The Novelist – Drama Review & Episode Guide

Unusual premise

The Novelist has a super weird premise. A bike injury leads to a job offer, which involves transcribing the erotic passages from a pornographic novel. Realistically, none of this would happen in real life, and nobody in their right minds would agree to such a working arrangement. Still, we go along with this fantasy plot, which was kind of interesting due to the sheer unusualness of the events. At the very least, it gets points for creativity.

Due to the explicit subject matter, The Novelist may seem vulgar at times. It speaks very frankly about genitals, sensual pleasures, and numerous sexual positions. However, once you get over the novelty of the unique premise, the eroticism doesn't really feel that edgy. Of course, your tolerance levels may differ from mine, but I never got the feeling that I'm watching anything indecent. Yes, the series can get a little naughty or raunchy at times, but the suggestive content never crosses the line and become too obscene.

Plot twist

In the last two episodes, Kijima's manipulative plot is unraveled. We find out that he's a massive fraud who has been lying about everything. All along, Kuzumi thought he's helping Kijima work on his latest novels, but it turns out that none of his transcripts actually mattered. The truth is that Kijima has been wasting his time, asking Kuzumi to do meaningless work for the past few weeks. He has no good reason either, lying just for the sake of toying with a stranger's emotions.

I do like this plot twist, which takes the story to a more sinister place, and I'm okay with that! However, the problem is that the story doesn't feel interesting anymore after the shocking reveal. It never recovers after the plot twist, and a lot of momentum is lost in the last two episodes.

Realistically, Kuzumi should want nothing to do with Kijima after his betrayal. However, the plot forces him to reconcile with Kijima anyway, but does so in such a slow and boring way. It really feels like they were dragging the story for those last 30-40 minutes with a lot of unnecessary angst. Even though I like the idea of the plot twist, I didn't love the aftermath that ensued. Bring back the erotic passages, because this shit is boring. 🥱

Kijima and Kuzumi

The romance suffers because of Kuzumi. I don't hate him, but he feels undeveloped for a main character. His personality is not defined well, outside of being stupidly honest and unbelievably gullible. This is a problem because Kijima's character has so much personality, whereas Kuzumi is like a blank slate. As a result, their relationship doesn't feel as compelling as it should have been.

It's also difficult to overlook that Kijima has deceived and manipulated Kuzumi in a weird entrapment scheme. He took advantage of this young man's kindness, using him as a toy for his twisted version of entertainment. This doesn't feel like the healthiest foundation for a relationship, and the series hasn't redeem Kijima enough to the point that I could forgive him. The dynamic between them is off, and there's a hard time connecting me to this couple, no matter how saucy their sex scenes might be.

Kijima and Kido

It was heavily implied that Kijima and his editor Kido seemed to share a history together. There's an air of mystery around their ambiguous dynamic, making you want to learn more about why they're so familiar with each other. Fortunately, this relationship gets a lot more proper attention in the prequel series, Mood Indigo, where everything is explained.

Which love interest do I ship Kijima with? Hmm, my answer would be… *thinks long and hard* …I guess, Kuzumi by default, because at least he's honest with his feelings. Once you have a wife and a baby like Kido, you pretty much remove yourself as a viable candidate for BL contention.

Decent acting

If I was solely reviewing their performances from the sex scenes, these actors would get top marks. All three of them are daring, gutsy, and quite enthusiastic. They're so naturally comfortable with the physical intimacy, displaying a level of professionalism that is admirable. If only all BL actors were as open and confident as them, I would be overjoyed.

However, their actual acting was just okay for me, albeit a little inconsistent. In some scenes, they nailed all the emotions required from them. But in other scenes, maybe not as much.

Ambiguous ending

The Novelist's ending is a mixed bag for me. I didn't love how long it took for Kijima and Kuzumi to get back together. A lot of valuable time was wasted on meaningless scenes that didn't develop the characters and didn't move the plot along. However, there were moments that I enjoyed, such as when Kijima finally dropped his bravado and showed some vulnerability. I also love the kissing scene in this episode. Their long tender kiss evolves into a rapid succession of smaller, gentler kisses.

It's probably for the best that Kijima went back home during the ending. His character seems to be stuck in a miserable rut right now. A change of setting could help him change his mind and get a fresh perspective from his writer's block. Considering Kijima finds the inspiration to publish a new novel months later, I'm guessing it worked out well for him.

With that said, I can't classify this as a completely happy ending. It isn't super clear where Kijima and Kuzumi's relationship stands. First they kiss and have sex, but then Kijima leaves him and the two of them lead separate lives. From a BL perspective, this is more of an ambiguously happy ending at best.

Kijima

Kijima is a complex character with lots of different dimensions to him. I find him quite entertaining when he's being eccentric and perverted, but that personality more of a front and not really his true self. What you see with Kijima on the surface is not necessarily the truth. He's a master deceiver, from little lies like owning a cell phone to bigger lies like his arm injury. This guy is such a good storyteller that he invents fictional aspects of himself to disguise the reality.

In the finale, we meet Kijima's character for the first time without the lies and the illusions, revealing a very tortured soul. He's struggling with his mental health, facing insurmountable writer's block, has ran out of his personal savings, and feels socially alienated from the world. This is not a happy, well-adjusted man. In fact, the past six episodes have been a display of his spiralling midlife crisis.

You start to understand why Kijima put up a facade of being this sexy, successful writer in front of Kuzumi. It's meant to boost his self-esteem during a very low period of his life. This roleplaying scenario makes Kijima feel good about himself for a change. He gets to project an image of authority and togetherness, while covering up all his actual failures. The version of Kijima that he wants Kuzumi to see is quite different from the reality of Kijima that he tries to hide.

Kijima is a deeply flawed character with a very interesting portrayal. Part of the fun in The Novelist is reading between the lines and figuring out his real motivations beneath all the stories he tells.

Butt nudity

Yes, there's a fair amount of skin on display in The Novelist. Kijima gets butt naked during the fantasy sex sequence with Kido. We also see him shirtless and in his underwear. Kuzumi and Kido also show some skin. I think the two of them actually get naked as well, but the views are tastefully obstructed so that you don't end up seeing anything.

A minor note is that there's actually female nudity as well. We see a minor glimpse of a woman's breasts while one of his stories is being re-enacted.

Sex & pornography

The Novelist is an 18+ drama for a reason. It features pornography in the story prominently with excessively graphic descriptions about the sexual encounters. These stories doesn't have the best record with consent, and you may not feel entirely comfortable with the topics like rape or student-teacher fantasies.

It's difficult to avoid many of these adult topics in a series dedicated to pornography. Nothing too vulgar is actually shown on screen, but just know what you're expecting before you start watching this series.

Sex scenes

If you're into the more sensual side of BL, the sex scenes in The Novelist are excellent. The sexual encounters between the three characters are raw, passionate, and affectionate with an authentic feel. These lengthy scenes go on for a while, as the characters explore every nook and cranny on each other's bodies.

My only complaint is that the scenes are poorly lit, so it's not always easy to make out the different characters in the darkness. Nonetheless, there's always a sexy and steamy energy in the atmosphere. Plus, you gotta commend these actors for fully embracing the spirit of sex. They aren't shy or reserved in their performances, that's for sure.

The last two episodes

I believe the last two episodes are considerably weaker than the rest of the series. I can even pinpoint the location where the story starts losing steam, right after Kijima and Kuzumi have their angry sex. Following that scene, the plot slows down a lot and it isn't that interesting to watch anymore.

These last two episodes basically make up one-third of the series, so the problem is quite significant. Let's make this part of the story more clear and concise. Trim out the unnecessary filler and add more context for the relevant scenes to make the endgame feel more dynamic. Actually show us what happens after Kijima moves away, instead of just squeezing the ending into a quick epilogue.