions it was great, even if it was just him covering his mouth so nobody could see him smile. And Takara going from never expressing his feelings to voicing his thoughts and feelings more and more so Amagi wouldn't misunderstand him all the time.

- I loved the dynamic between Amagi and Katori, their friendship was amazing and to say that Katori is Amagi's platonic soulmate added 10 years to my life.

- The music is great. It didn't stick out too much to distract from the story, but it was not an awkward or repetitive background noise.

Cons:
- Tanaka was very charismatic but his personality was just trash. He constantly asked Amagi inappropriate questions that made him uncomfortable. Even asking Amagi if he had sex with Takara and if he should try as well (I still don't fully grasp what the writers tried to do there). And even going as far as to harass Amagi for days. It was really uncomfortable to watch and the fact that he was never properly called out or "punished" for it just left a sour taste in my mouth. And his constant rapey-vibes he gave off were just the last straw for me. Whenever Takara would say that he'd wait until Amagi was ready to be more intimate he grimased as if that would be something totally unheard of. Just a really weird guy.

- Even though Takara constantly said that he would not force Amagi to do anything and would wait until he was ready as well, I think I can remember like three times Takara kissed Amagi and the latter was not feeling it. Amagi was very clear that he was very inexperienced and didn't know much about the physical stuff and Takara reassured him (and us) that they'd take it as slow as Amagi needed. Only that that was not true. Even in the last freaking episode Takara goes in for a kiss (in public which is another thing Amagi is not too keen about) and Amagi panics and headbutts him. Amagi apologises right away and Takara uses that opportunity to go in for another kiss which is framed as this beautiful thing even though it's just disappointing.

- I'm not really a fan of the small childish boy who always shrieks and panics whenever his boyfriend wants to get a little intimate and the tall emotionless guy who is always the one to initiate physical contact and does so even if his bf is not comfortable with it.

- I expected the last episode to deal with a different kind of problem. It's like we wasted so much time with other problems that we didn't focus on the more important ones. Like, Takara constantly suppressing his feelings and trying to never show any emotion. Or how they will go on to the next stage in life (university and work) and make their relationship work. They never had a first real fight yet and they are already promising to stay together forever. We also don't really know what happened between Amagi and his mother, we only get a few hints here and there but not a real explanation. I did like the conflict of Amagi worrying that Takara would lose all his friends if he kept ditching them for him, but it wasn't like Takara cared about his friends or losing them, so why should we care?

Leia Mais

Another great BL from Japan!

First off. Japan, you are on a roll this year with BLs! This was your typical Japanese high school love BL drama, but it was a very lovable series nonetheless. The acting was very good and entertaining. I will miss all the actors. The first episode was very confusing and the plot seemed like it was all over the place. However once the episodes started rolling on, it became more clear and turned out to be a very good story. This is a very easy show to digest and doesn’t require a lot of thinking to understand. There are no evil characters or unnecessary drama so to speak. Honestly out of all of the BLs that I’ve watched, and I’ve watched a lot, this one had one of the healthiest relationships. There was COMMUNICATION! So often in BL dramas, there’s NO COMMUNICATION and so it leads to unnecessary drama and chaos, but not so in this one. I would definitely recommend this series if you like an easy going series full of fluff and cuteness. Keep it up Japan, you are killing it this year with BL dramas! 😊

Leia Mais

Actually Plotless

I was really bored and didn't know what to watch during a long weekend. While scrolling through the Viki page I came across this and remembered I watched the first episode a while ago but ended up dropping it right after it. I didn't exactly remember what bothered me about it then, so I decided to try to watch it again. Well, maybe I shouldn't have.

Just like I said in the headline, this series is actually plotless. Most of the characters' actions don't even make sense (which we'll get to back in a moment) and it's so ANNOYING to watch sometimes. Most of their issues could be solved if they had ONE proper conversation. JUST ONE. Whenever they have an attempt to talk something out, they still end up not addressing their biggest issues which leads to another problem. And another. Basically this whole series is just made up of miscommunication. Miscommunication IS the plot. It can be a good trope if it's done well. Here? Not even close. There's more miscommunication than actual romance between the main characters. And you know what makes it even worse? The characters do not learn ANYTHING from the conflicts.

Now onto the characters. They're both annoying. Amagi? Ugh. Couldn't stand him most of the time. His backstory was a bit sad and it did hit me a few times, but it wasn't executed well and I think they should've brought it up a bit more for it to work. His actions and behaviour were just so... pointless sometimes. I didn't understand him a lot of the times. As for Takara, most of the time I liked him slightly better than I liked Amagi. I liked his characteristics, but there were still many things about him that just did not work for me. One of the biggest problems I have with his character are his reasons behind why he wants to keep his relationship with Amagi a secret. Like... Really? If I was Amagi, I'd think it's just a really shitty excuse. Again, his actions were so pointless a lot of the time.

Acting was neither good or bad. I can't say much about it to be honest.

If I were to talk about the positive things (there isn't many of them) I definitely have to mention the music. I really like the opening theme as well as the ending. Some music themes were kind of annoying at times, but I could stand them.

Another positive thing - or rather a person - was Amagi's best friend. He's my favourite character in this whole mess. Probably the only person with a braincell in the while show.

In my last words I want to say that despite all of this, the show was oddly entertaining. It doesn't mean I don't dislike it, but at least I got something out of it. But maybe it's just because I was really bored and didn't know what else should I watch.

Leia Mais

ADORABLE

This was absolutely ADORABLE!!!

The story is pretty basic - cute, innocent unpopular boy develops a crush on the cool, cold popular boy without realising that the popular boy is also crushing on him. What follows is eight short episodes that follows the pair discovering more about each other and navigating their new relationship. There’s a lot of secret glances and affectionate smiles - and so much healthy communication!!!

Takara is the greenest flag ever, he is absolutely adorable underneath that cool facade, and he was hopelessly smitten with Amagi, it was SO CUTE.

This whole series just had me kicking my feet and screaming into my pillow, it was too adorable for words.

Also if Amagi’s best friend wants to just step out of this show and marry me, I am absolutely on board with that. He was the MVP of this show, what a national treasure.

Definitely a show I’ll rewatch often.

Leia Mais

It touched my heart

When a drama touches my heart and makes it flutter for its protagonists this much, I'm not able to stay too objective about it. This time in particular, I had very low expectations and was ready to feel bored while watching, yet my opinion was turned upside-down by the end of the first episode.
The relationship between Amagi and Takara is sweet and quiet, and the drama focuses on how the feelings they have for each other slowly change and adapt to their day-to-day life as boyfriends. At the beginning of the story they just like each other from a distance, and they even seem okay with just watching each other from afar and not getting involved with each other more than the bare minimum - even the confession and their decision to start dating seem to happen because of a lucky slip of the tongue. They're not used to express their feelings or even communicate properly with a romantic partner, and they're not even used to being loved like that either. Include the fact that they're both teenagers and you're bound to obtain a story with multiple trial and errors, misunderstandings, and clumsiness when it comes to a romantic relationship. The personalities of both characters were portrayed clearly and I believe that the acting was quite good as well; even though I usually hate misunderstandings and miscommunication in any kind of story, this time it didn't feel annoying at all, because it had a point.
I also really like how Japanese dramas in particular tend to leave a lot of room for introspection and inner thoughts. There's a lot of that in T&A and I loved it.
There is a couple of secondary characters that stood out more than the others, but there was no room for them other than to function as support for relationship advice or devices to stir up things, so I don't have much to say about them.

If you don't like slow dramas and you're looking for an exciting story, this is probably not for you. Other than that, all I can say is that this became one of my favorite BLs.

Leia Mais

A cute and realistic show about falling in love as teens

This was a super charming and cute show. Fluffy describes it well, but it was nice seeing a young couple try to navigate their relationship in secret.

There was quite a bit of intervention by side characters so we are left wondering what would happen if these two didn’t have friends. But it’s also a situation I’ve seen happen so many times. It was still so charming to see the love they have for one another.

Katori and Tanaka ended up becoming great side characters and I wish they had their own show.

Slight spoilers,
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But, we never really find out why Takara loves Amagi so much. Amagi’s side is explained a bit but I wish they did that.

Otherwise, a lovely show that’s fun and relaxing to rewatch, and it has an amazing OST that really sets the mood and intensity well.

Leia Mais

How can people not like this?

I stopped believing bad reviews by now, half the time they are right and the other half I'm rating the low rated show 10 stars.
I really enjoyed this one! It was short, cute, and had emotional depth. It showed how confusing dating can be at first, and how daunting first love, first relationships can be.

I loved Takara's stone-faced attitude, when he did smile or show affection it felt like SO much more because most of the time, he looked serious. It was beautiful to see. The intimate moments were great.

Amagi to some may be annoying but I loved his bubbly care free kiddish attitude. I can see how someone would fall for that brand of cute, and I think anyone saying it was to fake or to animated has never met a truly happy carefree person. He is just full of life. Of course he has some emotional healing to do but that doesn't stop him from being a little bouncy ball of joy. Who can hate on that?

Their relationship was interesting to watch and left me feeling satisfied.

Now the only negative thing I have to point out is the first and second episode and a little throughout the show. Sometimes the timeline will flip flop and in the first and second episode it can be a little confusing. I skipped past the scenes in the blue darkish classroom and then went back to watch that scene in the entirety and it made it clearer. There is also one more time where the timeline jumps to the past, where Takara is talking about his interactions with Amagi BEFORE where the first episode begins. This time jump wasn't labeled but it was pretty easy to figure out what was going on.

Overall this one was a great watch.

Leia Mais