Everyone knows that despite Riku’s physical ailment, he’s extremely talented and handsome. Although Riku has the looks, nobody can really deny the fact that he is also adorably cute! No one knows that better than Iori. If you know Iori well enough, then you know that he loves anything that looks cute; and Riku, being the sweet and charming boy that he is, is the perfect target for Iori’s observing eyes. We can’t blame Iori for admiring Riku, even we at Honey’s Anime find Riku endearing and lovable!

In various episodes, Iori is usually staring keenly at Riku and muttering the word “cute” from time to time. You will also notice that, as the show progresses, Iori can be seen blushing while staring at Riku and gets exceedingly flustered when Riku notices him or if his other teammates ask him what he just blurted out. It might be nothing for other viewers, but for a typical fujoshi and fudanshi, this signals that Iori has a crush on Riku! Thanks to Iori’s watchful eyes on Riku, everyone learns the true condition of Riku’s health and his personal problems with his brother, Kujo Tenn.

At the start of the episode, Riku’s teammates encourage him to just relax and have fun for the upcoming Sound Ship event. While Riku basks in the joy of having the support of his reliable teammates, the group TRIGGER walks by and greets IDOLiSH7. After the simple greetings, Gaku asks Riku “Why are you standing right in the middle? Isn’t it so you can lead them to greater heights?”. He then proceeds to motivate Riku to give his best performance. Back in their room, Tenn teases Gaku by imitating the exchange between him and Riku. Gaku gets a little bit flustered but agrees that he really believes in their center, Tenn. For the first time in the series, we get to see Tenn blushing because of Gaku’s honesty. It’s a very short scene but it is nonetheless adorable!

TRIGGER rarely shows up in the anime, but when they do, there is always a hint of Gaku x Tenn pairing. It’s quite subtle like in this episode. Although Gaku and Tenn tend to bicker most of the time, it seems they understand each other the most. Their other teammate, Ryunosuke, looks like your ordinary third-wheel friend who unknowingly supports these two from the shadows. Tenn appears to be more cold and distant towards Gaku than Ryounosuke, but it’s very obvious that he respects and appreciates Gaku’s presence within the group.

On the other hand, Gaku seems to know a great deal about Tenn. He is very familiar with what Tenn is thinking about or what he does in certain situations. Gaku may try to deny his concern for Tenn by acting cool and unaffected, but it seems like he gave up in this episode and just became honest with Tenn out of the blue. It’s not a bad thing since a cute Tenn is very much needed in the show. Even Riku didn’t succeed in making his big brother blush. Way to go Gaku!

From the early episodes of the anime, there has always been a little hint of a Tamaki and Sogo pairing. But in episode 6, it’s pretty evident that this paring is strong and appealing like the Iori x Riku pairing.

In this episode, IDOLiSH7 is having their outdoor concert for the second time. Unlike their first concert, IDOLiSH7 has more fans to support them and watch their show. Unfortunately, the rain came, rendering all stage equipment useless because of the blackout. Tamaki, being inspired by Tenn’s professionalism during the previous episodes, decides to continue the show by dancing for the audience under the emergency lights. When the lights and the sound system are back, Tamaki leaves the center stage and gives it to Sogo so his partner can continue the live concert and help their other teammates to regroup on the stage. Their flow is very natural, hence the reason why it left a bigger impression on the audience like Banri and President Takanashi expected.

This scene is not only powerful and important because of Tamaki and Sogo’s great chemistry on the stage, it is also worth to remember that this scene is the reason why the unit, MEZZO”, was born! Like what Tsumugi said, Tamaki and Sogo’s voice blend well together. They are so well-suited for each other that they are the top idols of IDOLiSH7. It’s no wonder the fans were shouting and cheering so loudly when Tamaki and Sogo high-fived each other. Admit it, we’re sure that you were squealing along with the fans in the anime when this particular scene happened. Don’t worry, we did too~

And we’re back again with another scene for the Iori x Riku pairing! In Episode 8, after the success of MEZZO”, all IDOLiSH7 members try their best to get their name out there so they can debut together as a group. The opportunity arises when they were given the chance to perform at Music Festa. All seems well until Riku finds out that his inhaler is smashed into pieces by an unknown intruder. When Riku begins to panic, an attack seems to be starting as well. With no time to think of an alternative for his inhaler, Riku goes on stage feeling unwell. Of course, Iori notices this and is overly concerned about Riku’s wellbeing. Because Iori is so distracted, he forgets to sing and dance during the performance. Iori runs off because of his mistake but the group manages to find him and comfort him.

Even though Iori seems to be back and is doing well, Riku can’t help but be worried about Iori. That’s why on episode 9, Riku is mostly seen teasing and sticking close to Iori. He even suggested sleeping beside Iori so his team member wouldn’t have nightmares anymore. Iori, realizing the fact that Riku is thinking of him, blushes and assures Riku that he is alright and that Riku doesn’t need to be worried about him. Riku then responds that he likes Iori the best when he is his usual self. Feeling embarrassed at what Riku said, Iori admits that he noticed Riku feeling a bit down because of him. Trying to hide the truth from Iori, Riku covers it up by telling him that all of it is acting and that Iori is just imagining things.

These scenes are the crucial point of their relationship. We all know that Iori and Riku disagree about a lot of things. But these episodes prove that they think of each other more than they should. From the start of the anime, we always see Iori watching Riku carefully. He worries a lot about Riku and will think of anything that will help his weak-bodied teammate. It’s a nice change to see Riku also doing all those things for Iori! While they may try to deny their feelings towards one another and try to mask their embarrassment, it’s still noticeable that they care for each other. After talking about what they really feel inside, it seems that they got closer. They still fight about little things occasionally, but this time something about them is different. They act as if they are flirting with each other by making small teasing remarks here and there.

In episode 12 and 13, Tamaki and Sogo are busy thanks to their MEZZO” projects. Even though everything is going well with the duo, Tamaki notices Sogo’s deteriorating health. He tells Sogo that since he is an idiot who can’t grasp things so easily, all Sogo has to do is to just tell him what is wrong so he can act and do something about it immediately. Sogo brushes off Tamaki’s concern and they continue with their busy lives.

With their work getting more demanding and Tamaki being more selfish, Sogo’s health collapses and he is rushed to the hospital by his teammates. When Sogo finally regains consciousness, he tells his teammates that he will leave IDOLiSH7. Everyone is shocked by Sogo’s decision but Tamaki has the strongest reaction out of all the members. He cries in front of Sogo and apologizes to him while also begging for his partner not to leave the group. Tamaki also urges his partner to say what is really wrong, to which Sogo complies and tells the truth behind his decision.

This scene won the number one spot because of Tamaki and Sogo’s character development. Thanks to this painful but precious scene, Tamaki and Sogo’s relationship got closer and stronger than ever. While it’s heartbreaking to see Tamaki feeling sorry and begging for Sogo to stay with him and seeing Sogo getting weaker with each passing moment, we can’t deny that this BL scene is truly beautiful and unforgettable. After the incident, Tamaki and Sogo can understand each other better. Sogo is more honest now than before while Tamaki is a bit more responsible now than his older self. In fact, they kind of act like a married couple! Tamaki said to his friends that he feels like he and Sogo are a real duo now; and like his friends are happy for him and Sogo, we are also happy that Tamaki feels that way towards his partner!