Bokura no Micro na Shuumatsu (2023)

Self-reflection, forgiveness, and miracles

This is one of those shows where you are either going to love it or you’re going to hate it. I… really liked it to be totally honest, and I went in with low expectations.

There’s just something very refreshing about the concept. What would you do if the world is ending, you don’t have any strong relationships, and someone from your past offers to ride out the final days together?

People that have close family and friends might find it far fetched that Masumi would follow Ritsu. However, it really just seemed like he was lonely and figured “screw it, the world’s ending anyway”.

Ritsu’s character could have been better fleshed out in terms of his motivations during their original relationship. At the beginning, he literally seems like he’s got some kind of personality disorder. But I think at his base he’s just kind of lonely and immature. Which is not an excuse for his actions, the characters around him don’t excuse him either.

There’s just a lot of exploration around the kind of things you reflect on at the end. Masumi talking about how he felt like he kind of wasted his life because all he did was work and go home… it felt very articulate and real. I really liked that.

Anyway… needless to say I’m in the camp of people that think this was solid. It’s definitely not for everyone though.

Read More

My Thoughts on End Of the World With You:

Neither of the main characters are likeable. Ritsu is the worst but Matsumi is not much better. They are unlikeable in different ways. Ritsu is an awful person. He is the f*ck-boyest of all f*ck boys. Usually you either like a character, like to hate them or they are at least relatable. Neither of the characters are any of these things. They are just awful - to the point where you don’t care what happens to them. I’m not invested in anything they do, any hurt they feel or any hurt they do to others. This wouldn’t be a problem if the show didn’t keep trying to make you root for them. Nothing had the emotional impact needed. The only character I was rooting for was the meteor. And the fact that ‘that’ didn’t happen only makes this show that much worse.

It’s got a lot of very well executed nc scenes (probably some of the best in bl land), so you can watch it just for that and no hate to people who like it just for those. No hate either for the people who enjoyed the series. We all like different things. Each to their own and all that. I do think it does deserve an automatic 5 or 6 rating just for the production value, the plot (which is easy enough to follow) and the script (which is decent and the dialogue flows). It’s just everything else that it falls short on. They made the characters so unlikeable which affected the character development and drained all the heart and connection out of the story. Watching it feels really hollow as all I could think was, “I do not care for these people, I cannot warm to them even knowing they’re about to die. Why are you asking me to root for their survival??”

Matsumi had potential moments where I thought his character might become more likeable but as I said, he’s just awful (albeit in a different way to Ritsu). For example, there’s a scene where I guess the writers try to endear his character to the audience by making him ‘attempt’ to comfort a young boy. It was 6 parts tone deaf given the current situation and 4 parts hypocritical given how he’s been living his life. I kept thinking, “you’re in no position to be giving advice buddy, and have you looked outside lately?” As I said, it’s just hard to root for his character. There’s nothing that endears you to him.

That said, I think the worse thing about this series is that after watching everything on screen, the only take-away is that they will remain these awful people. I firmly believe that if the world was not ending or if the world didn’t end in the end they would revert to their same awful selves. I know writers can choose at the swoop of a pen, to make characters ‘live happily ever after’ but nothing onscreen suggests that these people have become better people and will stay together. I’m sure Ritsu would keep hurting Matsumi if the world doesn’t end. Case in point: Ritsu had remained the same person over the past decade and if you are inclined to believe he’s had some sort of awakening now due to the meteorite; it doesn’t explain why after meeting Matsumi again, he still manipulates him and still feels entitled to Matsumi’s time and presence. Brazen is the word that comes to mind. He is yet again using Matsumi exactly like he did ten years ago, which is to seduce Matsumi and use him for his own benefit. I sincerely believe that Ritsu likes Matsumi because Matsumi loves him. Even narcissists need love, even if they just feed off it. I’m never fully convinced that Ritsu grasps the depth of the damage he has done to Matsumi. He seems to centre himself and his feelings in every interaction with Matsumi, both in the past and even now. How can you truly be sorry if you’ve never taken the time to really self reflect on your actions, the damage you’ve caused and how the person you hurt might be feeling? It’s clear he hadn’t done so when you have scenes where a mutual friend had to point out to him that Matsumi might not want to see him. Scenes like in the library where he expected Matsumi to be ‘over it by now’. Sometimes understanding you’ve hurt someone is understanding that you shouldn’t ever show up in front of them again. Let alone force them to talk to you (even if it is the end of the world). The writers try to explain Ritsu’s shitty behaviour by adding that he’s su*cidal but even this feels self serving and like a throwaway explanation of why he is the way he is. There is no depth to this added plot point and just further establishes his selfishness (in contrast to the other character who followed through on her su*cidal ideation). His character being this way is not the issue. Not all characters are going to be decent people. I’m giving these examples to illustrate how little his character has actually changed from the start of the movie to the end. The issue is with the writers insulting the intelligence of the viewers and trying to gaslight them into accepting that Ritsu has had some sort of character development when that just doesn’t play out that way on screen.

I think the writers had a vision for these characters and their path to redemption and all that, unfortunately, they should have written better redemptive qualities into the characters for that to come across (It doesn’t). Instead they just remain awful characters that we’re supposed to pretend are the opposite and that’s what makes this series so awful.

Upon second viewing, there was something I could appreciate that I could not appreciate the first time around: the secondary characters make for a better story. Any emotional depth came from the relationship between the trans character and the young boy. The young boy was annoying at times but their characters are more aligned to what the story is telling you they are and are infinitely more interesting than the main characters. Their budding romance is endearing. I would gladly watch a series with the trans girl as the main character or watch a series that explores the ‘super’ abilities of the young boy. I thought that was really intriguing.
Also, in this second viewing I found everything more farcical. I could not take most of it seriously. Additionally, I didn’t notice it before but the main leads’ kisses are very awkward and fish-like. Matsumi always seems to be gulping for air like a fish out of water whenever he opens his mouth. Suffice to say, it held up even worse on second viewing.

Read More

The sky is falling but also WE

Face to face with the end of the world we can see how the world falling apart from the Main lead Masumi even before the world actually fall apart. The hopelessness in his eyes are align with his without pants body as he threw himself into the bed staring at the ceiling feeling a lot of emotions at once. I love how the actor is laughing in despair. He really portrait the hopelessness to the T.

I love the transition between the past memories and the presents time. The cinematography shows the scenery align with the feeling the characters Projecting.

For the Story i gave it 8,5 out of 10 Because it's somewhat original i haven't encounter the same story in BL and it's enjoyable however idk maybe because it's in Japan so people doesn't get that much chaotic but i think it'll be more realistic if the environment more chaos because it is the end of the world.

for the acting i give a 10 out of 10 for the Actor who plays Masumi. OMG he portrayed happiness, sorrow, guilt, hopelessness, love, will and courage with perfection! even his face during 'that' is convincing.

The kisses, i love how it's not just a peck or an 'angle kiss' it's real and feels real. and the 'encounter beyond just kisses' are a cherry on top to end the series.

Read More

what i disliked

things i disliked:
- yuma. i dont like his character. he's too hyperactive and happy. i just can't take him seriously.
- yuma and girl being the main leads. it felt like they were the main character instead of ritsu and masumi.
- didnt feel like world was ending. i expected it to be lot more depressing, sad and scary. if the world was ending then why are they still talking abt dead girl? who would care about yuma's past crush at such time? world is literally gonna die in 2 days and they're crying abt dead girl!! bro you'll be dead in no time too. arghhh it was so irritating. go and get a life!
- all this tension build up for nothing?! we went through all of this for what? if in the end yuma was going to flick the meteor away. i hate such endings like 'oh it was all a dream', ' yuma blew meteor away', 'everything is magically alright'... it makes me feel like a fool for taking it all seriously. doesn't feel rewarding at all.

Read More

Unexpectedly amazing

Didn’t expect to love this even half as much as I did!

The synopsis kinda put you off but the story is so much more in depth than it lets on. The characters are realistically flawed, there’s such a great found family vibe, there’s some interesting glimpses into idol culture and LGBT representation beyond just the main couple being gay/bi.

The supernatural element wasn’t explored too much but I think that’s fitting for the story tbh and I don’t feel like it suffered because of it, in fact I’m glad they didn’t delve too into that or it would’ve been a very different kind of show.

My only (very minor) complaints would be the very abruptness of the ending and the few frozen statue/mannequin kisses that were randomly thrown in - which seemed even more out of place when the couple kissed perfectly normally at other points in the story.

Overall I absolutely loved it though - and it’s very explicit for a JBL!! I personally really appreciated the raw realism of the sex scenes in this show, the honesty of how they were depicted (with actual movement and talking during) was a refreshing change after the staged stillness of most NC scenes.

Read More

Promising at this stage

From the trailer it feels like it's hinting a tragic story and has a lot of potential. From previous experience of Japanese bl works, I've only seen 30-sai and they did a great job with it (definitely one of the best ones in the genre, in my humble opinion), so I can't help having hope this one would be of a similar standard.

As we are still in the early stages of 2023, it's not expected much works would be released until March at the very least (approx March-May when higher quality works would drop) in terms of films/dramas in general. Hence with this in mind, I didn't expect to be drawn into The End of the World With You.

With the current rate that the industries are churning out bl dramas like machines, there's an underlying frustration when it comes to production, and I hate to say I've grown to be particular when selecting which to indulge in. It's clear much of the premises are indicating recycled plots and tropes, and the depth is somewhat lacking. I'm by no means an expert, but these are the criteria that determines what makes or breaks this genre:

- storytelling/plot
- emotional depth
- conflict - more than homophobia, or coming to terms with one's sexuality
- character development
- chemistry between 2 leads
- any included romantic scenes

I've seen a few works where there is no romantic scenes involved and the drama turned out brilliantly, and it should be emphasized that this isn't necessary in the first place. There's some dramas with too much of these scenes but no plot, and those with good plot, chemistry and storytelling without it being overly done. The thirst is real for explicit/romantic scenes, but ultimately the nitpick is how well these are shot if the directors choose to include it, and sometimes these end up looking extremely unnatural, not to mention a cringe fest, that it would've been better had it been left out.

In the case for Ep2, I hadn't expected them to go that far, but I appreciated that it was done properly rather than shoving it for the sake of attempting to express romance. A red flag ensues, however, that leaves a resolve to be desired between the two characters.

The premise is unique concept with a time limit involved, which I've not yet seen in a bl. There are plenty of routes this theme can open up to and it's very promising. I didn't want to give a higher rating since it's still quite early into the plot, but so far in seeing 2ep, it looks worthwhile so I'd be continuing to see how things unfold.

Read More

Una joya escondida

Me encontré con esta serie por casualidad y me ha encantado. Una historia de amor compleja, nos da el marco para instalar el verdadero sentido de esta serie: invitarnos a una reflexión muy profunda sobre el sentido de la vida. "Todos hemos deseado morir en algún momento", es una frase que aparece en la historia y que resuena en el fondo del corazón. Esta serie nos muestra un viaje sobre el encuentro inesperado con el sentido de la existencia, el deseo y la ilusión, en un contexto donde todo aparece irremediablemente perdido. Es una reflexión sobre la decisión de morir, sobre la angustia que nos puede presentar la vida y sobre la sobrevivencia. De verdad, es preciosa. Con actuaciones muy buenas, con un guión potente y una OST muy precisa, ha sido un agrado verla.

Read More

сдержанно и хорошо

Хорошая идея и задумка, как пересмотреть все свои ошибки на краю жизни. В принципе дело даже не в возрасте и любви, а именно когда вы готовы. Почему каждый ждет походящего момента чтобы сказать правду, признаться. извиниться? Почему это нельзя делать в любое другое время - ведь завтра может и не настать, Человека может уже не быть. Идея не плоха однозначно. Но тут еще и "открытый" конец. Намудрили. Актерская игра отличная. Особо выделю Nakata Keisuke (Наката Кэйсукэ) и Idegami Baku. Кэйсуке бесподобен и притягателен в игре. Его мимика, взгляды, передача эмоций - просто завораживает. Ну а Баку - он действительно удивительный. Сыграть две разнохарактерные роли отлично. Музыка - та, что идет вдоль по сюжету помогает немного отвлечься от больных тем - таких как семейные конфликты и психология. В целом я довольна, но открытый конец немного оставил в замешательстве.

Read More

Et vous, que feriez vous si la fin du monde était annoncée ?

J’ai commencé ce drama en lisant plusieurs critiques… Et je dois dire, qu’elles abordent surtout le personnage de Ritsu… J’imagine qu’il a fait sensation x’D ! (Sa vision de l’amour & du sexe étant assez peu conventionnelle…) Les avis étant assez mitigés, j’avais décidé de ne pas le regarder… Aller savoir pourquoi, j’ai finalement voulu voir comment l’auteur avait imaginé la fin du monde…

Courte introduction : L’histoire débute sur une fin du monde annoncée 10 jours plus tard… (ça commence bien, non ?) Masumi, voyant la fin arriver, décide de finir ses jours dans une bibliothèque. Là-bas il rencontre Ritsu… L’homme qui lui a fait tant de mal 12ans plus tôt.

Ritsu est sans doute le personnage qui m’a le plus marqué (Comme les 3/4 des gens qui ont visionné ce drama ^^') & que j’ai trouvé le plus étrange. Il est détruit par une vie de famille où il n’est considéré que comme un « faire valoir». De ce fait, il n’arrive pas à se poser & préfère voir le monde au travers de "lunettes teintées"… N’arrivant pas à extérioriser, il fait souffrir les autres… (On peut le dire, si j’ai apprécié l’acteur, je n’ai pas aimé Ritsu. Sa vision des choses est tellement éloignée de la mienne ^^’)

Finalement, on peut dire que ce drama est surtout un récit « initiatique », je m’explique, nous suivons 4 personnages qui évoluent sous la pression d’une fin annoncée et qui apprennent à se connaitre eux-mêmes mais également à s’ouvrirent aux autres.

Je ne dirai pas que ce drama est le meilleur que j’ai vu mais il a le mérite de traiter un sujet compliqué sans en faire des tonnes ! Souvent, ce genre nous montre le pire… Violence, meurtre, viol… Pour une fois, avoir une histoire qui traitre du côté psychologique de la chose est reposant ^^.

Read More