Our Youth

Honey on eggs

First things first – in my opinion, this is one of the best BL series ever made. It is realistic and romantic, it is brutal and poetic, it is full of angst, yet full of love as well. The genius writer of this series (Miura Yoiku) found a beautiful metaphor for all this: Minase: ”Honey on eggs?” Hirukawa: ”Yes, seems impossible, right? You think I'm lying? Try it first.” Minase: ”Mhm, delicious.”

”Our Youth” is the seemingly impossible love story of the well-behaved, excellent high school student Minase (Motojima Junsei) and troublemaker Hirukawa (Kamimura Kenshin). At first, Minase doesn't like Hirukawa, and is even scared of him after he watches him attacking a teacher. Things change when Minase witnesses Hirukawa being beaten up by his drunk father, a brutal scene, which happens several times in the first half of the series. Minase helps the injured boy, and even defends him when he is threatened to be expelled from the school.

As the boys open up to each other, albeit in very small steps, it becomes obvious that they share a similar backstory.

Hirukawa stayed at his father's when his mother fled from her husband's domestic violence, because he didn't want to disturb her new family. His father's brutality has a devastating effect on the boy – he thinks that he is as bad as his father, and thus believes that he isn't worthy to be loved by anyone.

Minase's parents also separated, and he stays with his mother, who is absent most of the time, but when she is there, she keeps suggesting girlfriends, and later fiancées to Minase. Minase's father is a respected director, and Hirukawa, who dreams of becoming a filmmaker, is happy when Minase takes him to a premiere. The event turns out to be a disappointment for Minase, though, because his father again has no time for his son. On the other hand, the two boys' visit to Hirukawa's mother becomes a pleasant trip to the seaside.

Then Hirukawa's father drinks himself to death, and Hirukawa b...