Smells Like Green Spirit (2024)

One of the best Japanese queer story

First off, I want to remind readers that this is a queer drama, not just a simple BL. BL focuses solely on the romance between two men, while this drama is much more nuanced. The story is realistic and quite heavy, and it takes place during the characters' junior high school years, not high school, as in the manga.

Story
I really appreciate how this drama adapts the manga's plot so faithfully. I’m also in awe of the mangaka, Saburō Nagai, who created four main characters with the same struggles but different fates, all shaped by their surroundings, particularly their families.
The friendship between Mishima and Kirino is something I truly value. It's rare to find such a sincere, supportive gay friendship in queer stories, especially in BL. Their bond is heartwarming—they explore shared interests and accept their differences from what society deems "normal." Unfortunately, their paths diverge because of the choices they make in life.
The ending of this drama is strikingly realistic. Each character has a different conclusion. Two of them end up with happy endings, while the other two face sad endings (in my opinion). The contrast between Kirino and Yanagi’s sad outcomes is especially notable.
Both Kirino and Yanagi deny their true selves to fulfill societal and parental expectations of "normalcy," eventually marrying women. However, their futures turn out very differently. Yanagi ends up divorced, becomes a teacher embroiled in a scandal, and lives a directionless life, while Kirino manages to build a small family, have children, and make his mother happy. This is a significant, meaningful contrast.
As for Mishima, he succeeds in becoming himself, supported by his accepting mother. The scene between Mishima and Kirino on the school rooftop is deeply bittersweet because the life Kirino longed for is lived by Mishima, while Kirino takes on the "normal" life Mishima had planned. It’s a heartbreaking moment.
I hope that, even though Kirino isn’t able to live his truth, he finds happiness in fulfilling his mother’s wishes. Kirino’s mother had given him the freedom to be himself, but perhaps Kirino had his own reasons for choosing to live as his mother expected.
Yumeno, who wasn't initially gay but chose to love a man, perfectly embodies the queer experience. He starts out following societal norms but ultimately follows his heart. Love knows no gender.
Yumeno is my favorite character, and I am pleased with his character development. He starts off as a rebellious teenager, but by the end, he matures and takes responsibility for his past mistakes. He’s determined to understand the world that Mishima and Kirino inhabit. I admire how, after making the decision to be with Mishima, he keeps his promise for years.
Yumeno’s family is also a highlight. They’re humorous and supportive, and they accept Yumeno’s choices. For me, Yumeno is the shining light in an otherwise dark and complex story.
Manga Story: 10, Live Action: 9.5
The adaptation is almost perfect, just like the manga, though there is one thing I wish had been included: the elevator scene and the extra part where, as adults, they return to the village and Yumeno talks to Mishima’s mother about the struggles they’ve faced in their relationship. I was hoping this would be shown in the drama, perhaps a bonus episode could have been added for this.

Acting/Cast
The acting from all the cast members is stellar. They each perfectly convey the essence of their characters, and I was deeply moved by their performances. I greatly appreciated the chemistry among the cast, to the point where I couldn’t move on from the drama. In general, I’m not very familiar with the actors, so when I started watching this drama, I only saw them as their respective characters. But after learning more, I was surprised to discover Araki Towa. He’s a well-known actor for many notable works, and he perfectly portrays Mishima, a beautiful teenage boy. Araki Towa nailed the role. Sono Shunta and Abe Alan, both seasoned actors, were also impressive. I’m in awe of how much thought the production team put into casting the right actors for each role.
Fujimoto Kodai, a newcomer to acting, was also outstanding as Yumeno. I can’t imagine anyone else playing the role as well as he did.
The rest of the cast did a fantastic job of bringing the manga’s characters to life.

Music
The song There for You by Lead is incredible. I was moved to tears, especially by the heartfelt lyrics, and the music video is beautiful—it perfectly conveys that love has no gender. It’s definitely one of my favorite songs now.
I particularly love this part:

"No matter where you go
Baby I will be there for you
No matter where you are
Baby I will be there for you"

It truly describes Yumeno’s love for Mishima.
There’s also a scene from the manga I wish had been included in the drama. If you read the manga, you’ll know how Yumeno spent years choosing to stay with Mishima, even rejecting a girl who confessed her love to him in high school when Mishima was uncertain about their relationship. Yumeno didn’t want to give up and convinced Mishima that his decision was final. Yumeno even moved to Tokyo to live with Mishima. This really proves that no matter where Mishima goes, Yumeno will always be by his side. I can’t help but cry every time I think about this while listening to the song.

Rewatch
I don’t typically rewatch dramas since I’m selective, but when I find one that resonates with me, I watch it over and over.
For this drama, I’ve already watched it more than five times and will continue to rewatch it because it’s just that good, especially because of the actors’ chemistry.
It’s absolutely worth rewatching, and I really hope it gets picked up by international platforms like Netflix so that more viewers worldwide can enjoy it.

This drama is outstanding, and I highly recommend watching it. You will experience bittersweet emotions by the end of the series. It has also become one of my favorite queer stories, alongside the film Monster.

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this drama is realistic, unhinged, and.. did i mention realistic?

it's not your typical BL and it mainly focuses on how characters discover themselves, friendships, and love. Some scenes are like a warm hug and some scenes are like a slap on the face. it's cruel, but realistic. and i like how in some serious or dramatic scenes, they do not put a background sound which makes it even more realistic as if im actually there, invisible, watching the characters suffer and can do nothing about it. i especially like the friendship between kirino and mishima.

pros:
the plot is amazing
the acting is GIVING
the characters are well-written and have some flaws (which is realistic)
makes you experience different feelings in just one episode

cons:
being aired once a week
cant wait for new ep
so short, wdym 9 eps?? i need 900. RIGHT NOW. ALL AIRED!!

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Review is W.I.P~

Foremost, I think the runtime should have been around 45 minutes to properly impact the viewers. 23-24 minutes episodes aren't ideal when you're dealing with such delicate societal topics. Makers should have given viewers the time to settle in and connect themselves. I would recommend waiting for 3-4 episodes and then start watching.
Now, let's come to the societal issue this drama will be dealing with, this is not a BL, it's an LGBTQ drama, so please keep that in mind when jumping in. You gotta bring your compassion along with your passion while watching.
In the first episode, there's a disclaimer in the beginning which viewers should read carefully. Though the drama is set up of 1990s, the society is still very much prejudiced and harsh against a 'girly' boy than it is against a 'boyish' girl. If I am to give an example from my own experiences, we had a boy in our school, who liked 'girly' stuffs were harassed/made fun of by other boys and even some girls. But a tomboy was quite famous among boys and even girls. She played volleyball in district level for our school.
Nevertheless, I am through and through impressed by Araki Towa, he's going to win awards for his protreyal of Mishima for sure

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