Restart after Come back Home (2020)

Local country gays breaking free from Brokeback Mountain story trope

This rare gem reminded me of a queer British film "God's Own Country" directed by Francis Lee in 2017. However Restart is so much milder than G.O.C, as this film mainly explores on Mitsuomi's character development and his interaction with local people in his hometown.

The resemblances of both films: The chilly picturesque countryside scenic. The use of warm lighting in some titular scenes and soft instrumental music. The gradual transition from cold to warm atmosphere as the story goes. The relationship of main country gay with his parents. The main country gay struggling with life and unwillingly getting involved with another country gay. The gentle coaxing and nurture of one country gay towards the main country gay into submission. The cosy nesting of one country gay's head onto the other country gay's shoulder in a bus/train ride home.

Yuuki Furukawa and Ryo Ryusei's acting as Mitsuomi and Yamato felt rather natural and viewers could easily relate or empathise with their characters. Yuuki's version of Mitsuomi is a resemblance of the manga version (in both mannerism and the voice). Ryo's version of Yamato is more of a goofy sunshine-boy country bumpkin that enlightens every scene possible. The acting from other actors are great as well and their interaction with both mains blend in easily.

All in all, the soundtracks suit accordingly to most scenes and the story plot is well-timed. Although with some minor plot changes and introduction of new characters, the film allows Yamato's backstory with more depth and Mitsuomi's conversation with his father more heart-warming - it is a faithful adaptation of the manga and a realistic representation of how younger generations nowadays feel towards themselves, their family responsibility and the societal expectation.

This film deserves a sequel as it should be.

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Truly a gem

Restart wa tadaima no atode explores the themes of family, friendship, the searching of one's goals and answers.

As a reader of the manga, I enjoyed the film very much. A part of me felt something was missing in the manga, and I found some of those gaps were filled by the live-action film. As a recent graduate, I found myself strongly resonating with both Mitsuomi and Yamato.

Story & Acting:

The story does focus on the bond between Mitsuomi and Yamato; however, it branches out and explores their surrounding characters and settings which I appreciated. I was concerned whether Furukawa-san would be able to capture and dimensionalise Mitsuomi. However, I ended up enjoying his performance as he nailed those emotional scenes with or without dialogue. Ryusei-san also did an excellent job portraying Yamato. I didn't sense any forcefulness with either of their performance. The character interactions and chemistry were there. I appreciated the heartfelt and comedic moments it flowed well with the story.

Cinematography & Music

The soundtrack was okay; it didn't feel out of place, but it wasn't my taste of music (Edit: Some of the tracks grew on me) Some scenes had shaky camera movements and dull lighting. However, that didn't stop me from enjoying the film.

Notes:

I loved the little subtle details in colour coding. There is a portrayal of light and dark contrasts between the two leads viewers may pick up on later scenes.

Final thoughts:

If seeking a light romance film with a slow build-up and relaxing setting I would recommend this film.
For a more in-depth perspective from the characters, I would recommend reading the manga. *Chefs kiss*

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Loved this movie

This movie hit me differently. While I watched it mainly for the BL aspect and because of Yuki Furukawa, I really loved the family centered plot line. While the beginning started off a little slow, I felt that I could really connect with both characters on a personal level. I could feel the sincerity in the feelings and emotions. And also as someone who was also adopted from Japan, this movie I felt like I could really connect to it. When Mitsuomi said, “the first present your parents give you is your first name,” I really felt that. It touched my heart. Yeah, life isn’t easy, especially for someone who is adopted who has no recollection of their birth parents and no solid information to go on either. However, we must always remember that life is what we make out of it. I highly recommend this film if you like BL, but even if you don’t like BL, I still recommend it. It’s a very good drama that just makes you feel good. Definitely a drama that I will have no problem watching over and over again.

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An Orange Blossom in the Midst of Winter

Disclaimer: I haven't read the manga for this movie so this is just based on the movie.

This is honestly such a chill and laid back drama that it will satiate any needs for a relatively angst free watch.

As with many Japanese dramas, this drama had a certain nostalgic feel to it. The cinematography was very pleasant and cozy. This is definitely a movie that you can curl up on the couch with a cup of tea. It just has that sort of feel to it. The storyline is pretty simple and since it is a movie, we move on to the character introductions and storylines quite quickly. There are lovely elements in here like family, burgeoning love, and accepting oneself. We tick through the discovery boxes decently fast, but the pacing didn't leave me feeling left behind. I would have liked to go more in-depth into the characters but since the movie was only an hour and half long, it wasn't too big of a hang up. There was so much to these characters and I think after watching this, it might benefit to read the manga though. The characters have substance to them, so maybe go in expecting a surface plot. The acting was lovely, charming, and believable. The relationships were sweet and foundational as well and flawlessly executed.

All in all, a drama for lazy afternoons and it makes for a pleasant watch. I would recommend if you're looking for something slightly nostalgic but light.

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A Wonderful Surprise

I accidentally found this piece of gold, and I am so glad I did. I enjoyed this so much because I liked that they took the time to build the relationship. In my opinion, this was a lot like being able to take a look into the characters lives. Mitsuomi comes off as serious and a bit rigid, while Yamato is a warm and friendly type. Overtime, you get to see different layers of each of their personalities that isn't immediately noticeable. To me, this felt like a very realistic of a relationship developing which was so refreshing. The actors were great and story was great. I was a fan of the music as well, it really fit the scenes well. A++ for this film. I've watched more than once. Do recommend. ??

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This is wonderful

I didn't expect this to be that good based on the rating here but this is such a beautiful and affirming story. The central love story is slow burn but there is wonderful chemistry, and the dynamic between them is quite different than we've seen in a BL before.

This is a rural setting, and while the characterization and story is more realistic than a typical BL, there is still the element of fantasy that defines the genre.

At first I didn't really find Yamato all that appealing, but it didn't take long for him to win me over. The story is about one man trying to find his place in the world, and another who has, but due to his past is too afraid of being abandoned to open himself up to love, and the resolution of this is beautiful, with an especially nice touch of it hingeing on the love and kindness of a stranger.

I really need to watch it again as there was a lot of symbolism and shading that I only half caught because too much of my attention had to go to reading subtitles, but the director's gradual ramping of the warmth of the film as it progressed was artful.

A lot of people have described this as "laid-back", but I didn't feel it that way - I thought the coiled despair and fear of all the main characters was a palpable tension that underlaid the film until its end. There is zero external drama in this - it's entirely character-driven, which is what a good drama should be.

One negative, at least for me, was the score. It wasn't just entirely Western, it was very specifically Irish, which felt out of place - especially the use of the song Oh Danny Boy and the instrumentation. It didn't have to be gagaku or all played on koto, but I didn't understand this decision and it was a bit jarring and even annoying at times.

I have the story and acting a 9.5, the music a 6, and rewatch value 10 - in fact I'm going to rewatch it right now.

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THIS WAS SO GOOD

This movie was so good, I loved every second of it. Usually i get easily bored with these types of movies but not with this one, i just finished it and i'm already thinking of rewatching it. The plot alone was amazing but what really made me love this movie is the actors, everyone did a great job, even the supporting actors. It felt so real and so genuine. The scenery is so beautiful, it makes me want to move to the countryside lmao. The characters themslves are so precious and feel so real, you can easily relate to them especially if you recently graduated or moved out from your hometown. This is getting super long but if you're wondering if you should watch this movie, please do!! you won't regret it i promise.

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Slow, sweet, slice of life and a love story

Few film makes me watch all the way through when its story is presented in slow, unhurried, slow burn way. Fewer, too, when it made me re-watch it 3 times in 3 different days just to justify that the film had occupied a place in my heart. This is what Restart After Come Back Home (RACBH) had done to me.

At the start of the film, my thoughts were contemplating if I will be burning my seat with great visuals but shallow story, or great story but crappy acting, but all of those were blown away 15 minutes into the film. The start of the film was a reminiscent of 'To His Each Own' for me because of the way the scene were shot. Then the frequent shots of the country side were a breather and further adding to the atmosphere of how slow the story unfolds.

Story: 9/10 - I like how the love story of the two mains is not the central plot of the film. At its core, the story is a slice of life, with an open-ended ending which leaves room for future continuation or at least to the audience's mind.

Acting/Cast: 9.5/10 - On my second watch of the film, I did not focused on the subtitle, but instead watched how the characters interact in the film. No overly dramatic crying which tends to kill a film for me. The actors were great in portraying inner conflicts/turmoil of the characters they were playing.

Music: 8.5/10 I don't know how to put it but the background songs kind of reminded me of a childhood PS1/PS2 Game (Suikoden Series) that it kind of distracted me from watching it the first time.

Rewatch Value: 10/10 As I've said, I had watch this film 3 times already and I can see my self re-watching it in the foreseeable future.

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A film about abandonment, the search for love and the straightening of family relationships. The story takes place in a quiet area of the Japanese countryside, in contrast to the roaring cauldron of the world's largest megapolis of thirty million people, Greater Tokyo. One could say a simple story, and at the same time so FUNDAMENTAL, full of humanity, humanly acted and the processing was also above average. I recommend it to all viewers who know what life brings or can bring behind somersaults. Even the rating on MDL is one of the highest ever. The story will stay with me for a long time.
Probably forever........


Film o opuštěnosti, hledání lásky a narovnání rodinných vztahů. Příběh se odehrává v tiché oblasti japonského venkova, na rozdíl od dunícího kotle největší třicetiosmi milionové megapole světa Velkého Tokia. Dalo by se říci prostý příběh, a přitom tak ZÁSADNÍ, plný člověčenství, lidsky zahraný a zpracování bylo též nadprůměrné. Doporučuji všem divákům, kteří vědí, co život obnáší nebo může přinést za kotrmelce. I hodnocení na MDL je jedno z nejvyšších vůbec. Příběh ve mě dlouho zůstane.
Asi napořád .........

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Boys find love but they don't have chemistry

Two main leads didn't share that spark (or I haven't noticed it). Perhaps authors wanted to go for realism (you might never know with whom you fall in love!), but it didn't work.

The movie was unnecessarily long and slow, there were too many empty scenes (look, bland spring scenery!), which were supposed to let viewers think about the character's decisions. But truth be told, there wasn't much to think about. There weren't even many memorable moments between our leads. Sometimes it felt, that scriptwriter had material only for 50 minutes (and this movie would've worked better as an episode 1).

The characters were alright, but I didn't care about them (This movie had 100 minutes to make me care and yet they failed).

Mitsuomi - Shy, yet caring, also want to inherit the family business. As the story progresses he becomes more genuine.

Yamato - happy-go-lucky, always wears a smile on his face, yet is clueless about social interaction. Hides pain and loneliness behind the smile (cliche, but when done right can become interesting, yet this time it was the only cliche, which was said, like exposition by other characters TWICE).

The movie had a flashback scene, it tried to symbolize how our character falls in love, but it felt lazy. The ending didn't feel organic either. Everything wrapped up so quickly. Am I supposed to believe that Yamato decided so quickly? So perhaps it didn't mean that much to him, after all? These are interesting questions, which showcase depth in characters. Pity we wasted our time on those bike rides and didn't provide the main couple with meaningful scenes. (there were plot-points, but they were just plot points).

Look, don't waste your time and grab some manga, webtoon, or check out Kinou Nani Tabeta? which shares a similar dynamic, but there characters have CHEMISTRY. Or if you want laid back stories try Rental Nan mo Shinai Hito.

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Languid Countryside Friendship

Cute and simple, but it used clichéd short-cuts to tell the story and was ultimately not that memorable. I didn't feel like I wasted my time on this, and it did bring a gentle smile to my face, but I won't watch it again. You might enjoy it if you're in the mood for something gentle, innocent, straightforward, sometimes cute, and with a focus on parental figures and finding purpose.

The acting was decent but the actors weren't given that much to work with. Most characters are pretty 1-dimensional. We learn more about Yamato by what other people say about him in exposition than anything else. That's telling and not showing a story, so it's hard to feel emotionally engaged with it. The main character, Mitsuomi, fairs a bit better because the story follows him, but his character arc is, sadly, very predictable with nothing new.

The pacing is languid, which suits the characterization of the countryside vs the city, but the end wraps up so quickly that there's a noticeable imbalance in the arc of the story, character, and relationship progression. The soft cinematography with naturescapes as cut scenes suits the mood, but I can easily see why some people find this movie too slow.

The lead actors are able to convey a basic, growing friendship with unexpected curiosity for more, but the screenplay gives them very little beyond that. The character interactions are written simply so there's not much depth to their self-discovery and not much sense of romance.

Using instrumental British Isle folk songs (like The Water Is Wide) for the background music was an interesting choice. It goes with the countryside theme, but it felt odd to me. Probably because my mind could'nt disassociate what I recognized from the culture it came from to let it blend fully with this Japanese story.

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