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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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The Proper Way to Write Love (Japanese Series)

By Golu

I was honestly pretty disappointed with this one. It felt like the show had some decent potential on paper—you've got the classic enemies-to-lovers trope, some high school drama, and a revenge plot—but the execution just felt really timid. The biggest problem for me was that I couldn't connect with either of the main characters, and they didn't seem to have any chemistry together at all. The only real saving grace is that, like a lot of Japanese shows, the episodes are short—just eight of them at 25 minutes each. But even with that quick runtime, the whole thing just felt boring.

The story goes back to high school where Hiro was this shy, loner kid who just wanted to hang out with his plants. Because he was so timid, he got bullied a lot, which left him with some pretty nasty memories. Fast forward to today, and he’s totally transformed himself into this stylish, pro hairstylist. Then there’s Natsuo, who went to the same school. Natsuo wasn't exactly a bully, but he was loud and clumsy, which really annoyed Hiro. One day back then, Natsuo called Hiro to the rooftop to confess his feelings, but when some other classmates showed up, Natsuo got flustered and pretended Hiro was the one who had invited him. Hiro felt totally betrayed and lumped Natsuo in with all the other bullies. Years later, they cross paths again. Natsuo is now this happy-go-lucky adult, but he doesn’t recognize Hiro at all. After getting a haircut from him, Natsuo asks him on a date. Hiro decides this is his chance for revenge, planning to date him just to break his heart and dump him. But, of course, Hiro starts falling for him instead, especially when Natsuo mentions that Hiro reminds him of his first love from high school. Eventually, Natsuo figures out who Hiro really is and feels hurt that he kept it a secret, but love wins out in the end.

As far as the acting goes, both guys do okay with the traits they were given. Natsuo really stands out as the innocent, cheerful type—the kind of guy who just wants to help people but ends up getting used, like in that scene where an old friend tries to scam him for money. On the other hand, I found Hiro to be kind of self-centered and not very likable. Even though he had a rough time in school, his character just didn't grow much. He says he wants revenge, but he doesn't actually do anything to make that happen. Meanwhile, Natsuo is doing all the work—cooking meals, taking him on dates, and trying to make him happy. The show could’ve really dug into Hiro’s bullying trauma or showed Natsuo trying to make things right, but the writing just felt flat. Plus, I don't get how Natsuo didn't realize who Hiro was until the very end. Since the chemistry wasn't there, I wasn't really sold on their relationship, and I was pretty bored most of the time. The finale was a huge letdown too, especially a scene where Hiro basically forces himself on Natsuo sexually, which just felt wrong. It definitely didn't live up to what I usually expect from a Japanese BL.

It's a pretty dull series that misses the mark on both the revenge plot and the romance, leaving you with two leads who just don't click. (4/10)

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