Chosen Home – Series Review & Ending Explained

Episode 1

Episode 1 Review

"Man was born for love and revolution." Oh, I adore this line, and it's a really great way to kick off the series. At the start of the story, Hatano is stuck in a rut. He's 50, single and slightly cautious to mingle. After losing his self-confidence, he tries to back out of the matchmaking service. Momose's quote (well, technically, it's Osamu Dazai's quote) is exactly what Hatano needs to hear. Dude, you need to shake things up! Man was not born for loneliness and despair. Let's start a damn revolution with your love life!

A great thing about Japanese BL is its age diversity, which puts older gay men in the spotlight. This genre is oversaturated with too many characters in their teens and twenties. I always welcome more mature romances because they provide fresh storylines. It's great to have a 50-year-old protagonist like Hatano and get his perspective on life. Besides his age, Hatano is quite a unique lead because he breaks the mould of a cool older man. He's essentially a meddling, big-hearted uncle who's still sorting out his life. Hatano is more of an ordinary guy than a romantic hero, which makes him charming.

When they first met, Hotaru was standoffish toward Hatano. She barely gave him the time of day. The turning point in their relationship comes after she overhears his conversation and finds out he's gay. Oh, the BL fangirl in her has activated! Suddenly, the annoying neighbour becomes way more interesting. She probably sees him as an underdog in life, much like her. Instead of being another authority figure who judges her, he's an outsider who knows what it's like to be misunderstood. That vulnerability helps Hotaru connect with Hatano, making her trust him more.

Episode 2

Episode 2 Review

At this point, Hatano should just join the matchmaking service. Momose gives him such great life advice that he needs to reward her lol. I really love her analogy with the parfaits! She says that life is an accumulation of our experiences. As you go through life, each moment is like adding toppings to your parfait. A bit of syrup over here, some fruit over there. When you look at the glass at the end, you see a finished parfait. You realize that by just collecting those little sweet moments day by day, you've already built a wonderful life.

Okay, Hotaru's plan is like… INSANE!?!?!? She asks her neighbour to pretend to be her father? And buy a house with her? Using the illegal money that her mom embezzled from her company? None of this sounds like a good idea, yet she still draws up a contract and tries to get Hatano to sign it. Girl, you need to rethink this! Hatano is at least smart enough not to buy a house with a teenager's stolen money, but he still signs the contract and pretends to be her dad. He's taking a massive risk for his neighbour, even lying to the cops about his identity. ARE YOU ABSOLUTELY SURE ABOUT THIS???

Hotaru's plan is bonkers, but I feel sorry for her circumstances. Her backstory is really sad! This young girl has endured a tough life. Both her biological parents have let her down. The mom embezzled money and ditched her, while the dad remarried and also left her behind. The abandonment trauma would mess up anyone's head. The scene that gets to me is when a boy wrote her a love note, yet she uses the back of the paper to calculate bills. It shows how she can't afford to enjoy the simple joys of being a teenager. Life has forced her to be practical instead of romantic.

Episode 3

Episode 3 Review

There are a few moments in this episode when Hatano comes across as a little desperate with his one-sided crush. He wants to have Sakuta's attention, yet this younger man doesn't seem interested in him. At times, Sakuta looks confused or even irritated around Hatano. Despite spending a lot of time together in this episode, I don't sense a spark between them. Even when the story suggests Sakuta may change his mind ("The door looks kinda cute now!"), I still have my doubts about this romance.

I also have some doubts about Sakuta's decision to keep Hotaru's secret. As her teacher, you'd expect him to act professionally and report this to the authorities. Not to mention, there's a big risk to his career. That said, the story has tried to justify his decision. We know that Sakuta does things unconventionally, like living in his car for months. He doesn't mind losing his job either. Also, Sakuta grew up in an orphanage, so he doesn't subscribe to the "mom, dad, kids" definition of a family. If Hotaru can grow up safely with a neighbour, a landlady, and a teacher, Sakuta sees that as a valid support system.

As an orphan, Sakuta can relate to Hotaru's hardships. He tells her, "I used to make up fake parents and fake girlfriends, and tell my friends about them." In the past, he has told lies to protect himself, just as she has. For many other adults, lying in this situation would feel wrong. They'd want to find Hotaru a legal guardian. For Sakuta, he understands that some lies may protect you better than telling the truth. Similarly, he knows that the "true" family (awful biological dad) may not always protect you better than the "fake" family (neighbour, landlady & teacher).

The true mirin subplot sums up Hotaru's situation. She wants to cook a family dish, but the world tells her she isn't allowed. On paper, Hotaru is a minor who shouldn't have access to alcohol. Emotionally, she's an abandoned child just trying to recreate her mother's recipe. When Hatano steps in to buy it for her, he's doing what Sakuta does by keeping her secret. Both men realize that the rules are failing Hotaru, so they choose to bend them to give her a win. Sometimes, doing the right thing isn't necessarily the same as following the rules.

Episode 4

Episode 4 Review

In this episode, Hatano and Sakuta discuss what it's like for them to grow up as gay. These conversations are surprisingly rare in BL dramas, which focus solely on the romance rather than the LGBTQ+ experiences. It's nice to see the couple bond over their adolescent memories. At one point, Sakuta talks about his first crush. He liked a classmate with a beard. I was shocked when Sakuta mentioned he wanted to keep a strand of hair from the guy's beard. Uh…… *blinks* His facial hair, really? Is this a thing people actually do???

Hotaru's father, Jin, is awful. Besides being a deadbeat dad, I hate how he always brings up Hatano's sexuality and refers to him as the gay guy. 🤬 That said, I want to share my unhinged crack ship. Don't freak out, but does anyone see the vision behind Hatano x Jin? Imagine Hotaru's reaction when she finds out her biological father and her foster father are hooking up. The plot twist of it all! The two men have a juicy enemies-to-lovers arc and a homophobe-to-gay-lover arc. Plus, they both love animals. If they could make this romance work, it would elevate Chosen Home to a god-tier BL drama!

I laughed at the scene where Sakuta asked ChatGPT whether it was against the law for a stranger to pretend to be a minor's parent. The response? A never-ending list of criminal offences. Yes, what you're doing is very illegal! Come to think of it, a lot of characters are breaking the law. Hatano, Sakuta, and Inokashira are in deep doodoo if they get caught. They're running a small-scale criminal conspiracy just to give a 15-year-old a place to feel safe. Luckily for them, the police in this drama are incompetent lol. Detective Matsu still hasn't noticed anything wrong.

Episode 5

Episode 5 Review

I like Hotaru's scenes with Nacchi. Hotaru used to skip school with her friends. Lately, she notices Nacchi studying and taking exams seriously. When asked why, Nacchi shares an interesting take. She thinks doing well in school leads to more freedom, especially later in life. That idea clearly clicks for Hotaru. She isn't being told what to do by a teacher or a guardian. She just listens to a friend, thinks it over, and decides to start working hard for herself. It feels like the first time Hotaru understands what to do with her future.

The conversation between Inokashira and Tomoe is a great scene. It sheds light on why Hotaru's mom embezzled money. She was tired of being overlooked at work while men without families were promoted over her. Tomoe felt like the company already robbed her time and worth, so she just took what she thought she was owed. I like how Inokashira understands that frustration, but still holds her accountable for ditching her child. "I'd never leave her behind. Even if I had to run, I'd take her with me." Oh yes, call her out! The beauty of this scene is that I see both women's perspectives. It paints a very nuanced picture.

Later, Momose joins the ladies for a parfait, showing two generations of women and their differences. Back in the day, Tomoe and Inokashira suffered from sexism and lacked career options. Then you have Momose. She's the youngest in the group and has made enough money to buy her own condo. This financial freedom is a privilege that the others never had. They joke about the 15-hour walk to the train station, which is a metaphor for the long journey of women's rights. Tomoe and Inokashira walked a hard road until the next generation of women could run freely.

This episode has another trio with Hatano, Sakuta, and Sakuta's ex, Yoshida. It brings together three gay men, each handling their identities differently. Sakuta is the most confident. He isn't loud about being gay, but he doesn't hide it or lie to fit in. On the other end, you have his ex, Yoshida, who's still struggling. He even wears a fake wedding ring to look like a married man. Hatano sits somewhere in the middle. As part of an older generation, his privacy comes from self-preservation, yet he seems comfortable in his own skin.

Watching the three of them compare notes is interesting because it shows there isn't just one way to be gay. Each man has their own way of surviving and finding peace. Initially, I was rooting for Sakuta and Yoshida to get back together. After this episode, I realize they're in different places in life. Yoshida being in the closet has always been a secret source of friction between them. Sakuta wants to settle down with a long-term partner, which requires living openly to some extent. Yet, Yoshida still wants to hide who he is. They have such different priorities that a relationship between them seems nearly impossible.

Episode 6

Episode 6 Review

Early on, I was rooting for Hatano and Kaito to become a couple. I was going solely based on the actor's attractiveness. C'mon, this hunk needs to be the love interest! As the story went on, Kaito seemed like a nice guy who got along with the misfit kids. There was even more reason to ship him with Hatano. Once I discovered they had history back in middle school, that was the moment Kaito won the imaginary love triangle in my head. Can Sakuta escort himself out of this series to make room for the Hatano x Kaito romance?

Unfortunately, Kaito is already in a relationship, crushing all my shipping dreams. It's a little sad because Hatano and Kaito had mutual crushes on each other back in middle school. Yet, they couldn't be honest with their feeling due to the homophobic culture. If only history had been kinder to them, these two would have confessed and become a couple. Now, Kaito is forever the one who got away… 😭 Even though Hatano and Kaito didn't end up together, I'm still glad to see them make amends. In the past, they had to hide and hurt each other. Now, they've turned a painful secret into a fond memory.

I loved the final scene of the episode! Hotaru's actress (Tamaki Shiratori) gives an impressive performance, breaking my heart when she says, "By the time I turn fifty, life will be so hard, I might just die. It already hurts so much now." Oh my god, nooooo! I'M SOBBING. 😭 I also adore Hatano's advice when she asks him what he loves about growing older. He mentions hilariously ordinary activities, leading up to his point that you learn to appreciate the small moments. "The things you dislike will decrease and the things you like will increase. That's what it means to age."

Episode 7

Episode 7 Review

Surprisingly, Hatano's mom reads BL manga! The one she recommends is 3Happy. The gist of the story is that the two leads quit their toxic jobs and use their severance to travel. Along the way, they go from emotional rock bottom to falling in love. Um, that plot sounds amazing? It sounds like something I would read. Actually, I had to look up online to see if it was a fake manga or not lol. I'm sad it doesn't exist, but someone needs to make it for real. I need a manga, an anime, and a live-action remake of 3Happy!

Hatano's mom reminds me of BL Metamorphosis. In that movie, an older woman becomes a fan of BL manga and uses it to bond with a teenager. While the film explores its plot in greater detail, I still like how Chosen Home handles the storyline. Hatano's mom explains that she uses the manga to process her son's coming out. "No matter who you love, you can be happy. Something as obvious as this, I've only just realized." I was moved by her sincere tone. I also like when a fictional story is so powerful that it changes someone's views. Stories can simplify complex social issues down to a single truth: love is good.

This episode focuses on partnership certificates. The Japanese government uses it to recognize same-sex couples by giving them limited rights in some regions. In other words, here's a breadcrumb of equality, which is still better than nothing. Kaito has one of these certificates with his partner. I thought it would be similar to a wedding vow and include statements like "In sickness and in health, until death do us part!" Instead, Kaito and Ryoga use their contract to specify how many eggs they're allowed to consume. I guess every relationship is unique in its own way lol.

Hatano and Sakuta get their own partnership certificate. Hatano is second-guessing everything and keeps asking if they should go through with it. Sakuta has no hesitation and doesn't see this as a real marriage license. He treats the certificate as a practical move, almost like they're signing up for a Costco membership to get discounts. On the one hand, I understand his logic. Why get excited over a piece of paper? On the other hand, I wish he'd be just a little more romantic. As a BL viewer, I still want to see some sparks.

Hatano and Sakuta spend most of their screen time doing paperwork. If you didn't know their history, you’d almost think they were just two roommates. I totally get that they’re older and past the honeymoon phase, but they can still be affectionate. Just look at Kaito and Ryoga. That couple is arguing, hugging, and letting their emotions fly. In contrast, Hatano and Sakuta seem too reserved with their emotions. In the last scene, Sakuta finally gives Hatano a hug and drops the big L word, only to pair it with: "You'll die one day, Hatano. I love you." Dude, are you serious!? What kind of twisted love confession is this!? 😵