Utsukushii Kare (2021)

This is an opinion regarding the characters and not a review of the series!!!

I love the 5th and 6th episode of the first season too much! I really, really like kiyoi’s view of things… it must be so unsatisfying to have Hira as his boyfriend… considering the way Hira generally is… but despite his creepy, need-for-constant-validation, non-understanding behaviour towards kiyoi, I still like this series very much…


But I don’t like Hira. He is very creepy, and I don’t like the way he says he worships kiyoi but does not take the necessary steps to understand him. How can he say that kiyoi never needs to meet his parents? I mean, does he really really not know how offensive that is?? The worst part is, in the end it was kiyoi who had reach out and clear the air. Hira, just stood there, wallowing in his pseudo-insecurity as usual. I feel that kiyoi can do much better than Hira. I know you have a love deficit, but what he has for you is not love, it’s obsession.

The list of situations where Hira has wronged kiyoi just keeps going on. Hira liked kiyoi first right?? But it was kiyoi who had to take the first step and kiss him. Even then, he did not respond to his advances but changed his number! How do you think Kiyoi would have felt?
Absolutely no consideration for the second party’s feelings! Even in the second season, he was the one who had to come back after kiyoi said something so offensive, he was the one who bought a Valentine’s Day gift… It was always Kiyoi who reached out to Hira, despite his profound proclamation that he “worships” Hira, which makes it an uneven relationship, that I am not too comfortable with.


I know in the beginning Kiyoi seems like a jerk. I agree completely. I mean, I was this close to smashing a boulder on his head. But. But I feel that even in those situations, Hira’s creepiness justifies his hostility. I mean, how would you feel if someone just kept saying how beautiful you were, provided you weren’t in a relationship with them? Agreed, kiyoi liked his creepiness, but I don’t. So I am not exactly a biggest fan of his actions.

But I will give Hira this. He always places kiyoi before anything. Always there to cheer him on, on his movie sets, always making sure he eats what he likes, waiting for him when kiyoi comes home late etc… it’s is quite really the only reason why I commend their relationship. Okay. So maybe, just maybe, you might make an average boyfriend…

But as you can see from my opinion-piece, I truly like Kiyoi more than Hira. It’s non-negotiable.

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I thought this was supposed to be good???

I watched this because I kept getting tiktoks about it since the second season dropped and I was thoroughly disappointed. The main characters are so annoying and unlikable that whatever plot they were going for just didn't work. Hira constantly gets bullied by his classmates but when it's Kiyoi he likes it? Then throw in a weird time skip, a much better potential boyfriend for Hira, and a whole lot of unnecessary conflict/miscommunication and that's about all that happens! Did they like each other the whole time? I guess so! Too bad they never actually told each other this or else the show would have been over in the first episode.

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A loved premise but feeding nothing than toxic fetish... for those with an inkling for it

A well loved premise on how the least popular boy (1st lead) becomes the love interest of the most beautiful and popular student in school (2nd lead). But this premise gone wrong wrong.

The depiction of the popular guy as the god and the king in the eyes of the muttering mess of a first lead... like why god?

First of all, how could anyone fall in love with the 1sr lead? I mean the guy has zero interest in anything except the 2nd lead. What is the appeal? And he goes into servitude (I am not exaggerating) mode after being called disgusting so many times, willingly. Socially inept, stuttering, depressed, quasi autistic. Is he supposed to be disabled without knowing? if this is how a person with disabilities depicted, bish I am offended. What in the weird fetish is all of this? And not really entertained cos everything boiled down to the damn 2nd lead, so if the 2nd lead is causing all of those characteristics above, I find my watching time even more pointless. Cos that is really not it.

Which brings me to the 2nd lead, Kiyoi. I mean dude you may be beautiful or whatever but his behavior is absolute shit. Excuse my muse. Like I can see a glimpse of an attempt at portraying him as abandoned child and therefore having his inner child calmed by an obsessive 1st lead.

I love a bit of push and pull between characters in a drama and the fact there is a person behind every "untouchable" character but I have seen none here. I know it is entertainment and does not have to serve meaning but I do feel it serves

propaganda for toxic relationship based in each of them feeding their traumas by using that relationship as a coping mechanism.

And that is me interpreting. Not like the drama said anything of depth.

Ah.

I've said what I said.

Not gonna entertain S2.

Unfortunately I did not see the brilliance other reviewers have. Myb it is something in the air over here.

Thanks for reading.

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Quality Production, but Character Choices are Disturbing

This series is about a very real couple regardless of the plot, but I never liked these characters. The series is of good quality. The shots, lights, sounds are very good.
Most of the acting is very good. However, I do not like loser characters. Cold, introverted, but loser and cowardly characters do not appeal to me. I had a hard time watching it. I fast-forwarded the bullying scenes because it was annoying.

Hira is a character who got stuck in his first toxic relationship and couldn't get over it. He preferred a healthy and self-healing person like Koyama to his old toxic relationship.
As another reviewer said, "Hira doesn't deserve a Koyama."


I liked the finale and the final scenes, but I'm still not convinced of Kiyoi's love.


Hira is invisible and ignored and falls in love with the first bright sun he sees. Because it has what he lacks the most. Kiyoi is trying to become famous to satisfy his hunger for love and prove himself, and of course he doesn't want to lose the person who adores him.


In the second season, I don't know how they will resolve the plot, but in a real-world continuation of such a character relationship, it might unfold like this:
After the honeymoon phase, Kiyoi would continue to belittle and oppress Hira.
He would ignore him and prioritize his career. For a considerable period, Hira would strive to please and satisfy Kiyoi.
At some point, Kiyoi would grow tired of Hira, betray him, and Hira, enduring prolonged suffering, would start to undergo personal growth.
Once he finally breaks free from Kiyoi, the narcissistic cycle would restart as Kiyoi returns, and the toxic relationship persists until Hira experiences genuine self-awareness.
Every now and then, Hira regrets not choosing Koyama, who used to be a genuinely loving and mentally stable guy.


Expecting a healthy relationship from a high school romance is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

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WATCH until the END

I was about the give up at episode one, but for some reason, I didn't and I AM SO very happy I didn't. At first, this series is concerning a love story between a stalker and a bully, but once both points of view are examined you realize two things. Thing one: the two main characters may be meant for one another as they are like dualities of one another. Thing two: they are both kind of crazy. What starts off as a sketchy love story where you don't know who to feel bad for becomes a beautiful tale of accepting people and loving them for who they are.

Spoiler:



There is a concerning mock mass shooting scene that may be a trigger or just a bit uncomfortable.

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Great subject for a BL

Great subject for a BL. It does boarder on being abusive at times but i found it more challenging than abusive.

For sure Hira ended up with the wrong person. I am so impressed that so many Asian BL's and other drams have a love interest stand aside such that the one they love are happy with who they supposedly really want. Very honorable and it changes me a little every time I see it happen.

Now it's time for me to back up. So Kiyoi does demand that Hira loves him as a person and not a god. That was great. I really didn't see that coming. Then the last scene they are joking about it??? I think they should have buried it and left it for a more powerful ending.

Best scene was the reconciliation of all the scenes as a flash back. Bravo.

My Complaints are are good ones. The story and other characters could have been developed more and the ending could have shown more of how Hira adapted and became a real partner for Kiyoi.

Congrats to all for making this series!

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truly matched each other's freaks

I'm conflicted writing this review because I loved this drama not because of the story itself but because of how unintentionally funny this is.

So the story is about a guy with a stalkerish tendency who falls in love with a guy whose insecurity is almost as intense as his ego. Both of them can't properly talk which makes an absolutely hillarious series to me.

The love story itself feels very juvenile and really does give you secondhand embarassment. However, for me the secondhand embarassment quickly turned into comedic gold. Everytime either one of them does something insanely stupid, I literally fall out of my seat laughing. Please do watch if you're needing a laugh.

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Complex, fascinating characters

10/18/2022
Rating: 9.0

Pairing Type: quiet, shy mc x popular, tsundere ml; stuttering mc; bullied mc (not severe); obsessive mc

Tropes: school life; time-skip (midway through); high school; college; acting; obsession; second lead syndrome

Triggers: bullying (ie teasing, no severe physical abuse); toxic relationship; ideations of mass shooting (nothing graphic but a gun is depicted)

Heat level: 2/5 (behind closed doors); characters are intimate but love scenes are behind closed doors

Re-watch: will likely not rewatch

I can’t believe I didn’t watch this just because some of the comments people left scared me off. This was surprisingly really well done.

I should note, the lead’s relationship is not healthy. Someone commented that this is controversial without anything controversial actually happening and it is very accurate.

Both characters are flawed individuals. Kiyoi is narcissistic, manipulative and selfish. Beyond Hira’s stutter, he’s obsessive and puts Kiyoi on a pedestal. A perfect combination for an absolutely toxic relationship.

I thought the episode in Kiyoi’s POV was necessary and well done. We see how he first becomes interested in Hira’s devotion to him and how he manipulates Hira because of these feelings. However, as his own feelings grow, he wants Hira to see him as a person rather than an ideal. Like wow, the psychology of these characters is really well written. You can also tell, to some extent, that Kiyoi is mutually obsessed with Hira in his own way.

It’s not healthy, but it is fascinating.

Totally got second lead syndrome. Hira’s secondary love interest never had a chance but damn was he lovely and damn did he make me cry.

These two people would definitely be better off without each other, which is why I probably won’t be watching this again. But I really did feel like this story was well crafted with complex and interesting leads. Would recommend.

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Unique, Painful & Brilliant

A film is not written to protect the audience from unpleasant paths to love. Utsukushii Kare intends to drag you through an unpleasant, and dysfunctional relationship, which I would argue, honestly reflects the often screwed up nature of first love.

The brilliance (but also risky) in this work is in how it's structured, only letting us in Hira's world to start, and then surprising you by bringing you into Kiyoi's world to bring the story together. The result is, yes, an at times uncomfortable watch, but ultimately achieving beautiful moments.

All of this to say, watch this series. Withstand the tough stuff, and remember, characters must be flawed. By the end you'll get what's being shared here, and I think, most will enjoy it. Thanks.

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