Adachi is the 30-year-old virgin. He is a good guy (very much so) who has a lower opinion of himself and his social skills than he should. Kurosawa is the gorgeous, tall, socially adept marketer at the same company. (Actually, both actors are rather startlingly beautiful men to watch.)
When Adachi gains the ability to read minds--when he is touching someone--he learns, to his astonishment, gratification, and consternation, that Kurosawa is utterly smitten with him. With his new knowledge, Adachi is able to make the leap and date Kurosawa--which doesn't stop him being continually flummoxed.
Sometimes, he is too freaked out to know how to respond. Often, after making contact, he realizes that he misinterpreted Kurosawa's actions and reactions. Far more, he moves to make Kurosawa or another person feel better, a character trait Adachi had before the magic. Like Shino in Seven Days, he is the "straight-shooter" of the relationship, despite Kurosawa being better with people generally. |
| Absolutely helpful! |
The actors have good chemistry and convincingly portray a couple that after initial hurdles (and the requisite break-up) function well together. There are also many delightful, slice-of-life moments in passing. When Adachi and Kurosawa go to see Tsuge's young friend dance, Kurosawa is unnerved when a youngster (18 or 19-year-old) refers to him as "uncle." He isn't a vain man, yet he is shocked to realize that he is now an "older" (albeit handsome) man.
He and Adachi confer about Tsuge and handle the issue through easy conversation and agreement. It is believable that despite Adachi's inherent reserve and uncertainty and Kurosawa's intense feelings, they will make a go of the relationship. I found Tsuge and Minato's relationship a little less believable in the television show than in the manga (where it is still unwinding). However, as in the manga, that relationship is strictly incidental--and has its insightful and amusing moments.
In sum, the slow burn here is not--as it so often is in Hallmark--simply a short-hand way of saying, "Oh, look, our lovely couple met. Aren't they wonderful? They make jokes! They like each other! Okay, that's enough reason for them to get together."
Good slow burn, in BL and elsewhere, IS the plot. It is the complications of the couple trying to communicate. It is the heartache. And it is character development. It isn't about keeping the couple apart. It is about proving why they should be together by watching them together.
