Takato Saijō has reigned as the idol industry’s “Most Huggable” for five years, that is, until freshman actor Azumaya. Takato was always considered brusque while Azumaya’s smile is winning over admirers by comparison. The whole fiasco drives Takuto to over indulge in alcohol and his actions catch the attention of the last person he wants to see. To his surprise, Azumaya uses this new info to blackmail Takuto for physical affection. – ANN
Streaming: Crunchyroll
Episodes: 13
Source: Manga
Episode Summary: Takato Saijyo is at the top of his game. He’s coming up on 20 years in the entertainment industry and shows no signs of stopping. For the past five years he’s been voted as the “most huggable” man in a popular magazine poll and expects that his ruthless hard work will land him at the top of this year’s standings as well. However, he gets a rude awakening when Junta Azumaya, a young but popular upcoming actor, upstages him big time, stealing his top spot (and to him, all the glory). Even worse, the two are working together on a new film in which Azumaya has the lead role.
If that weren’t bad enough, Saijyo ends up in Azumaya’s house after a night of heavy drinking (which Azumaya has on video), and Azumaya confesses that ever since Saijyo gave him acting advice a year ago, he’s harbored strong feelings for him. So strong, in fact, that Azumaya tries to make a move right then and there before Saijyo escapes and locks him in the bedroom. Needless to say, the atmosphere gets a little awkward on the movie set the next day, but Azumaya’s try-hard method of acting requires some hardcore correction, so Saijyo finds it in himself to provide some guidance. After a successful day of filming, Azumaya drags Saijyo back to his apartment for round 2, and Saijyo can’t find it within him to resist this time around. But he vows that he won’t have sex with Azumaya again unless Azumaya wins the “best actor” award.
Impressions: There’s a reason why I don’t typically seek out much BL content, and it’s not because I dislike seeing stories about same-sex couples. What makes BL difficult for me is that its tropes so often involve content that’s just this side of non-consensual (and sometimes crosses that line). While I understand there’s an element of fantasy to the genre and it’s not meant to represent anything realistic, I also have a tough time setting aside the bad feelings that come from watching one character overpower the other or coerce them into doing something they’re not absolutely interested in doing. Dakaichi is somewhat unique in the way that it sets up the power dynamics between the main couple and it goes against expectations as far as who’s the aggressor, but it still falls victim to some of the expectations of its genre.
Takato and Azumaya are an interesting couple of guys, that’s for sure. Takato Saijyo is what I’d describe as an arrogant ass, but for good reason; he’s a hard-worker and he’s talented. He’s someone who’s worked his way up through show business and has a shrewd, possibly cynical, but realistic view of what it takes to be successful in a fickle business. He’s earned his crummy attitude. Azumaya is the newb, someone without the history or business acumen of his senpai, but who has some measure of raw talent that just needs to be honed. I might be naive (or just genre-inexperienced), but considering their character types I would have expected Saijyo to be on the aggressive end – between the two characters he wields the social and experiential power. That’s one area where this episode pleasantly surprises, because it turns the expected power dynamics on their head by making Azumaya the one to make the first moves.
I also have to give the show credit for avoiding an uncomfortable age disparity between the two. I’m not a fan of seeing a big adult-looking guy try to make passes (or worse) at male characters who look like kids, whether they “technically” are or not. As far as I can tell, both characters are adults in a professional field, so whatever their behavior toward one-another is at least it doesn’t have the added effect of involving an underage person.
What I find disappointing is that, for how much it avoids certain tropes, the episode still manages to feel uncomfortable due to the way that Saijyo is treated. There’s something admittedly kind of cute and funny about the fact that Azumaya, a “gee, whiz!” kind of good guy on the surface is actually a total hornball. The humorous aspect dissolves, though, once questionable consent rears its ugly head. It’s difficult to pinpoint all the reasons why Saijyo isn’t interested in Azumaya’s sexual advances. I get the impression that he considers himself “above” all that to some extent, and considering Azumaya’s magazine-poll victory, he’s more rival to him than lover. It’s pretty obvious that Saijyo just doesn’t really like the guy. Whatever it is, though, it’s enough of a reason that he doesn’t really want to have sex with the guy. It’s reason enough not to say “yes.” Azumaya’s actions attempt to manipulate and push those boundaries for his own enjoyment. Because of the fantasy aspect Saijyo eventually relents, but relenting isn’t consenting in my book. When the two have sex near the end of the episode Saijyo’s teary eyes and minimal involvement just left me feeling squicked about the whole thing.
Visually, the episode is pretty solid; though not robust on animation, the characters look appealing enough (they definitely avoid looking like huge-handed yaoi stereotypes). The sex scene between Azumaya and Saijyo has some pretty obvious “buy the Blu-ray” cropping so as not to reveal much nudity or anything too spicy for TV. I suspect it may have been cut for length as well, but that’s just a guess.
I actually enjoyed the majority of this episode more than I thought I would, because the banter and low-grade animosity between the two characters spices up what might otherwise be a fairly typical romantic comedy. There is actually a lot to enjoy here if you’re willing/able to ignore some of the negative aspects of the relationship. I can’t really do that, however; I’m just immediately turned off the moment it appears someone isn’t having a good time in bed. For BL fans who are more able to overlook these moments, this might be a solid pick for the season.
Pros: The power dynamics between the main characters are unexpected. There’s no gross age-difference. The rivalry between Saijyo and Azumaya adds some flavor.
Cons: The same run-of-the-mill consent problems that show up in a lot of BL stories.
Grade: C-