The 8.2 Second Rule is a Japanese BL series about a high school student and his ongoing pursuit of love. The teenage protagonist is a hopeless romantic who wants to find a boyfriend. He believes in the superstition that two people can fall in love if they maintain eye contact for 8.2 seconds. In each episode, the main character meets with various classmates to test if the theory comes true.
Light and insubstantial, The 8.2 Second Rule doesn't make a big splash in this genre. Every episode follows a rigid storytelling formula that offers little surprises or BL content. The handsome young cast is a selling point, but a few pretty faces can't compensate for a superficial plot. It's hard to get excited about this mild-mannered and saccharine series.
The 8.2 Second Rule Summary
Title:
8.2秒の法則
Series Info:
Japan (2022)
Genre:
School romance
About:
The 8.2 Second Rule is a nice & heartwarming BL drama.
Plot
Amai is a sweet second-year high school student who yearns for an innocent teenage romance. One day, he overhears his classmates talking about the "8.2-second rule". According to this superstition, two people will fall in love if they maintain eye contact for 8.2 seconds. Koichi wants to test this theory and hopefully find a boyfriend.
Koichi meets various male classmates faced with hardships in their lives. The list includes Kazuma (dancer), Kanata (musician), Ren (influencer), Miyagi (athlete), and Yusaku (actor). Some struggle to cope after an injury, while others have lost confidence in their talent. They are frustrated, upset, or depressed.
Koichi helps these guys feel better by preparing sweets for them. As a culinary enthusiast, Koichi can prepare many tasty desserts, from parfaits to coffee jelly. As he delivers the food to the troubled students, each snack contains a philosophical message connected to their current problems.
The 8.2 Second Rule Cast
Characters
Amai
Shuzo Ohira (大平修蔵)
Amai is a sweet, innocent high school student in his second year. He is a hopeless romantic who wants to find a boyfriend and experience love. Amai believes in a superstition that two people can fall in love after staring into each other's eyes for 8.2 seconds. He tests this theory on his male classmates.
Shuzo Ohira
Shuzo Ohira (大平修蔵) is a Japanese actor. He is born on March 12, 2001. His first BL project is the 2022 series, The 8.2 Second Rule.
Supporting Cast
Kazuma
Coki Yamashita (山下幸輝)
Kanata
Sora Inoue (井上想良)
Ren
Eiji Togashi (富樫慧士)
Miyagi
Gaku Oshiga (押田岳)
Yusaku
Yusuke Takemoto (武本悠佑)
Aoyama
Amai's sister
Cast Highlights
- Koichi's actor (Shizuo Ohiro) had a small supporting role in the 2022 Japanese BL comedy A Man Who Defies the World of BL 2. Ren's actor (Eiji Togashi) also appeared in this series.
- Miyagi's actor (Gaku Oshiga) was a supporting character in the 2022 series Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But to Kiss and the 2024 drama Cosmetic Playlover.
- Kanata's actor (Sora Inoue) starred in the 2022 BL drama Eternal Yesterday. He gave a nuanced performance, portraying a high school student who faced a devastating tragedy.
The 8.2 Second Rule Review
Review
Drama Review Score: 5.9
The 8.2 Second Rule is like a typical dessert. Its appearance looks attractive on the outside and seems sweet initially, but you realize it's too light to satisfy your cravings. This casual, wholesome series is decently made for harmless fluff. However, the content is mild, superficial, and trite. It barely does the minimum in conveying an inconsequential gay teen love story. The 8.2 Second Rule doesn't have much substance to differentiate it from more assertive BL projects.
The narrative suffers from a formulaic structure with few surprises. Every episode follows the same template, unwilling to deviate from its rigid trajectory. In the premiere, the lead makes desserts for a classmate before helping him solve a minor issue in his life. I'm sorry to say the rest of the series repeats this process to the end. There may be a new character, a different backstory, and another tasty dessert recipe. Nonetheless, it recycles a nearly identical plot five times. The lack of variety makes you want to skip the filler episodes because nothing unexpected will happen.
Beyond the repetitiveness, the storylines also suffer from shallow depth. These supporting characters are defined by one generic trait, hardly showing any personality. They're like plot devices in an after-school special, only existing for the series to emphasize its saccharine themes. To be fair, I appreciate the sentimentality in The 8.2 Second Rule. It's clever how the story ties the dessert's history into a unique life philosophy. I'm impressed whenever Amai explains the thought process behind each dish, which is connected to the episode's mantra.
Amai constantly daydreams about his male classmates, leading to sensual BL scenes in his imagination. From a cynical perspective, these superfluous segments are only included to pander to the audience and fulfill a quota. Nonetheless, Amai's gay fantasies are still the highlights of the series, and I look forward to watching them. Yet, these moments last only a few seconds in a ten-minute episode. Otherwise, there's little romantic content between the characters. In fact, Amai keeps getting rejected by guys, which contradicts the premise of BL.
The lead (Shuzo Ohira) is a handsome young man with modelesque looks. However, he seems miscast in this role. Shuzo doesn't capture the essence of Amai, who's supposed to be a wide-eyed ingenue yearning for love. Instead, the actor's performance comes across as artificial, not convincing me about his sincerity. The supporting characters are also cute guys, and the good-looking cast is a selling point in this series. My favourite is Kanata from Episode 2 (Sora Inoue). I wanted Amai to hook up with him purely because they'd make a hot couple lol.
The 8.2 Second Rule has a happy ending, even though the predictable conclusion is apparent to the viewers long ago. While I resonate with the heartwarming messages in the final scene, there's little adrenaline or excitement. Of course, just when Amai forges a genuine connection, the series stops at this point without further development. Overall, The 8.2 Second Rule is an uninspiring drama with a lacklustre story and minimal romance. The series makes a low impact in the BL genre, fading from my memory after just a few seconds.
Summary
Formulaic story
The 8.2 Second Rule follows a rigid formula in its storylines, repeating the same template in each episode. Its sentimental messages are diminished by predictable plots & shallow characters.
Superficial romance
Every ten-minute episode features a BL fantasy scene that lasts only a few seconds. Otherwise, there's little romantic content as Amai keeps getting rejected by his school crushes.
Bland acting
There's a good-looking cast with a dashing protagonist and cute supporting characters. However, the lead actor (Shuzo Ohiro) doesn't give a persuasive performance.
Happy ending
The 8.2 Second Rule has a happy and heartwarming ending, even though the events are predictable. Amai finally forges a genuine connection, but the series ends before developing this couple.
Decent artistry
This series conveys a soft, pleasant aesthetic. The close-up shots highlight the actors' attractiveness. Also, Episode 3 features a gorgeous backdrop that elevates the ricj ambiance.
59%
The 8.2 Second Rule offers casual BL fluff with handsome young actors. Unfortunately, the predictable story and minimal romance stifle its potential. There isn't much substance to explore.
The 8.2 Second Rule Episodes
Episode Guide
- Start Date June 10, 2022
- End Date June 10, 2022
- Episodes 5 episodes
- Episode Length 9 to 12 minutes
The 8.2 Second Rule has a total of 5 episodes. Each episode is around 9 to 12 minutes long. The last episode is around 12 minutes long. It is a short BL drama, and you can finish the entire series in under 1 hour. The 8.2 Second Rule was released June 10, 2022.
Episode 1 Around 10 minutes
Episode 1 introduces Amai, a high school student who wants to find a boyfriend. He overhears his classmates speaking about the 8.2-second rule. According to superstition, two people can fall in love if they stare at each other for 8.2 seconds. Amai tests this theory on Kazuma Mori, his classmate in the dance club. Kazuma recently clashed with one of his teammates over the choreography, unable to reconcile their dissimilar opinions.
Amai makes the Ichigo Daifuku dessert, known for combining two unusual ingredients (strawberry and bean paste) to create a savoury taste. This food helps Kazuma realize he's still compatible with his dance teammate despite their different views. Amai begins making eye contact with Kazuma for 8.2 seconds. However, their connection is interrupted by Kazuma's teammate. It turns out she is his girlfriend!
Episode 2 Around 9 minutes
In Episode 2, Amai encounters Kanata Ozawa, who have known each other since middle school. Kanata is in the school band and plays the trombone. However, he received a lot of criticism over his mistakes in a recent performance. Kanata has lost his confidence and doesn't feel passionate about music anymore.
Amai makes the Tarte Tatin dessert. This food's origins started as an apple pie, but a cooking mistake inadvertently led to this new recipe discovery. After Amai explains the concept to him, Kanata realizes he shouldn't be upset over his mistake. He has perked up significantly. Amai tries maintaining eye contact for 8.2 seconds, but he gets interrupted. A motivated Kanata wants to practice the trombone and asks Amai to leave him alone. Yes, he ends up choosing his musical instrument over the hot guy lol!
Episode 3 Around 9 minutes
In Episode 3, Amai meets Ren Suzuki, a famous online influencer at his school. Amai judges Ren initially and thinks he's narcissistic. However, the student is surprisingly friendly to him, causing our protagonist to change his mind. While chatting, Ren reveals that he received hateful comments on social media. He feels pressured to put up a perfect facade before his online following.
Amai makes the Parfait dessert, translated as perfect in French. This food achieves a yummy taste even without all the best ingredients. Ren realizes that he doesn't need to strive for perfection all the time, giving him a positive outlook on his social media following. Amai tries initiating eye contact for 8.2 seconds. However, he sees Ren's girlfriend on his social media account. This secret girlfriend is why Ren received hate in the first place.
Episode 4 Around 11 minutes
In Episode 4, Amai meets Shuto Miyago, a hot-headed athlete with an attitude problem. Shuto quits the basketball team, even though his teammates plead for him to reconsider. Amai discovers his classmate is demotivated over a recent injury. It causes him to give up on his favourite sport.
Amai makes the French Toast dessert, a food originally made from stale bread. This recipe shows that even old food can be revived and have a renewed purpose. Shuto learns he can return from his injury and become a better basketball player. Amai wants to make eye contact with him, but he is interrupted by Shuto's basketball manager. This girl has an obvious crush on him, and Amai can't break their natural bond.
Episode 5 Around 12 minutes
In the 8.2 Second Rule ending, Amai meets Yusaku Sakai from the drama club. Yusaku is upset after losing the leading role in a theatre play. He is relegated to a supporting character instead. Since Yusaku yearns for the spotlight, he looks down on his insignificant role.
Amai makes the Coffee Jelly dessert, highlighting coffee's versatility in different recipes. Even though coffee might not be the main ingredient in this food, it still plays a vital role. Yusaku realizes his significance despite being a supporting actor. However, he wants to focus on his play and ignores Amai's attempts to look into his eyes.
The final scene shows Amai upset after getting rejected repeatedly in every episode. He believes none of his classmates find him attractive. Just then, his friend Aoyama appears. This shy student has been watching Amai from a distance, observing his good deeds in the past. Aoyama prepares the Mille Crepe dessert, a recipe that didn't become popular until people realized its beauty over time.
The episode ends with Aoyama and Amai chatting happily as they maintain consistent eye contact. Ironically, Amai doesn't even need to count to 8.2 seconds because he's so entranced in the conversation with his friend.
The 8.2 Second Rule Information
Links
- MyDramaList The 8.2 Second Rule MyDramaList
- Website 8.2 Byo no Hosoku website
- YouTube The 8.2 Second Rule YouTube
Thank you for the review, it made me watch it and I really enjoyed it, its different from the usual BLs, no romance (just the beginning? maybe romance or maybe not … )
The combination of his imagination and thoughts , his wonderful backing and his philosophy was very interesting.