There are a lot of Japanese B(oys) L(ove) movies, also a homosexual office romance Doushitemo Furetakunai (No Touching at all) but to my knowledge Ossan's Love is the first and only BL dramaseries that is mainstream broadcasted in Japan.
True Love
Just like the other BL movies Ossan's Love is based on a manga, and it shows. There are a lot of cartoon-like characters, and scenes, that made me laugh and eager to follow the story until the end. Perhaps because of this I started to stare and compare with another BL dramaseries, Diary of Tootsies (Thailand 2016)
Both series follow a couple of friends in their search for true love. The Thais series has a more western touch like Sex &The City, the leads are very straight forward in their desires with hilarious sex scenes. Ossan's Love is more asian in the willingness to remain aloof in a traditional society. The chemistry between the leading couple is absolutely there, but the emphasis is on platonic love until the very last episode when their days of holding back seem over.
Summary
Ossan's Love, literally the love of a middle-aged man, is about the love life of Haruta Soichi and his colleagues at an estate office.
Haruta is a good looking 33 year old man, also well hung if we have to believe the stares he get at the men's room, but with a goofy personality. He's always ready to please everyone, perhaps because he's too lazy to fight, which brings him in awkward situations. To make things worse he's also lacking in social skills. That's why he's unlucky in group dating, but he enjoys a small circle of good friends.
Haruta still lives with his mother, until she gets fed up with him and leaves. Since Haruta can't do any basic housework he asks co-worker Maki Ryouta to live with him. To his surprise Maki is the best partner he could dream of, but it seems life has more for him in stock. One day both his roommate Maki and his middle aged boss Musashi Kurosawa confess their ardent love to him. Also one of his female friends, Chizu Arai, goes into love mode. This is really too much for Haruta to handle. As his roller coaster journey to love begins, Haruta is constantly screaming and falling all over the place. Just like his friends and colleagues, who turn out to be exactly as ignorant on love and their desires as he is.
The Pros
Ossan's Love is watchable for everyone, a warm and sweet opinion on humans and theirs struggles in life. Themes like group pressure, status in life, keeping up appearances, marriage, divorce, midlife crisis, it's all there. The homosexuality makes it only more gripping. The cast is superb, not only the leading couple who gave me the feels. I also could relate to other characters, sympathized with the slighted lovers.
The Cons
This series is simply too short and way too platonic. Just like other fans I'm waiting for the sequel, what will happen to the relation of the male leads, and everybody involved?
Verdict
I could see five seasons of Ossan's Love and still be hooked, I guess. Please let this be the Modern Family Series of Japan.
