Official Synopsis: "Miyata, a business magazine editor in Tokyo, visits Iwanaga, an associate university professor, for his new economics column. However, Iwanaga turns out to be the man he promised to elope with back in high school! Reunited after many years, Miyata decides to maintain a simple working relationship with Iwanaga, but before he knows it, he is once again at Iwanaga's mercy..."
☆ A former soulmate returns with a vengeance!
☆ Adapted from the manga of the same name, the director of "Jack o' Frost" shows off her writing and directing skills!
☆ Makoto Hasegawa, a member of "THE RAMPAGE," and Robin Furuya from "VIVANT" share an adult love experience.
The series is an adaptation from the manga "Koi wo Surunara Nidome ga Joto" (恋をするなら二度目が上等) by Kinoshita Keiko (木下けい子). This is the mangaupdates page. The manga has 3 volumes and is still ongoing. Unfortunately, it hasn`t been translated in english at all.
In my humble opinion, even if i am unable to read the manga and see from myself what to expect from it, i am 100% sure it will be good since is a KINIOSHITA KEIKO work. I still can`t believe i was able to see the day when a work of Natsume Isaku, Kinoshita Keiko are getting adapted in a series....They are such legendary respected mangakas..... Thus.... as long as they don`t mess up with the script ( like how they already did with Candy Color Paradox), i predict this will be a good series.
The series has 6 eps and it airs every wednesday.
The OST: The KoiNido ( THE OTHER SHORT TITLE THAT THE SERIES IS KNOWN FOR) OP song, Koyoi no uta by Mel is OUT onSpotify.
The ED song Bandage by Ayumu Imazu has been released on Youtube and Spotify
Let me get this straight, the mother sent her son to get adopted when she found out he wanted to run away with a boy, and now she wants him to return to the family?! What the fuck kind of family is this. The audacity of them is honestly amazing.
Iwanaga really needs to get his shit together. You don’t call your partner an outsider, especially in the presence of someone he’s clearly anxious about. Though Miyata’s “Sempai is my lover” was very satisfying. But Iwanaga needs to explain all the family stuff to him instead of trying to distract him with pretty words of love. He comes off very manipulative, even if it’s unintentional. I totally get Miyata being anxious about the relationship, especially since he was hurt in the past.
The family’s errand boy is a menace but I kind of like him, not gonna lie. First it was Shiraishi, now this guy, something about them is entertaining.
I know what Iwanaga is doing, he’s going to fix the whole family mess and tell the mother to fuck off, and until he does, he wants Miyata to not get involved so as to not get caught in the crossfire. But the way he went about this with Miyata is genuinely annoying. He knows Miyata was very hurt by what happened in high school, he saw how cautious he was with accepting Iwanaga’s affection again, and yet he still told him ‘I love you’ and then essentially broke his heart again. Miyata’s face and his ‘eh’ were heartbreaking. He was clearly looking for reassurance but got a breakup instead.
I continue to be so impressed with Miyata. He’s so honest and brave, I love him, which is why I’m so annoyed with Iwanaga lol
Despite my annoyance, still 10/10 episode.
Can’t believe this series is ending next week 😭
Edit: now that I had time to process the episode, I’m much less annoyed with Iwanaga. He was essentially abandoned by his family and Miyata (even if it’s because of his meddling family) in high school and has never had anyone important to him since then. Now that he has Miyata, of course he wants to do everything to protect the relationship. Do I agree with how he went about it? No. Do I get it? Kind of.
The way he immediately introduced Miyata as his lover to his sister, the way he clearly told her he loves Miyata, and the way he stood behind Miyata, it’s clear that he’s in the relationship 100%. And I guess Miyata will have to prove that he’s in 100% too by joining him when he goes to see that sorry excuse for a mother.
As satisfying as it would be, he probably won’t. I’ve seen enough Japanese dramas to know that he’ll say he does not want to take over but ask for acceptance. Honest to god, the fact that he’s even entertaining that monster is ridiculous.
I guess it’s culture differences, a lot of Asian countries are big on respecting parents/grandparents even when they’re absolute monsters. Drives me nuts when watching Korean/Japanese dramas.
I’m still hoping he will tell her to fuck off though lol
Ok I see what you're saying...so Iwanaga's way of protecting Miyata from his family mess is to take a break from their relationship so that he can go and sort everything out himself back home.
That makes sense in the context of what Miyata says in the preview for the last episode: something about how Senpai always tries to shoulder everything himself.
But couldn't Iwanaga have just explained that to Miyata? I thought they were better at communicating than this 😞
Yes it's criminal we only have 6 episodes!! We need way more of Iwanaga + Miyata 😭
He probably thinks he’s protecting Miyata by not telling him. He doesn’t want Miyata involved in any way. I think that’s what he meant when he called Miyata an outsider too, Miyata is outside that toxic environment and Iwanaga will do everything to keep him there.
I’m annoyed but I’m trying to understand Iwanaga too, I guess he thinks he has a good reason.
I really hope Iwanaga goes to tell her to fuck off face to face. There’s no redeeming her, and Iwanaga does not owe her anything. And when Miyata gets there, I hope he tells her to fuck off too. That would be the peak of the series. The woman destroyed what could have been a loving relationship, she deserves nothing but the worst.
Agree with your edit. Miyata has already been so hesitant to get back together. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Iwanaga thought he would flee at the resistance from his family (especially as he was the initial cause of it)
why r u blaming Iganawa? Myata is an outsider. why would Iganawa want to bring him into this mess? Do u think Myata was only one who were hurt in highschool. Myata stood Iganawa up lets get that straight. And the reason? upon a message sent by a third party without clearing it w Iganawa. In Iganawa point of view he is the one who hurt him. Iganawa gathered all his courage to run away w Myata only to be abandoned and punished for it. He was kicked out of his house having to change his last name. do u know what that would so to a child? Im having enough with ppl blaming Iganawa for everything that is going wrong w Myata, while all he did was trying to best to rekindle the relationship that both he and Myata want.
This is such an interesting point of view. I see it so differently. We’re seeing things from Miyata’s POV so of course he gets more sympathy but if you look from Iwanaga’s he gets just as much. The “bet” he did with his friend is typical high school shit you do with your bestie over the person you liked. He always reciprocated his feelings. I’m positive he didn’t know about that text or that picture hence why he showed up to that station. In Iwanaga’s eyes that was the first rejection by Miyata. He comes back, that rumor started and now he’s rejected by his family. He runs back into Miyata a whole decade later and Miyata rejects him not once, not twice, but thrice. He even counted them lol. He finally wears Miyata down and confesses his love and what does Miyata do? Turn down his offer to live with him, doesn’t express his love in front of his sister AND breaks up with him I mean….one can only accept so much rejection. Just because he didn’t cry a river of tears or yell or scream (as he brought up in the previous episode) doesn’t mean he isn’t hurt. Of course he didn’t open all the way up we see how quick Miyata is to dip out on him. I’d be leery to bare my soul too. And maybe he would have if they lived together. I don’t think he would have even considered going to see the mom if Miyata hadn’t broken up with him. But since he did he might as well deal with the mom and come back and hopefully Miyata will shape up a little. He’s no victim. At least not Senpai’s victim. Only that high school friend needs a slap in the face for that pic. There’s been zero manipulation of Miyata. It’s all in his mind. This man loves him and has been trying to win him and move forward instead of constantly looking to the past like Miyata is doing. He has to let go of those insecurities and realize this.
Unfortunately you don't hit 30 and have it all figured out. Communication is something you have to continue to work on at any age. I'm saying this as a 30 something year old 😅. Miyata is hiding his love because he's afraid. Iwanaga is hiding his trauma because he's also afraid. They both need to learn to be open with each other but you can see in Iwanga's expressions how he truly feels.
I wish they had more episodes as I would love to see more romance between them both as teenagers and adults. Also the pacing wouldn't be as fast. My favourite part was the let's deal with my jealousy in bed line and the consequent love bite 😅. Also this hug.
How can I upvote this a million times? I am 2 months away from 30 and this ain't what I expected when I was younger lmao
Miyata's constant comments about age sometimes tick me off, but I understand where he comes from. We are fed this narrative of what's it like to be 30, like I did, then we get here and it's like... no, just no. You still go through a lot of uncertainty, you still have pretty violent emotions, you still fuck up and people around you as well, we still fail in communicating, etc. People commenting things like "*whatever* at their age?", really aren't anywhere near it. They think they will hit 30 and life is resolved, the end, "no alarms and no surprises" would Thom Yorke sing. I mean for some people sure that's their experience, but some people even feel like that since teenage years or their 20s, it's all about individual circumstances and personalities, not age.
Exactly. We've all been there, sat in our 20s thinking I'll have my shit together by 30. However It's not like you hit 30 or even any age and know how to handle every curveball life throws at you. We continue to work on ourselves and our relationships. We continue to make mistakes and that's OK. Heck our generation has it harder than ever.
It's like the indigo girls song Closer To Fine, "how long till my soul gets it right" ... the truth is we get it wrong all the time and 20 years later realise there was possibly a better way!
Go to Spotify and listen to the OST for the show. Erina Koyama, who composed for The Pornographer and The End of the World With You, has outdone herself here. Some of the music ranks among the most romantic I've heard in the BL genre. Moving, passionate, tender, evocative. The track Kiss, for instance, makes you want to grab the one you love and kiss him with pure emotion. Pay attention to the instrumental underscoring the scene when Miyata discovers the key that Iwanaga has given him….sets the mood and tone so beautifully. I think this brilliant soundtrack gives the show much of its richness and resonance. Plus….you can’t miss Bandage, Ayumu Imazu’s killer pop track; I look forward to hearing it at the end of each episode, particularly this one after the breakup and Episode 3 when Miyata tells Iwanaga off. Does anyone else feel the same?
Omg that's where I recognized the name from the end credits from! I loved the soundtrack for the End of the world with you! I'm going to check it out on spotify right now! Thank you for this 💕😘
I've been following her on Spotify and have had the playlist on loop since it dropped 2 days ago. 😝 That OST indeed transcends mere background sound. It's as if we're listening to the heartbeats of Miyata and Iwanaga in those different moments.
I don't know how to properly explain how much I feel watching each episode. It feels so raw and real. I cried with Miyata at the beginning and all the feelings he mentioned were spot on. The way he was called an outsider, all the little things that kept him from saying "I love you"... Miyata is definitely my favorite and most relatable JBL character. I feel really close to him because we're both very cautious about love, so it feels like we’re hard to get, but we're deeply into it from the beginning, we're just trying to play it cool. And I hope, based on the preview, that Miyata really is like me, because I would totally follow Iwanaga home and face family problems together, as real couples do.
On the other hand, Iwanaga is so brave while confessing his feelings, but at the same time so complicated and hidden in his private life that it becomes annoying for his partner. He loves Miyata but hasn't fully opened up to him yet and I hope that will happen in the last episode.
I liked the way the breakup conversation was designed, as more of taking time to reflect on feelings. I don't usually like last minute breakups, but I honestly understood why they needed time and space and it didn't feel like a harsh goodbye, but rather a gentle withdrawal for a moment.
You started your comment by saying, "I don't know how to properly explain how much I feel watching each episode. It feels so raw and real." There hasn't been a JBL since Old Fashioned Cupcake that's made me feel like this. I've watched each episode multiple times, often particular scenes over and over. Why? It's hard to explain, as you said. It touches us viscerally on some level, and I credit the superb writing, acting, directing, and music. It's that rare combination of elements that creates the magic of romance. It moves us and leaves us almost breathless with the desire to fall in love. Thanks for what you said. I think many of us feel the same way.
The penultimate episode! Started off great, and had some romantic moments throughout.
Still, where it falters for me is at the end. Misunderstandings + break up just before the finale? 🥲 And here I'd thought the series would be subverting that trope, when Miyata bravely declared he was Iwanaga's lover & would stand by him to his siblings.
Here is when the ages of the lead characters work to make this plot development a little less believable; they're already 30-somethings and should know better by now / communicate more. 😅
... is what I said, but then the trailer for the final episode gives me immense hope that all will be well. We just need to wait another week for the much-needed denouement and resolution. 💞
❣️😎for miyata who has no confidence in senpai’s feelings and intentions…being referred to as an outsider hurts too much…🧐this just adds to his insecurity…🤔so it was the mom who did all of that in the past…🧐now she wants iwanaga back…🤔how convenient to send older bro to break them up again…🤗hope miyata stands his ground and be strong and not give up on iwanaga😎❣️
Waga-kun knows all this and possibly he is thinking 3 steps ahead to keep MinyataCrab safe from Elvis-kun while he sorts this crap out. A man doesn't give a key and then blithely say saiyonara. He seems to know what he's doing. But Minyata is the one who will suffer
I just watched it.
And there is one thing bothering me now.
Now. We know why Miyata didn't elope with Iwanaga. Cause if it was not for the meddling and photo that was sent by that wine guy. They were both on that train.
Iwanaga saw this guy as his mentor. But doesn't know imo what happened then.
Miyata is normally straightforward. But he has not asked or mentioned why he did not elope. And even now.
And that wine guy says "brother". But he is clearly not, watching his jealousy and to touchy on places not brotherly like. But had access to Iwanaga's bedroom and is close to the family.
Iwanaga and Miyata don't shy away from words like "I'm his lover". And "I love him but were still in the process about what we are going to do"
What is a bit furiating is that Miyata's insecurity led him to say that they maybe better break up. And that the response of Iwanaga is "ok, let's have a break".
That clearly led to more insecurity and heartbreak for Miyata. Iwanaga is or trying to clear the family mess on his own. Or was maybe shaken that Miyata did not say he loved Iwanaga when Iwanagas sister asked him that?
Waah this ep was a rollercoaster ride... Disappointment heartbreak love regret wine sake bite jealousy and being unsure🥲 hoho I'm sad only one more ep to go 😅I'll miss this show... And robin waah so cool and sulky miyata is the cutest being to exist❤and hoshizawa is a green flag.... I thought he was red my bad... Boii was cute even when he was younger ....got abandoned too...still was patient with miyata.... I like the story ❤
I agree, their way of interacting and relating to each other make a huge difference. I’m especially impressed by Makoto since he manages to play that somewhat weaker role without being girly. I hate girly acting in BLs.
Was it just me or did anyone else secretly hope they would show precisely what Miyata meant when he said he would show his Senpai if he was jealous in the bedroom? 🙈🥵🔥
Hearing that "oniichan" while he is putting his finger all over his ear and face had me shocked, glad that really wasn't his brother.
Miyata not immediately bringing up the past, especially with this homewrecker's presence, was not expected. He is usually straightforward.
Are Iwanaga's problems the reason Miyata did not say he loved him while prior he was saying he was his lover? Surely, that should be it cause how can you call him your lover and not say you love him.
To be fair, if a complete stranger rocks up and asks me if I love their brother, I'm probably going to answer in a roundabout way. It's a very private thing. Maybe the sister should have just asked, "Do you think the moon is beautiful?" aka a more Japanese Q LOL
Why they decided to follow a formulaic penultimate episode "breakup" path is really beyond me, and very disappointing: they are not teens, at their age that winery bitch and the family meddling can't even be considered an obstacle, just a minor nuisance easily dismissed
I think I need to rewatch it all already because I’m a little confused about what happened in the past (like what Iwanaga knows/thinks happened vs what really happened) and I’m not sure if it’s because we don’t know yet or because I zoned out and missed something in the first couple of eps (very likely because I remember having issues getting gagaoolala to work on my laptop and wasn’t in a good mood by the time it started playing lol). Also, my memory is terrible, so I’ve already forgotten some of the details I did pay attention to 😫
Anyway, I think it’s all going to play out deliciously next week (or I hope so anyway) despite the ending. I don’t mind the eleventh hour break up to set up the getting back together, but this one did feel a bit…something. I think rewatching might help that too
One moment I loved in this ep was Iwanaga running out of his apartment and hugging Miyata—it was really lovely and you can see how Miyata continues to be disarmed by the affection. Iwanaga is so cute sometimes!!
I don’t consider it as a break up.
Sensei didn’t want to involve Miyata in this situation more because he also has trauma from the past and what can happen in the future because of his family.
He did wait for him we still don’t know did he knew about email , when he was waiting for Miyata.
Also maybe he is a guy who simply believe that declaration of love is enough from him (because as a teen he didn’t tell him about his feelings which made Miyata more insecure at that time )
His brother is hot and I missed assistant this episode. But new hot “villain” made this episode entertaining too.
Did he harass him early on when they were teens ? He is definitely not comfortable around him now…
And one ep left!!! Why? This drama should be much longer with HE of course 😭
Is he Iwagana's brother in law? Seems a bit too cosy weird and free with the lustful moves, to be actual family. Edit: turns out the BIL reference was regarding his sister's fiance not wine guy
I think they are not blood related . Maybe distant cousins or maybe he is adopted by some relatives from sensei side of the family.
But if they are blood related and he constantly harassing him … it’s gross . But also it’s Japanese show so I will not be surprised 😂😂😂
Edit : after spoilers for ep 6 I was right a little 🤓
His surname is Sugimoto. This implies that they are distant relatives. Everyone in the main family would have the same surname for passing down family assets to heirs.
Surnames are a big deal in Japanese family law. Things like marriages, child custody, and inheritance are defined by the koseki (family registry). Marrying into a family isn't just an expression. It involves changing your surname to match other family members and having it added to the koseki. Culturally and legally, you are leaving your birth family and becoming part of your spouse's family.
Joint custody does not exist in Japan. Non-custodial parents of divorce have no parental rights because they no longer share the same surname. The custodial parent has full discretion about whether or not their ex can have any contact with the kids. Shiro in one episode of "What Did You Eat Yesterday?" had a client dealing with this.
Oh yeah. And then later Shiro suggests adoption to Kenji as a workaround for his estate, and Ken's disgusted reaction was heartbreaking. Saw a video on thicktol last week saying Japanese women have an easy life, how incredibly ignorant (clearly bait)
Miyata was feeling uncertain after the whole family debacle and suggested “a break up”, hoping Iwanaga would reassure him. Iwanaga wants to solve the whole family mess but does not want Miyata to get mixed up in it until he does, so he suggested a break but did not mention why. That’s what I got from the scene.
Miyata is a lousy poker player and was testing the depth of Iwanaga's love. He was expecting a different reaction of course, but Wagi might be thinking 3 steps ahead, it's hard to tell. A breakup would in theory keep M from everybody's clutches for a bit
I was disappointed to see the bouquet of roses wrapped in cellophane. This is not a worthwhile use for single use plastic. Many florists these days have shifted towards more sustainable materials, like paper, to wrap flowers.
They were eating curry out of soup plates. Soup plates are designed specifically for soup in western style fine dining. The cavity is just large enough to hold a single serving of soup. A spoonful of soup is slid across the wide rim to catch any drips on the bottom of the spoon.
Soup plates are terrible for most foods. They are awkward to hold because they were designed to stay on the table. Storing them can be a hassle due to their specific shape. Unlike plates or bowls, they take up the space of both simultaneously.
This episode made very little sense to me. I felt like the characters were all over the place and the break up at the end came out of nowhere. Not a fan.
Whoa. Well we know now why he never showed up. That’s horrible. Especially at that age. Now we also know why he’s barely pushed back on the assistant. I hope now that Iwanaga has proven his love he feels comfortable to clap back on assistant and on the (I’m guessing) ex.
Kyosuke is a DICK. He’s actually the real dick here. Not so much Iwanaga.
“do you want to find out in bed?” Um yes he does and let us see it lol
I completely understand why Iwanaga agreed to break up. He’s been very straight forward from the beginning and Miyata keeps pushing him away even now when he’s confessed his love and asked him to move in. At that table in front of his sister was his chance to reciprocate and once again he didn’t PLUS he asked to break up. One can only reject someone so many times. And even though Miyata was hurt from the last that really wasn’t Iwanaga’s fault. He showed up to the station after all. So this is like the 5th rejection. Sucks. He better get his man back next episode. Miyata needs to do some chasing. All this series is way too short they need another season 😩
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u/NoNecessary5 Khemjira Reset Apr 03 '24 edited Apr 03 '24
Let me get this straight, the mother sent her son to get adopted when she found out he wanted to run away with a boy, and now she wants him to return to the family?! What the fuck kind of family is this. The audacity of them is honestly amazing.
Iwanaga really needs to get his shit together. You don’t call your partner an outsider, especially in the presence of someone he’s clearly anxious about. Though Miyata’s “Sempai is my lover” was very satisfying. But Iwanaga needs to explain all the family stuff to him instead of trying to distract him with pretty words of love. He comes off very manipulative, even if it’s unintentional. I totally get Miyata being anxious about the relationship, especially since he was hurt in the past.
The family’s errand boy is a menace but I kind of like him, not gonna lie. First it was Shiraishi, now this guy, something about them is entertaining.
I know what Iwanaga is doing, he’s going to fix the whole family mess and tell the mother to fuck off, and until he does, he wants Miyata to not get involved so as to not get caught in the crossfire. But the way he went about this with Miyata is genuinely annoying. He knows Miyata was very hurt by what happened in high school, he saw how cautious he was with accepting Iwanaga’s affection again, and yet he still told him ‘I love you’ and then essentially broke his heart again. Miyata’s face and his ‘eh’ were heartbreaking. He was clearly looking for reassurance but got a breakup instead.
I continue to be so impressed with Miyata. He’s so honest and brave, I love him, which is why I’m so annoyed with Iwanaga lol
Despite my annoyance, still 10/10 episode.
Can’t believe this series is ending next week 😭
Edit: now that I had time to process the episode, I’m much less annoyed with Iwanaga. He was essentially abandoned by his family and Miyata (even if it’s because of his meddling family) in high school and has never had anyone important to him since then. Now that he has Miyata, of course he wants to do everything to protect the relationship. Do I agree with how he went about it? No. Do I get it? Kind of.
The way he immediately introduced Miyata as his lover to his sister, the way he clearly told her he loves Miyata, and the way he stood behind Miyata, it’s clear that he’s in the relationship 100%. And I guess Miyata will have to prove that he’s in 100% too by joining him when he goes to see that sorry excuse for a mother.