Why Do We Have to Hide It?! – Drama Review & Summary

Riku and Keita are high school classmates. Riku is popular and enjoys receiving attention from girls, especially on Valentine's Day. In contrast, Keita is quieter and often goes unnoticed by others. He feels insecure about his plain looks. Despite their differences, Riku and Keita share a secret. These two students are actually dating.

Riku and Keita enjoy spending time together. They sneak away to be alone and act affectionate in private. No one knows they are dating, and their classmates suspect nothing. Kanzaki, a girl in their class, even thinks she shares a special bond with Riku. Little does she know that he's already a taken man. However, Riku's mother has noticed their close bond and makes irritated remarks about it. He ignores his mom and still keeps their relationship a secret.

The couple agreed to keep their relationship secret. They worry about being teased or misunderstood at school since two boys dating is uncommon. While hanging out at home, they nearly share a kiss. Riku's mother almost walks in on them. Riku quickly tells his boyfriend to hide, but Keita feels the secrecy is too much. In the end, Riku's mother doesn't notice them. However, Keita is frustrated about having to hide their relationship.

Keita's frustration also comes from his own insecurities. He worries about his plain looks and wonders if he deserves a boyfriend like Riku. Is the most popular boy in class out of his league? Riku's friendship with Kanzaki makes Keita feel even more self-conscious. He starts to doubt Riku's feelings and questions if their relationship can last while it stays hidden.

Why Do We Have to Hide It?! is a BL drama made for a younger audience. It feels like something aimed at middle school kids. Calling it a children's show might sound insulting, but I must set your expectations correctly. Compared to adult-oriented programs, the plot is simpler and focuses on lighter issues. Does my classmate like me? Will I fit in at school? Why won't my mom leave me alone? As the characters suffer from First World Tween Problems, I realize that I have outgrown the themes in this story.

For the record, I support making BL for younger viewers and not restricting it to any age group. Kids deserve entertainment too! When you're young and your family isn't supportive, LGBTQ+ media can be out of reach. It's great to have easily accessible BL dramas like Why Do We Have to Watch It?!, which is free to watch on YouTube and comes with subtitles. During my adolescence, there weren't many gay shows available, and few of them felt age-appropriate. Years ago, I would've adored this wholesome teenage love story. I can picture myself watching it under my blanket, giggling and kicking my feet.

If you asked BL Watcher Jr to review this series, I'd call it cute, sweet, and funny. Even then, I liked guys in glasses, so Keita's character would've been dreamy. Now that I'm older and more cynical, my critical eye catches the flaws. The writing is too simple. I suspect the storyline has been slightly dumbed down to make it easier to follow. The plot is so basic that I can predict what happens next. Also, it repeats tropes without much depth or originality. I've seen this high school romance and coming-out story before. This BL drama feels like an intro course to Gay Media 101.

Why Do We Have to Hide It?! is heavy on the fanservice. Created by a studio with years of experience making online content, they understand what fans want to see (and which visuals feed into YouTube's algorithms). The leads, Riku and Keita, are a touchy-feely couple who like to put their faces reeeeal close to each other. They're on the edge of physical intimacy, teasing viewers with near-encounters. Most of their scenes together are relationship fluff. A little flirting, a bit of drama, but not a lot of substance. The story offers a sweet yet shallow take on teen romance.

Although Keita's actor (Nao Niino) looks dreamy in glasses, his performance is fairly average. He plays an insecure character who sometimes comes across as whiny rather than sympathetic. His co-star (Keishi Arai) brings more charisma to the screen. Riku has a playful personality, and the performer adds a nice touch of cheekiness to his scenes. I do think his make-up is overdone, though. Visually, the production looks decent for a web drama. After checking out the studio's other non-BL projects, I noticed they have a consistent style used across everything.

Why Do We Have to Hide It?! has a happy ending that resolves the couple's conflict. The conclusion is uplifting, but also predictable. Based solely on the drama's self-explanatory title, I could guess how it finishes before watching a single moment. Overall, my frustration stems from the formulaic nature of the story. It doesn't offer anything new or different from other similar series. For younger viewers or newcomers to gay romances, I can see the appeal of the sweet simplicity. For me, Why Do We Have to Hide It?! feels too much like a beginner's version of BL dramas.