Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
38-year-old Takoi Heisuke (Watanabe Shu) is a single, handsome, kind-hearted cop, well-liked by almost everyone in the local community and at the small police station where he works. His junior, Shiono Shu (Saito Ryu), on the other hand, is dashing but poker-faced, cold and aloof, and quickly rising through the ranks. They’re also neighbors in the police dormitory, but barely get along and just when Takoi is completely convinced that Shiono hates him, the younger man confesses his romantic feelings for him! The trigger for this sudden admission? A local trying to get Takoi married to his granddaughter.
Directed by Ouchi Takahiro (Sugar Dog Life), the ten-episode Duty First, Kiss Later is adapted from Su’s manga Kiss wa Sosa no Ato de and is a simple, sweet romantic comedy about two cops with opposite personalities falling in love and figuring out how to navigate their suddenly changed relationship. Adding to the challenge is Shiono’s nagging worry that Takoi might only be dating him because he’s too kind to say no and is simply going with the flow.
Given that Duty First, Kiss Later was shot on a tight budget and in just 20 days, the production value is pretty much on par with most Japanese BLs in the romantic-comedy genre. Sure, the settings are limited, but the local police station, government dorms, and the few outdoor date spots Shiono and Takoi visit look authentic enough.
Regular BL fans might recognize lead Watanabe Shu from the comedy ‘I Became the Lead in a BL Drama’, where he plays popular actor turned celebrity manager Kijima Joji. In ‘Duty First, Kiss Later’, he is comically endearing as the over-friendly neighborhood cop, constantly going the extra mile for those who come to the station. He is in his late 30s and has a full-blown identity crisis when the much younger and dashing Shiono confesses his feelings, so the show also explores him navigating his newly discovered bisexuality.
Saito Ryu has previously played the Black Ranger in the Super Sentai movies, and Duty First, Kiss Later marks his first major romantic lead role in a show. His portrayal of Shiono is like watching the manga character come to life. While he is deceptively stern and even seems mean in his introductory scenes, as the story progresses, you see his soft, vulnerable side when it’s just him and Takoi. One of the cuter running gags in the show is how Shiono buys takoyaki every day for himself simply because it sounds like his crush’s name.
I feel like the show doesn’t really have enough romantic moments between the leads to give you a solid sense of their chemistry, although they certainly look interesting together. The romantic intensity is carried by Shiono’s character alone. In a year where Japanese BL served up shows like ‘Life in Smokey Blue‘ and ‘Fake Fact Lips‘, Duty First, Kiss Later gives us a pairing that’s pleasant enough to watch, but not necessarily one you’ll be missing once the credits roll.
It feels like most of the show is about the cops hanging out at their favorite pub and grabbing a drink. Yashiba Toshihiro plays Taishou, the owner of the pub everyone frequents, and he often lends a thoughtful listening ear to Takoi’s dilemmas. Kudo Haruka plays Egawa Moriki, Takoi’s colleague, who is the quickest to figure out Shiono’s romantic feelings for Takoi and catch on to their budding romance. She cutely supports them from the sidelines, along with another colleague. Ogata Sosuke plays Omaeda Hiroshi, a new junior cop posted to the station, who seems to have a crush on the kind-hearted Takoi too, obviously giving the comedy some mandatory love-rival chaos.
The last episode really changes the tone of the show, which until then had been mostly silly and light-hearted. It’s almost like the writers suddenly remembered that ‘Duty First, Kiss Later’ is a show about police officers, so maybe they should finally throw in a serious case and some violence, all of which comes with a fairly predictable twist. Until episode 9, everything is pretty much fun and games, so the dramatic climax feels completely out of sync with the rest of the show. But at least things end on a very romantic rooftop scene, with Shiono and Takoi affirming their love for each other.
If you’re looking for a fun, silly romantic-comedy about two cops navigating the challenges of an office romance and work, ‘Duty First, Kiss Later’ is a very entertaining watch. And quite like the title, the protagonists are more busy playing cops and there is very little kissing!
Watch ‘Duty First, Kiss Later’ on TVer or GagaOolala.
Looking for more BLs to watch? Check out quick reviews of three romcoms below.
