School Trip: Joined a Group I’m Not Close To (2025) Japanese BL: An Unexpected Youth Romance

School Trip: Joined a Group I’m Not Close To (2025) is a Japanese BL series with a rather long name. The drama, themed around youth and high school romance, is about an ordinary high school student, Hioki Asahi, becoming friends with the popular students of the school, called the fabulous four.

Why did Hioki Asahi join the group of popular, cool kids? At first, he cannot understand this. But this inclusion is for love. Let’s move on to the details of the book adaptation BL series.

🏳️‍🌈🇯🇵 Curator’s Recommendation: The Best Japanese BL Catalog

School Trip: Joined a Group I’m Not Close To (2025) Plot, Synopsis

Hioki Asahi is an ordinary high school student. He is an out-of-sight person who doesn’t have much of a vibe. The life of Hioki Asahi, who lacks self-confidence, suddenly changes. He is in the same class as the four most handsome, fabulous students of the school who newly joined their class. Even though these four students do not know each other, they have made a name for themselves as the coolest students in the school and now meet in the same class.

It will be necessary to form a group of five in the class, but no one is in the quartet’s group. No one dares to approach them. Meanwhile, Hioki Asahi, who joins the quartet for the group assignment at the request of the most handsome and tough-looking member of the group, Watarai Tsukasa, is very surprised. Not only him, but everyone is surprised by this.

Hioki Asahi warms up to the group members, their friendship progresses, but Watarai Tsukasa pays special attention. The duo is almost like inseparable twins. A romance will slightly bloom between them. Watarai Tsukasa, who doesn’t pay much attention to girls and doesn’t let anyone get close to him, is in love with this new friend.

When did this love begin? Watarai Tsukasa decides that he has found the person he was looking for because of the words Hioki Asahi coincidentally spoke the truth about himself and what he said about him. He looks for an opportunity to talk and become friends but can never seize that opportunity. That day, an opportunity comes to his hands and Hioki Asahi enters the group as the fifth person.

The relationship between them will progress towards love day by day. Meanwhile, Hioki Asahi is quite timid and confused, not very sure of his feelings. The other members of the group are also aware of the romance between the duo.

Series Review and Comments

As I will write below, the novel adaptation BL series offers a minimalist viewing experience in the classic Japanese style that does not exhaust the viewer. Of course, there is no doubt that you have watched dozens of Japanese BLs with a high school romance theme. At least this series doesn’t take place on the school roof. Isn’t even this a change?

If you like the high school romance theme and the Japanese style, the series will meet your demands in this theme. Anyway, since productions that are generally identical to each other come one after another, chances are you might not watch a Japanese high school romance-themed drama for a long time after this series.

I won’t say acting, colors, cinematography because these comments are unnecessary. In a classic boys’ love production, everything is the same. So what was the factor in me adding this series to the site? Generally, one shouldn’t find dramas that are identical to each other and bring no novelty to the viewer worth reviewing and watching.

First of all, this series does not take place on a rooftop at the top of a building, which is a good sign. The development of Hioki Asahi, a quiet, introverted character who is on his own and lacks self-confidence, is noteworthy. Similarly, Watarai Tsukasa, who has the ordinariness brought by popularity and to whom everyone confesses their love, cannot find someone who will accept him with his sincerity and true feelings.

Popularity is not always good. Right at this moment, he practically sets his sights on Hioki Asahi, who will not confess his love to him, who will not run after him, but whom he heard telling the truth about him 😉

The BL production offers its audience a simple love story. Very plain and minimal, exactly the Japanese style. If you like the high school romance theme, it is a production that will satisfy you with character harmony and chemistry. But as I said, after this series, you won’t need to watch a Japanese high school-themed drama for a long time. Pick one and watch it, the others will be the same. Also, the fact that the production is an adaptation will attract the attention of followers globally who know the book.

The Japanese BL series will get a score close to average. No need to exaggerate. Well, what happens if you don’t watch it? To be honest, nothing happens. There is nothing you will miss. Like I said…

Series Details

With the most invisible student of the school being included in the most popular quartet group, the fire of love sparks between Hioki Asahi and Watarai Tsukasa. A 10-episode 2025 Japanese 🇯🇵 BL novel adaptation. The author of the novel, which also has a long original name in the form of Shugakuryoko de Nakayokunai Group ni Hairimashita “修学旅行で仲良くないグループに入りました”, is Uzura Kakuregi, 隠木鶉, maybe it will interest you. Where to watch? Tver is the original source where the series is broadcasted. Of course, you can find other sources too, but I can’t say anything about that. If you want to review more information, garbage data, and fan fights, take a look at MyDramaList.

Characters and Cast

 I wrote it within the plot too, but very briefly:

• Fujimoto Kodai – Hioki Asahi: A quiet, ordinary high school student who is on his own, hangs out alone.
• Kan Hideyoshi – Watarai Tsukasa: One of the four phenomenal students of the school. Known as popular but distant. He discovers his sexual identity and falls in love with Hioki Asahi.

❤️ Please don’t forget to share your comments and analysis; what kind of impression does the series leave on you? Share it.