Koko kara wa Off Record de
From Here It Is a Secret

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This could be seen as a cute, wholesome, slightly-above-average BL romance story, unless you have a complicated relationship with the concepts of identity and two-facedness. Then this might be incredibly meaningful.

Logically, I know that if I were being impartial I might not rate this as high as I am. But even if this narrative doesn't deeply resonate with you, it's still a solid BL with interesting characters, a heartwarming romantic development, and a very sweet relationship. It even delivers on some erotica and has crossdressing thrown in (without the romance hinging on the uke being feminine or otherwise robbing him of his dignity as a ... man).

That being said, the central premise of this story was incredibly moving to me. It interrogates the idea of authenticity and social integrity, about how you can wear different faces around different people and none of them are necessarily a lie, they're all you. It talks about finding spaces to be free of societal expectation, to be anything rather than just the 'you' everyone has built you up to be and decided you are. It's a fantastic look at personal narrative, and I think especially in a time where we as online people are very focused on branding ourselves, it's a very compelling and healing narrative.

I feel like this can be one simple, forgettable BL, but it can also be a story that's affirming and accepting. Definitely worth checking out regardless.