REVIEW: ‘Eternal Boys,’ Episodes 11-12 – “Daisuke Yamanaka’s Way” and “A Day Off”

With their first idol festival behind them, it is back to the daily grind for the members of Eternal Boys. But how did the idea for a middle-aged idol band come into existence? A look into group leader Yamanaka’s past may illuminate how this came to be. Plus, how the boys choose to spend their first day off in a long time in Eternal Boys Episodes 11-12.

This week’s member-focused episode looks at Daisuke Yamanaka’s path to the Eternal Boys. As the one member who was already working at the agency when the group is brought together, it felt like we got the fewest details about him at the start of the show. The past we see for the talent agent turned idol is one that is relatively predictable. Early success and some overconfidence are soon followed by some early struggles that saw his life change course.  We see how he met the old owner of the agency and how he came to be so devoted to the work he does there, till we eventually catch up to the modern day. This story does the best it can for the character, given the scant 13 minutes it gets to work with.

Beyond just his background though, we also learn some new details about how the group came to be conceptually, as well as why Yamanaka joined the group. This glimpse crafts more context for the group, as well as why the agency’s boss was willing to take such a gamble on so untested of an idea.

The second of Eternal Boys Episodes 11-12‘s pair of stories sees the group get to take a much-needed day off. Through this look into how the boys spend their free time, we get new information about some, while others have previously known aspects of their character reinforced. It provides a chill moment with the group as they first scatter, but ultimately end up spending much of their time together as they always do.

While these entries do provide some low-key enjoyment, they give little to truly grab the viewer. They are both too short to truly pull the viewer in and lack any real punch, be it emotional or comedic. Even the visuals are unnoteworthy and largely forgettable. While I never feel any negative emotions towards the show as its local 5 pm start time nears, I can confidently say that I would never think to watch it if it wasn’t for the fact that my editors expect a review.

Eternal Boys Episodes 11-12 deliver another pair of perfectly adequate stories. They are enjoyable and chill, which is both their biggest strength, as well as their greatest weakness. But as this week’s entries closed, the show dropped a last-minute plot beat that could mean something more substantial awaits the story next week. We’ll have to wait till then to see if Eternal Boys can grow into something more or if they are content with being just fine.

Eternal Boys Episodes 11-12 are streaming now on HIDIVE.