The title may seem slightly overdone, but Ossan's Love was just that- a game-changer. I watched this a while ago, but the entirety of Ossan's Love still remains in my mind and makes me laugh out of nowhere without warning. Despite BL being a relatively well-established premise in Japan, this short film offered an alternative to its predecessors in a 40-minute capsule comprising almost every reccuring theme in Japanese dramas- from the comic relief to the love triangle to the spur-of-the-moment 'confession- at the very end, it manages to claim a spot amongst a myriad of other dramas as an instant classic.

By appointing a goofy, somewhat-relatable clerk like Haruta as the main character of the story, we are readily welcomed to laugh at him and his sentiments regarding his sudden popularity amongst male employees at the company when he's only ever directed that sort of gaze towards women previously. Hase is his sweet, neat-freak roomie who is close enough with his senpai that the latter enjoys talking to him about virtually anything. Kurosawa is the reliable boss who always pushes others to keep going even when they fail, the anchor that reigns everyone to their responsibilities and does so in a way that benefits them. There is no denying that everyone executed their roles perfectly, too- I don't know anyone else who would've portrayed a Haruta as loveable as Tanaka Kei, or a trustworthy, cute colleague who we find most of our sympathies lying with- not to overlook his near-kiss of Haruta whilst he was sleeping, which was wrong without a doubt- and the kooky, rather assertive and presumptuous Chief- his segments made me the most uncomfortable, to tell the truth (what with the following around, taking photos and not letting Haruta give a concrete answer first before making assumptions).

I think one of the most important things to consider is that OL has achieved all this without any unfavourable tropes or glossing over of insensitive, inappropriate topics related to BL, being queer and the queer community- although Haruta's journey from being homophobic to accepting and even admitting towards his feelings for Hase is mostly left to interpretation (probably because the directors had to squeeze everything into those 40 minutes). Its reach wasn't prejudiced in that those associated with the BL 'sub-culture' or 'fujoshis'/'fudanshis' weren't the only ones indulging in this silly, hilarious story- everyone was.

All in all, Ossan's Love provides an intriguing, memorable and absolutely lovable alternative to the usual 'Masc' Top x 'Femme'/Gay Bottom trope seen in BL, with an additional unexpected, but completely welcome change in that the premise is set in a workplace between employees aged late-20s-50(?)s. There's a reason why it's remembered by everyone of various interests and backgrounds- thus ascertaining its notoriety. Kamisama, thanks for this BL!

NB: This will go down one of two ways, but...Hase was the better Maki 😂