School Trip: Joined a Group I’m Not Close To (2025)

 I’m calling it now: School Trip: Joined a Group I’m Not Close To is the best Boys' Love drama of 2025—and quite possibly my favorite of all time. When I first pressed play, I’ll admit I was skeptical. I thought, "Here we go again, another high school drama." But having enjoyed Youth and Amagi-kun to Takara-kun in the past, I decided to give it a chance. I am so glad I did. From the very first episode, I was spellbound. I found myself setting alarms for 3:00 AM just to catch the GagaOOLala premiere, watching through bleary eyes while half-asleep. Then, I’d rewatch that same episode at least five times before the following Sunday. My only regret? That it’s over. There are rumors of two special episodes in Japan, and I am crossing my digits that GagaOOLala gives us a year-end miracle and licenses them. Plus, since the original novel has a sequel, I’m fervently hoping the show's massive success leads to a second season. The story itself is simple, yet utterly delicious—a sparkling gemstone of pure innocence. Having dove into the novel immediately after Episode 1, I knew the plot was "unbelievably" wholesome. In what world does a head-over-heels teenage boy respect his crush so much that he won't even dare a kiss until he is 100% certain the feelings are mutual? Watarai is either a Regency-era gentleman reincarnated into a Gen Z body, or he’s just too good to be true. Watarai is the ultimate lead: strikingly handsome (by any standard), tall, lean, and clearly well-liked by his teachers. His "flaw" is that he’s obsessively in love with Hioki to the point of being overbearing, but for the audience, it’s just pure comedy. Hioki has this magical ability to calm Watarai’s intensity with just a single gesture. Watarai isn’t a man of many words, but his "Yeahs" are lethal. He uses them to catch Hioki completely off guard: “You’re not actually jealous of my friends, are you?” Hioki asks, expecting a laugh. “Yeah,” Watarai replies. “Did you just confess to me?” Hioki asks, sure, or hoping, it’s a joke. “Yeah,” Watarai replies. How could Hioki not fall for him? Even when Hioki asks for time to process his feelings, Watarai remains the perfect gentleman—intensely jealous on the inside, but never making it Hioki's burden to carry. Let’s talk about the sex appeal. Even though Watarai doesn't "do anything" (and I use quotes because his restraint is more electric than a full-on love scene), the tension is off the charts. Every time there was a close-up of his long fingers cupping the nape of Hioki’s neck, I got actual chills. The kiss—beautiful, tender, and worth the wait—doesn't happen until the final episode. But I promise you, the journey there is so satisfying that you won't feel cheated. This show was a delightful ride that I never wanted to end. Can we please have 20 more episodes? Two specials are simply not enough! HEA. You can watch on GagaOOLala. Heat Level: 3/6.

Heat Level:

1/6: glances, caress, hugs, no kisses

2/6: kisses, closed mouth or camera angles

3/6: full kisses, clothes on

4/6: full kisses, some clothes off, hands above the waist, pants stay on

5/6: most clothes off, they have sex, but it’s masked, no sexy sounds

6/6: full nudity mostly hidden by camera angles, they have sex, sexy sounds