Two men.
An unrequited love.
A war against time.

For middle-aged businessman Nozue (Takeda Kouhei), age is more than just a number; it’s full of regret. He’s settled into a monotonous routine that’s robbed much of the color from his life. Until his lovelorn younger subordinate, Togawa (Kimura Tatsunari), sets out to seduce him with an anti-aging regimen that changes everything.

Adapted from the manga of the same name by Sagan Sagan, the Japanese BL Old Fashion Cupcake delves into aging, life, and love between two men working for the same company. And it does it with an open honesty that tackles ageism and gender expectations.

In my initial review for this series, I talked about how impressed I was with how Old Fashion Cupcake challenges the way mature men are “supposed” to act.

Age is a mark of time, and because of that, it’s easy to get caught up in the fear that each passing year brings us, the weighing knowledge that each passing day robs us of experiences and highlights our missed opportunities. Especially once we hit middle age when half our lives still spread out before us while the other half mocks us from behind.

Middle age is wishing for more while wondering if where we are at is all there ever will be.

Ageism, both internal and external, is a real issue in my society, and I feel like it’s the same for any culture. There comes a point where age makes it hard to move forward, where people see your age on a piece of paper and judge you for the number. Especially if you aren’t as successful as they think you should be for a forty-year-old person.

I found it endearing and powerful that Old Fashion Cupcake takes viewers both into and beyond that. Togawa opens up Nozue’s world, offering him the chance to explore everything he believes his age and gender have closed him off from.

And it’s such a freeing thing to watch.

I don’t think we realize how heavy and limiting the chains of expectation society has placed on us are until we find a way to unlock them.

Watching Togawa unlock those chains for Nozue and seeing Nozue step free of them was just as romantic for me as the romance. Because the most powerful love stories are the ones we have with ourselves. The biggest love stories are the ones where we challenge expectations.

Old Fashion Cupcake challenges expectations.

People are not meant to be boxed in, but society often categorizes us by gender, age, and sexuality. And it limits us, shames us, and makes us afraid to be different. Boxes are meant to be opened. We shouldn’t be forced to conform. We should be free to be whatever and whoever we want to be.

Old Fashion Cupcake breaks open that box, and even though it’s a light, seductively short drama, it holds incredible power. Watching it feels like watching a butterfly break free of its cocoon.

What I said when this show premiered about seeing Nozue break through the walls his routine and gender have built around him being freeing still holds. It made and still makes my heart flutter.

Old Fashion Cupcake is a romance that challenges the norm while providing a beautiful unconstrained love story between two men.

And I hope everyone takes the time to watch it.

For a mature drama that helps its viewers break free in a seductive, light-hearted way, check out Old Fashion Cupcake on Viki.

Rating- 4.5 out of 5