Friends! I have finally dipped a toe outside of Thai BLs dramas and into my first Japanese one! Woah! While there were a lot of differences, My Beautiful Man still made my heart flutter just as much as any other BL I’ve watched.
What was also cool about My Beautiful Man is that there were two seasons and a movie to wrap everything up! To be fair, there were only ten half hour episodes in total, but the movie was a legit movie length! So all total, I didn’t feel gipped in any way. In fact, I kind of appreciated the shorter episodes and seasons because it forced the series to actually move forward. Sometimes it feels like there’s a lot of filler scenes in Thai BLs. But anyway, the premise is this: super shy and stuttering Hira has his life totally changed the day Kiyoi walks into his classroom.
Hira doesn’t say much of anything to Kiyoi for both fear of embarrassment and also because of his sheer awe. He does manage to stay close though, and since Kiyoi was adopted by the popular crowd, Hira allows himself to be bossed around by the group. Even though Kiyoi also participates, he does so in a less mean manner and also scolds the group sometimes for how they treat Hira. Their dynamic changes after Kiyoi decides to try and win a modeling/acting competition. He tries to act as though he weren’t taking it seriously, but Hira can tell it meant a lot to him. In a show of bravery, Hira is there for Kiyoi and the two start spending time together. It’s clear that Hira will do anything for Kiyoi, and slowly, Kiyoi starts to reciprocate Hira’s feelings.
The first season breezes through high school pretty quickly, and though Kiyoi kisses Hira on their last day, Hira feels as though he’s unworthy and doesn’t reach out almost all the way through their first year of college. He stumbles upon Kiyoi at an interactive theater diner of sorts and the two start spending time together again. It is here that we get Kiyoi’s inner thoughts, and it’s really endearing to learn how much he actually likes Hira. But obviously, after not hearing from him for so long, it makes sense that he would think Hira doesn’t feel the same, regardless of how awestruck he always looks at him.
The second season is spent in the remainder of their college years, where Hira is struggling to find work because of his debilitating shyness and awkwardness. Though it’s not what he studied, photography seems to be his calling and with support and his talent, is able to secure an internship by the end of the second season. Kiyoi, meanwhile, is still pursuing acting at a pretty slow pace. He wants variety in his life and is drawn to the theater, but one of his co-stars convinces him that he can be the next big star. Hira is supportive, but Kiyoi is also both frustrated by how things stay the same between them while also not wanting anything to change.
These two are not the best communicators by a long shot and they both lack a sort of awareness of the other, regardless of how much they seem to actually love each other. Hira acts as an obsessed fan (game recognizes game) and Kiyoi, though affectionate at times, doesn’t ever really display his feelings until they are in a fight. That was probably the most frustrating part of this series for me, but the few intimate scenes we got throughout the journey made up for it. My frustrations were also eased whenever Kiyoi did show his caring side to Hira. This was an interesting first run at a BL outside of Thailand, and I’m sure there will be plenty more to watch as the year unfolds. Stay tuned!