If It's with You (2023)

If you're yearning for 6 days, 23 hours, and 37 minutes to pass, the BL episode you're waiting for must be something extraordinary. ”If it's with you” is exactly that, because it is one of the cutest shows I've ever seen, although there's always an element of angst lurking underground.

Amane (Okura Takato) moves to Enoshima to finish school after unpleasant, if not traumatic experiences with gay lovers (or maybe clients?). In his new school he meets Riuyi (Hyuga Wataru) and immediately falls in love with him. Riuyi, however, doesn't have much time as he runs his late father's restaurant.

Both actors do an amazing job displaying the doubts and fears of gay boys coming of age, and they are both extremely handsome, so that their cuteness makes the viewer forget about the hard road they both had to travel.

This is the story of two high school guys; one gay and one not quite sure of what he wants and they meet at school and a friendship develops. Near the end of the series they do get together for a happy ending. This is a more light-hearted look at first romance and it was wonderfully done. The series is short at only five parts and part of me wishes it was longer to learn more about them, but the other part of me is happy that they wrapped everything up and told a complete story without any subplots left open.