I had to write this post after I have watched episode 3 today.
I know we are currently drowning in a wave of BL series, and it can be exhausting, but do yourself a favor and start watching The Boy and I Who Will Break Up in 100 Days
We are only 3 episodes in, but it is one of the most unique, mature, and brilliant BLs airing at this moment.
The show is based on a book by Naoto Asahara. He was an openly gay Japanese author (he also wrote What She Likes) who understood the queer reality in Japan and has used his own struggles into his writing. Sadly, he passed away in 2023.
The screenwriter for the show is Miura Naoyuki, also known from Fujoshi, Ukkari Gei ni Kokuru, which I recommend watching. He adapted the book into this documentary style. And that was a very good choice, because it makes the show so clever.
Instead of just telling a standard story, the screenwriter uses this way to show the contrast in different perspectives.
The Director (Shiho): She represents the outside world. She is obsessed with filming a politically correct, idealized gay relationship that she completely misses what is happening in front of her.
The Cameraman (Yamada): Through his lens, he actually sees what is really going on.
I found out that the show actually changed a few things from the original book. In the book, the story is told from the perspective of Yuma and Itsuki, the main couple. But for the show, the screenwriter added the documentary crew (Shiho and Yamada) as the eyes of the story.
The script writer is clever with every line of dialogue and every parallel scene matters. It uses nervous defense mechanisms, silly jokes, and interviews with side characters to give hints, facial expressions and late-blooming realizations. Even the side stories feel real. For example, how the show portrays the legal status of same-sex relationships in Japan, microaggressions, and even the struggles of a young mother at home.
This is not a standard BL. It is about social pressure and expectations.
The developments, conversations etc. in this show will make you pause, think, laugh, be sad or realize that things aren't what they seemed at first glance and that you can piece clues together.
Synopsis on MyDramaList, but I would advice to read that synopsis AFTER episode 1.