Innocence is a lot like glass. Clear. Beautiful. Unmarred by the harsh realities of life.

Fragile. So easily broken.

Adapted from the manga Takara no Vidro by Suzumaru Minta, the Japanese BL Takara’s Treasure tells the story of an innocent boy named Nakano Taishin (Konishi Eito), who follows a young man, Shiga Takara (Iwase Yoji), to university after Takara once helped him deal with the grief of losing his pet.

It seems a strange premise at first, yet there’s something endearingly beautiful about how innocently Taishin clings to the person who once helped him find solace. He’s an open book with nothing written in it yet.

In contrast, Takara seems much more sullied by the world, which is most notable in how he holds himself back from those around him, using his standoffish behavior as a barrier between himself and his classmates. There’s goodness there, a compassion for people simmering just beneath the surface, but it’s tamped down by distrust.

The first two episodes of Takara’s Treasure focus a lot on the differences between Taishin and Takara while also highlighting how attractive and fragile both Taishin’s innocence and Takara’s mystery are. Taishin is dangerously close to being broken inside a city drawn to his naivety, while Takara is dangerously close to being sucked into himself by whatever he’s hiding from.

And that’s what makes these two so fascinating to watch on screen. Takara is attracted to Taishin the same way he is to peeking at the world through marbles. Looking at the world through Taishin makes it seem much brighter than it is. Different. Protected inside a fragile bubble of beauty where nothing can touch it. Taishin is attracted to the compassionate fire he sees smoldering inside Takara, burning so bright that he can’t help but reach for it.

Fire and glass are both easy to fall into. Both are tempting. Both are fragile in their own ways. While glass can be broken, fire can be snuffed out.

Takara’s Treasure may seem like a simple story, a tsundere lead pursued by an innocent deredere, but its allure is in how fragile they are and in how much these two boys need the other without realizing it inside a marble’s upside down world where no one can touch either of them.

And that’s what’s drawing me in: the safe, untouched world Taishin offers Takara and the safety from the outside world Takara offers Taishin.

How broken will Taishin become? How closed off will Takara remain?

X marks the spot to a treasure that’s too irresistible to ignore.

For a series that pulls you in and traps you inside the tantalizing glass Takara is so fond of, check out Takara’s Treasure now on Gagaoolala.

Rating- 4 out of 5