Development done right, despite being only 6 episodes

I personally started off as not enjoying the show at all. The two mains and how they acted was something that was hard for me to relate to.

By the end of the show I can say, not only I ended up liking both characters , I liked the story so much that I ended up reading the Drama CD.

I recommended watching the show until the end. If you are someone like me who didn't like the show at the beginning , there is a chance you might still end up loving the show after watching the second half.

Positives

1_ The Story: I admit that I do not know too many bls. In fact this was one of the first bls I've seen along with a few others but the fact that there are bls like this that can actually try to show human emotions and their flaws rather than just 2 guys being cute together surprised me.

This story deals with a few issues like lack of self esteem caused by constant bullying, miscommunication, pride and a few other things which makes it more interesting than some other shows I have seen.

If you are in to fluff with characters being completely nice and never do anything wrong , this isn't the show for you. If you prefer having characters who indeed have flaws and make mistakes, then maybe give this a go.

2_ Flawed Characters: While I admit, I didn't like either of these two at the start, I ended up really liking them at the end. Our main character, Hira , is a guy who has been bullied his entire life , as a result he doesn't have any self respect or self esteem and let's others take advantage of him without standing up for himself.

Enters Kiyoi. Our second lead. He at the beginning, seems to be quite the opposite of Hira. Handsome, proud, with a lot of friends but that's just how he seems on the outside. Delving deeper in to his character, he is both insecure and lonely and suffers from abandonment issues which causes him to not be able to communicate with people or show vulnerability in fear of being abandoned. His character comes off as aggressive and rude at the start but by the end you'll realize that it all comes from his insecurities.

3_ Developments done right:

The "friendship" netween the two starts off as attraction and curious. It's far from ideal or even a good friendship but it starts getting better with them spending more time with each other and getting to know one another. Hira shows Kiyoi that it's OK to be vulnerable , you are not going to be abandoned. Kiyoi (subconsciously) help Hira gain a little bit more confidence and stand up to others for once.

But since both of the leads are insecure , with one of them putting the other on a pedestal and the other , not being able to communicate due to fear . The problems that they both have , essentially ends up tearing them apart and they don't get together until Kiyoi ends up communicating and Hira becomes a lot more confident to the point of actually turning someone down. Their dynamic from High school , certainly doesn't stay that way at all.

Another good thing about this show is that , despite both of the leads clearly changing, they don't entirely turn in to another human being . Change is not easy and it certainly can not happen over night. Utsukushii kare does a great job showing that.

4_ This show does NOT romanticise toxicity: I have seen some people trying to call this show out for "romanticising toxicity " . That can not be further from the truth. In fact , Hira and Kiyoi couldn't be together until they both had developments which was necessary to both of their characters and their relationship.

Negatives:

This show is freaking short. 6 episodes is barely enough to show this type of story. They needed more time for each character. While I don't think there is anything wrong with the development of the characters, I do admit that they could've done a much better job with a few more episodes.
And maybe show their real relationship dynamic after they get together. Kiyoi in particular needed more time to show his feelings.

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