I'm not entirely sure if this show is even real or if it's all been one big fever dream. But if it is, don't wake me up because I'm having the time of my life.

Is this show a masterclass in writing and storytelling? Absolutely not. It's very flawed, in fact. But it isn't trying to be a great show. It is awfully self-aware, and you can tell that the writers are having a ton of fun with the silly little idea they came up with. It's obvious they didn't want to think too much about the world-building, themes, or the characters. They just wanted to write a show about a penguin and a panther turning human and falling in love, and they did exactly that. It's a fresh idea, it's absolutely unhinged, and I enjoyed every moment of it.

It is a bit difficult to look past some of the glaring issues. For example, there's no logic about Junior's knowledge about human culture, or lack thereof. He knows how to write, he knows what a bed is, but he doesn't know how to use a computer or what religion is. He also struggles to comprehend what a kiss on the cheek is for, but five minutes later is fully kissing Sun without thinking twice about it or questioning how weird the concept of kissing would probably seem to any non-human. You can tell the writers didn't bother thinking anything through, but it really doesn't matter because the cuteness, silliness and fun of it all makes it easy to get past all the nonsense.

That being said, the series is sometimes trying to be a solid show. There was at least an attempt at exploring the human experience. Happiness, sadness, heartbreak, dreams, conflicts with parents and other peers... They tried to do something with that. I don't think they explored it well, but at least they tried to be serious at times. There's no real message to take away from this, and that's okay, only the thought 'What were they smoking in that writers' room?'

The main thing this show has going for it is cuteness overload and humor...

Caged Again is absolutely adorable. Ben and Jay shine as Sun and Junior. Although they aren't the greatest actors yet, they portrayed their roles perfectly and their chemistry is fantastic. Their height difference is a swoon-worthy cherry on top. Sun feels like a rather unique character. At first, you think he's just going to be a walking stereotype of the emotionally-constipated BL cliché. But you soon realize he's not that at all. Nor is Junior your standard cutesy, ditsy BL bottom. He's self-assured, doesn't take crap, doesn't need to be treated like a baby by his love interest, and is amusingly sassy. More of all that, please. The two of them together sell the puppy love incredibly well and often had me squealing and kicking my feet. Especially their first kiss, which might go down as one of my favorite first kisses in BL history. This show is a slap in the face to every director who instructs their characters to kiss like two dead fish in an attempt to get across the shyness and inexperience. It doesn't have to be that way, and SunJunior proved that very well. A shy, inexperienced first kiss can absolutely have passion behind it. Lips can be moving. They portrayed the timidness so well all the while clearly longing to be close to each other. And those two are animals who haven't even been aware of the concept of kissing until, like, two minutes ago. So stop making your actors press their lips together awkwardly. Unless they are fish turned human, of course, then that might work.

The humor of this show might not land for everyone, but it did for me. The rawr sound effects for Sun, Junior dressing as a penguin to activate Sun's animalistic instinct, the bad penguin CGI and hilariously poor North Pole Green Screen, Junior using catnip on Sun, drunk Sun singing 'You've made a kitty out of me' in a karaoke sesh, the school's guard yelling 'You will never escape, my gays,' Sun and Junior indulging in mpreg fantasies after their first time... It's all so stupid and unhinged and absolutely hilarious. Okay, Junior essentially trying to use catnip to drug Sun into loving him does have very problematic undertones, but I won't even harp on that because that shit was funny as hell.

All in all, this is far from perfect, but it's something fresh. And honestly, with the amount of samey BLs we're getting, I much prefer something unique over something flawless. That's why the rating is a very subjective 8, not an objective one. To me, this was an enjoyable watch from start to finish and I desperately hope to see Ben and Jay together again in future projects. Whoever came up with this foolish concept of a show, may the BL gods bless you.