From the trailer it feels like it's hinting a tragic story and has a lot of potential. From previous experience of Japanese bl works, I've only seen 30-sai and they did a great job with it (definitely one of the best ones in the genre, in my humble opinion), so I can't help having hope this one would be of a similar standard.

As we are still in the early stages of 2023, it's not expected much works would be released until March at the very least (approx March-May when higher quality works would drop) in terms of films/dramas in general. Hence with this in mind, I didn't expect to be drawn into The End of the World With You.

With the current rate that the industries are churning out bl dramas like machines, there's an underlying frustration when it comes to production, and I hate to say I've grown to be particular when selecting which to indulge in. It's clear much of the premises are indicating recycled plots and tropes, and the depth is somewhat lacking. I'm by no means an expert, but these are the criteria that determines what makes or breaks this genre:

- storytelling/plot
- emotional depth
- conflict - more than homophobia, or coming to terms with one's sexuality
- character development
- chemistry between 2 leads
- any included romantic scenes

I've seen a few works where there is no romantic scenes involved and the drama turned out brilliantly, and it should be emphasized that this isn't necessary in the first place. There's some dramas with too much of these scenes but no plot, and those with good plot, chemistry and storytelling without it being overly done. The thirst is real for explicit/romantic scenes, but ultimately the nitpick is how well these are shot if the directors choose to include it, and sometimes these end up looking extremely unnatural, not to mention a cringe fest, that it would've been better had it been left out.

In the case for Ep2, I hadn't expected them to go that far, but I appreciated that it was done properly rather than shoving it for the sake of attempting to express romance. A red flag ensues, however, that leaves a resolve to be desired between the two characters.

The premise is unique concept with a time limit involved, which I've not yet seen in a bl. There are plenty of routes this theme can open up to and it's very promising. I didn't want to give a higher rating since it's still quite early into the plot, but so far in seeing 2ep, it looks worthwhile so I'd be continuing to see how things unfold.