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Chained To My Bully Stepbrother (AI Vertical BL Drama)

By Golu
This is the second vertical AI BL drama I've sat through, and honestly I went in knowing better. I had it on while I was doing cardio at the gym, and what struck me was just how much the plot echoed the last one I watched. Same step brother romance angle, same mystery girlfriend showing up near the end, same extra guy pining after one of the leads. Genuinely the only thing going for it was the runtime, the whole thing wrapped up in forty five minutes flat.  The setup kicks off with Finn moving schools because his mom just married into money. He finds out his new step brother Aiden goes to the same place, and he's warned to keep his distance from him. Their first run in at school is rocky, just like you'd expect, but there's this odd pull between them neither can shake off. Finn keeps telling himself not to read into it because Aiden's straight and openly homophobic. Things shift when some kids start bullying Finn and the student council president, Ryan, steps in to ...
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Tadaima, Okaeri (Japanese Anime Series) [Welcome Home]

By Golu
Tadaima, Okaeri, translated to "Welcome Home" follows the home life of house husbands Masaki and  Hiromu, as they raise their children together and the series is delightfully gay. I have learnt new concept having seen this about Omegaverse. It is a fictional world where people have different reproductive and sexual biology. Alphas are those who impregnate others and cannot give birth, Omegas are those who can bear children, even if they look otherwise male. Betas are basically normal humans. The main prejudice in Omegaverse stories is against Omegas, where they suffer discrimination, violence, or sexual violence due to their type. This specific series was 12 episodes each of 24 minutes.

Masaki is an Omega who married an Alpha named Hiromu. They now raise their young children together, with Masaki as the househusband and Hiromu as the breadwinner. They start with one son named Hikari. The series is about everyday stuff of them raising their kid with many other people showing up in their life. We are introduced to Hiromu's parents who had been against this marriage, but hearing good things about the husband and their grandson, the parents eventually give in. A few episodes are spent on the couple rebuilding their bond with family. In next few episodes, we also get to see a bit of past of Masaki, when his uncle invites him over to visit his hometown. There is some drama there with Masaki's cousin but eventually all is ok. The show centers around Masaki's low self esteem and confidence but thanks to his husband and his loving kid, they grow out of it. We have two other important characters. One is a young boy who is the couple's neighbor and to whom the son takes instant liking and the other is a close friend/colleague of Hiromu. There is a light romance story but they are always hanging out with the couple. Over Tim, the couple has a daughter and Hikari is now a big brother. In last few episodes, we see how Hikari makes friends with another 3 year old kid from the neighborhood and how that relationship evolves.

The plot is extremely simple, but since this is a slice-of-life type anime, a complex story is not needed. There’s a lot of serious drama as well as cute fluff. The mix of substance and sweetness was excellent. In addition, the story themes were hopeful and wholesome. The prejudice Masaki and Hiro encounter make their bonds to each other stronger. Masaki slowly heals from being treated badly most of his life as an Omega, and Hiro’s father has a whole mini plot-line about accepting his son’s unusual marriage. But the biggest trump card of this show is the kids. They are absolutely adorable in their dialogues, in direction , the animation. I was constantly going 'aww'' whenever Hikari would do anything. In addition to cute anime kids, the visuals have a pleasant, soft feel to them. The face expressions are sometimes priceless. I really really enjoyed the show for its family dynamics, love and importance. I am not going to comment on the whole Omegaverse universe and its traits since this was my first time. I am giving in into the creator's vision and just objectively talking about series. Yes, the discrimination aspects are a bit jarring but I tried to enjoy it more for the relationship and the absolutely adorable kids. The show's focus on how healthy/beautiful and loving any relationship can be, if you really want it to be, makes this series for a wonderful and pleasant viewing. (7.5/10)
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