Your Sky: Hare Nochi Koi – Series Review

Hinata feels uncomfortable after Oji's love confession.

Hinata is a friendly student at Aoba University of the Arts. He lives with his parents and younger sister, Aimi. Life is pretty ordinary until an upperclassman named Oji confesses his love for him. Hinata doesn't like Oji that way. Heck, they barely even know each other! Unfortunately, Hinata is such a people pleaser that he can't bring himself to reject anyone. He's too worried about hurting Oji's feelings. Instead of giving him a straight answer, Hinata chooses the easier option and just avoids him.

One day, Hinata is busy running away from Oji when he crashes into another upperclassman named Sora. Oops! Sora's coffee goes flying and spills all over his shirt. Somehow, Hinata escapes without a single stain on his own clothes. Surprisingly, Sora doesn't make a fuss and walks away. Later, Hinata tells his friends, Riku and Ruito, about the accident. Riku happens to be Sora's younger brother. He figures Sora won't care about a little coffee spill. Ruito isn't so sure. He's heard that Sora has quite the temper! To be safe, Hinata decides to apologize with a gift. He buys a replacement shirt and secretly slips it into Sora's locker.

Oji invites Hinata to his birthday party at a nightclub. He gets all up in Hinata's personal space while pressuring him to attend. Hinata doesn't wanna go, but saying no would hurt Oji's feelings. He reluctantly accepts the invitation and brings Ruito along for moral support. At the party, Oji welcomes them into his private area and offers them drinks. Unfortunately, that creep secretly spikes their drinks! Hinata and Ruito have no idea what they've consumed until they start feeling groggy. With Hinata's defences down, Oji thinks this is his chance to make a move on him.

Hinata and Sora start a fake relationship to trick Oji.

The nightclub where Oji hosts his party is called Your Sky. It's actually run by Sora. His father is a wealthy businessman who has entrusted his eldest son with managing the club. As if university isn't enough work, Sora also has a business to look after. His friend Makoto helps him run the place. Their other buddy, Tasuku, isn't an employee, but he hangs around the club as a regular customer. Whenever Sora is away, Makoto takes charge while Tasuku keeps him company. Makoto and Tasuku have become pretty close.

During Oji's birthday party, Sora notices that Hinata looks heavily intoxicated, yet Oji is still trying to kiss him. Sora swoops in and tells Oji to back off. His excuse? Hinata is already taken. Sora pretends to be his boyfriend. The confrontation nearly turns into a fight, but Sora manages to get Hinata out of the club. He even makes sure Hinata gets home safely. The next day, Hinata thanks Sora for looking after him. Unfortunately, Oji is suspicious about their supposed romance. That's when Hinata realizes having a fake boyfriend might be the perfect solution to his problem. If Oji thinks he's taken, Hinata won't have to reject him directly.

Hinata and Sora agree to keep pretending they're boyfriends until Oji leaves them alone. They keep the arrangement a secret from their friends. The fewer people who know the truth, the easier it is to maintain the lie. Ruito, Makoto, and Tasuku fall for their act. Only Riku knows his older brother well enough to realize that Sora isn't acting like himself. Oji remains suspicious, so Hinata and Sora realize they need to step up their boyfriend game. Time for some couple activities! They take cute pictures together, go on dates, and spend an awful lot of time acting like lovebirds.

Your Sky: Hare Nochi Koi is the Japanese remake of the popular Thai BL series, Your Sky. This adaptation stays faithful to the original drama. Same story. Same characters. I could recycle my old review, add "Hare Nochi Koi", and voilà! The biggest difference is the length. The Thai version runs for 12 hours, which is an awfully long time to spend on such a simple love story. Thankfully, Your Sky Japan trims away the unnecessary fluff and wraps up the same story in just 4 hours. You get the short version without the endless filler scenes.

I wasn't the biggest fan of the Thai series, so this Japanese remake brings back the same problems that annoyed me the first time. The story is just so basic. Two guys pretend to be boyfriends, even though they have no good reason to keep up the fake relationship. Why are they lying to everyone? Why not just date for real? The romantic scenes also feel painfully generic. Congrats, you're now the 1000th BL drama to recycle the aquarium date and the photobooth session! Don't you want to create a memorable couple with special moments that fans will remember? Why are the leads doing the same things as every other pair?

Your Sky: Hare Nochi Koi is like the mediocre student in class who copies someone else's homework. Nothing about it feels unique. Worst of all, I can't think of a good reason to recommend this knockoff over the Thai series. Your Sky Thailand isn't even that great, but it still does everything better than the remake. At least it gives us more time to get attached to the characters. The romance is also sweeter. The steamy scenes are way hotter. Your Sky Japan offers a watered-down version of the same love story. Why not just watch the original and get the full experience?

In both versions of Your Sky, the main characters are sweethearts. Hinata seems so cheerful, while Sora is a softie underneath that tough exterior. If you bring them home to meet your granny, she'd give her stamp of approval! Even if the romantic scenes are bland, these two nice guys always treat each other well. I particularly like the moment when Sora holds back from getting physically intimate because he doesn't want to make Hinata uncomfortable. Green flag alert! This BL drama gets some brownie points for portraying a wholesome couple with a healthy relationship.

Hinata's actor (Ayuta Fukuda) seems comfortable playing such a cutesy character. His cheerful smile is so infectious! However, he gets a little awkward in the dramatic scenes, as if that isn't his comfort zone. I like his co-star (Isshin Aihara), who somehow gets more handsome with every episode. He can work on being more expressive. Let's bring out those deeper emotions! Makoto's actor (Totaro) also comes across as really wooden. On the bright side, Ruito's actor (Taichi Taniguchi) pops out on screen. Even without a huge role, his enthusiasm catches my eye.

Near the end, Hinata comes out to his family. The storyline isn't as intense as the Thai version, but I still appreciate the positive messages. The finale also includes an intimate bedroom scene. Ooh, what's this? A little spicy action before we say goodbye! This series saves its best episode for last, but it doesn't erase my earlier complaints. If you're a Japanese BL fan who hasn't watched the original drama, you might enjoy this remake more than I did. For me, it's pretty uninspiring. Your Sky: Hare Nochi Koi feels like a mediocre version of a love story I've already experienced.