Right now, vertical BLs—mostly originating from the US—are popping up everywhere, and it feels inevitable that AI-generated versions will soon start flooding the market. Until that nightmare becomes a reality, I find myself unable to stop watching these guilty pleasures. Even as I roll my eyes and give them low ratings because they all feel so much the same, I just can’t quit them. That is simply my life at this point.
The story follows Donovan and Kaden. Kaden is the student body president with a twink-coded aesthetic who is openly gay, while Donovan is the stereotypical straight macho quarterback. Kaden is attracted to Donovan, but he faces bullying and mockery from Donovan, much like the rest of the school. Tensions rise during budget planning after Kaden fails to allocate sufficient funds to the football team, which intensifies the harassment. Following a prank gone wrong, Kaden is punished by being assigned as the water boy for the football team. It is in this role that Donovan begins secretly flirting with him, even though he continues to act as if Kaden doesn’t exist in public. They eventually kiss, and Donovan admits he cannot afford to be seen with another man due to the potential impact on his future; however, he does begin intervening to prevent others from bullying Kaden. While Kaden enjoys the attention, he isn’t blind to the reality that Donovan will never acknowledge him publicly. After their first night together, they are caught by a girl—the typical evil girlfriend archetype—who blackmails Donovan into pretending to be her boyfriend so she can secure the homecoming queen title. Despite more bullying and various bouts of random drama, Donovan finally reaches his breaking point when Harvard scouts arrive, leading him to publicly declare his love for Kaden and his identity as a gay man. Ultimately, the Harvard scout is impressed by both of them and offers them spots at the university.
While this production is stuffed with every imaginable cliché, I found it effective that Donovan comes to terms with the possibility of being gay quite early. This allows the show to focus more on how the pair pushes one another toward their goals instead of just lingering on the denial phase. If you consider it, it is understandable why someone in Donovan’s position would fear coming out given his environment. Kaden recognizes this and offers support without being overbearing. All the standard elements are present—homophobic teammates, an evil girlfriend, and general bullying nonsense—but the two protagonists navigate these hurdles to reach their moment. As is typical for these shows, the drama is quite substantial. Both actors are very good looking; I have certainly seen them in other projects, though I can’t quite remember where. It is a decent enough watch overall, nothing more.(5/10)
