So, there is this late Summer J-Drama that’s on now, currently at episode 05, and it stars popular Fukuda Saki, who you might remember in ‘LIFE’ where she co-star’d with Kitano Kie. In IS – which stands for Inter-Sexual, Saki-chan plays Hoshino Haru – the intersexual. Alongside her is the ever cute Gouriki Ayame playing the sophisticated Aihara Miwako.

Apparently there is a manga this drama is based upon but I never read it and don’t plan on starting. Just from reading the synopsis, my heart already is 50 feet under but I am sure everyone has heard of ‘great marketing’. Let me just say that this drama knows how to sell so much that I was compelled to pick this up and start watching.

I have to tell you that every episode I watch, I feel like I am in a room with a time bomb. I know where things are going, where they are supposed to go, but IS keeps on feeding me these great Haru/Miwa moments that I just can’t resist! So, if you are ready to test your heart’s limits…

Let the bittersweet emotions begin!

Fukuda Saki

Gouriki Ayame

Episode 01 more or less goes as most go by introducing us to the main character who in this case in Hoshino Haru.

It’s the start of new term and Haru is starting High School. As he (yep, I know but since Haru herself thinks of himself as a HIM, I will go for he) goes off to his first day of High School, he tells us of his life’s story until now.

It turns out Haru was born with both traits of a boy and a girl. Expectedly, her parents were so thrilled and outside matters didn’t make things any easier with Haru’s father’s business going caput and the Doctors forcing hard decisions onto them. the Doctor informs the parents that they have to decide whether Haru should be a boy or a girl since they have to write something on the register. If they decide, the Doctors could remove one aspect of the sexes and leave Haru with only one.

The parents are so overwhelmed with the turn of events that the mother decides that it would be such a cruel life for Haru to leave so she goes up to the hospital rooftop to either throw Haru or them both to suicide. thankfully father comes to the rescue and the two decide that they will leave the decision of which sex to choose up to Haru when he is grown up.

Before decision time though, Haru’s special body is hit with the first side effects and begins to get sick. Her testes grow inside her inner body which is real bad and so they remove those. This means that the chances of Haru producing sperm is turned to absolute ZERO.

Cue my grumbling at the first sign of things going down hill for I knew this was coming! Damn it all!

Anyways, Haru attends Primary school and Junior High as a boy and his family all think of him as a boy. His sister calls him Onii-chan (big brother) as well. It seems though that as he grows, Haru’s body is turning even more feminine (grumble) and when he goes to attend High School, the school board can only take him on as a girl for his body was too feminine. Haru having set her sights on this particular school decides to bite the bullet and be a girl for a while. it’s after all only 3 years. She will manage!

And this brings us back to the story as Haru is reaching the school.

Haru finds the school gates still closed as he had arrived early but not early enough as there is already someone else who was there first. There is a girl by the way side reading a book and Haru can’t help but stare. Feeling it, the girl looks up then walks over to Haru and the two exchange pleasantries.

The girl is Aihara Miwako and seems quite taken by Haru or she is just that friendly as she takes hold of Haru’s hand and drags him over to the nearby park as they wait for the school to open.

See what I am talking about? I mean, look at the romantic atmosphere for Godsakes!

The two marvel at the beauty of the park filled with Sakura trees in full bloom. Under such a beautiful scenery the two get properly introduced to one another.

needless to say, the following moments f the two as they bask there under the spring morning sky is too sweet a moment. They talk about this and that as they wait. But no episode is full without a WHAM moment and I find that this episode’s is thanks to Miwako who seems to not be happy that she was born a woman! She apologises to Haru for bringing about such strong talks when they’ve only just met but Haru says that it’s no problem so instead Miwako asks Haru if he is happy to be born a woman (Miwako at this moment is unaware of Haru’s secret). To which Haru of course answers that he doesn’t know.

Back on school grounds, Haru looks on melancholically as girl friends and boy friends walk together and wonders where she fits in for the, like, millionth time. She is saved from that though when Miwa-chan walks up to her and they go together to the first assembly.

Oh but wait, we need a cliff hanger as well. With that, let’s wrapt things up by making Haru have her first period at school, why don’t we!

Until next ep…

Final Note:

I am shipping Haru/Miwako so hard it’s a joke!
Saki-chan is so good as a boy.
Ayame is Godly cute as always.