Old Fashion Cupcake (2022)

Beautifully done

Such a great series. I seriously wish it was longer. The message and story of the mcs is so good. Both actors have done a wonderful job. There is so much more I can relate to in this. The lighting, camera work, direction is no joke. Would watch a 2nd season or something similar. Well done.
This keeps getting better and better with each episode. The mellow feel even though it’s super intense emotionally. I can relate to so much personally. I love the age of the characters. The maturity. Best acting in this. The portrayals weren’t over the top and super on point. Kudos to the actors , writers and lighting/directors. The camera angles are impressive. Wish it had more episodes. Or maybe continue this series with the same type of feel with other couples. I just really loved the look and feel of this series.

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Really lovely

There's a lot to praise in this - the characters are not formulaic, and the themes of the story are quite a bit more mature than the usual high-school/college boy story.

Our main character is about to hit 40, and lives safely and while he's not depressed, he's not happy either, just sort of going with the flow of life, doing the same thing every day, with only his younger employee Togawa to lighten his day. He's unaware that Togawa worships him and will do anything to make him happy. They draw closer and Togawa puts him on an anti-aging regimen which involves doing diffrent things all the time to keep him stimulated and force him out of his box.

It's a great dynamic, where the age diffrence, far from being a problem, is a plus for both of them. Togawa gets good guidance from a more experienced man, and Kozue is revitalized by Togawa's youth and unjaded perspective.

The other interesting quality is that Kozue is clearly the more passive of the two, so the power dynamic is interesting and more complex than the usual seme-uke dynamic. Kozue is older, more exprienced, and the boss at work. Togawa is always deferential and in awe of Kozue, but he's a little like a sheep dog, aggressively herding Kozue in the direction he thinks is best for him.

Where the series is a bit of a miss is that it shies from the physical aspect of their relationship - when you have a 30-year old and a 40-year old, it feels off for their interaction to be so high school, and this is underscored by a moment with a thumb that is tantalizingly domineering and one of the hotter things you'll see in a BL.

There is an inevitable comparison to Cherry Magic, and I must say I prefer this in almost every way. The dynamic between the characters is more natural, the humor is smarter and more understated, and Togawa is refreshingly weird in a sweet yet bossy way.

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this - it's well-acted and shot, it's got some good fluff without being about fluff, and the characters and their interaction is not as simplistic as the BL formula generally dictates. It's also a series that you're likely to rewatch, and I don't say that often.

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Real, honest, unexpectedly wonderful

I'm not the kind of person who like romance, but god damn, this drama is absolutely brilliant.

We follow two men who works together at an unknown society, and we don't know much about them. One is older and looks like he's depressed and lonely. The other is his subordinate and looks passionate and brave.
Yes, there's a 10y old age gap but, this time it's the subordinate who seduce the older male first, and in a subtle way.

Together, they try to be happier in a very positive way, by eating sweets and doing foolish stuff (they first make a sort of bet, to look like young girls always giggling and living foolishly). And we see them smile wider and wider and bonding. And i can assure you this is what love is.

I just watched episode 4 and yes, i screamed. There's this one scene, in one shot, raw, unfiltered and it was magical.

Do you know why i hate most romance dramas? Because they are too cheesy, too unreal but it's not the case for Old Fashion Cupcake, it's so honest and real, you will feel dizzy watching it.

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cute bl but not the best

I've seen many BL's so an office romance drama doesn't feel like anything new. However, the show offered a lot of cute moments with the two characters and made this a great short bl.

pros:
-age gap that doesn't feel unnatural
-good beginning
-the emotional scenes were really good
-good acting and camera angles

cons:
-uses a popular trop
-uses the same audio over and over again (but i still like the audio)
-only 5 episodes so they probably cut off a lot from the original story
-slightly rushed but it's not really anything to worry about

I hope for a season 2 cause I loved the characters. Also, this is a good bl if you want a quick watch.

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Very similar to Cherry Magic but ...

Just like everyone is noticing, I've found many similarities between this show and Cherry Magic, which isn't necessarily good or bad. From the adorable boss/office employee dynamic to the kind main lead who always seems to put others first (and the love interest who helps out when the main lead does this, of course), they resemble each other a lot.

However, Old Fashion Cupcake has distinguished itself so far from CM. Aside from no fantasy aspects, OFC revolves around a unique goal/reason (hard for me to explain, but no spoilers) that causes the two main leads to spend more time together and experience new things. The chemistry between the actors and characters is also interesting and cute. Only being 5 eps, it's definitely worth a riskless watch!

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wow, it's all good!

At 39, a salary-man Nozue (Takeda Kouhei) is dreading his stagnant daily routine - sleep, wake, work, repeat. Knowing about his frustration, his friend / subordinate, Togawa (Kimura Tatsunari) encourages him to try something different: pretending to be a pair of young girls together and eating at dessert parlours, as an anti-aging remedy. As they play along, Togawa calls out Nozue about his insecurities and keeps hanging out with him. With more time spent together, could love be what's next?

What a delightful office romance! Both Nozue and Togawa are equally charming. Glad that they use the senpai-kouhai hierarchy appropriately. Their intentional flirting and fun talks felt fresh and gave me all the butterflies. Beyond a cute sweet romance, Nozue's attitude towards Togawa adds a slight angst too. While genuinely wishing for Togawa to find more joy in life, Nozue also subtly chases him, leading to exciting possibilities for them. Shout-out to their scene at the end of episode 4! It was one of the most poignant and raw moments I've seen that got me on a chokehold.

The writing is smart, with spot-on comedy that highlights their personalities, character and confidence! Although the scenes are not spicy, the dialogues are SPICY! This also include their jokes and small gestures, that I immediately re-watched it to cherish the moments, I love them all! Acting is so natural and I hope to see more of their work. Also nice performance of all the supporting cast; Those girls at their office were a lovely bunch of fujoshis, blushing over these two men. ^-^ Lastly, I love it when Togawa said "I realized that you don't have to be young or a girl to have fun." There are many more great lines, though... You can go watch it to experience for yourself. :)

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poignant and sweet, a really well done short BL series (minor spoilers)

Overall: I really enjoyed this more realistic/subdued BL (similar to Life Love on the Line). This is based on a manga but I'm rating it on its own. Watched on Viki.

Content Warnings: non con kiss (sleeping), dub con kissing, manhandling, trespassing, theft? (I don't consider the 10 year age gap or boss/employee to be a content warnings based on how things went)

What I Liked
- acting (I especially liked that Togawa was snotty when crying which is realistic)
- cute and caring moments, also a few really funny moments
- the food/desserts!
- cinematography (that long take scene at the end of episode 4 was amazing)
- although Nozue made more changes, I liked that Togawa also made a change in episode 5 based on what Nozue had said previously
- the subtle vibe
- good intro and song, as well as other music to fit the mood

Room For Improvement
- there were two times when I was so happy that Togawa respected Nozue's boundaries and then Togawa violated those boundaries which was disappointing
- the series would have benefited from a slightly longer run time (the abrupt and unknown time jump at the end as an example)
- a missed humor opportunity in episode 3, they could have shown Togawa frantically trying to clean up
- I think we should have had at least 1 kiss in episode 5, especially considering their ages

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A bit too dense cupcake to swallow.

Ingredients might had been right, but the way they mixed them together wasn't. Too much flour. Too little sugar. The butter wasn't whipped enough. I can't pinpoint what exactly didn't work for me, but I will try. There will be spoilers ahead. As vague as I can make them, but still. So proceed at your own risk.



Issue number one : It's too short.

This one is pretty evident. 5 episodes of less than thirty minutes, so they had to cut some corners. Maybe even more than corners. The pacing wasn't much of an issue, but it felt kinda dry to me. Like they just went through the points they wanted to make in chunks, adding what seemed fitting to that particular scene. It lacked consistency. Some bits were too light and empty (especially the ones when they ate), while others were quite heavy and sticky. It felt uneven to me.

Should this be your usual college BL, it might have been fine. Because the audience is already used to it and can fill the blanks for themselves. They're also more familiar with the heavier stuff and hence you don't have to try so hard to show and provide context. Which leads me to my second point.



Issue number two: It feels too extrinsic.

This is entirely my personal problem, but one I feel a lot of people could share. The premise is quite unique, which makes it interesting at first. But it's also a curse in a way that if you don't do a good job presenting it in a comprehensive way, people might have trouble getting attached to it emotionally.

I couldn't relate to the main leads from the get-go. We just don't share enough of personal characteristics and experiences. So the show had its work set out for it: make me understand these people. See where they are coming from. Empathise with them. Feel for them and feel with them. This is the part where Old Fashion Cupcake failed the most in my opinion. During the whole series, I felt like an outsider spying on strangers. And as such, not only I was not moved by them, I started questioning the validity of their feelings.



Issue number three : Consent isn't exactly put into correct perspective.

I know. Complaining about consent in a BL show. Story as old as the industry itself, and seemingly missing a mark this time. Was there a rape? No. Forceful kissing? Forceful undressing? Not really. So why am I talking about consent?

The relationship between leads is very professional on the outside. They are boss and employee. Ten years apart, living in a society that puts immense weight on hierarchy and customs. Nozue stated that he's intending to keep those boundaries in place, even though he was clearly battling with the issue during the whole season. It was one of the main conflicts in my opinion. Which is why it felt uncomfortable when Togawa overstepped, without the show addressing it properly. I'm sure people that finished it can point out which scene, in particular, I have in mind. Should I go through the whole show again, I could most likely find multiple examples. Keep in mind, I'm looking at it from outsider's perspective, not really sure where each character stands with their emotions and values. If the premise were simpler, or the show longer and with better characterization, I probably wouldn't even stop to think about it. Might even enjoy it. But in this case, I was put off by it.



Issue number four: Message of the story isn't conveyed in a positive (to me) manner.

Starting with 'pretending to be girls'. Anti-aging. Nozue's struggle with technology. And in the end, sexuality. While I understand where they were going with it and align with their intentions, the way they went about it wasn't well-thought-out and could be misinterpreted easily. The gravest offender is, in my opinion, the ending message.


MAJOR SPOILERS FOR THE ENDING!!! TURN BACK NOW OR WEEP AFTERWARDS!


Togawa says to Nozue after they get together:

"Having an age gap or being a minority is the same as having different hometowns or cheering for a different baseball team.

It's nothing."

NOPE. Just no.

I get that he's trying to say it isn't much of an issue between them. Assuring Nozue that they can work through it. It could also be seen as one of those motivational messages advocating for a better world. An equal one. Our inherent differences shouldn't be a reason for judgement and discrimination. Good message.

But it felt SO DISMISSIVE to me!!! Bad. I'm legit angry about it! We don't live in a fairytale where everything is easily solved like that. Our differences don't all carry equal weight. Don't have equal consequences. It's not nothing.

END OF SPOILERS!!!


Just so I'm not only putting the show down, let's mention some positives. It's still a japanese BL adaptation. So the visuals, music, cinematography and acting are pretty good, as expected. It's very high quality.

The premise itself isn't bad. Quite the opposite. It's very good. Unique. Interesting. Needed to be portrayed in my opinion. The wording is also good, for the most part. I just don't think it was executed well.

It's fairly low-effort to watch, so you can try it even if you have some reservations. It doesn't have any major jumps in terms of quality and overall feel of the drama.

In the end, I don't think it is a bad show. I believe it's worth trying for everyone. And it can surely be enjoyable, if you like your cupcakes old-fashioned. I don't.

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I'M IN LOVE!<33

Where should I start? I completely fell for this BL. Like really...one of the best i've seen so far!

STORY: I really like not so complicated, mature BLs and if the story is some kind of office love? It's the best! Yes, it's not really something original but the "anti-aging" activities the main characters did together were really nice and I don't think I've ever seen that before. It was sweet but it also has a meaning. Even if you're not in your teens and you have plenty of work, you still can enjoy time and even if u're a man in his 40s, you still can enjoy funny and sweet talks in cafe with your bestie :>
Also love how it wasn't toxic at all :)

ACTING: They all did such a good job! I liked every character and I liked the way they all played their roles. I don't have anything more to say because i really liked it.

MUSIC: Nice :) It never felt like it didn't suit the moment.

REWATCH VALUE: I will definitely rewatch it sooner or later. There's no way I wouldn't rewatch it!

OVERALL: Love it ( as you propably already noticed lmao )! It's not toxic, nice story, good acting,...Really if you need something fresh, not toxic with ( spoiler? ) good ending, watch this. Also you can binge watch it so even if you don't like it, it won't consume much of your time. That's propably one minus, it's short. Yes again, idk what would happen if it was longer but i definitely wish to see more of the couple :) It could have been at least 1 episode longer to be honest, but I'm not mad.
Definitely adding on my list of favourite BLs <3

That's all, have a good day and don't worry about things. Everything will be alright even if it may look like it will never get better. It will, healing takes time :) stay strong, love you <33 feel free to share your opinions or anything here in comments :)

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A little bit of sugar won't give you diabetes and might enhance your platter <3

I don't know if I can find any bad part in this BL even if I search with my magnifying glasses on...all I can see is spotless acting and raw transparent adult emotions with relatable characters to swoon over.

YES it's cute, fluffy, refreshing and calming.
For me the most beautiful thing is that Togawa didn't forced his feelings on Nouze-san, this story happened naturally. Being single and close to 40 Mr. Nouze must have felt his life boring and uninteresting. At that time Togawa came into his life like a breath of fresh air. They both understood their boundaries as subordinates.

They are adults in love and but can giggle like a child over little things.

I can conclude this as a healthy BL to feed on whenever you're tired. Plots like this tells us that love at first sight still do exist and stays for a longer time, which makes me wonder why something like this doesn't happen to us :')

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One of the best japanese BL I have watched

For those who are wondering, this serie has a *happy ending*

I love everything about this series. Maybe the only thing I would have liked more, is for it to be longer. But if you really think about it, it's total length is almost a movie.

First of all, they followed the manga to a T. Even the whole series followed the full volume one of the manga, except for the extras, which I had hoped they included as well in the series because it contains some cute, steamy scenes.

Next, I love the acting and the actors. Togawa especially have acted the best. I can really feel their emotions in their eyes, so it is really apparent when they'd fall in love. I also really love both of their characters. Togawa is just a really straightforward ikemen who wanted to be with Nozue any moment he wants and he really grabs it.

Also, the communication in this serie is *chef's kiss*

I hope they have a season 2 because the manga has a second volume, and I am loving it. I deeply recommend this serie to all readers. You'll definitely love this!

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