Old Fashion Cupcake (2022)

GRAN MINISERIE BL JAPONESA

MARAVILLOSA! Fantástica química, maravillosas actuaciones y naturales (muy de agradecer ante la tendencia de exagerar de las series japonesas), gran fotografía, edición, música, guión! Una de las mejores confesiones que he visto en el BL, de esas que te dejan emocionada y que repites una y otra vez, y una pareja maravillosamente normal y 0 tóxica!! Queremos segunda temporada y tercera y verlos en su vida cotidiana y diaria de pareja. Son tan tan bonitos!!!! Por fin un bl de adultos que no te deja con el corazón encogido y triste, con personas sencillas, con sus manías, sus depres y sus ilusiones pero buenas y luminosas . No hay antagonistas, ni mujeres malvadas ni triángulos amorosos. Un placer para el espectador. Must watch!!!!

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Merece totalmente la pena

Se trata de unatrama de jefe/subordinado, pero con ciertos matices que la hacen fresca y diferente.
Para mi gusto, debería haber sido un poco más larga, ya que el desarrollo de la trama queda algo precipitado, algo común en este tipo de historias. Si eres un@ amante del BL, es un imprescindible, es linda, bonita, y la relación entre ambos personajes no es tan tópica como en otras. Los personajes no cuentan con demasiado backbround al comienzo de la historia, pero tampoco lo necesitan, ya que la trama es sencilla. Al final es una historia linda y sin pretensiones.
Se aprecia que le han puesto cariño en la trama. Los personajes para mi gusto no son excesivamente guapos, pero son lindos.

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NO PENSE QUE ME GUSTARA TANTO

Bueno empecemos por la historia, siendo en si que es un poco simple, por así decirlo, la temática de esta serie, no es que sea fan pero tampoco me disgusto, al contrario me gusto mucho como fue desarrollandose, tanto la historia y los personajes.

Hablemos un poco acerca del personaje que más me causo "disgusto" y es Nozue, Dios, es que me estresaba mucho y claro que entiendo su miedo por ser mayor que el otro, pero flaco, por la misma razón de que eres mayor, te debo dar igual lo que los demás piensen, se supone que ya tienes una vida, y por qué no vivirla como tu desees??, pero por otra parte siento que es un personaje muy realista, y eso de lo que más me gusta está serie, y la verdad, si me gusto, porque hay escenas en las que te puedes sentir identificados, como el hecho de buscar desesperadamente de buscar a alguien para no estar solo o solter@, ame sus escenas de celos, es que estaba clarísimo que también gustaba del chico, pero bueno, en resumen, me gusto mucho su desarrollo, claramente me estreso, pero se siento satisfactorio cuando por fin acepta sus sentimientos.

Ahora hablemos del mejor personaje, no lo voy a discutir, es la verdad, Togawa, Dios, con este personaje senti todo lo contrario que con el otro, es que este personaje es de los mejores novios en el bl que hayan podido existir, y por qué?, bueno es simple, él siempre buscaba la felicidad de Nozue, siempre estaba cuando lo necesitaba, lo cuidaba, aconsejaba, Togawa lo amamaba demasiado, estaba muy enamorado, incluso si se llevaba muchos años de diferencia, ame la escena donde de confiesa, el mejor capítulo (el 4) por si lo desean ver, esa escena me dejo muy mal, ya que Togawa tomo toda la valentía y se confeso, incluso sabiendo que lo podían rechazar, y podría perderlo, él se arriesgo, todo por el hombre que amaba, la escena de beso, es muy buena, ya que se ve que Nozue al comienzo como que tenía miedo, pero al final si llego a correrponderle (el beso).

Ya para finalizar, esta serie, no me esperaba que me gustara tanto, pensé que solo la vería y ya, pero me sorprendio, es muy adictiva, cada vez que terminaba un capítulo, quería ver el siguiente, paea ver que pasaba, y bueno, véanse la, les va a gustar, tanto como yo, bueno eso espero, y espero que amen a Tagawa, el mejor!!.

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Cortito y al pie, pero muy lindo.

¡Hola, muchachada! Hoy me paso por acá para hablarles de un BL después de bastante tiempo (si no contamos la película de Cherry Magic, obvio).

Dormir, despertar y trabajar son las palabras que describen la rutina de Nozue, de 39 años, cosa que le preocupa mucho a Togawa, un subordinado suyo de 29 años que tiene sentimientos por él. Un día, cansado de ver cómo Nozue parece estancado en su vida, Togawa decide tomar cartas en el asunto y le propone realizar juntos una serie de actividades para hacerlo sentir joven otra vez.

Tenía pendiente este BL desde que se estrenó por tres cosas: los protagonistas son adultos, tuvo una muy buena respuesta del público y es súper cortito (solo 5 episodios de 25 min aprox c/u). Ahora que lo vi estoy feliz de decirles que valió completamente la pena, ya que es una historia sencilla, simpática, graciosa y bien actuada (por suerte los protagonistas no son para nada exagerados). Además, no le tuvieron miedo al éxito con algunas escenas, if you know what i mean.

Los personajes genuinamente me gustaron bastante y siento que, si bien su situación claramente no es la de todo el mundo, no es tan difícil identificarse un poco con ciertas cuestiones que los aquejan, sobre todo en lo referente a lo que sentimos que podemos o no podemos hacer después de cierta edad, al miedo a los cambios, etc.

Para colmo me encantaron todas las interacciones entre Nozue y Togawa, más que nada porque este último no desaprovechaba cualquier oportunidad que se le presentaba para tirar indirectas bastante directas jaja.

La producción es otra cosa que me gustó mucho. No es que sea impresionante, pero está súper bien. Y la intro me recordó un poco a la de Cherry Magic, así que 10/10 por ese lado.

No les digo que se fue a mis BLs favoritos de la vida porque no es así. No sé bien qué, pero para mí le faltó algo para terminar de enamorarme por completo, tal vez que la relación tuviera más desarrollo (aunque por el tiempo que tuvieron, está excelente). En fin, no sé, pero lo que sí sé es que genuinamente lo recomiendo bastante, ya que seguro les termina gustando al menos un poquito.

•IG DE RESEÑAS CORTAS: @altoplottwist

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Un romance de oficina que te deja suspirando de amor

Togawa ayuda a que Nozue se de cuenta que no hay edad ni género para disfrutar de la vida, enamorarse y arriesgarse a probar algo nuevo cada día.

No es sorpresa la capacidad que tienen las historias BL japonesas para enamorar de principio a fin y dejar con deseos de ver más. Old Fashion Cupcake no es la excepción.

Explota al máximo la dualidad de la pareja principal, dándonos tanto ternura emocional como deseo físico.

La reflexión que hace sobre no perder la motivación de vivir y estancarte sólo por llegar a cierta edad, es preciosa y necesaria. A eso se le suma el amor, admiración y pasión de un empleado por su jefe una década mayor. Simplemente grandioso.

Buenas actuaciones, dirección, química grandiosa, personajes con vidas comunes, preocupaciones genuinas, sin drama en exceso y con un mensaje alentador. Me encantó. Amaría ver algún tipo de secuela sólo para tener un poco más de Togawa y Nozue.

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Regret Can Lead To Happiness and Be a Fuel To Your Life

What a treat this show was to watch!

Imagine having someone who watches out for you and helps you find your joy for life again and encourages you that you can do all that you set your mind to no matter what the age. That's what Togawa is to Nozue. The fact that Togawa actually learned his words of wisdom and his ways of life from Nozue (who has over the years lost touch with himself) years prior and the fact that it is Nozue helping him with his "anti-aging" and reiterating what Togawa already knows deep in his heart but has forgotten is so precious to me. It's like coming full circle.

So many people in this world like Nozue get to a certain age where they feel like it is too late to do what they want with their lives and this show essentially reminds you that is never too late to pursue what you want to do, try something new, and have some fun while you are at it. 

But, the fact that a romance aspect is added onto this beautiful life lesson that is presented throughout the series, makes the show all the more worthwhile. Togawa has liked Nozue for so long and seeing their relationship finally start to blossom made my heart flutter ten times over. Those two are so freakin cute together and they understand and complete one another and it’s nice to know that they have each other to experience all that life has to offer together moving forward.

I also love the fact that it followed the manga closely and didn't sway too much since the original material is already so well fleshed out and they translated it to screen very well.

With just 5 short episodes, this show manages to tell a fulfilling story with memorable characters, beautiful cinematography, and a magnificent score to go along. Japanese BL's always hit different for me and this one definitely is one of my favorites that I have seen!

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Another breath of fresh air from Japan's part!

Japan has recently been providing the fantastic BLs that we all yearn for. Their plots are consistently unique and captivating. Old Fashion Cupcake was like that. This is a story of love between a boss and an employee. It's not the typical cliched office romance plot we have always seen. This is one of the most mature, realistic, and endearing love stories I've ever seen. I can't believe they managed to fit such a heartwarming and endearing love story into just five episodes!

On the one hand, there is 29-year-old Togawa, who aspires to live a regret-free and purposeful life. The 39-year-old Nozue, on the other hand, believes he is too old to try anything new and goes through life in a cycle of sleeping, waking up, and going to work. However, things changed as they went to a pancake shop. From that point on, Togawa had been seducing Nouze covertly under the disguise of helping with anti-aging treatment, deepening their relationship.

The leads had good chemistry together. They seemed so exceptional and natural. Watching their interactions and conversations was fun. I adored the way Togawa seduced Nozue and made the most of the anti-aging procedure. This drama was very satisfying all around. Every single second of it was enjoyable for me. It doesn't happen all the time, but sometimes I feel like I want more! I'm hoping that Japan will continue to make such unusual BLs like these.

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office romance, age gap, employee/boss, food is the love language, coming of age late in life

This show had me from the moment they broke the egg yolk with the chopsticks in the opening credits for episode one. It’s about a younger man with a long cherished crush on his boss (ten years older and going through a mid life crisis) who decides to save and seduce said man with pancakes. It’s wholesome, comforting, sexy, and a very necessary narrative about still having hope, interests, and openness to affection at any age. It’s coming of age/queerness packaged in a subtle critique of expectations around masculinity and love and loneliness... and it’s beautiful.

It utilizes hand-held and super close camerawork, long shots, dirty framing, and marvelous acting (stagecraft) from everyone. The directing style it subtle but very precise and tailored dirty framing (AKA lots of objects and other people’s bodies interrupting shots.) Notice the frame is only direct and uncluttered when they are eating or being extremely intimate with each other?

This show manages to make things that shouldn't be sexy so very sexy (like Togawa’s hamster cheeks - boy just wants to gorge himself, and not on food). It's truly art.

But there is so much more going on here.

Japan has a long tradition of using food, both the preparation and consumption, as an allegory for intimacy... ALL KINDS of intimacy (give Tampopo a shot, it’s a remarkable movie). And in this show the discovery of desserts, and the enjoyment of the experience of indulging, is explicitly both sexual seduction and emotional tethering. This is not just an exploration of youth for Nozue it is an exploration of desire and identity.

On the other hand, the want drips off of Togawa at all times, like true starvation. It’s epic levels of pining we are looking at and not just love but pure lust. It’s actually quite remarkable to see this done with Japan’s signature reserve, because the through line of the filming style and food allegory dictates they will simply have to show physical intimacy at soem point. But not of the explicit kind we get in the darker BLs from Japan (although they could easily go there), but of a truly sexualized romantic passionate kind that we don’t normally get from Japan in their softer BLs.

You see, there comes a point, when the food allegory has gone as far as it can, and Nozue recognizes that in episode 3, even as he doesn’t recognize Togawa’s desire. Because for him the desire has been made manifest though the medium of desserts... and now that sensation has been satisfied, he feels like that’s good enough.

But when Nozue shuts down the eating intimacy, Togawa was always destined to break open into into sexual need, just the way the egg yolk is broken open in the credits.
What is truly genius about this show is that when this finally happens at the end of episode 4, the camera switches to one long hand held shot. This kind of stage-craft reliant shooting is the ultimate form of filming intimacy - it is the camera’s form of trust:

The directer is trusting the cameraperson not to waiver,
the camera is trusting the actors to pull through for the entirety of the shot (no forgetting your lines on a long take, no missing your marks, no slipping out of character),
the actors are trusting the crew to capture it in that one moment when they give it their all.
This is the kind of theatrically-based close work is as near to sexual intimacy as actors and crew can get.

Thus the shooting style is, itself, a reflection of Togawa’s needs, of Nozue’s shock and realization and crumbling, of the levels of trust between them that are fracturing and reforming. It’s absolutely brilliant.

All that said I did find the final episode bit of a let down. Narratively it reverted back to pretty standard light Japanese live action yaoi, of the style I talk about here. I did expect a little bit more intimacy from this specific narrative even with Japan at the helm, at least showing the two of them cuddling in bed together or something very domestic if not kissing. I’m not surprised or upset that they returned to status quo, and this is still an amazing comforting unexpected gem of a show, but it’s not the 10/10 I thought it was going to be at the end of 4.

Still, solid and watchable and

DEFINITELY RECOMMENDED

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Simple, mature yet cute romance

Completed - 7/4/2022

"Old Fashion Cupcake" is worthy of all its praises. What a delight to see a simple, realistic, mature romance blossoming in front of my eyes. We have a 29-year old who was inspired and encouraged to live life to the fullness and to love oneself so that there will be no regrets in his life. On the other hand, we have a 39-year who is so comfortable with everything in his life that he's afraid of changes, both personal or professional. Through the very delicious and "seductive" anti-aging process, the two got to hang out and get to know each other. Their interactions and conversations are comfortable and cute at the same time. It's quite refreshing to see two men having boys talk casually and openly.

The acting is good and not cringey. The two feel so natural together, as if they're made for each other. I can see the comparison to "Cherry Magic" as both are office BL romance. But I might actually like this romance more, as it feels more mature and honest in a way. I also prefer the dynamic between Nozue and Togawa, as it feels they are both on equal footing in this relationship. Togawa's emotional scene in episode 4 was well acted and the chemistry between the leads in the alley was sizzling. I was eagerly waiting for a passionate kiss!

There are no plot twists in this drama but that doesn't mean it's boring. Though "Old Fashion Cupcake" is really short, I am satisfied with these 5 episodes. Only Japanese dramas could have such good pacing without draggy unnecessary scenes.

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Half of a really good cupcake

Indeed this is a cupcake for two, a little to little to satisfy you but sweet, pretty and lovely as it has lots and lots of sweet moments (literally) .Had it been a bit longer it may have gotten a 9, the characters are lovable, fun to watch and aware of both issues concerning power relations and consent. That said they do show that awareness of these issues does not always mean actually practicing the awareness... but that is a different story.

This very short series, is otherwise a pretty typical office romance with the twist of a mid life crisis, not a lot of drama, some fluffy icing that does a pretty decent job showing the very sad reality that gender conventions hinder men from enjoying most of the good and sweet in the world. But I would have wanted more of everything.Definitely worth a watch, and a show i highly recommend to all rom-com lovers out there, just do not expect to get a full dose of sugar.

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You’re never too old to enjoy life.

Allowing yourself to feel happiness, enjoy small things and create a deeper connection to other people at times might feel like either a luxury, unobtainable pleasure or inappropriate whim. Old Fashion Cupcake shows you how we all deserve happiness in our lives, and how growing older doesn't mean you need to put it aside.

Have to say, even though the romance was quite a treat, and the mutual pining was a blast to watch, the “anti-aging” plot was the one that grabbed my attention the most. Following Nozue on his journey to discovering himself again - outside of his daily routine and work, was fascinating and extremely heartwarming.

Togawa's low-key chase after Nozue gave me all the best feels and just enough angst at times to make me fall for the couple hard. I appreciated how he not only wanted to be with Nozue, but he was also truly trying hard to help him enjoy life, enjoy his work, and enjoy all the small things he was too afraid to try in the past.

Both main actors aced the roles. The passive attitude Nozue had for a lot of things, how he just tried to survive each day, how he fell into the routine and forgot how fun life can be - I could see that all in the performance. Kimura Tatsunari perfectly acted the small possessive and jealous moments, Togawa striving to help Nozue come out of his shell, the care and admiration - all and more.

Honestly speaking, it was just a fun, enjoyable short watch with some uplifting messages and moments that most adults (and younger folks) would appreciate to hear.

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Still waters run deep...

Perhaps the biggest disappointment in the Japanese BL Old-Fashion Cupcake is that the dessert shop tour undertaken by the two leads never actually led to the consumption of an onscreen cupcake. Frosted pastries tend to rivet my attention; so, the assorted confections that paraded past onscreen enhanced my enjoyment of this modest Japanese BL. In the style of most limited-run BL series (few episodes, brief episode length), Old-Fashion Cupcake focuses almost exclusively on the dynamic between two men. Here, these are co-workers Nozue and Togawa. Approaching 40, Nozue is so content with his life that he rebuffs his company’s every effort to promote him into higher management. His life has settled in nearly every respect, but he’s comfortable. Approaching 30, Togawa is so smitten with his boss that he pushes Nozue to re-examine want he expects from both his professional and personal life. Togawa’s initiative drives the story forward, as the two men attempt a “de-aging” regimen that consists of hitting up dessert shops across Tokyo.

As the two men become better acquainted outside the workplace, the burgeoning friendship confuses each of them, albeit for different reasons. Togawa has harbored a crush on his boss for years, and the increased sociality between them magnifies his feelings until a halting, apologetic confession pours from his lips and into the startled Nozue’s ears. The moment will resonate with anyone who ever confessed their own feelings to a long-term crush, but especially with those who confessed to someone of the same sex. For his part, Nozue has for so long ignored the stirrings of emotion from his heart that he initially fails to understand his attraction to his young subordinate. When Togawa, who believed Nozue was repulsed by his confession, reduced their interactions in order to shield his own heart, Nozue felt the younger man’s absence so keenly that he belatedly accepted his boss’s offer to promote him—a promotion that would remove Togawa from his direct supervision. That move would clear the decks for them to move forward with their relationship by removing any office impropriety from the equation.

Old Fashion Cupcake joins a prominent list of inventive Japanese BL series. It is a worthy addition. The variation here is the focus on an older couple. The seniority gap, both in age and at the office, plays a prominent role in shaping their dynamic. The conversations between the two friends during their sugar-fueled “de-aging” sessions provides far more introspective character development that BL usually delivers. And their awkward visits to one another’s cramped apartments hint at both the bleakness of living alone (even when one believes themself to be content) and at the smoldering tension between them. Here, the intended sense of “smoldering” is the idea that a fire burns somewhere, it’s just hidden from sight. Old Fashion Cupcake is a compelling tale of how two people redefine a longstanding dynamic as acquaintances to let some of that fire into their placid, plodding lives.

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