Luly
Argentina
You know what? This was good. I had low expectations, because I read some comments that were kind of harsh, but this was actually a good one, all things considered.
I knew where I was getting into in terms of production value, considering it's a 2014 jmovie with a mlm subject matter based on a manga with actors that I knew from indie dramas or tokusatsus. When you've been around jdramas for a while, you kind of know what you can expect when you line all those things up. And yes, production value isn't the greatest and the direction had some very strange choices in terms of focus, zooms, framing and other things like that.
But the story and the performances are pretty good. I mean, it can get cheesy here and there, but it's actually pretty heartfelt and honest, and also focused on an adult relationship, with all that implies. It doesn't get unnecessary interruptions for shock value or easy dramatic flare, it deals with the two characters, their relationship, fears and worries and develops that throughout the movie. Maybe in a drama's length, they could have had more room to fit other nuances, but I thought it was pretty well balanced and overall well organized.
I'm really surprised that for a 2014 movie, they deal with the subject matter more openly, albeit being a bl adaptation with what that implies. They do talk about aspects of bullying, societal expectations, family and children, even if sometimes in a way that isn't as deep as other dramas that were to come years after, it's still done in a pretty interesting way for something of this kind, especially considering the climax of the storyline has to do with these things and with personal fears and values rather than external complications, as most romantic dramas (of any type of relationship) do.
After watching the movie, I read the manga, and I think that, surprisingly, the movie handled some things in a better way. The manga has a side relationship, which is very interesting in its own right but there wasn't room for it here, but when it comes to how subjects are portrayed, I think the movie did a good job of updating the narrative to a more inclusive lgbtq+ mindset instead of keeping some of the "bl" tropes that could make it problematic.
All in all, it was a pretty interesting and heartwarming movie, which focuses on an adult relationship, and the story for me was interesting enough to overlook all the things that may have distracted in terms of low budget or director choices.
I knew where I was getting into in terms of production value, considering it's a 2014 jmovie with a mlm subject matter based on a manga with actors that I knew from indie dramas or tokusatsus. When you've been around jdramas for a while, you kind of know what you can expect when you line all those things up. And yes, production value isn't the greatest and the direction had some very strange choices in terms of focus, zooms, framing and other things like that.
But the story and the performances are pretty good. I mean, it can get cheesy here and there, but it's actually pretty heartfelt and honest, and also focused on an adult relationship, with all that implies. It doesn't get unnecessary interruptions for shock value or easy dramatic flare, it deals with the two characters, their relationship, fears and worries and develops that throughout the movie. Maybe in a drama's length, they could have had more room to fit other nuances, but I thought it was pretty well balanced and overall well organized.
I'm really surprised that for a 2014 movie, they deal with the subject matter more openly, albeit being a bl adaptation with what that implies. They do talk about aspects of bullying, societal expectations, family and children, even if sometimes in a way that isn't as deep as other dramas that were to come years after, it's still done in a pretty interesting way for something of this kind, especially considering the climax of the storyline has to do with these things and with personal fears and values rather than external complications, as most romantic dramas (of any type of relationship) do.
After watching the movie, I read the manga, and I think that, surprisingly, the movie handled some things in a better way. The manga has a side relationship, which is very interesting in its own right but there wasn't room for it here, but when it comes to how subjects are portrayed, I think the movie did a good job of updating the narrative to a more inclusive lgbtq+ mindset instead of keeping some of the "bl" tropes that could make it problematic.
All in all, it was a pretty interesting and heartwarming movie, which focuses on an adult relationship, and the story for me was interesting enough to overlook all the things that may have distracted in terms of low budget or director choices.
Was this review helpful to you?
