Perfect Propose (2024)

An Intriguing Romance Between Two Long Lost Friends

Whether we realize it or not, we, as humans, are always looking for another person(s) to connect to. A person who understands us. A person who can become the place we come home to. A place to rest. A place to be.

Adapted from the manga of the same name by Tsurukame Mayo, the new Japanese BL Perfect Propose gives its characters a place to come home to—a place to be comfortable being themselves.


For six episodes, the series quickly traverses a seemingly simple but surprisingly profound and compelling story about two men who met and connected as children before reuniting years later. Hirokuni Watari (Kaneko Shunya) is an overworked corporate employee with little time outside the office. Fukaya Kai (Nomura Kota) is an orphan who works in the food industry for an older man who took him in after he tried to dash and dine. They come face-to-face when Hiro collapses from the weight of his responsibilities and finds himself peering up at Fukaya Kai, the face of the man he’d promised to marry when they were kids.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/03/06/perfect-propose-series-review-ep-3-to-6/

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Boring

I was told the show was cute, but it's honestly just kind of a drag.

It's watching a guy who hates his job and is too anxious to make decisions paired with a guy who is monotonous 90% of the time because he "has no expectations" and apparently this means he can never be let down? and he'll say he's excited about something but when it does work out he'll claim he never actually cared. Hiro is supposed to be gaining confidence, but nothing changes until the last 10 minutes or so of the last episode. Kai is supposed to be finding a place to belong so he can start opening up, except he continues to play off any slip of emotion all the way until the very last scene except for the proposal scene in the last episode.

I didn't feel the chemistry, like at all. I saw two guys being comfortable around each other by the end, but there was no romance. Also they framed it like Hiro wasn't gay at all in episode one - they directly call him out on it - but in the last episode he's suddenly ok with gay sex? Listen, I don't buy it. They should have been less direct about his sexuality in the first episode and then actually give me some skinship or something to suggest Hiro had leanings throughout. The way it stands, Hiro just didn't want to lose the best housewife/roommate a working guy could ask for. Definitely didn't believe that either of them had true feelings for the other.

Sorry, show. It's a dud for me.

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A Nice, Simple Tale Told With Clarity and Grace

Well, most of the Japanese BL series that I had watched before this one portrayed a "master - servant" kind of relationship between the leads. Or it was the case that one "submitted" to the "will" of the other. This was very unsettling and put me off completely. I dropped many series due to this.

Thankfully and surprisingly, "Perfect Proposal" did not fall in that category. Instead, it was refreshing, simple and straightforward. I simply love stories where there is little or no confusion, and this is indeed one such story, that is also well-told, and supported quite nicely by the natural acting of all the characters.

So if you want to take my word for it, then watch this one for sure.

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Kai’s cooking and himself made Hiro become happier while this show made me so much happier

I really enjoyed perfect propose it was a nice and soft drama, but it was a different one because it was kind of like they had arranged marriage, but it was a promise that both Kai and Hiro made when they were younger that they will marry each other no matter what. I don’t think I’ve seen a show were the main leads meet each other when one is basically laying on the street like their dead because their so done with their job, but ended up meeting his “promised husband” and then started to live together because Kai is basically losing his job because his boss ended up in the hospital because he’s sick and now is looking for a house, but stays with Hiro because they knew each other before and are gonna be married anyways. I felt so bad for Hiro because his job just looks so boring which is like no wonder he has such a low self esteem because his job sucks and his boss is so rude to him because he makes him do all the work even if he finishes all of his work he suddenly makes a whole new work for him. It was actually sad when Kaneko left because he got a better job offer and because he’s so done with that work place and even encouraged Hiro to leave because it’s basically making him depressed and he could be more happier in another job, but Hiro doesn’t want to leave because he feels like he’s gonna make everyone else mad at him. Also when Kai told Hiro that he never been to a festival before and he promised him that he would take him their so he finished all of his work super early so he can take Kai to the festival, but when his boss saw him done he made him do extra work so he couldn’t leave so when he finally could meet Kai the festival was already shutting down which was so sad. I also loved when Kai gave Hiro enough courage to resign from his job so he can be happier. And Kai should also be added to the list of possessive male leads because he didn’t want Hiro to be near another man and snatched him at their team meeting when Hiro got drunk. Also Kai is definitely madly in love with Hiro because he never really wanted to leave him again and cared for him a whole lot. Also I have to mention Kai’s cooking must be bussin because he made Hiro look from dead tired to looking like he slept for 24 hours in 2 seconds like I need to try it right now. Also the ost is a total bop from OCTPATH like you should Stan them they also sang the ost for Mr Unlucky, but yeah the show was actually a nice and cute one that I don’t think I’ll forget especially their kiss scene were they even wasted water. I do recommend this drama.

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Me decepcionei

Sinceramente eu esperava mais. Acho que já coloquei as expectativas de séries coreanas num patamar muito alto. A história é fofa, mas não me agradou particularmente. Talvez o plot de coisas surreais não me atraia tanto, sei lá. A série inicia com Hiro jogado no chão no meio da rua como um pedaço de papelão, achei isso meio louco! Em seguida Kai o encontra, e eles iniciam a história de fato. Quando crianças eram amigos e prometeram um ao outro que se casariam, normal num BL. Mais de 20 anos depois e o Kai, assumidamente gay ainda considera isso de forma séria, mesmo não existindo contato com Hiro, esse plot é muito forçado, credo.

Continuando a bateria de coisas estranhas, Hiro aceita Kai em sua casa, véi, a última vez que se viram eram crianças, Kai poderia ser um assassino, assaltante, psicopata, mas o mundo ficcional não leva a lógica em conta hehehe.

O foco principal é sempre o casal, isso é bom pq o tempo é bem curto para desenvolver histórias paralelas. O romance acontece de forma meio maluca, e outras coisas não me agradaram, como o fato de Hiro não saber onde Kai passa o dia, onde trabalha, é tudo muito sem noção. A atuação do ator que faz o Kai também não é boa ao meu ver, ele passa todo o tempo sem expressão, sem demonstrar emoções, e talvez por isso não senti química entre os dois. O desenvolvimento deveria ter sido melhor elaborado, já que a série é tão curta, seria melhor se tivessem focado mais no casal e nas suas emoções do que no trabalho de Hiro, seria bom mostrar ao menos um EP contando sobre a vida deles após iniciarem o romance.

Os aspectos técnicos estão impecáveis, a atuação (com exceção da cara de bunda do Kai) é boa, a ost é linda, porém eu não assistiria de novo.

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Someone to remind us that a dull life can be worth living

Perfect Propose is a short Japanese BL with just six episodes – it neither feels too short nor does it try to cram too much into its storyline, making it a perfect light-hearted watch.

For Kai, taking care of the person he loves is enough — he doesn’t expect anything in return. When Hiro promises to take him to a festival but ends up being late due to work, Kai doesn’t get angry. He doesn’t even get disappointed.

It is for this reason — the fact that Kai’s presence is a quiet comfort without imposing any undue pressure — that Hiro finds himself increasingly attached to Kai.

Until Hiro met Kai, his life was nothing short of dull and meaningless. Bogged down by a heavy workload and a nasty boss who makes his life as a salaryman downright unebarable, Hiro only understands what it means to have a life worth living when he would much rather go home to Kai than spend another minute tapping away at his work computer.

What used to be the sole purpose for his life has slowly shifted its centre as the importance of work begins to slink away.

Perfect Propose is a short, sweet story about the little things that make life lovely – having a meal with someone at the end of a long day, looking forward to hearing their voice, and sharing the little things in life with another person.

Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2024/04/03/perfect-propose-2024-bl-review/

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Nearly 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. 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. 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.

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Butterflies inducing hope

Practically perfect in every way!

A butterflies inducing, tears of rage provoking story of two lost men who find happiness and solution in each other's company, with love being the cherry on the top! One, Hiro, is a programmer convinced by his boss(workplace bullying/harassment) that he is incompetent and therefore putting more and more effort into ungrateful work. So much so that he is completely exhausted and drawing onto his last drops of strength. The other one, Kai, is a taciturn man used to being alone and always abandoned, expecting nothing from the world. When these two meet, their worlds slowly but surely start to change and merge, almost unwittingly!

The drama is full of romance tropes: opposites attract, childhood connection but it works perfectly well here. The actors have good chemistry and the evolution of their relationship is slow but steady, with their respective insecurities taking turns in blocking it. Misunderstandings appear but are solved immediately! There was only one problem I found in the first episode: in order to help him sleep, Kai "helps" him release the stress through a handjob which can be seen as SA since Hiro keeps saying No. He does sleep well afterwards but this scene just repeats the aggressive gay man stereotype! I thought we were beyond this!

Kudos to casting director who found young actors who resemble the main actors. I find this often in j dramas: more often than in other countries' ones! They really make it an issue of finding a believable looking young counterparts.

And of course there is food: what would a japanese drama be without it? Love goes through the stomach, everyone knows that!

The opening credits are actually the "happily ever after" sort of compilation of scenes we never really see since the drama stops when they get together.

It is a great watch. Japanese have done it again! Except for the weird title...

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Truly an (almost) perfect proposal

I wasn't too sure what I was in for when I started this series and you cannot imagine my delight at realising what an absolute gem this little show is.
The cinematography, editing, pacing, and performances are all stellar and create the perfect atmosphere for the somber but sincere tone the script strikes.
For such a short runtime, the story masterfully addresses topics of burn-out, workplace abuse, and even the meaning of life, in a way.
Its central message revolves around reaching for happiness despite life's apparent pointlessness as well as how relationships connect us as humans and tie us together for better or for worse.
Its critique of exploitative workplace culture (specifically in Japan) is perfect in its simplicity and there are several moments in the show which are so genuinely touching and meaningful I found myself tearing up multiple times.

The one thing I dislike about the show are its brief but inexplicable detours into tired BL cliches which happen repeatedly (although thankfully not all *that* often) over the course of the story. Presumably this is due to the source material, but that still doesn't change how uncomfortable and out of place these moments are.
The main instance of course being the scene in which one character forcibly gives the other a hand-job despite repeatedly being told "no" and "stop". Even putting aside how harmful the "predatory gay man" stereotype is, this scene just feels jarring and superfluous. I understand the intent behind it, but this is certainly the wrong approach.

Despite this flaw I cannot deny how wonderful this show is on the whole and how incredibly touching I find its quiet sincerity.
So if you are looking for short, highly character-driven slice of life drama about two people figuring out what's important in life and finding happiness in one another, then I'd highly recommend giving this a go.
Do beware of the SA trigger warnings though.

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"Being with people is heavy"

Okay so, do I wish this was longer...? 100%! Do I wish there had been a couple more scenes where Nomura Kota could've shown what a fantastic actor he is? 1,000%! But I have rewatched this twice now (rewatched the last episode a bunch more) and really enjoy it! When I tell you I have replayed the second to last scene repeatedly in my head since I watched it would be an understatement. The emotion, line delivery, and passion are unmatched for me personally. I just wanted more, and I know that's not a valid reason since it's a BL and those are always short, but I still wanted more. Would 100% recommend to anyone, honestly, so good!

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UMA BOA HISTÓRIA QUE PRECISAVA DE MAIS EPISÓDIOS

Essa é uma daquelas série fofas e intimistas (o que particularmente me agrada muito), mas precisava de mais alguns episódios para desenvolver o romance.
Os protagonistas são bonitos e o primeiro episódio é simplesmente impecável, eu não mudaria nada nele, e depois vamos acompanhando a dinâmica deles morando juntos quando o Hiro trabalha demais e o Kai está apegado a ideia de que eles estão prometidos um ao outro desde crianças.
Toda a história faz muito sentido mas poderíamos ter perdido algumas cenas de escritório para dar espaço a cenas românticas, mas o ideal seria uma quantidade um pouco maior de episódios para vermos como o Hiro vai lidar com o trabalho a partir de agora tendo um namorado e como o Kai vai superar o fato de sempre ter sido deixado de lado e agora ter alguém que o ame.
É uma boa série mas poderia ter sido muito melhor se tivéssemos mais tempo.

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