BLISS RATING: ★★★★+
“No matter what you do to my life, it’s fine. I’ll give you my remaining years.” – Quote from Perfect Propose
This series is a phenomenally gentle story of two individuals who by happenstance meet as boys in childhood with one becoming his savior and then 10 or so years later, they meet again where in the end the other becomes his savior. The story goes full circle.
It is an engaging narrative of reconnection between Kai (Nomura Kota) and Hiro (Kanko Shunya). Kai is a lonely, isolated boy with a difficult, troubled family background. Remaining unapproachable, Kai takes an interest in him, not out of pity but in a way that he can relate to him. He is like him. He too is misunderstood and has expectations of himself that are unrealistic, much like Kai. Kai senses something within Hiro from an early age on that connects to him and at one point, when Hiro is rejected by his girlfriend, Kai tells Hiro, that someday, not to worry, he will ‘marry him’. Kai’s connection to Hiro is more like a bond.
Unfortunately, Kai’s father moves away and soon dies, leaving Kai alone except for a kindly old restaurant owner that takes him under his wing and essentially raises him. Kenji (Katami Toshiyuki) is a quiet soul and very laconic and hence Kai adopts his ways as well. Kai becomes an individual of few words with a bit of a fatalistic approach to life.
When Kenji collapses, Kai needs a place to stay and as luck or fate would have it, he literally strolls onto Hiro on the street laying down lacking sleep. From this unorthodox reintroduction into each other’s lives begins a journey for the two of them that culminates with a higher level of self-awareness and an unshakeable bond based on that realization.
All around, their journeys are sad ones. Both have no friends, have stoic outlooks on life, are misfits when it comes to functioning in society. And both are fearful of the future. The difference is that Kai knows himself better. He knows he is gay, is in love with Hiro and has been since childhood whereas Hiro has lost his will. He has become a product of society. Hiro’s work has beaten out of him any life and any semblance of willingness to be his own self. In a sense, Kai helps to guide him out of that malaise just like, ironically, Hiro helped Kai out of his when they were younger.
Who really S.T.O.L.E. this series? This is an exceptionally well-acted series, given its short duration. So much had to be accomplished and shown in such a short period of time. Even the supporting performances were so spot on. However, who really steals this series are the two young boys who play the younger versions of Hiro and Kai (names unavailable). They are outstanding. They must set the foundation of the future personalities of the two older characters and the meaning behind what the future holds for them without being obvious. They have to show ‘love’ without being in love. And they did that with perfection. The reliance of the story of these two young boys for its transition to the future is paramount and we are able to see clearly Kai and Hiro both past and present because of them. Kudos to these two young boys.
This is a deeply pensive, ponderance tale that could have been very melancholic and at times did get very dark. It got quite reflective for both, and the juxtaposition of their past childhood lives to their present was a real asset for this series. It was supplementary rather than complementary. Yet it is sad as the two individuals are desolate figures themselves.
Unquestionably, in a clear sense, had they not found each other, I would have been pessimistic about the two of them. Their journey to discovery is simply beautiful to watch. Two lonely, isolated individuals find each other again, fall in love for a second time, but this time, with life seemingly way more hopeful.
I do wish it would have gotten deeper into both characters. I loved both, but we did not get to see much of them together except in pensive situations. We deserved more. The scene where Kai ‘helped’ him to fall asleep was just hysterical and extremely creative and absolutely on target. More of that was needed to make the show a bit more human than its seemingly drowning in an ambiance of sadness all the time. There was way too much time spent on work issues for Hiro, especially in Episode 5. That got dull and repetitive and unnecessary. All we see is Kai wistfully sitting around for Hiro. We needed more.
Surprisingly, for a Japanese BL, they did a good job of showing a connection and were unafraid to kiss with a certain commitment. It seemed honest, genuine, and realistic. Again, if you want us to believe that two guys are in love, even awkwardly, you have got to give us something more than just a few kisses. Do not be afraid to be loud about love. Those days should be over, even in Japan.
This was a good series. It could have been great with just a tiny bit more effort.
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