As many have said, opposites attract. In the case of Takara-kun & Amagi-kun, the latest Japanese BL series to hit Asia, such a premise sounds like a cliche. This signals the entry of Johnny’s Entertainment into the Japanese BL scene.

The influential Johnny’s Entertainment (Japan’s idol maker) cast two of their youngest contract stars to play boys’ love. That in itself is already an indication of how far the Japanese will compete in the BL arena in Asia.

Synopsis

Takara (Sato Arata) belongs to the elite group of his class. He’s reserved and almost always appears nonchalant with the events surrounding him. Amagi (Oriyama Nao) belongs to another group, yet not as popular as Takara. While the boys have no direct interaction inside or outside the class, they have been eyeing one another. In the spur of the moment, Takara declared his love, with Amagi reacting flustered and confused. They decided to date, and slowly realized they do have feelings – strong feelings for each other. However, Amagi always overthinks the relationship, while Takara finds it hard to express his feelings. [Synopsis © Psycho-Weird]

Review

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Initial episodes fo Takara-kun & Amagi-kun prove that we may have one of the more polished BL series out of Japan. It’s the big names making the production after all. Episodes until the finale were quite good as well.

Takara-kun & Amagi-kun: comparison between live-action and source
Character comparison between live-action and original source
  • Japanese series director Yoshino Mamoru makes it a point to control his actors by having them act naturally and believable. The series is not a dramatic challenge, but a fluffy coming-of-age romantic tale between two boys;
  • After taking charge with Fukou-kun wa Kiss Suru Shikanai! (2022) a few months earlier, dir. Mamoru took over the script as well;
  • 21-year-old Sato Arata (Takara) glides into the scene like a young Greek god, with all the mischief and naughtiness of one so young and carefree. As a member of Johnny’s Jr. group IMPACTors, there are some hesitation and awkwardness, yet he gets the ‘logic’ behind the character;
  • Co-lead Oriyama Nao (member of Johnny’s Jr. group Shounen Ninja), is 3 years Arata’s junior. He also looks the character. See the photo above, if you want proof. Both look the part, anyway. His energetic and positive attitude is slowly beginning to crumble after his initial confession. That paves the way for some intensity and conflict;
  • The supporting cast still got the chance to shine. We have good lead stars here, so the supporting characters are there to support the narrative;
  • There were only a few dull moments. It’s appreciated that the production team focuses on the main characters, and seldom deviates unless it requires interaction with the supporting roles. It’s done quite well – especially with the two best friends of Takara (Komiya Rio who plays Tanaka) and Amagi (Suzuki Kosuke, the geeky Katori);
  • The final episode of Takara-kun & Amagi-kun is a bit of a letdown but it nonetheless gives off the flutter, the sweetness, and the energy.

If you’re looking for a sweet, feel-good series, then this is highly recommended.

You may want to watch out for Eternal Yesterday, coming up right after this series.