It started off great with the wonderful performance of Kurokawa Soya, definitely the best one out of the movie. Naturally, I expected the rest of the movie to be as great, but the truth is adult Kikuo never clicked with me. Don't get me wrong, I was never bored; the Kabuki scenes were gorgeous, but since I'm very fond of the performing arts, I can't help but notice how he lacked something key of Onnagata: femininity. Maybe I'm biased since it's hard for me not to compare the main character to the ones in Farewell My Concubine and The King and the Clown, who were majestic; they embodied the character they were portraying and embraced femininity, in contrast with Kikuo, who only showed his ambition but never really cared about the art of Onnagata; for him, femininity was only decorative.
And I think it's not that the movie doesn't care about Kabuki; it just doesn't care about women, and this is highlighted by how the few female characters in this movie are mere tools for their male counterparts. They had no depth, no motivations, and no life outside of how they could be of use for the men.
This movie had enormous potential, but after watching it you can pinpoint exactly where it goes wrong: it doesn't say anything. It's inoffensive and safe, and maybe that's why it's so acclaimed. How can a movie made about men dressing and performing like women not dare to talk about anything? At the start they state that women were not allowed to participate in Kabuki, and that's it. It's something so inherently political, but it never gets talked about in the movie; it's just a brushed-off sentence at the start. It feels like they're saying that's the way it is, no questions allowed.
It has gender performance in its core, but again, for a topic so interesting and important, it never gets remotely discussed. This man, who has dressed as a woman for over 50 years, never questions anything; he's supposedly passionate about it; it's his life, but he never gives it a second thought. He goes on a meltdown (a very anticlimactic one) when he thinks he can't do it anymore, but finally it's treated as if it were any job; he just clocks in and clocks out of it. There's even a scene where he gets beaten for being a man dressed as a woman and, on top of that, having a yakuza tattoo; one would think it was leading to a little bit of commentary, but surprise! Neither of these things are mentioned. Kikuo doesn't think of either of them any further; they don't seem to matter at all.
And don't get me started on the Kikuo-Shunsuke "bond"; they too could have made something out of it. They say they're soulmates, but are they really? We don't know because it's never explored; we can see a glimpse of it when they just met, but after that they look like coworkers at most. And yes, their final performance together was sad, but it should've been heartbreaking; I felt like I should've been sobbing, but there was nothing. Not because I didn't want to, but because of how shallow everything felt; them as characters and their relationship were painfully underdeveloped for me to care enough.
It's almost lazy how this movie (made in 2025, mind you) doesn't even try to give us something complex, anything. It leaves me with an empty feeling for the missed opportunities, since everything was laid out perfectly for a critique of societal constructs of gender, but it was too much to ask, it seems. There's so much that could have been done, and they decided to go with nothing; it's truly a shame because it had the potential to be a classic, but the way it's severely underwritten in every aspect, it didn't even have a chance. In the end, it just stands as a pretty but hollow, surface-level spectacle with no real heart in it.
1. good but predictable since the start 2. makes no sense but love khon ❤️ 3. the best of the anthology imo, it's more gloomy than scary but very interesting, should've been a stand-alone film
6.9 is diabolical when there are so many trash shows with 8+ ratings. if you want to watch it, please don't mind the rating and just do it, you def won't regret it
i've been dragging dropping this for the longest time bc it was good and i had only 3 eps left, but i really really can't bear to watch a sex offender. his face makes me sick, and the fact he's trying to come back after assaulting a girl, acting like nothing happened, like he's not a criminal, is the point of no return for me bc it means he doesn't even feel an ounce of guilt for what he did. honestly, fuck him and everyone who still supports him
the first ep was soooo good i love me some mature bl and if it's from japan even better!! seasoned actors with an interesting plot and explosive chem? sign me UPPPP i fear i already know it's going to be one of my top bls ever ughh i'm so excited i need the next ep by yesterday 😭
And I think it's not that the movie doesn't care about Kabuki; it just doesn't care about women, and this is highlighted by how the few female characters in this movie are mere tools for their male counterparts. They had no depth, no motivations, and no life outside of how they could be of use for the men.
This movie had enormous potential, but after watching it you can pinpoint exactly where it goes wrong: it doesn't say anything. It's inoffensive and safe, and maybe that's why it's so acclaimed. How can a movie made about men dressing and performing like women not dare to talk about anything? At the start they state that women were not allowed to participate in Kabuki, and that's it. It's something so inherently political, but it never gets talked about in the movie; it's just a brushed-off sentence at the start. It feels like they're saying that's the way it is, no questions allowed.
It has gender performance in its core, but again, for a topic so interesting and important, it never gets remotely discussed. This man, who has dressed as a woman for over 50 years, never questions anything; he's supposedly passionate about it; it's his life, but he never gives it a second thought. He goes on a meltdown (a very anticlimactic one) when he thinks he can't do it anymore, but finally it's treated as if it were any job; he just clocks in and clocks out of it. There's even a scene where he gets beaten for being a man dressed as a woman and, on top of that, having a yakuza tattoo; one would think it was leading to a little bit of commentary, but surprise! Neither of these things are mentioned. Kikuo doesn't think of either of them any further; they don't seem to matter at all.
And don't get me started on the Kikuo-Shunsuke "bond"; they too could have made something out of it. They say they're soulmates, but are they really? We don't know because it's never explored; we can see a glimpse of it when they just met, but after that they look like coworkers at most. And yes, their final performance together was sad, but it should've been heartbreaking; I felt like I should've been sobbing, but there was nothing. Not because I didn't want to, but because of how shallow everything felt; them as characters and their relationship were painfully underdeveloped for me to care enough.
It's almost lazy how this movie (made in 2025, mind you) doesn't even try to give us something complex, anything. It leaves me with an empty feeling for the missed opportunities, since everything was laid out perfectly for a critique of societal constructs of gender, but it was too much to ask, it seems. There's so much that could have been done, and they decided to go with nothing; it's truly a shame because it had the potential to be a classic, but the way it's severely underwritten in every aspect, it didn't even have a chance. In the end, it just stands as a pretty but hollow, surface-level spectacle with no real heart in it.
2. makes no sense but love khon ❤️
3. the best of the anthology imo, it's more gloomy than scary but very interesting, should've been a stand-alone film
it's not romance, not even a pink film, it's just porn. and for some reason, blackface?