Middleman's Love – Series Review & Episode Guide

Jade is an office worker with an energetic and excitable personality. Recently, a new intern has joined the company. As the mentor, Jade is responsible for helping Mai settle in the workplace. He welcomes the new employee enthusiastically. Although Jade's behaviour can be silly, Mai is charmed by his coworker's quirkiness. Soon, Mai develops a secret crush on Jade.

Jade is a helpful mentor who gets along with Mai. Occasionally, they would carpool to the office. Jade and Mai also hang out after work. They join the other colleagues on social outings. As Mai's romantic feelings deepen, he tries to hint at his attraction. Yet, Jade remains clueless and doesn't return the signals. He thinks they are just being friendly. According to Jade, Mai's kind gestures are typical pleasantries between coworkers.

Jade's friend, Uea, notices what is happening. He warns Mai about the risks of an office romance. Uea and his boyfriend, King, are also colleagues who fell in love in the workplace. So, Uea understands first-hand that a relationship can be complicated. Mai admits he has a crush on Jade and insists on his sincerity. Uea believes him and gives his blessing. He'll only observe them from a distance without intervening.

Mai has gotten close with Gus, another new employee at the company. They become friends who collaborate on projects and hang out around the office. As Jade observes their budding friendship, he believes there are romantic sparks. He thinks they will make a compatible couple. Previously, Jade was successful in being the "middleman" for Uea and King. He brought the two lovers together and helped them become a couple. Confident in his matchmaking skills, Jade believes he can help Mai and Gus become closer.

Jade becomes more involved in Mai's life. He wants to learn about his coworker to help with his matchmaking. As they spend time outside work, Mai's feelings intensify. He keeps dropping hints that he has a crush on someone in the office. Yet, Jade misunderstands him and believes his theory is correct. He becomes even more enthusiastic about playing matchmaker. This confusion leads to hilarious shenanigans between the two colleagues. They must figure out how to interpret each other's mixed signals.

The beginning of Middleman's Love annoys me due to the excessive quirkiness on display. The main character has a zany personality and displays too much enthusiasm, which gets tiresome quickly. There are also goofy reactions, comical sound effects, and over-the-top humour, adding to the continual wackiness. The narrative is an incoherent mess. When the pointless filler isn't boring me, the unfunny jokes make me cringe. Based on the opening episodes, I have a terrible first impression of Middleman's Love.

The series calms down and becomes less eccentric after a while. It settles into a typical workplace drama, a welcomed improvement over the start. At least these episodes are watchable. However, the storylines are still too silly and lack maturity. You expect more adult themes from an office BL series, yet the characters get involved in juvenile shenanigans. One of the episodes is dedicated to a sports orientation day, no different from school. I appreciate playfulness in a story, but it becomes an issue when many scenes feel childish. Middleman's Love often comes across as airheaded.

Middleman's Love reminds me of Emma by Jane Austen. Five seconds later, I retract my comparison in horror. I'm sorry for dragging down Ms. Austen's literary classic to the level of this frivolous drama. Even so, the two stories are similar. Both protagonists are self-declared matchmakers who meddle in other relationships and learn valuable lessons. That's a fun premise for a romantic comedy, especially with a BL twist. Yet, Middleman's Love squanders the potential by hardly exploring this plot. It wastes time on goofy antics and dumb filler than meaningful themes.

Jade is an irritating protagonist. The actor (Yim) tries hard to appear perky, albeit annoyingly. Despite his character flaws, I still like him. His dorkiness seems endearing, as is his funny fixation with Detective Conan. However, his personality is polarizing and not everyone's cup of tea. While Jade & Mai share a few cute encounters, their romance takes too long to progress. The love story's climax doesn't occur until late in the series. Since nothing significant is happening in the plot, there's no reason to drag out the relationship. Accelerate the journey and give us BL action!

Uea and King, the stars of Bed Friend, make cute supporting characters in this spin-off. They have reduced screen time, but I appreciate how they don't overshadow the leads. The other secondary couple, Gus and Kong, are my least favourites. I hate Gus, who is a walking HR red flag. From inappropriate shoulder massages to lewd pick-up lines, his so-called flirting resembles sleazy workplace harassment. I groan whenever the plot dedicates time to their dull romance, which has no chemistry. The story can't even give valid reasons why they like each other.

Middleman's Love ends with a surprisingly engaging finale. It focuses on the leads flirting cutely and developing their relationship. These scenes should have happened sooner, but at least we're getting long-awaited BL content. From playful banter to passionate encounters, the series earns last-minute points due to the enjoyable romantic fluff. If this episode were attached to another drama, it'd be a solid hour of entertainment. Sadly, a fun conclusion can't redeem the rest of the embarrassing mediocrity. Middleman's Love is an awful mix of cringiness and childishness.