Smoke Blue no Ame Nochi Hare

“Smoke Blue no Ame Nochi Hare” introduces Azuma Sakutaro, a 38-year-old gay man grappling with unemployment and past anxieties. Once a high-achieving pharmaceutical sales representative, Sakutaro experienced a career decline in his mid-thirties. Overwhelmed by anxiety as peers progressed, he eventually reached his physical and mental limits and abruptly resigned. Now adrift, he lives at his sister’s house, passing his days in idleness.

One evening at a gay bar, Sakutaro finds himself in a precarious situation, only to be unexpectedly rescued by Kuji Shizuka. Kuji is a former coworker and rival from Sakutaro’s pharmaceutical days. Eight years prior, they were top sales representatives at the same company and shared a single intimate night on Kuji’s last day. Kuji has since reinvented himself as a medical translator, leading a dramatically different life. Their sudden reunion reignites their once-sealed connection, prompting a powerful journey of reconnection that promises to set their stalled lives back in motion.