FUTTARA DOSHABURI (WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS) – 2025 – Japan

BLISS RATING: ★★

“Just when you’ve had enough, live gives you more. And just when you think it’s rained enough, it pours.”  – Proverbial Idiom

I have seen a lot of BLs but admittedly, this series is one of the most problematic and deeply troubling stories I have ever seen. Cinematically, it is treated so superficially and almost cavalierly one might miss its profundities. This is yet another complex and troubling story on both psychological and emotional levels that is coated in superficialities that, I cried, after watching. Sometimes, series so deeply affect me because I realize how reflective of a society’s mores they are and how hallowing and unpleasant those normative standards seem to an outsider looking in. What looks like acceptable behavior in essence should not be. I find it all so tragic and sad. I wonder again if I am projecting my own set of scruples onto a society that does not think like I do. But I honestly do not think so. Some behaviors ought to be universally condemned as wrong and a society, any and all, needs to agonize over considering that not everything that is standard is good.

The story starts out simple enough. Hagiwara (Muto Jun) is in a sexless relationship with Kaori (Akita Shiori), soon to be his wife. Inadvertently, he sent an email to the wrong address, which began to lead to exchanges between the other person and Hagiwara. A strange bond is created between them. Sei (Asahi Ito) and Kazuaki form this almost intimate relationship together that becomes personal and revealing, because they were talking to strangers. By accident, however, they find out that they are co-workers.

As it turns out, since they shared much with each other before they knew they were co-workers, they do not feel like they are strangers anymore. Both are astonishingly handsome but in different ways. Hagiwara is ruggedly handsome with a gaze that is quite sophisticated and alluring. Meanwhile, Sei is broody and almost appearing unapproachable yet somehow exuding sexual vibes all the time. There is a strange animal magnetism about him.

After they find out they are co-workers, their friendship begins to turn into something deeper. While not sexual, it certainly feels like an intense bromance. As they now get to know one another emotionally through their physical bonding, they both begin to share the types of relationships they have. Each realizes that they are in non-sexual but not necessarily loveless relationships. While both yearn for and desire sex, realize that neither one of their current partners want it or will give it to them.

Hagiwara’s girlfriend seems content to be in a sexless relationship and apparently wants and sees sex only as a means for children or at least that is what he must assume. Sei, on the other hand, is in a stifling and controlling relationship with his good friend Kazuaki (Hiroki Matsumoto). Kazuaki has been by his side since they were young and helped him deal with the death of his parents and over time fell in love with him. Yet, Kazuaki makes no effort nor displays any desires or shows outward signs of affection towards Sei except for his intense friendship towards him. In that sense he feels his love. But that love is more of control over him and all his actions. Somehow Sei senses that Kazuaki is hiding a secret from him.

Both come to the realization that they are in the same living hell. They want to have sex with the person they love. They recognize  that they persist in abject misery. They want to have a sense of fulfillment with living, yet their partners perceive of sex as dirty and disgusting.

Until one day it boils over as Hagiwara is yet again refused by Kaori to engage in carnal pleasures with him.  So, he runs to Sei and directly says he wants to have sex with him. Sei readily agrees and they spend the night engaging in lusting and sensual sexual activities, which is the one element that both are missing in their lives. However, two conditions are agreed upon. Things will not change between them, and they will not break up with their significant others. What both did not count on happening, however, was that the foundation for a deeper and more meaningful connection between the two has now been seeded. They had fallen in love with one another.

Unfortunately, both other parties found out. Each approach is vastly different in how they handle that knowledge. Kaori is legitimately wounded. Yet cannot see her contribution to why Hagiwara did what he did. She was more offended that it was a male than a female. In her mind, she could ‘understand it better’, if it had been a female. That would then be in her wheelhouse as in her mindset, sex is for procreation and everything other than that is dirty. Therefore, another woman would merely be fulfilling a need she could not. None of this was of course communicated to Hagiwara until she discovered his affair and then she loses face. To be sure what he did was wrong. But to not see her contribution and not be open, honest, and upfront and take responsibility as an adult and communicate her desires but assume he would blindly accept her wishes on sex once married was, as he put it, treating him like a ‘trained dog’. That is unconscionable as well. But of course, Hagiwara did the ‘right thing’. She left feeling satisfied. I was left feeling outraged.

Kazuaki response when he found out what Sei did was to get angry, very angry, and rape Sei. And that point seemed to be glazed over like you are icing a cake. Sei seemed to accept that as part of his ‘disloyalty’ to Kazuaki, I am guessing for having sex with Hagiwara. I never can and never will accept any reason for the acceptance of rape. Sei seems to forgive him but did take the adult step that they can never go back to things being like they were. Finally, Kazuaki confesses that he was and is deeply in love with Sei. He apologized for ‘hurting’ Sei. Remorse is simply not sufficient enough here. His secret now has been revealed. Here again, had he been an adult long before, his relationship with Sei might well have been very different.

I found all that empty and meaningless. Rape is rape. No means no. No matter what the culture. For a production company to treat this subject matter so lightly is simply beyond the pale. It sickens me to see people writing comments wishing the ending for Sei to be with Kazuaki as they really loved each other. That is not love. That is sick and sexual abuse. Quit hiding behind an ideal notion of what love is!

I found it interesting that when Hagiwara discovers that Sei has been raped by Kazuaki, he tells him it is all right to cry and he is there for him. Mockingly Sei laughs at him and says why would he do that. That is how buried the pain of being rape has been suppressed. I found that so distressing and profoundly sad that even the victim is unable to see or even feel what has happened to him is wrong and somehow, he is to blame. But it does show that the person who truly loves him sees it and is morally outraged and wants to help. This is such a sad commentary on such a suppressed and repressed society.

Who really S.T.O.L.E. this series? Without question, this is an exceptionally acted series worthy of praise. The protagonists are so good at portraying repressed characters and people wanting to love but are unable to focus their complete attention on doing so. I found myself being drawn to Asahi Ito as Sei as an individual who is totally repressed and undoubtedly emotionally controlled by Kazuaki. He is bitter and pretends to be detached and cold at times. But when confronted with real genuine emotions as when Hagiwara tells him that he wants to be with him, he does crack. Asahi does such an excellent job of maintaining that exterior of hardness around him yet there is a deeply loving individual that wants to come out, if only his world, his surroundings, allowed him to.

For me what takes precedent in reviewing this series is the actual story. While the acting is very good, this message is something I simply cannot and will not praise. For the following reasons:

1. Sei is raped. No denying it and no excusing it. Unconscionable behavior that should have been punished and/or dealt with more realistically in this series. It was not. These behaviors must not be romanticized.
2. The psychological scares of being raped and betrayed are not at all dealt with. Not even mentioned. The victim feels somehow, he warranted this action. Another sad commentary on simply getting out a story without realizing the consequences of actions taken by others.
3. The emotional abuse and isolation of Sei apparently by Kazuaki obviously for years is sick. Undoubtedly contributing factors to Sei’s lack of warmth and humor and isolation because he so cut him off from living by possessively controlling him. Again, Sei does not see it himself, but it is obviously there. That relationship is a demented one and has become one based on co-dependency.
4. While Hagiwara is clearly wrong in ‘cheating’ on his girlfriend, I am astonished that the lack of responsibility and therefore guilt on his girlfriend’s part is pardoned. She managed and manipulated to save face without seeing or acknowledging her part of the problem and perhaps a big part of his issue as well. No lesson learned here. As an addendum, her underlying unconscious bigotry towards gays. She was more offended that it was a guy he had an affair with than a woman. That is astonishingly homophobic.
5. Anyone who thinks that Sei and Kazuaki should be together or were meant to be together needs help.  That is sick thinking and unbalanced. Again, it appears as if the victim is identifying with the abuser but that does not make the act ok in any way shape or form. Even though they loved each other, once that abuse line is crossed, there is ‘no going back’. Shame on anyone who thinks those two ought to be together. And shame on production companies for romanticizing such abuse without at least some built in warnings that these behaviors are wrong. It would be appropriate, and I think as an obligation the production companies ought to list hotline numbers where people who have been raped or abused in any way can seek help. That is the least you can do, rather than making these story ‘cute’.

Something happens at the end that changes the dynamics and course of this series. Sei and Hagiwara fall in love but not the ‘star-crossed lovers’ kind of love. But a love that is deeply rooted in intimacy and a knowledge that their road to discovery will be quite difficult and bumpy. They, unquestionably, know that already and are ready to sojourn that trip together.

Despite the way they started out, I think they will succeed, and the ‘Statue of Mary’ tucked away in that museum will have much more meaning for them.