Scum's Wish

Mugi Awaya and Hanabi Yasuraoka look like a well-matched couple: both are popular, and their relationship seems convincing from the outside. In private, they share a different reason for being together. Each is in love with someone else, and their bond offers temporary relief from wanting someone unavailable. Mugi longs for Akane Minagawa, a young teacher who once tutored him at home. Hanabi’s feelings are for a young man who has been close to her family since her childhood and is also a teacher. Between them, they find a place to share their loneliness, including physical intimacy. The question hanging over their arrangement is whether it can continue as it is.

Rather than treating romance as simple fulfillment, the series focuses on the ache of unreturned feelings and the complicated comfort two people can offer one another. Its drama comes from the gap between the appealing couple others see and the private needs that keep them together. The result is an intimate story about longing, loneliness, and a relationship shaped by what each person cannot have.

Scum’s Wish, also known as Kuzu no Honkai, is a finished TV series from 2017 with 12 episodes. To follow Mugi and Hanabi’s story from its beginning, start with episode 1.

• A romance built around unreturned feelings
• A revealing contrast between appearances and private motives
• Intimate drama about loneliness and longing
• Two perspectives on wanting someone unavailable

Fans of emotionally complicated romance and character-focused drama will enjoy its focus on longing, loneliness, and imperfect comfort.