This film is a genuinely moving story about courage, identity and inner freedom, centered on an intersex person trying to figure out who they really are. The fact that an actual intersex actor was cast in the lead role is genuinely worth applauding. It is apparently a remake of a classic film of same name that came out in 1972. Since I have not seen the film, I really have references to compare, which is good. Set in Spain, we meet Adela, a woman in her twenties and the only child of a conservative couple living in a small provincial town. Her days are mostly spent at the family antique shop, and her whole life has been shaped by her mother's overprotectiveness and total silence around her intersex condition, something she's faced real social discrimination for. Despite all the restrictions placed on her, she finds odd little pockets of normalcy in her life, and her closest connection is a gay priest, basically the only person she feels she can talk to freely. That quiet routi...
Our two leads are Mamiya and Sahashi. Mamiya is warm, upbeat, and a hardworking cosmetics consultant who's genuinely popular with his clients, something he's wanted to do since he was a kid after watching a hardworking man do the same job. That same admiration turned into a crush, and that guy is now his boss. Sahashi, on the other hand, is fairly new to the company, keeps to himself, and used to work as a model. Mamiya believes in him anyway and keeps pushing him to work hard and stay motivated. Things take an unexpected turn when Sahashi finds out about Mamiya's crush on their boss and, for reasons that aren't fully clear, starts pushing Mamiya to actually go after him and put in more effort. The two end up becoming genuinely popular as sales consultants and start driving real numbers for the company. From there the rest of the series follows their slow journey of falling for each other while supporting one another's careers along the way. Mamiya eventually gets promoted to chief, and Sahashi gets sent to the Tokyo head office for a few months. That time apart makes both of them realize just how much they actually care for each other, and not long after they move in together. A new intern joins the company, and you'd expect that to stir up some tension in the relationship, but thankfully the show doesn't go there. We also get some background on both their family histories, which only ends up deepening their connection further.
This is yet another opposites attract story at its core. Mamiya has a genuinely charming presence and the actor playing him is honestly really good, from his expressive eyes to his teary moments, he's clearly putting everything into every scene. That said, the character himself swings between being a relentlessly positive cheerleader and an irritating overthinker who keeps his real feelings to himself and, worse, jumps to conclusions about what other people are thinking. That naturally creates the typical communication gaps you see in a lot of BLs, mostly just there to manufacture some drama. The actor playing Sahashi is just okay in my opinion. His character is supposed to be a former model with some kind of past controversy that pushed him into the cosmetics world instead. The chemistry between the two is decent at best, and outside a few slightly awkward kisses there isn't much actual intimacy shown between them. What the show does get right is that despite how different they are, Mamiya and Sahashi consistently support each other's growth across every part of their lives as they fall for one another. It's not a flawless show by any means, but it's still genuinely charming to watch, mostly because of the leads and because it never leans on unnecessary drama to keep things moving. The misunderstandings that do happen actually make sense and get resolved in a mature, sensible way. (6.5/10)
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