Kabe-Koji-Nekoyashiki-kun Desires To Be Recognized (Japanese Series)

This funny rom-com kinda BL series could have been a lot more better. It I snot to say that this show is not good. In fact, I personally quite enjoyed it, but there were many places I felt it could have been even better. The romance build up between the leads left a lot to be desired, but thankfully the comic elects were fun. So, depending on your expectations and how to end up watching the show, I would say as a romance genre, the show leaves a lot to be desired but it does score in its comedy elements. The show has 8 episodes of about 22 minutes each average.

Mamoru is an artist, who draws steamy BL manga and his erotic art has earned him many fans. One of his best friends from college, a girl named Yamada, is his best friend, his assistant and the only one who truly knows his secrets. But as a personality, Mamoru is a loner, doesn't like to hang out with anyone and in general just forever annoyed with everything. His only wish is to continue tone on "Wall Circle", a place where highly popular manga artists get their names etched. We then meet Issei, who is part of a popular singing band Shiny Smile. It turns out Issei and Mamoru were high school friends and Issei credits Mamoru to push him to become an idol. Interestingly Mamoru has huge crush on him as well, but never had the courage to say anything. In fact, he even told Issei to never meet him again (because he fears pain in love). The Shiny Smile is a band with no scandal history and they prefer to keep it this way. Issei is also now a hug fan of Mamoru's mangas. Despite his celebrity status, Issei doesn't keep a low profile or hide his fondness for Mamoru. After reuniting, Issei is eager to stay involved in Mamoru's life. But Issie is hell bent on keeping their relationship. Over the course of next few days, they both get to know a little bit more about their pasts and how they have both fancied one another for a while but neither had the courage to take the next step. But also in this process, there is a lot of talk about pursuing your passion and overcoming personal demons, which we see through growth of members of the band and also in what Mamoru wants to do with his passion of manga drawings. After she drama, the duo finally fall for one another but an out gay member is too much for the band and in a weird move, Issie leaves the band to be with Mamoru to support his passion for art and creativity.

As mentioned before the romantic track is very half baked, but its the handling of comic situations that had me cracking up in a few places. In fact, occasionally it reminded me of 'The Man who Defies the BL World' for some reason. The wacky jokes (by the female associate) and some campy humor and the OTT reactions kept the proceedings funny and interesting in a few places. It also features cartoonish characters who give theatrical reactions and indulge in silly, slapstick behaviour.  The one interesting thing about the show was the back story of both the leads and also of the lead singer of the band. The series highlights an artist's struggles with creative slumps and declining popularity. On a deeper level, it examines philosophical themes about pursuing your passions and preserving your individuality. Issei is a pure soul, always smiling but he has come from a broken home and background and this is his way of dealing things. I wish I had his positive attitude with everything in life. I admire his perseverance, emotional intelligence, and sunny optimism. As actors both. The leads give commendable performance. They handle comic and dramatic moments equally well but its the lack of romance and the build up thats purely lacking (but thats a blame I would put on screenplay an don't the leads).  Although the leads harbour feelings for each other, their exchanges don't convey much passion. Mamoru resists Issei's affection on multiple occasions, constantly pushing him away. Their love seems defined by rejection instead of reciprocation. The characters also don't spend enough time together. Besides the two leads, almost every other actor exudes charm and liveliness, especially Mamoru's assistant and friend. She is amazing. After Pearl, she is one female character that has left me with an impression.

Despite everything going for it, its the lack of romance that brings the show down, especially when its a BL story that we are here for. The writing is good, the acting is good, in fact even the character arcs are brilliant but if it doesn't have the quintessential romance, the series loses a point for me. The ratings could have been higher. (6.5/10)