A masterpiece that has stood the test of time!
When I stumbled across this movie for the first time I thought "Huh..." and somewhere in the dark recesses of my mind I started to vaguely recall having read the manga years ago.So I thought "Why not" and decided to give the movie a shot. And absolutely nothing could have prepared me for how much I've grown to love it.
From the very beginning the movie has a distinct quiet feel to it, a sort of understated grace that is incredibly hard to pull off without becoming boring. But bore me this did not!
The, let's be honest, fairly shallow and fluffy story is given depth by absolutely stellar performances and gains an undercurrent of authenticity and, for me personally, an aching sense of nostalgia. It effortlessly conjures up the absolute, razor sharp, stepping-around-landmines tension of being a queer kid, who maybe isn't even aware they're a queer kid yet, making a queer connection for the first time with such incisiveness that I found myself absolutely speechless.
And that feeling didn't let up. The entire movie is an absolute masterclass in tension. From the recurring theme of archery, the creaking drawing of bowstrings, to the ceaseless push and pull of the main characters' dynamic - that hesitant reaching out and pulling back of two people who are terrified, terrified of wanting but much more terrified of not being wanted in return - to the long static shots, the lingering close-ups, and the drawn-out continuous takes. It all adds up to steadily build a breathless sort of tension until you feel as if you're being forced to walk a tight-rope of emotions.
It's absolutely incredible.
If you like slow-building romances, stories with lots of tension but very little angst, or movies that speak volumes by deliberately saying very little out loud, then I couldn't recommend this movie more.
It's also a very faithful adaptation of the manga so if you're a fan of the source material you'll very likely love this as well.
Go watch it and then go watch the sequel, I promise you'll be in for an absolute treat.
Was this review helpful to you?
Beautiful Love Story
I’ve watched this film more than once.. it is a beautiful love story that evolves from two beautiful souls who desperately want to find love. One that has been rejected because of his strong and “ just says what comes to mind” personality. The other, who has been rejected by an ex-girlfriend who is currently in a relationship with his brother. He longs to find another true love. Shino is the strong personality. Shino deep down is afraid to get hurt, so he embellishes his strong demeanor, as a way to protect his feelings. Shino has been dumped by GF’s due to his crass and loud personality but he feels he should be accepted as he is. Seryou, on the other hand, is sought after by all the girls in school because he is kind and thoughtful. He devised a plan where he dates for a week just anyone who confesses their like of him but then dumps them if he doesn’t fall in love with them in a week. It’s not a game , he says, it’s someone looking for love. One day, Shino impulsively asks Seryou to go out with him and he accepts. From then on, it’s a slow tale of two sensitive people falling in love yet not communicating their feelings towards each other. They both fail to be open and honest leading to misunderstandings as they both trip, fall and finally realize their true feelings for each other and are able to express them. Jealousy, apprehension and fear rule their relationship until they are finally able to come to terms with their true feelings and communicate how they really feel about each other.It is a poignant love story told with beautiful views of the cityscape of Japan. A tale of two young men who fall in love while participating in a “silly” dating game.
Was this review helpful to you?
Worth Watching
I found this movie in youtube recommendation, then i watched it. Wow suprisingly it was good!What the most i love about this movie is about the story, they have good storyline! The background of this film made me think it was an old movie, but this is my first japan movie after so many years i never watching j-drama/movie again, j-drama/movie never changed at all, that's why i like it. The music is also played beautifully, it fits perfectly well with the story.
Anyway, this movie took me into Japan BL world, i met : Takumi-kun the cutest uke in bl world because of this movie! thank you! ^^
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Definitely worth a try!
I personally have watched both parts of the movies 4 or 5 times already.I am not exactly sure why the story continues to draw me in. Every time I see a clip pop up somewhere I wish to rewatch it.
So to speak
I truly love the movies although their communication struggle has me on edge constantly. Since the point of view is mainly the one of the main character one gets to understand him easily. I like the way his insecurities are displayed as one can truly feel how he wishes someone would love him the way he is (which our second main character does) and not only based on his good looks.
Considering that the movies are a bit older now their acting might appear a little lacking but whilst subtle in some parts they do display the emotions well.
I would say it is quite a calm and sweet love story not very intense or sexual but dramatic enough to give it a try.
I promise it is worth it
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Fake it till you make it
Only copying the review I had that summed up my thoughts on both seasons cause I'm lazyIt was cute but that's it, there was not much of the story and I thought it'll be easy for the director since it's a 2D story about fake dating turning into real dating between two highschoolers but there was still a lot of holes in the story and so many things left unanswered!! I guess it can be called a journey to sexuality but I think they didn't even have any problems with genders when it comes to dating, it even seems to me that both of them who is popular and dated a bunch of girls are not treating it as if it's new and different-kind of dating when it comes to them dating which are two guys, it leaves me guessing that they might be bi.
I can see why they went with slow-paced story to make it somehow realistic and seem not forced which ended up with them looking like they are forcing to make it realistic which kinda ruins it for me and made me fast forward a lot. The casts were great but the only one that did well without looking awkward or forced with some of their actions is the person who played shino. Individually criticizing, seiryo's actor did not do well on portraying his character, he was shy and introverted but sometimes he went too quiet and the timing he goes back to talking is sometimes not right and in an awkward timing. The way he acted anxious/scared on the kissing scene on shino's room felt exaggerated.. shino's actor did really well, I have no complains. He was not awkward and it really looks normal and easy to understand his character from the way he portrayed and acted.
The story holes is that even though the two dated a bunch of girls, they don't know how to date.. and had to figure it out for themselves along the way. I guess that's being a man who's popular in japan for you, cause I saw a lot of those in jp movies/series. Another one is seiryo's and the girl who has the same name as shino's relationship, it was vaguely shown but it was pretty obvious that seiryo cherishes and likes the girl but how their relationship bloomed was not entirely explained, they both cling onto one another for comfort which was really weird when you think that the girl obviously was still into his brother which made me think why they were in a relationship, the girl sexually harassed seiryo which he didn't liked at first but went a long with it after(?) cause they even dated (showed scenes of them being in restaurants in a couple manner in season 1) so even if seiryo knew about her relationship with his brother, he still went with it so I was like huh.. that's problematic, might make me hate seiryo cause that's being an accomplice to cheating.
Anyways, enough about that it's actually quite enjoyable. Once they finished a day it makes you curious on the day next cause what happens then is always different and while getting closer to a week, you can see them trying to get even more closer and not wanting it to end :') made me feel lots of butterflies and I liked them together a lot IT WAS SO CUTE AND IT COULDVE BEEN MORE if things were explained and if it were a little bit more harder for them to get together in the end cause it went too easily.
Was this review helpful to you?
Underwhelming
I really wanted to like this one, but it just didn't do it for me. The whole idea sounded great, but the way they pulled it off and the acting were kind of a letdown.I didn't really sense much chemistry between the characters. The guy playing Seiryo seemed to capture the whole falling-in-love thing a bit better, but he looked way too old to be a high schooler. Honestly, he seemed closer to 40 than a teenager, and seeing him in a school uniform and calling someone "senpai" felt a bit off. As for the actor playing Shino, even though he looked younger, it was still hard to buy into him wearing a uniform or falling for Seiryo. Maybe a reboot with more fitting actors would be a good call. And those kissing scenes... they were just plain weird. It's like the actors were scared of touching lips or something.
By the way, I've seen other J-dramas where actors in their twenties pulled off younger roles way better. So, it's not impossible to make it work.
Was this review helpful to you?
Slowest Burn BL ever!
Gist, I am not a fan of slow burn BL, but I ended up enjoying this one somehow. lol. I don't really enjoy the 2nd part as much though, but I like this first partInitially, I find it really slow and a bit boring. But once I'm used to the pacing, especially the silence,, it actually feels soothing
It's a nice change of pace for someone like me, who constantly are catching up having to read lines after lines of subtitle in order to not miss a moment, and even having to rewatch to ensure i read it correctly sometimes
Somehow the slowness is nice. I get to read the subtitle, observe their experience, and take a moment to actually let the moment sink in, digest the experience, and actually feel it together with the couple
I feel almost like I am inside the drama. It is really good at taking you in a journey in that way
For this reason, I really enjoy this one and the ending is good too, but it keeps you hanging too much, that you'll wanna watch the 2nd part, which burns even more. LOL
Overall, I won't rewatch this again, my heart can only take that much slowburn, but I don't regret watching either
Was this review helpful to you?
Meh.
It is your run-of-the-mill BL, except I will agree that the concept is unique... the seven days a week once thing... makes him sound like a complete whore, but turns out he is a very dignified whore, who doesn't touch the girls he is dating...everything is soo Japanese... the actions, the reactions, and whatnot... especially the archery club, the flip phones, the suits, ohh and did I mention the hairstyles? I loved how they took it lightly in the beginning and slowly built upon it... But it is really, really average... Nothing jumps out to you in this movie, be it good or bad... maybe I might have felt differently if I watched in 2015 but the standards are not the same anymore in 2024... I appreciate the acting and the cinematography (it doesn't ruin anything much) but that's it. I am not feeling it, so I am not going to rate it very high...Its the same thing put on repeat... they went out on a movie date, did some sightseeing, some food eating, having awkward high school dead fish kisses (which are actually dead), suddenly falling in passionate love (how? is the right question to ask here...) , had some drama sprinkled at the end ( why bother man? why?), and THE END.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Nothing great.
Was this review helpful to you?
A great adaptation
This was recommended to me and I am glad to say that I enjoyed this one a lot. It also inspired me to read the manga & I have to say that is honestly a really good adaptation. One of the best I've seen. There were scenes and dialogue taken directly from the source material. It is brilliantly done.I love that the misunderstanding & their awkwardness were understandable. It was not just a weird plot device, it was a well written plot point. It was written in such a way that you actually understood where they were both coming from & it made sense.
Also for some reason it looks like it was shot in the 1980s and not 2015/16?
Anyways, it was really good and I recommend it.
Was this review helpful to you?
Adorable and wholesome ^^
This movie was just amazing and adorable❤️Loved the actors, and even though it looks quite old (especially if you’re like me and watching it in 2023 or later) it was so refreshing to see a different plot in a different time❤️
Though you need to remember that this movie has a second part, so you need to watch this first if you want the whole story❤️
Would definitely recommend this movie to someone who wants to watch an adorable wholesome movie with just the right amount of drama and sweetness❤️
Was this review helpful to you?
I can't share the enthusiasm for this movie..
When I first read the synopsis I was hooked. The idea sounds interesting and fun!But the movie is pretty boring for me. I don't feel any chemistry between the actors. The atmosphere is lame and bland.
There was one phone call where I thought their nagging were cute, but that's it.
I don't get the progress of their feelings, because they rarely spend time together, so why do they develope feelings for each other? Lol. Barely anything is happening in the movie. I like dialogue heavy movies and shows, but most of the time no one speaks... :')
The sidestory with the girl Shino is also weird. Didn't get it so far, but maybe part 2 will explain more?
The actors do not fit their roles. They look way too old. Although I liked the actor for Seiryo a bit more. His body language screams "dude from an anime". :'D
Wouldn't recommend it because it just feels like a waste of time for me.
Was this review helpful to you?
A slow burn with loads of emotions
Japanese BLs have always astounded me with their unique plotline and in most of the cases I have found that the stories have been handled masterfully by the director and the actors have done a great job at bringing those characters to life. I am so happy to state that this one certainly is an addition to this list.The story is divided into 2 parts. The first part is about Shino Yuzuru, a beautiful and talented archer who is down on his luck when it comes to holding a relationship because he is misunderstood since he speaks his mind without a thought. Shino hears about Seiryo Touji who is well-known in his school as a guy who would go out with the first person who asks him at the start of the week but will end the relationship in 7 days. Shino upon meeting Seiryo on a Monday outside school casually asks him out. What we see next is the unravelling of the true nature of both these characters from Monday to Thursday.
The movie is slow and many scenes have dialogues sprinkled between silence and just the 2 characters reacting to situations. You might feel that something like this would take you out of the movie experience but on the contrary you get to enjoy the brilliance of acting where much is conveyed just by the reactions of the 2 actors. The actors playing the 2 characters have done a fabulous job emoting the scenes. You can see these flawed characters growing and realising their feelings for each other slowly and you are rooting for them till the end
If you like slow burners that is full of character development do give this one a watch
Was this review helpful to you?
