BLISS RATING: ★★★★+
“Love is a poison, once you drink it, you can never go back.” – Quote from Love Is A Poison
By every standard, this series should not have worked. It is an overused plot line with cliché and predictable character-types but it is so damn charming and just so weirdly twisted that, like a freshly made bowl of popcorn, I could not stop consuming the series. It is funny, witty, joyful, and addictively entertaining. It is also assiduously sad, melancholic, and depressing. If you could compare life to a coin, this is what it would be like if you flipped it. Happy/sad. Heartwarming/melancholic. Charming/reprehensible. It literally is a story of opposites that should not have worked but did.
Shiba Ryoma (Hama Shogo) is an erudite attorney from a prestigious law firm in Japan. That right there intrigued me because legal drama for a BLs is rare indeed. Shiba is a no-nonsense, emotionless, stern, individual who is consumed by work and being number one and successful. He is what we at best would be called a ‘stuffed shirt’ and not fun to be around. For entertainment and accompaniment, he talks to his plants in his domicile. Seemingly content on the outside, he has a hard time relating to individuals on a personal level. Never dating and certainly never serious with anyone. Now, nearing 30, full partner in the law firm, his only aim is to become the Guardian of the Law.
While at a bar, deep in thought, he forcibly opens the bathroom door to the men’s room of the local bar and inadvertently hurts a young man trying to exit. Thinking ‘lawsuit’, he offers him his handkerchief to wipe his hand of the blood. In that moment, something within Haruto (Hyodo Katsumi) triggers a moment of clarification for him. Haruto, to be sure, had been observing Shiba and knew who he was and being the con artist that he was, was going to try to use him for his own purposes, if he could so manipulate him. Quite the beguiling charmer, he is very handsome with an astonishingly infectious smile. Haruto is outgoing, quick on his feet, magnetic, and intriguing. Although a con artist, he does so not so much for personal gain but for a string of reasons that, in this story, will indeed melt your heart. Charmed by Haruto and perhaps his good looks, Shiba cannot get him out of his mind. To escape, he goes camping alone, only to be surprised when Haruto shows up. Shiba, ever since he met Haruto, has had several erotic dreams about him, which has led him to become unfocused; a trait unfamiliar to Shiba.
The series fosters a deepening of their relationship that seems at times to be sincere, genuine, and real while also vacillating with a sense of being artificial, unreal, and Pollyanna. But we do not care because we want it to work. The story gets a little lost in the weeds at times but who cares! We just simply want them to be together. Most of the time it ends up being rather funny with its rather implausible situations. But not always. There are astonishingly poignant moments as well.
What this story does so well and unequivocally is show the power of love. I know we often get so cynical about love stories and their flaws that sometimes we forget how powerful love can be and how cute its consequences are as well. It is nice every once in awhile to see a story that decidedly shows that the protagonists are deeply and profoundly in love with one another and that they are willing to sacrifice to maintain that. The self-sacrifice that each is willing to make, while seemingly unrealistic, is nonetheless a powerful representation to the testament of two people who see nothing wrong with continuing their relationship together, no matter what the cost. Their relationship is steadfastly incontrovertible. Perhaps that seems like an unrealistic notion for a lot of us to make, as they made it look easy and simple.
And how did they do that? They did so by discovering each of their strengths rather than fixating on their obvious weakness or giving in to the vulnerabilities of their relationships. They saw in each other only the good that the other was doing or had and simply wanted to be a part of that in their life. Together.
What made this series so compelling also was the fact that the characters never waivered in who they were. They were honest, real, passionate, committed, intense, loyal, loving, and true to themselves. They were never dishonest with each other.
Who really S.T.O.L.E. this series? There is simply no bad acting in this series and this distinction belongs to everyone who is in it. However, the two protagonists quite literally steal this series. Their presence and charm are infectious and their loyalty to one another is almost legendary. The way Hama Shogo and Hyodo Katsumi play off each other is a work of art and their timing with each other is sheer perfection. The romantic scenes between them are not only quirky and flirtatious but artfully and tastefully done. In addition, when you ‘dress’ them up, they are downright ‘hot’ and make a power couple. They are just so mesmerizing to watch. Their comedic scenes are not just completed with consistency but with flair and naturalness that makes their situation even seem funnier.
Yet, underlying all this there are serious issues. Haruto has a profoundly hidden and deeply disturbing past he tries to hide. And that past has led him to have such significant emotional scars. Haruto to a fault hides much and covers up the fact that his father is a despicable creature and is trying to destroy him. Additionally, with Shiba never feeling loved or being in love, has had a rather empty and shallow life until now. Haruto has brough joy, pleasure, comfort, and companionship as well as a new sense of purpose into his life.
In addition, Haruto has helped Shiba see a different side of humanity. The one living on the streets, which is where Haruto came from and how he had to survive. The street children helped Shiba to understand what Haruto is really fighting for and what he is all about.
This is a wonderfully warm, sensitive series that perhaps at times gets a little bit too Pollyanna but that does not diminish its soulfulness. The two protagonists, if they had not met, would have led significantly insignificant lives. Loneliness and bitterness would have been their soulmates. Instead, together they created this wonderful synergy that, as corny as it may sound, will move mountains.
I loved this series. I laughed and I also cried as there was just enough emotion to support both reactions. I think you will see and feel that too. This is one of those series that is hard to stop at just one episode. You get so engrossed in who these two are that you want to see what is coming next now.
Join them and watch this wonderfully entertaining and smartly done series with just enough romance and action to make it both a BL and a thriller.
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