Is there such a thing as luck?
Whether there is or not, humanity spends a lot of time depending on chance, hoping that what happens to us on any given day will be good rather than bad.
And no one wants to be on the receiving end of bad.
But for college student Fukuhara Kouta (Sota Ryosuke), bad luck isn’t just a spontaneous unfortunate moment; it’s an everyday occurrence.
Until he meets the unusually lucky Shinomiya Naoya (Sato Yusuke).
Adapted from the manga of the same name by Tsuyu Gamoko, the Japanese BL Mr. Unlucky Can Only Kiss (Fukou-kun wa Kiss Suru Shikanai!) is a fun look at how two opposite fates intertwine. All while falling in love.
Japan has a unique way of telling stories. They either deliver a darker dramatic plot with light moments or lighter comedic plots with profound moments.
Mr. Unlucky Can Only Kiss is a light comedy, but it’s sprinkled with an objective look at life and a couple’s relationship with fate.
And it does it from two different points of view, delving first into the thoughts of the unlucky Fukuhara Kouta before switching to the lucky Shinomiya Naoya.
What appears perfect isn’t. What seems imperfect is better than one expects.
Kouta and Naoya are like the positive and negative sides of a battery. You need both for the battery to be functional, and neither can exist without the other.
It was easy to fall into the dark humor that is Kouta’s life. From the beginning, despite the laughter his bad luck and exaggerated expressions brought to the screen, there was also a hint of sadness and desperation. It takes a lot of emotional and mental fortitude to step forward with a fake smile every day when the world is always falling apart around you.
I respected Kouta for this fortitude, even when he stumbles on the lucky Naoya and latches onto him. Even when his need to be close to Naoya for luck’s sake meant possibly losing him.
However, there’s also the vague sense from the moment they first meet that there is more to Naoya than meets the eye, that there’s the distinct possibility he understands Kouta more than Kouta realizes. And that becomes evident when Kouta emotionally reveals he’s been using Naoya’s good luck to his advantage.
Naoya accepts Kouta’s reveal calmly rather than angrily, and we learn it’s because he’s been aware of Kouta’s bad luck and true personality the entire time.
The drama then switches points of view, allowing us to see Kouta from Naoya’s perspective. And it opens up a whole new world for viewers. While it’s easy to pity and sympathize with Kouta’s bad luck, it’s harder to understand the negative attention Naoya’s good luck has always brought him. Where Kouta has forced a smile and optimism into bad situations, Naoya has always wondered if the people closest to him were people he could trust or people using him.
Naoya brought luck and self-acceptance into Kouta’s life. Kouta brought genuine love, need, and an unfailing strength into Naoya’s.
Naoya prefers Kouta’s true personality, even the negativity he hides. Kouta prefers the true Naoya, even the insecurities he keeps to himself. They balance each other.
Mr. Unlucky Can Only Kiss is a drama that takes itself seriously without taking itself seriously, all while proving that luck has nothing on love.
Despite their polar opposite lucks, Kouta and Naoya need each other in a deeply profound way. They don’t rush into an intimate relationship. Instead, they deepen their friendship, letting their affection for each other grow into the strong, beautiful relationship the drama concludes with. It’s evident in the last scene that they’re ready to move to the next step in their newfound love: intimacy.
And then it’s over, the drama ending on a lot of laughs and a keen sense that Kouta and Naoya are steps away from sealing their love with a kiss.
Mr. Unlucky Can Only Kiss left me satisfied knowing they’re happy in their decisions and happy that the luck they were born with eventually led them to each other.
For a heart-fluttering, fun drama that will make you laugh as much as it makes you think, check out Mr. Unlucky Can Only Kiss on Gagaoolala and Viki.
Rating- 3.5 out of 5
The BL Xpress 
I enjoyed it although one thing was very distracting. Why was Mr. Unlucky wearing the heavy clothing throughout the series while everyone else wore lighter summer clothing?
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