#Kenta Izuka

[jdramasource]

Izuka Kenta as Daigo Satoru Animals アニマルズ (2022) dir. Hara Keinosuke

[redsamuraiii]

Takane no Hana-san 2 (Ep 9)

[haveyouseenthistoku]

[save-the-data]

ameiro paradox | s01e08

Japanese Drama - 2022, 8 episodes

EP:- 1 : 2 : 3 : 4 : 5 : 6 : 7 : 8

~ Episode List ~

[gabrielokun]

[kdramalands]

year-end drama recommendation

2. Animals (2022)

8 eps, 45 min each

Animals follows the story of Umi, a brilliant but absolutely overworked TV production office worker, during the most difficult part of any adult's life — career change.

Umi is constantly overwhelmed with tasks passed to her by her "I'll only do what I'm paid for" co-workers and her only reward for picking up their slack is her boss's warm praise. Umi is made to feel like she is an irreplicable part of her team and her sacrifice is needed for the shows they produce to succeed. One day, Umi is so tired from working overtime she falls asleep during a live broadcast, which becomes a hot topic on the Internet. Her boss, who usually very kindly accepts Umi's free labour, shames Umi for her behaviour and vehemently urges her to release a statement to clear the air and to take the heat off of the company.

Umi, rightfully, decides to resign from the shitty job and applies for a position at a make up company recommended to her by a new friend. Her beginnings aren't easy as Umi was not particularly interested in make up before, but she's surrounded by wonderful people who don't give up on her. One of those people is Kazao, the company's main photographer. He's constantly advising her during difficult times. With time, countless bowls of ramen, glasses of beer, and a growing pile of advice, something romantic grows between them. Our main character gains confidence she needs for her job thanks to her indomitable spirit and the support of people around her.

The reason I picked up this drama was its' focus on make up market. I absolutely adore make up, I like to have fun with it, and I'm always happy when I buy myself a new eyeshadow palette. It was refreshing to see a show that focuses so much on it and honestly, it was quite nice to finally have expert knowledge on a topic presented.

I felt extremely proud when Umi made her first steps in using some of the company's products. I absolutely understand the insecurity women feel with make up, especially when they have no previous experience, e.g. because they never had an opportunity to play with make up in their teenage years. Society pressures women to always look good but doesn't give us space to practice and make mistakes. The little steps we make feel so much bigger and scarier when there's an expectation on us to always look put together. Messy mascara application, chunky eyeliner wing, or patchy foundation is assimilated with teenager clumsiness so it's met with disdain. To that I say: not every woman has to be a pro in the art of make up, next time just let her know the eyeshadow she picked brings out her eyes or her lip combo is looking especially good today!

Part 1 || Part 3

[waitmyturtles]

CW: MAJOR SPOILER ALERTS FOR THE MOVIE “THE PORNOGRAPHER: PLAYBACK.” LONG POST!

I feel like there’s been something humming in the wind lately around the franchise of The Novelist/The Pornographer. We’ve seen a cameo by the incomparable Izuka Kenta in Candy Color Paradox, Yoshida Munehiro is about to cameo in The End of the World, With You, and The Novelist’s Twitter account has been buzzing with news about new DVDs and theater showings of the last installment of the franchise, The Pornographer: Playback. Miki Koichiro, the screenwriter and director of the franchise, has TWO shows out at the moment, the aforementioned TEOTWWY, as well the sessy-sessy Raise de wa Chanto Shimasu, the three seasons of which I am dying to watch as soon as there’s a solidly bad season of QL sometime in the future (which seems like will never happen in my lifetime, bless all these amazing QLs for coming out every season!). Couple all of this with recent reviews of the OG Novelist and Mood Indigo series by the fabulous @gillianthecat (here) and @respectthepetty (here), and I was happily reminded of good times of watching all of these parts way way back when I first discovered QL/BL in 2019/20. 

When the amazing @lurkingshan commented on a stray thoughts post by @bengiyo that she had seen The Pornographer: Playback, I was VERY intrigued. With HUGE thanks and big ups to @lurkingshan, I watched it over the weekend, and here are my thoughts! I’m going to put up a break to keep y’all from getting spoiled if you want to avoid it.

First off, let’s make sure we know what all the installments are, and that we’ve watched what we’ve needed to get to the movie. We have:

1) 2018 -- The Novelist: the original meeting between student Kuzumi Haruhiko and adult author Kijima Rio

2) 2019 -- Mood Indigo: a prequel depicting the sexual engagements between Kijima Rio and his classmate, Kido Shirou 

3) 2021 -- The Pornographer: Spring Life: a very short vignette set 2 1/2 years after Kuzumi and Kijima first met. They’re now in a long-distance relationship, and Kuzumi visits Kijima in the countryside at Kijima’s sister’s house, where he’s living as he continues to write.

(The first three works are all available on Viki.)

So I was BEYOND THRILLED to get to watch the movie and see all of this wrap up. If most of y’all only watched up to Mood Indigo, you saw Kijima re-meet with Kuzumi. Kuzumi, at that time, was just becoming a successful employee in the advertising business. 

Spring Life hints that things are still going well for Kuzumi, and that he was looking forward to spending a summer break with his long-distance boyfriend. Most notably, the piece ends with Kuzumi jumping from honorifics, by asking Kijima if he (Kuzumi) could call Kijima “Rio-san,” which we know indicates intimacy. Kijima’s like, whatever you’d like, and the smile on Kuzumi’s face takes up the whole screen, it seems.

So then we finally get to The Pornographer: Playback, which begins during the same summer break. Continuing with the theme and mood that I like to call melosexual (the music alone of this franchise is SO INTENSE, let alone the heaty sex scenes), the guys head to a love hotel and do their thang. At the end of the night, as they’re getting dressed, Kijima finds a business card in Kuzumi’s wallet for a hostess club that Kuzumi is forced to go to with work colleagues. 

Without divulging a tremendous amount more about the plot at this moment, the movie is basically structured around the push-and-pull of Kijima’s inability to move authentically closer to people -- not just Kuzumi, but also his sister, who Kijima disappoints repeatedly by backing out of family events. 

Kijima’s essentially paralyzed by fear and insecurity that he is a terrible person -- one that is not worthy of love. His sister is so overwhelmingly angry about it that she essentially kicks him out of the house, and blames their mother for never calling him out on his namby-pamby bullshit (at least, that’s in her eyes). At another point in the movie, he frustrates Kuzumi so much that Kuzumi walks out on the relationship and heads back to Tokyo, a surprising move for the otherwise always-devoted younger companion. 

It takes a serious scolding by a hospitalized and flirtatious owner of a karaoke snack bar (you read that right) for Kijima to get his damn head back on straight and fight for his relationship with Kuzumi. (And, HILARIOUSLY, I was cackling -- in the process of this, Kijima has KIDO -- KIDO OF ALL PEOPLE -- call Kuzumi on Kijima’s behalf, to get Kuzumi to talk to Kijima to reconcile. KIJIMA used KIDO to call KUZUMI. Lord.)

Okay, so what I’m really getting at here is that the movie showed that the whole franchise was missing two KEY elements that the first three parts did not have: comedy and authentic emotional connection. There was actually a little comedy in this! Besides the whole Kido thing (which I’ll get back to in a minute), there were a couple of bumbling moments that were designed to elicit some lightness, mostly with the snack bar owner, a flighty gal with a lovely son who tries to hook up with takes Kijima under her wing.

About the other element: we FINALLY, FINALLY SAW KIJIMA SHOWING SOME EMOTION ABOUT SOMETHING. He really regretted letting things go to shit with Kuzumi. Kuzumi called Kijima out for wasting Kuzumi’s time to leave work in Tokyo and visit the countryside. Kuzumi felt like Kijima wasn’t taking him seriously, and was constantly pulling back. I mean -- Kijima was living away from Kuzumi.... for what, exactly? It’s not ever clearly explained. And Kuzumi got angry and left.

This is a great time to mention the excellent post by @emotionallychargedtowel on pursuer-distancer dyads, because the Kijima-Kuzumi push-and-pull in this movie perfectly defined this dyad dance. When Kuzumi got fed the fuck up and pulled way back -- Kijima finally stepped into his emotion and owned his desire to be with Kuzumi. 

Honestly, in the first three installments of this franchise -- I felt like Kijima really didn’t talk too much. I felt like he was far more defined by his brooding, his letting the winds take him to where he was at any given moment, ragingly sexual and lonely all at once. He simmered -- he was flinty, defensive, and used his sexual energy to dominate and burn the emotional energy all around himself. 

The movie showed a TOTALLY different side of him. To me, the movie showed that his relationship with Kuzumi, long distance as it was, HAD a softening impact on him -- even to the point that Kijima dropped everything he was up to in the countryside to head to Tokyo and fight for the relationship. Kijima needed to be rendered totally alone, one last time, to come to realize that the connection he had with Kuzumi was worth fighting for.

And, yes, in the process of it, he brought back Kido in the mix -- which was also seriously poignant. 

REALLY SERIOUS SPOILER HERE, y’all, especially if you love/hate/gaaahh that awful devil, Kido!

. . . . . .

Kido asks Kijima if they could have ever had the same kind of relationship as Kijima is fighting for with Kuzumi! AAAAAHHHH! AND! AND! KIJIMA SAYS, no way. We’re too similar.

WHICH IS TOTALLY TRUE! They’re both self-indulgent, selfish assholes! I mean, after that insane sex scene in Mood Indigo, Kido just fucking LEFT -- he just LEFT, and GOT MARRIED, and HAD A KID, and was like, peace the fuck out, I can’t actually be my honest queer self with you, Kijima, because I think that’s actually abnormal (oh, Kido, you internally messed up piece of shit, AAAHHH). 

Whereas, as beautifully analyzed in @respectthepetty‘s review, Kuzumi represents honesty and openness -- the kind of traits that Kijima doesn’t have, but is aspiring to, in order to be with Kuzumi. AAAHHH. 

I was seriously like, WHOA, WHAT AM I WATCHING HERE, at that moment. AND, AND? At the end of that scene? Kido wishes Kijima good luck. And says: “You better keep Kuzumi-kun. He’s a valuable asset.” Of course, what a Kido thing to say -- that humans are assets, commodities. But -- he sends Kijima off with good wishes. 

And then.

Kijima reunites with Kuzumi. He called Kuzumi by Kuzumi’s name, Haruhiko. AND -- holy shit, y’all, my mind was blown. He tells Kuzumi that he loves Kuzumi by saying ichiban aishiteru.

I tell you, I was FLOORED. All throughout the movie, I’m like, “dang, Kijima keeps talking and talking, and I just don’t remember him TALKING all that much before in the other three series.”

And then he DROPS the ichiban aishiteru! And I think BOTH me AND Kuzumi are BOTH LIKE, WHAT THE DAMN, DUDE!

I’ve spoiled a LOT, but I won’t say more after this, except to say the following:

The ending was one of the happiest, LOVELIEST endings of a drama/movie I’ve seen in QL. Oh. my. god. Talk about SATISFYING. EVERY. CHECKBOX. MARKED. Takezai Terunosuke and Izuka Kenta were MAGNIFICENT. I had SERIOUS tears. They got in everything -- they got the heat, they got in FAMILY, LOTS OF FAMILY, GORGEOUS shots, FEELINGS. ALL OF IT. 

@bengiyo made an excellent point recently in one of his reviews of TEOTWWY that it seems like Japan lately has only been doing high heat in stories about death. It’s an accurate point: all of the pieces of The Novelist came out well before TEOTWWY and Eternal Yesterday, the two most recent shows about death that had heaty elements. I kind of wonder about something. I wonder if other directors and screenwriters are like.... The Novelist did it the best. We can’t mess with that standard. 

Because -- Takezai’s and Izuka’s acting in those scenes is BEYOND EXCELLENT. It was NECESSARILY EXCELLENT to end this franchise on such a warm, happy, COMPLETE high note. 

Now that I can look back on all four parts of the whole franchise, what Miki Koichiro did for us by way of Kijima was to show the whole-scale growth of a man vis �� vis love. This guy, Kijima -- a brilliant writer who was influenced by a sexually provocative teacher, someone who was left inexplicably behind by a tormented, internally homophobic lover/benefactor -- felt he was deserving of nothing. And then he found his something in Kuzumi. He nearly destroyed the relationship, multiple times. And as he fell and slipped while climbing the hill of happiness, he was able to get a stronger and stronger grip each time he tried harder. And he was supported by people around him, including family and random friends, to give him lift. 

This movie was a lot more straightforward than I had honestly expected. I 100% expected more of the melosexualness of the first three parts of the series. Instead, what I got was a WHOLESOME (I can’t believe I’m using that word, but it’s true!), complete, and uplifting story of a man finding his true happiness in his lover, his companion, his chosen family. All of it certainly laced with heat, for sure, but also very deep, very convincing love. 

It was utterly fabulous. It might be too emotional, maybe too family-oriented for some who preferred the dark heat of the previous installments. But Playback, in my eyes, was a perfect closing note for a man who honestly deserved happiness after the work, and the SELF-CHANGE he put in, to get love in the first place. If you are a fan of this whole series, and can get your hands on the movie, I beg you to watch it, even just for one of the best happy endings you’ll ever see in QLs.

[respectthepetty]

Since I was mesmerized by Izuka Kenta in Candy Color Paradox and @gillianthecat wrote a great recommendation for it, I decided to finally watch The Novelist and Mood Indigo, and, boy(s) oh boy(s), do I have thoughts:

Both sexual relationships began in very fucked up ways because Kijima gave Kido and Kuzumi exactly what they wanted by pushing a boundary they didn't think he was capable of crossing. Kijima tricked Kuzumi into his life but gave him an out. Kido manipulated Kijima into his life but refused to let him go.

While Kido was disgusted with Kijima and himself ("I hate myself when I'm with you"), Kuzumi was worried about Kijima ("There's something wrong with you"), and those two reactions dictated how each man interacted with Kijima.

Kido's relationship with Kijima was sexual solely because Kido wouldn't allow himself to feel anything beyond that. He was aggressive, domineering, and distant with Kijima, so he would never have to evaluate why he loved him.

Kuzumi's relationship with Kijima was intimate from the beginning because of the nature of their work arrangement. Unlike Kido, who was seen as some kind of life saver since he gave Kijima a job even though Kujima gave him a place to live, Kuzumi was introduced as merely an observer and temporary guest of Kijima's life, so the power dynamic that was prominent in Kijima's relationship with Kido didn't exist with Kuzumi. Kuzumi got to watch Kijima unscathed because he comfortably fit into Kijima's life rather than disrupted it like Kido.

Because Kido kept Kijima at a distance, their interactions were tangled with flirtatious comments and lust. There was always an underlying tension that could boil over, but they never reached deep enough to allow anything beyond the superficial and sexual.

Kijima tried to treat his relationship with Kuzumi like his relationship with Kido. Kuzumi wouldn't allow that behavior from Kijima. He didn't want his defense mechanisms. He didn't want Kijima's fake smiles and intrusive advances that masked raw emotions. Kuzumai didn't hide his feelings in hopes that his vulnerability would allow Kijima to feel safe enough to express his. He wanted to see Kijima for who he was, not for who he pretended to be.

Kido wanted to know he always had Kijima and became possessive and jealous when others made Kijima happy. Kuzumi admired Kijima and was pleased when Kijima experienced happiness with others.

The closer Kijima got, the more alert Kido became and stayed awake because he couldn't trust himself. Kuzumi easily fell asleep with Kijima by his side.

Kido stopped writing because he believed he could never achieve Kijima's level of technique and skill. Although Kido loved his job, he was willing to transfer because of societal expectations. Kido needed to be seen as successful, which is why he couldn't give into his attraction to Kijima. Being in a relationship with a man made him feel lesser. Kuzumi didn't know what he wanted to do for a career and was aimless. He openly purchased the pornographic books without caring about how it would be perceived. He had a successful career, but it didn't matter to him, and he even skipped a meeting.

Kido and Kijima began in the light with an audience, and Kido never allowed that to happen again, only interacting with Kijima in the dark and behind closed doors. Kuzumi and Kijama began in the dark, but Kuzumi had only shown Kijima light and openness since then.

Kido was never happy when he was with Kijima. Kuzumi was always happy with Kijima. Kido would never love Kijima openly because of his need to be seen as normal. Kuzumi wanted to love Kijima openly because it was the only space he really felt normal.

As Kido stated in the last scene, the flame in Kido's heart that flickers for Kijima will never be extinguished, but Kido has proven that he is willing to burn Kijima if he comes too close. Kuzumi's love started as a flame but is now a raging fire. It cannot be contained, it cannot be stopped, and even though it is terrifying, it is a force of beauty.

[totheendofthisroad]

SUPER HANDSOME LIVE 2022 “ROCK YOU! ROCK ME!!”

Ruito Aoyagi (30th) / Ryota Aoyama / Kazuki Ishiga / Kenta Izuka / Tomohiro Iwasaki / Takuya Uehara / Masaki Ota / Shouma Kai (30th) / Yuta Koseki / Dori Sakurada (29th) / Kentaro Tomita / Taisuke Niihara / Misato Higashijima / Katsumi Hyodo / Soichi Hirama (30th) / Nayuta Fukuzaki / Kanata Hosoda / Shota Matsushima / Kouki Mizuta (30th) / Takuya Mizoguchi / Hikaru Yamazaki

* Live: download Backstage/BTS: download

[gillianthecat]

My favorite episode yet! 🥰 So much Inami 😍 He's all I need 💘 Flirting, charming everyone around him, manipulating, presumably lying about at least some of what he says. Is he really in love with his childhood best friend? Did he just immediately pick up that Onoe had a gay crush and decide this was the story to win him over? His face says either could be true, and I honestly have no idea where the story is going with him, and which lesson Onoe and Kaburagi are supposed to be learning from this. I don't really care, as long as Izuka Kenta is on my screen as much as possible.

Petition to make every Japanese BL that Izuka is in all about his character. He just has such screen presence, I couldn't take my eyes off him. And honestly it felt like he was inhabiting a different world from everyone else, one where real people lived instead of cartoon archetypes. He adds so much nuance and humanity through all the little details of his expressions and physicality. Plus he's just so beautiful.

Oh yeah, and stuff happened with Onoe and Kaburagi too, I guess. I wasn't really paying attention. Well, that's not entirely true, I did like jealous Kaburagi, the way he pouted, "I thought you liked me," and the way he clung to Onoe in that hug at the end.

(I'm amused by the fact that 5 years ago Izuka was playing a 20 year old and now he's playing a 40 year old. How are quickly they grow up!)

(Also, he is literally rumored to be "The Pornographer" in this 🤣 That has to be an intentional callback, right?)

@respectthepetty I didn't realize that Inami in the actual episode told Onoe he was in love with a man, I assumed you made that part up too! 😆

[nobilityofimperfection]

[redsamuraiii]

Takane no Hana-san 2 (Ep 11)

How NOT to check if someone is okay after passing out from being drunk. 😂😂😂

[waitmyturtles]

I’m going to watch the final movie in the series, “Playback,” either later this week or next. I’ll review it up, but as usual, Izuka looks fabulous in it.

I totally agree that it sucks that he’s being used as reference material right now. I also am sad he hasn’t been given other great material to work with — and that goes for Yoshida Munehiro as well (who played Kido in The Novelist/Mood Indigo). It looks like Yoshida has mostly done cameos with the director of The Novelist in other works, but I think he can carry a great main role, too.

Gimme 22! Whatever you say, I’ll add their work to my catch-up list! 💖

Favorite veteran (currently in a show)

Izuka Kenta (Candy Colored Paradox)

Unfortunately, I don’t love his back catalogue but I live in hope he gets handed something as good as Old Fashion Cupcake. He be perfect in Our Dining Table.

[save-the-data]

ameiro paradox | s01e05

Japanese Drama - 2022, 8 episodes

EP:- 1 : 2 : 3 : 4 : 5 : 6 : 7 : 8

~ Episode List ~

[ikeoji-subs]

Zettai BL Ni Naru Sekai VS Zettai BL Ni Naritakunai Otoko 2024 - Episode 5 Eng Sub

VS THE START OF A ROMANCE and VS HELPING

For downloading instructions and where to find the raw files, please check our masterpost.

[Subs link]

We ask that you not upload our subs to streaming sites.

Sharing with friends is fine. We’re also OK with folks sharing them in other ways as long as they aren’t public. Please use discretion when talking about the fansub outside of tumblr, but don’t hesitate to get the word out in other ways, and feel free to promote it here. Please credit ikeoji-subs whenever possible—we put a lot of time and effort into this.

Feel free to use the fansub for fandom purposes. Gif-making, meta-writing, and other fandom-related creative endeavors made using our fansub are not only welcome but encouraged.

Thank you so much, as always, to everyone who has left nice comments in the tags and such. Y'all really make the hard work we put into this worthwhile!

And big big thanks to @my-rose-tinted-glasses for gifs and spreading the word about the fansub.

translation notes:

About “naresome”

As tends to happen when translating Japanese, this is one of those words that don’t exist in English. Its literal translation is “the start of a romance.” So, while we’ve chosen to translate it as “get together,” it would be more accurate to give a more extensive explanation. It is a noun that specifically refers to the moment that love begins. So when we’re talking about “naresome” we’re talking about the thing or situation that triggered the romantic relationship or romantic feelings.–Snow

about casting Tominaga Yuya as a guy who gets busy when it rains

I think this is another tokusatsu Easter egg. Tominaga Yuya, who plays Jouji in the “Vs. The Start of a Relationship” chapter, was also on Avataro Sentai DonBrothers, a Super Sentai series that ran from 2022 to 2023. His character, Sonoi, was the agent of a culture from another plane of existence whose members feed off of the brainwaves of human beings. At first, he and his associates Sonoza and Sononi were enemies of the DonBrothers, but they eventually joined forces with the Sentai. A big reason this happened was that Sonoi had a special connection to the leader of the DonBrothers, Momoi Tarou. Their relationship reads as pretty darned queer to a lot of viewers, myself included.

Momoi Tarou and Sonoi bonding, before they found out they were nemeses

Many JBL fans know Higuchi Kouhei from My Personal Weatherman/Taikan Yoho, in which he played the titular meteorologist, Segasaki. Part of the premise of that series is that at the start of the story, Higuchi’s character only has sex with his partner on sunny days. Jouji, Tominaga’s Zettai BL character, does the opposite: he and his “sex friend” only do it on rainy days. 

Basically, the writers of Zettai BL 3 have made Higuchi’s toku boyfriend’s story into a reverse Taikan Yoho situation. What are the odds that’s just a coincidence?–Towel

Also, he gets his own “Zettai BL” title card moment (and he’s the only one out of the secondary cast who get to have that).–Snow

That’s right!

I’m going to put this in context a little because I’ve given a lot of thought (probably too much) to who’s been featured in the opening credits of the different Zettai BL seasons. For every season of the show so far, Inukai Atsuhiro has had four other actors perform with him in the opening theme dance number. (All of whom also get a crack at some of those title card moments.) For two seasons, three of the four spots were taken up by Yutaro (Ayato), Shiono Akihisa (Toujou), and Itou Asahi (Kikuchi). The fourth spot was taken up by different actors in the first two seasons. It was the guy who played the attractive dude from the goukon in the first season, and it was Izuka Kenta, who played Kikuchi’s ex Igarashi, in the second. 

This time around, I had hoped that Sekoguchi Ryo would take the fourth spot, because he’s my blorbo and of course I wanted to see him in a retro dance number (boy was that wish ever granted!). But I hadn’t expected Shiono not to appear this time. Maybe there were specific reasons for this, like a scheduling conflict or an injury. It’s not like Shiono appears less in season 3 than he did in the others, so that’s not the reason. It’s hard to say. But in that context, it seems even more significant that they gave a spot to Tominaga Yuya. We don’t know the reasons for this. But it’s possible they featured him more heavily in this way because of his tokusatsu backstory and the inside joke it allowed them to make.–Towel

about “pudding relationship” and “prince and princess”

This part was tricky to translate. As you might have noticed by this point, Mob likes to make puns. In Japanese, pudding is written as “purin” and it is used to refer to pudding as well as custard. Mob goes on to follow with “prince and princess”, which in Japanese are pronounced as “purinsu” and “purinsesu”. In here, there’s wordplay with these similar sounding words and the image of the ToujouAyato couple.–Snow  

about “cuteness overload”

Japanese is a language that uses a lot of onomatopoeia. There’s 4 types, iirc: animal sounds, object sounds (like rain, creaking and the like), things that don’t make noise (smiles, stares, silence, etc), verbs turned onomatopoeia (I unfortunately cannot remember this properly but it was something like that). In this case, Mob says “Kyun ga tomaranai” (which literally means “the kyun can’t be stopped”). “Kyun” is an onomatopoeic word to refer to a “momentary tightening of one's chest caused by powerful feelings,” usually tied to a romantic context but not exclusively. Taking this into account, we thought “cuteness overload” might be the closest expression in English.–Snow

It’s worth noting that Mob is also saying “kyun” right after the “cuteness overload” line. I really thought at first that he was saying “cute,” since it sounds so similar, it would make a lot of sense contextually, and English loan words are so common in Japanese. But no, it was “kyun.” There was no way we could get across the meaning of “kyun” in one or two syllables of English, so we went with “adorbs,” which is just another word for “cute,” but at least it has a cutesy pronunciation that steps it up a notch.–Towel

about bouhan buzzers (16:06)

The translation note shown onscreen during this scene reads: “a bouhan buzzer is a security gadget carried by Japanese schoolchildren.” We did our best to summarize the meaning of this term briefly, so that it would be readable in the amount of time it was possible for us to keep that caption onscreen. But here’s a longer explanation for those who might be curious. 

It took a while for me to understand what these things were. At first I pictured something like a hand buzzer–the kind that people used to use to prank people. But it’s nothing like that. They’re sometimes referred to as “personal security alarms.” They’re little doodads that you can clip onto a backpack or carry in your pocket, and if you activate them (the most common mechanism for which seems to be pulling some kind of tab or string), they make some form of alarm-type sound. I found a video, below, that shows someone activating two different types of buzzers, showing the sound they make. 

These two make the same sort of beeping/chirping noises you’d associate with an alarm protecting a car or the entrance to a building–not really a “buzzing” sound, or anything that resembles the sound Mr. Cheerleader makes in this scene. But maybe there are other types that are more buzz-like, or sound more like the sound our buddy is imitating. 

According to some things I read when I looked these up, children often play with their bouhan buzzers, making it somewhat less likely that people will be on alert when they hear them go off. I don’t think I could have resisted setting off a gadget like this if I’d had one as a child. They seem to be available with all sorts of characters on them and in all sorts of colors and shapes, which is cool but might make them seem even more toy-like. 

From what I’ve seen, these things are most commonly used by children, but adults sometimes use them too. If you look for them for sale online, there are more adult-looking versions available (say, a rose-gold blob instead of something with cute characters on it–though of course, adults might want those too). One listing I saw advertised that they’re useful for kids, women, and the elderly.–Towel

Tag list: @absolutebl @bengiyo @c1nto @come-back-serotonin @lurkingshan @my-rose-tinted-glasses @porridgefeast @sorry-bonebag @twig-tea @wen-kexing-apologist

[emotionallychargedtowel]

I noticed something exciting while watching Minato’s Laundromat episode 4!

So, at the end of the episode, Minato saw Shin from across the way and started to call out to him, but stopped when he saw him having an animated interaction with another dude.

It’s basically impossible to recognize this actor from this blurry snippet. But we get a much better look immediately in the episode 5 preview. Apparently he’s some kind of instructor, possibly a professor, seemingly from Shin’s university, named Kirihara. He seems to have a particularly close—and, uh, physically demonstrative—relationship with Shin, and Minato is clearly concerned. Seems the jealousy theme already developing in season 2 is intensifying.

But the really interesting part (to fans of a certain actor, at least) is who’s playing this apparent rival. He's an all-time favorite of mine.

Got it yet?

How about now?

Or now?

(Uh oh, he's not only hugging Shin, he's doing the ol' back-of-the-head grab. I don't think this is one of those benign misunderstanding situations. )

It's Takeda Kouhei! Also known as Nozue from Old Fashion Cupcake...

and Kazumin (my beloved)/Kamen Rider Grease from Kamen Rider Build, and as Kurenai Otoya in Kamen Rider Kiva.

I think they're being intentionally mysterious here. Takeda usually posts on instagram about roles before shows air/movies are released, and the Minato's Laundromat account similarly tends to show behind-the-scenes material for upcoming episodes right around when a current one airs. Takeda also isn't listed on MDL for this role. So it does seem like they're being a little cagey for now--though that could end now that the preview's been shown.

I'm SO psyched, y'all.

The ever-observant @bengiyo pointed out that this is continuing a bit of a trend of veterans of prior BLs playing romantic rivals in newer series. We saw Izuka Kenta from The Novelist/The Pornographer playing this type of role in Candy Color Paradox and someone from Life: Love on the Line doing the same in Kieta Hatsukoi (I haven't seen LLotL and couldn't immediately tell from perusing cast lists who this was).

I like this trend! So many opportunities for intertextual commentary. I'm always excited for more connections between the BL and tokusatsu worlds, too. Really looking forward to seeing more in episode 5.