Shigatsu no Tokyo wa... (2023)

Grounded and natural tackles various serious topics

Really love this show. It's been a while since I saw grounded bl tackling serious topics while also staying interesting and portraying realistic characters. I don't mind characters being over the top sometimes like in other bls , because it's still just a fictional show, but once again missed these kind of shows that just feels real and genuine. This might be one of my favorite BL shows including Old fashion cupcake, and Blueming. Would love to see more shows like this that just doesn't portray lightheaded subjects and doesn't shy away from portraying serious issues.

As a manga reader, I was impressed by how accurately this show portrayed it. There are literally scenes that could be put side by side and also really glad that they didn't cut dark themes that take place in the manga. I honestly didn't think they would dare to portray this kind of story. Here I want to give kudos to the director and screenwriter , because I feel she was able to realistically portray the show while balancing between manga and show, as to my opinion there weren't any filler scenes. Additionally, as the screentime is always limited to 30 min , I am glad she was able to balance it well. Now I have seen few comments saying that it didn't do justice to manga, but I feel like it's up to each person, cause personally I feel like they showed all the important scenes without losing too much context.

As for the acting, personally I liked it. It feels very grounded and natural and if you have seen some animes/ manga getting updated into live action , you know how cartoonish it can get cause sometimes actors would struggle to find balance between manga and real acting and get it mixed up. I really like subtle expressions of Ren's actor, I think he was perfectly casted and was able to find that balance , as it felt like a real person with real feelings and I could relate to him. Again will mention shows like Old fashion cupcake and Blueming, where in the same way it feels so natural , characters just make you sympathize with them.
Also liked Kazuma's choice of the actor, again feels very natural, though reading manga at first I thought he didn't fit the image but later as I continued watching the show, I feel like he was also chosen well, as he was able to deliver Kazuma's gentle character quite well and his affection towards Ren and tender gestures were also delivered well.

Now, as for the kids actors, some ppl complain that showrunners shouldn't have chosen real 14 year old actors to play them, however, actually I didn't mind. Acting is still acting, and there are tons of shows which have 14 year olds or even younger portraying such provocative scenes though I didn't think it was provocative but just unsettling, which is the point , as the scene in the manga also makes you feel uncomfortable. There are some shows like Shameless where there are tons of provocative episodes and in the first season Ian's actor was only 15 and his character had to make out with the actors who were in 30s like Mickey and Cash's actors, which apparently no one has problem with. Again even with Shameless, as long as the actors have chosen themselves to portray a certain role , I don't have a problem, cause acting is acting. As for this show, I liked the portrayal of the teenage actors as well as it felt very natural.

Although some people might disagree with me, and call the acting is bad, again I feel like it's up to each person. Cause there are tons of shows out there, in which for some ppl certain actors didn't sell out their roles and for some ppl portrayal was quite solid. I think the only problem or minor issue was for me sometimes the crying on the scenes which could have another takes, but in overall for me it was very natural throughout the whole series. I usually don't judge a whole show to have bad acting just because of couple of clunky scenes, and instead evaluate it based on the whole show and how it made the characters feel , in this case, fleshed out , natural and sympathetic.

Again another thing, why i liked the cast and feel like they perfectly fit their roles is because the chemistry between two leads was really great. There are so many BL shows or usual shows that have 2 actors who are trying very hard to portray their characters but there is no chemistry between main leads. I think for me same type of well executed chemistry was again in Blueming, Old fashion cupcake, Cherry magic, To my star, Minato's laundromat(cute chemistry). In Tokyo in April , I really loved all these subtle expressions of two main leads especially Ren's, and of course it was adapted from manga, but their domestic scenes are the best. Like they would be just calmly chilling together or cooking together , and the amount of fluff there is immeasurable. I honestly think affectionate scenes are 100x times better than all those passionate sexy scenes in Thai BLs. Honestly watching these 2 characters together made me feel very lonely and wanting a comfy relationship like this haha. Their scenes didn't feel awkward or clunky at all, and it just felt very natural and like a real life couple, which convinces me that actors were able to connect well before shooting for this show.

As for the music, really love both opening and ending songs. Especially the ending song is perfect for these characters. However, I wish there were more musical scores, cause the ones we have are really nice and wish there were more of it in the show.

I feel like we need more shows like this that have some depths and serious topics. I am not against comedic BL shows and lighthearted ones like Cherry Magic or Minato's laundromat( perfect summer light show) all of these shows are necessary and provide great escapism from the real tough world we have. But at the same time those shows are prevalent and it's quite refreshing to see shows like Tokyo in april and in which characters who play mid 20s office workers actually act and feel like them in real life. Honestly missed shows like this and would like to see more shows having emotional depth, characters that feel very real and natural.

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Toyko In April Is...a good start with a weak ending

Overall: I would categorize this series as more slice of life/realistic with angst but also sweet moments too. The beginning was very promising but it kind of fell apart a bit with too many flashbacks, plot cliches and a rushed ending. I give it a slight rating boost because it did try to tackle some social issues. Aired on GagaOOLala and Viki. 8 episodes about 23 minutes each.

Content Warnings: workplace bullying and several major content warnings which I've added in a spoiler comment

Note: the characters in the past are 15 years old

What I Liked
- tackled more serious issues
- there are hints to certain story elements and as we go on we get more explanation
- younger actors did a good job, I thought it was good they kept it PG in the flashback in episode 3
- good consent in episode 3's flashback
- good morning after, avoided the cliche
- there is miscommunication/poor communication but it's mostly understandable
- sweet moments
- consequences shown for 1 trash character
- production value (use of colors, light)

Room For Improvement
- too many flashbacks including scenes we just watched in the recent present, it made the series feel choppy
- ending felt rushed
- instant reconciliation for that mom, she didn't even apologize for the huge amount of pain she directly caused, ugh
- in episode 3 I wish they had just left it at Ren saying sorry because it was odd/unrealistic that Kazuma did not correct him
- being in the rain and the other thing that happened in episode 3 do not cause a fever/illness but because of the timing that is what the viewer is led to believe
- gay for you trope
- (end of ep 7) people can have a freeze response but I think if they had made Sanada's actor a taller person it would have made more sense
- Yagami makes no sense to me at all
- the pretty single tear down the center of the cheek crying doesn't work for me
- several running cliche scenes

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An intriguing story with a lack of emotional anchoring

As the last episode concluded, a question emerged naturally: could different actors have deeply would moved me with their emotions?

Having immersed myself in the manga, I noticed this adaptation remained largely faithful, with only minor divergences in certain scenes and dialogues.

In the first episode, I was genuinely impressed by how the two actors restrained their emotions, perfectly capturing the essence of their respective characters. However, as the episodes unfolded, the enchantment of the beginning slowly dissipated, and their acting seemed to vacillate between underacting and overacting, lacking the depth that had initially captivated me.

Regarding the story, I may be among the few who truly appreciated the way Kazuma's declaration, "I only see Ren," was delicately and skillfully portrayed. It was no ordinary first encounter, but a poignant reunion after a decade of longing, anxiety, and concern for each other's well-being. A decade of cherishing an idea that finally materialized into reality.

Furthermore, the development of Ren's character resonated with me deeply. He fearlessly stated his sexual orientation, yet his unresolved trauma prevented him from fully embracing himself. Ren's self-doubt and perpetual quest for redemption left him unable to fully accept love, even when it stood at his doorstep, simple and unconditional.

The true brilliance of this drama lies in its ability to intertwine societal issues with the intricacies of romance, drawing me in with its relevance. It fearlessly explores themes like parental pressure in a conservative society, the objectification and exploitation of women, the perpetrators' impunity despite accusations, and the stigmatization of homosexuality reduced to mere lust.

However, one aspect left me feeling somewhat disheartened—the clichéd notion of "love heals all, love forgives all." While the drama fearlessly portrayed moments of ugliness, it missed an opportunity to delve deeper into the psychological journey of overcoming trauma or at least learning to live with it on a daily basis. It would have been intriguing to witness a more profound reflection on the intricacies of emotional healing and the complexities of acceptance.

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What a disappointment.

This series started strong and I was looking forward to seeing where it would go. More or less nowhere, it seems.

I don't like to criticize actors, and it's possible it was the directing, but Kazuma was bad. When he was angry it was embarassing. Ren was a little better, but he didn't have to do much more than mope and be pathetic.

The directing drained all the life out of the story, and they followed the manga too closely instead of adapting it. But the writing was inexcusably lousy, so the screenplay might as well be too, I guess?

Example: a manga can give strong forward motion by portraying someone running for a panel or two. But when it's live action, you stop paying attention because your mind is preoccupied by two questions: if he's in that big a hurry, why is he running across Tokyo instead of taking a cab? And, how did he manage to do that in dress shoes and a wool suit without breaking a sweat? As if that wasn't bad enough, in the finale he did it again. Twice. (To be fair, the third time taking a cab wouldn't have helped, but I was still preoccupied wondering how Ren got past Kazuma to leave the building. The core where the elevator is would make him have to go past Kazuma, or at least run all the way around the core to the other side of the elevator lobbly.

The series is jammed full of tropes without giving us any compensation. Ren is one of the worst examples of a weak infantilized uke, who can't even defend himself against a falling-over drunk man that's at least twice his age but half his size. Because he takes it up the a$$ and Sanada is a man, I guess. It's ridiculous and offensive. A 12-year old girl would have been able to deal with Sanada, let alone a grown man.

The coincidences are absurd. The population of Tokyo is 40M and it's not a very dense city - so after search the world for 10 years and coming up with nothing, he happens to get a job at the same company? I took if for granted thta Ren arranged for Kazuma to work there, but nope, just a coincidence. Then Ren runs into Kazuma's mother. Then runs into Sanada when he goes to get his things. Why would Sanada go back to the office after going out and getting drunk? And in the brief window where Ren is there?

The relationship between Ren and Kazuma is passionless. At the end they spend the night, and don't even cuddle in bed - in fact Kazuma is actually holding Ren at arm's length so their bodies don't touch. Come on. It's 2023. They don't need to have sex, but they need to look like they want to. It's really sad and weird that the two child actors had way more sexual chemistry than the adults. And apparently more sex.

The end is totally anticlimactic. Kazuma's mother explains she was only upset because they were underage - so then why did she whack Ren across the face? It doesn't make sense. And why did she tell her maid or whoever that was that she's afraid if Ren and Kazuma meet up, they'll never part, but then in the next scene tell them she has no problem with them being gay. What? That makes zero sense - someone behaved completely illogically to throw a red herring at us to generate artificial and pointless drama that doesn't go anywhere and instead deflates like a sad balloon that wandered away during a party and deflated in some dark corner.

In the end, there's just no point to the whole story. What is it about? There were interesting dynamics set up at the beginning, with hints of Ren's depression and trauma, but it goes nowhere. This is just some weird fantasy of the writer to get a strong man to take care of her. Great.

I'd skip this. You'll like it at first, but it becomes a big disappointment.

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Looooooove it

This series omw. I looooooove it. Dont know what it is with these Japanese and korean shows but the story lines does wrapped you in. I watched and had to rematch now am awaiting episode 6. Its the chemistry, the dialogues just has you in your feeelings. This is another one of my favorite bl of 2023. The eighth sense was another one. First time watching these actors and they didnt disappoint. Waiting for that supervisor to get his because he is tooo dutty, but all in all this is definitely a rewatch for me. If anyone knows any good chineese, Japanese and Koreans you can let me know in the comments. Complete and one of my favorite rewatch bl

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Wowza

Wowza. This series had me feeling things that I haven't felt in a long time from a J-BL or just a BL in general. Were there plenty of plot holes, some rough character development, and some editing errors? Of course. But my love for everything, especially the story, makes those little problems seem frivolous. Tokyo in April is ... the best-told story of friends to lovers that I've seen J-BL come out with.

Let's Dive In.

This might look like a simplistic friends-to-lovers story from the gist of the synopsis, but when watching -- wow, it truly was so complex in details and factors. One of my favorite things about this series was the delicate touch to specificities and the complexity of the flow of the story and the way it's told. Through each episode, something new is brought to light about Ren or Kazuma, or their coworkers. It was planned so accordingly and just led to bigger and better reactions from me.

Now, my all-time favorite trope is friends to lovers, so it was no surprise that I wouldn't have liked this to some certain extent, but like omg, when they dive into Kazuma and Ren's backstory, I might've gotten teary-eyed more than a few times. The revelation of the intimacy that they went through at their age was not something I saw coming at all. But the intensity of it all was almost too much for me to bear, so I know two young and curious boys going through something as serious as sex can't be an easy pill to swallow. Especially the aftermath of it all -- Kazuma getting sick, Ren faulting himself for what they did, him being sent off to France, Kazuma to America. Urgh, just the pure intensity of it all was enough for me to love it. Even outside of their adult relationship, I could feel the genuine love they had for one another as kids. Now, as adults, their romance is a lot more obvious to see and interpret. And did I mention that these actors did a phenomenal job? I felt the chemistry very head-on and it was a mixture of awkwardness, a large tinge of something sexual, and just a great connection.

The only problem I really had trouble with was Kazuma's mom. Her reaction to them doing something so serious as children is understandable, but to continue your hatred of a grown adult that you know your son loves is idiotic. Then turning around and being like "No it's fine ya'll can love each other" is crazy. You're the reason Ren ran away the second time and caused your son more hurt, so it's just absolutely crazy.

I wanted more of a backstory from Hide and Ryunosuke. Hide seemed so full of dread when seeing Kazuma again, and it's never really revealed why. Is it because he was the one who told Ren that Katzuma was back in America and alive? If that's it, then it doesn't feel like that big of a deal. Also, why would Ren prescribe to Kazuma to never talk to him for that very minor reason? It's not the exact same for Ryunosuke, cause it's obvious he has feelings for Ren when he explains that they've tried having sex before, but maybe just something more in-depth as to what he does outside of being Ren's wingman.

The editing was kind of funky. Not terrible, but sometimes they lingered too long on certain scenes when you could tell the momentum from it was over. Along with that, I hate when at the beginning of each episode, they give us a recap of what happened last episode, just very irrelevant. But that also could be because I binge-watched this (also finished it all in like the spam of a few hours lol).

Overall, I really really liked this. I know that it was adapted from a manga and a lot of people had complaints about what they did differently from the manga and the live-adaption. However, I never read the manga, so this review is purely based on my satisfaction with the live-action.

Ratings;

Story: 8/10 - So good. Even the office jargon was important to the plot. Everything flowed well and had me seated and ready to hear all of it. The best part was the flashbacks to their complicated childhood friendship. Some work could've been done to improve the overall behavior of some of the choices they chose to make.

Acting: 9.5/10 - So so so so so so so good. The best is probably coming from the actors playing the lead's younger selves. Omg, they did so well, to tell a story as intense as theirs was and do it was so much poignancy. Chef's kiss. Along with that, the actual leads did really well too. The side characters told the stories they needed to tell and drove the plot to where it needed to be.

Music 6/10: I didn't pay much attention to it.

Recommendation Value: 8/10 - This is very deep, so I wouldn't recommend it to just anyone. Definitely someone ready to hear something as deep as this story was. But other than that, I highly recommend, so nicely told, has such a wonderful story, and is super entertaining.

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gave me a headache

yall this started real good with an controversial start and all but damn it just fell SO flat at the end. it became a cringefest forreal. like you know that sound things in comics make when they fall? that whistle sound? yeah that was the plot.
i feel like the actors had a huge fight after filming ep2 and just pushed through so they can get their check n go home. one word guys: STIFF! the last episode especially had me CRINGING SO HARD I popped a blood vessel fr. it was jam packed with love confessions with 0 chemistry.
when they were lying in bed and kazuma held ren at like AN ARMS LENGTH with the stiffest arm in movie history.. lemme tell you I yelled!
also??? why was kazuma running all the time ???? where U going big boy? bffr and take a cab like everyone else.
while I'm at it let me talk about den. homie was a baddie at the begining but really had to stumble and wall in EVERY episode after that? get this man some iron supplements.

ANYWAYS the takeaway? don't waste your time, not even as a filler to binge

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Office Japanese BL with a friends-to-lovers trope that could have been exploited better

This Japanese BL set in an office settings depicts the romance between 2 former friends that find each other back working for the same company. Even though the premise of the series does not seem particularly original, I really liked the first half of the show which provided the context and the background to the beginning of the relationship between the two main leads, back to when they were in middle school. It gave a very painful and real feel to the friends-to-lovers trope as there are a lot of trauma and social pressure faced by the characters at a pretty young age as they are trying to figure themselves out.

However, I was less enticed by the second half of the show which focalised a bit too much on an external conflict with an office manager villain...I'm really not sure if it brought any additional value to the relationship. Given the shortness of the show, I would have preferred the adults version of the characters to spend more time on dealing with their past trauma and handling the internal conflicts than on all the office drama. For me, there was a bit of a missed opportunities in terms of romance, passion, pining and as well as mental health conversations.

Overall, the chemistry between the two main lead was quite average even though they share some relatively noteworthy scenes. I found myself being much more interested by the performance of the actors playing the part of the characters younger. Maybe because that was the part of the story that I found the most compelling...In any case I think they did a good job and were more convincing than their adult counterparts.

The production value was pretty standard for a BL Japanese office drama. Nothing stands really out but it does the job. Similarly, the music was not very present and not that noticeable neither in a good or bad way.

I would recommend this to people looking for a BL office romance. It has some defaults in its storytelling and does not exploit all of its potential but it is still a pretty compelling watch if you like friends-to-lovers trope.

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… a storm of good, bad and nostalgia

The series has everything that life brings – the good, the bad, the ugly and the fluffy moments. I really like how they incorporate so many different emotions and events into one consistent story, with a start and an end.

Kazuma & Ren: the two have history together. I wasn’t really sure what to expect from their backstory, but I definitely got more than that. The two of them have had feelings for each other for a very long time. To me, Kazuma seemed like a mess – he is mature but a bit childish, smart and insightful but also kind of dense and impulsive. I don’t necessarily think this is bad, just a bit confusing as I never knew what to expect from him in any given situation. Ren is also a mess, but in a different sense. He has been through a lot and his guilt is something that has been eating him alive. Even if his guilt is misplaced. He appears anxious and seems like he finds it hard to make friends and open to people but is fairly good at masking it. A lot of Ren’s actions might be confusing to some viewers, but knowing his story, it makes a lot of sense why he reacts and acts the way he does. The two might start in a weird place when they meet again, but as the episodes pass, we cannot deny them caring about each other strongly. And not just in a sexual or just a friendly way.

I am going to be honest and say that I didn’t fully believe the actors when they tried to show emotions. Some of the crying scenes were more about it looking aesthetic than they were about making it look like the person was actually crying. The chemistry between the two characters was not the best either. I am not sure if this is due to the way the characters were written or due to the way actors acted it out.

Some side characters did leave me confused as to what actually was their role. One such character is Yagami, Ren’s friend. I feel like there is a lot about him that is left unclear. Same with Hide. As for the boys’ parents… they can get lost. That’s all I have to say on the topic.

I think the production value was not the best at times. There are a few scenes that were both shot and edited in a weird manner. The number of flashbacks we get is a bit ridiculous. I don’t mind the few flashbacks to the past, so we can learn what happened with the boys. But then we get flashbacks to things we have just seen like 5 min ago or in the last episode. Which was unnecessary. And I think that made the series choppy. So instead of focusing on the story’s progression, we are focused on flashbacks and repeating what just happened.

The series puts a lot of importance on nostalgia, on the feelings we / they had when younger. And I think that really shinned through nicely. Even the colors used were there to evoke those feelings in us.

The series started on a high, but the ending was mediocre. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great either. And I don’t mean the story of Kazuma and Ren.

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Not good as expected but okay.

Okay, back then, Tokyo in April was nostalgic when I was with him, and now Tokyo in April is Ren. I get nostalgic throughout the drama. I tried this drama because of the synopsis, but in reality, it hasn't given me the wow effect at all. First, I don't understand why they emphasize that particular actor in the drama. At first, I understood that because of his misbehavior, the company lost its marketing strategy. But that actor appeared again, and this time I thought this actor had to do something with the main leads. In the end, there is no connection; it's pointless. Then their acting is not crap but disappointing. In some scenes, they hug each other with their arms, but their hands hang like withered flowers. Lastly, the first seven episodes are all about their loneliness, miseries, and traumas, but in the last episode, everything gets solved quickly. Kazuma's mom is okay, Sanda is arrested, and Kazuma and Ren are happily ever after. This is not what I actually expected from the last episode. If you want to experience nostalgic feelings, give it a try. It's okay because it successfully evoked nostalgic feelings throughout the drama.

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Japanese BL version of Something In The Rain

The fluffiest part of this drama were opening credits. The rest is a slow burn, angst filled, heavy with secrets and untold truths and I loved it. Moreover it reminded me of my favourite K-drama, SITR with the stress put upon family ties, friends to lovers theme and workplace sexual harassment. Since it is a japanese drama, it is shorter, more succinct and the family is just touched upon but it is just as bad.

Tokyo in April Is... tells the story of Kazuma and Ren, best friends when they were in school but separated due to an incident. They meet again accidentally ten years later and the spark that connected them years earlies is still there. But something is holding Ren back, he does not want to confide in Kazuma so they become sex friends. And then slowly more.

The main theme of the drama is acceptance: how to accept and define yourself, how does the family see you and whether they accept you regardless.

The main leads were excellent, they had good chemistry, were very much at ease with each other and were deceptively obvious. At the start of the drama, Kazuma looked like a shy, sweet and innocent boy while Ren seemed like a much stronger characters, he was outspoken and nonchalant. But very soon it turned out that Kazume, behind his sweet exterieur, hides a core of steel while Ren hides his wounds and his fragility. I liked this non conformity. They met when they were teens and struck a firm friendship which developed into love neither was really conscious of, especially Kazuma. Ren quickly figured out he was gay himself but Kazuma always refused to put the term to the feelings he had for Ren. And he stuck to this notion to the very ending, refusing to define himself as gay but saying he "only loves Ren". This gay-for-you-only trope is really getting old and unnecessary. It was very much obvious from the beginning that both boys have strong feelings for each other.
At this point, I would like to congratulate casting director on casting two young actors who played Ren ans Kazuma at 15(in flashbacks): they were perfect, there was a definite resemblance with the main actors and they portrayed those young man with talent and sensitivity.
The romance between them is an adult one, they are not afraid of physical contact. What scares them both is communication: so they sleep together regularly, practically live together but do not talk about important things. That leads to a lot of misunderstanding and missed chances. And almost to another unwilling separation because of "it's for your own good" classical plot point. The main events, the ones that shaped them and caused them a lot of suffering happen in the rain under transparent umbrellas. (Is there any special meaning to it? Not an umbrella expert, here!lol)

The boys' families are something special. After the first incident, Ren's family disowns him to the point of having him change his surname. Ultimate cruelty of unloving parents. Kazume is a child of divorced parents and his mother seems to be just as bad if not worse than Ren's parents. But her reactions are explained by her being worried about them (since she quickly understood that those two have extremely strong connection!) which was not really clear to begin with.

Personally, I really liked this drama, it is my kind of drama!I wanted to rate it higher but then they went and ruined it with two of my most hated tropes. Still, if you make abstraction of those, the drama is an excellent short watch. Great story, lovely cinematography, excellent acting, natural, subtle skinship; and cuteness overload in credits where they show off their domestic bliss!

When I think I almost did not watch this believing all those posts saying that the second half was bad etc. True, it was not as good but it was far from ruining a great drama (which went, for me from 9.5/10 to 8.5/10 so still an excellent drama!)

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Tokyo in April is...Unimpressive

Tokyo in April is... felt like it had a lot of potential but got lost along the way. It started out fairly strong, but the ending was weak. I also think a stronger cast would have helped it's case as well, not that they're terrible, just unable to convey some emotions effectively. Despite that, I do give it credit for tackling some serious issues and actually giving them the attention they deserved. Even with it's flaws, there were parts that were well done and I did enjoy aspects of it.

Tokyo in April is... has the feeling of a slice of life drama which I actually quite liked. It centers around Kazuma and Ren, two young men, who met and became friends when they were teens, but were then separated for 10 years before reuniting unexpectedly. The story follows them as their renewed friendship turns to friends with benefits and then develops from there but with drama and angst along the way because what would it be without those elements. Flashbacks are used liberally, some are effective and give necessary background and information, but there are a fair number that are unnecessary and either add nothing or the scene shown was one that happened recently and didn't need to be seen again. Numerous issues were tackled, rape and drugging playing a more central part in the story, but also sexual/workplace harassment, homophobia, and abandonment. Rather than just being issues that were added to cause further drama or problems for the characters, it felt like they were given the attention and respect they deserved. And while I appreciate those issues being addressed, several of them were tied to Sanada who felt like an unnecessary and unrealistic villain. Personally, I would have preferred for the drama to focus more on Kazuma and Ren overcoming their misunderstandings, addressing Ren's trauma and depression, and their healing. Sanada felt almost cartoonish in his villainy. I also found it incredibly unrealistic that he could have taken out Ren. Not only were the circumstances surrounding their encounter unbelievable, but the idea of Sanada, who was much shorter and drunk, being able to subdue Ren was laughable. The ending with Kazuma's mother was baffling because up until the point she stated that her only problem with the two of them was that they were underage when they had sex, it was implied that she took issue with them both being men. It made an already anticlimactic ending even more so.

Miscommunications and misunderstanding is the name of the game between our leads. They've been in love with each other essentially since they first met, but neither had the courage to speak those feelings prior to their separation. Now, 10 years later, there's the same issue. Though they eventually do become friends with benefits, neither is willing to speak his true feelings and so the misunderstanding continues on. Ren's reticence is more understandable. He was aware that he was gay and had feelings for Kazuma when they were teens and even tried to sound Kazuma out though with little success. After they have sex, the first time for both of them, Kazuma falls seriously ill and Ren takes the full blame leading to his family disowning him and shipping him off to France. The experience leaves him deeply scarred, but when he and Kazuma meet again, he hides all of this, keeping it to himself as much out of fear as in an effort to continue to protect Kazuma. Being with Kazuma makes him happy, but he never speaks his feelings and after an encounter with Kazuma's mother brings the past rolling back, he runs away for Kazuma's sake. That's a trope that really needs to die. Kazuma is a bit more complicated in that there's not a clear cut reason for why he doesn't voice his feelings for Ren. He clearly has feelings for Ren as a teen, but perhaps is less consciously aware of them. After his illness, he's shipped back to the US before meeting Ren 10 years later though evidently he did try to find Ren in the interim. But while he is very obviously still in love with Ren after all these years, he doesn't give voice to it. Perhaps it's out of fear, but I didn't feel like a good reason was given. Towards the beginning he repeatedly used the word friend, creating a distance between himself and Ren. If the gay for you trope wasn't so overused, I might not have minded it so much, but here it just felt cliche. So much of what happened could have been prevented if either one of them had simply communicated. Wanting to protect the one you love is understandable, but when it causes more problems, is it really worth it? They were only able to move forward once they were honest with each other and communicated.

The acting was subpart to say the least. Neither actor was emotionally believable in the more serious scenes and any scene where they had to cry, there seemed to be a focus more on aesthetics than actual emotion. As such, they failed to convey anything real and I truly felt nothing. It's disappointing because some scenes could have been quite powerful with better acting. Their chemistry was hit or miss. There were moments when I felt it, but there was a lot where I did not. The actors seemed uncomfortable with physical intimacy in some scenes which didn't help to lend credibility to their characters. While the actors portraying the characters as teens made a lot of people uncomfortable, I felt like that was partially the point and was a deliberate choice. I found them more compelling to watch than the adults. They seemed more comfortable with each other and had good chemistry. They also resembled their adult counterparts enough to be believable.

I found myself a bit disappointed in the production value. There were some scenes that were really beautifully shot, but there were more that were awkward or just ineffective. There was really nothing special about it. The music was also unimpressive. The opening and closing songs were okay, but not great, and the rest of the music was forgettable.

I had hopes that this drama was going to be better than it was and while I didn't hate it, I also didn't love it. It's a pity it couldn't maintain it's momentum of the beginning and instead just became a bit monotonous. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this drama, but given that it's so short, I also wouldn't discourage anyone from watching it either. It's an easy watch and if your expectations aren't too high, you might enjoy it.

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