No courage

this began quite well and promised positive development then after half way and the focus on the divorce settlement went completely down hill ruined by Nagisa's character： maybe the intention was to show his magnanimous character so everyone would live happily ever after、 actually for me it showed his real character as completely selfish and self indulgent not to say narcissistic、 that is if we look at the history of the story： first he abandons Shun then appears from the blue and with the child of his marriage ! expecting to be taken back years later〜this may just be credible if we assume Shun could not surrender his love but it says nothing good about Nagisa's character but、 then having settled Sora in a happy household we have the unbelievable denouement in the divorce court： the mother cannot give up her career gets drunk and Sora is picked up on a busy road maybe just avoiding accident it is exposed in the court but then Nagisa who all the first part of the movie shows as a deeply caring father apparently has a dramatic attack of remorse towards his wife based on having taken care of Sora without giving her a fair share in Sora's upbringing！ this is literally incredible nonsense of a story 、of course the reason for that situation was not his selfishness but hers wanting to pursue a career、 so his ：magnanimous： gesture giving up Sora is both stupid and selfish because he is not thinking of the vulnerable child but the ineffectual wife and maybe it's also self-hating if ーwhich the arguments in the court case heavily portrayed ーhe accepts the homophobic premise that a gay family is weird unconventional and will make it difficult for Sora to grow up。 sorry but if this was part of his motivation ー which I think if we think deeply about it the denouement　implies ーit is just an exercise in reinforcing discrimination when the movie could have shown a positive outcome of a happy family based on a gay relationship。 I cannot avoid the suspicion also that it suits Nagisa's selfish character very well to be relieved of the burden of looking after his child to indulge in a "straight gay" relationship [if I may underline with oxymoron]。as noted above the denouement is also based on the completely ridiculous idea his wife would undergo a transformation into a loving and caring mother when she realises Sora is doing badly in her first weeks back with her： completely unrealistic we are not told what happened about the career demands they have magically disappeared it seems with no idea how she will now support herself and her child、 this just does not happen in real life only saints undergo overnight character and personality changes。 in short the whole movie falls apart in a confusion of contradictions and unrealistic impossibilities when it had the chance to make a real contribution to showing a positive picture of a gay family overcoming social discrimination〜 why show acceptance of the relationship by the very conservative village people and then having their support break up the family?? it does not make sense unless lacking the courage to live and work out a happy life as a gay family as part of the society ー courage lacked by Nagisa because I note it was Shun having the courage to declare his love before the villagers but Nagisa who ultimately broke up their family。of course a more positive outcome does not mean taking Sora completely away from her mother but giving her the happiest safest background to grow up in、 but then given the selfish character of Nagisa as ultimately confirmed by the outcome perhaps he could not after all have done that、 but the turnaround completely contradicted the more positive first two thirds of the movie。 I do not know if the writer thought this was some clever artistic twist in the story but it was a complete failure of artistic touch as well as a sell-out reinforcing the homophobia LGBTQ people must still continue to fight against even in western society and still more in Japanese。

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fate and friendship

this is very good drama though it is sad to see from flashbacks and forwards the fate of these friends； some criticise this but for me it deepens the tragedy as most tragedies like Greek tragedy you know the characters are tied to an inescapable destiny〜this drama is dark from the start with violence in korean schools and descends into predictable gangster violence and fight for survival of poor people with only small episodes of relief and hope in romance and loyalty to lighten the story。 I was interested in the school episodes and transition from this to the gangsterism though less in the formulaic gangster drama itself・ taking account of development of many episodes there is a certain sympathy for one of the friends but this evaporates from episode 16 as we see them equally caught in the net [there is a sea/fishing motif appearing at the start and at points throughout the drama] of evil。 part of sang taek coming in later is used to work out broader plot of organised crime and corruption though his move from diligent student aiming at law career to going into the army and journalism for me lacks credibility as with how he is brought back into relation with the other school friends as part of the plot。 the element of romance is rather straining for effect and real purpose in this drama and also seems formulaic〜still a very involving and good drama of its type though I do not think this is one for re-watch

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weird mix of fantasy and reality comic and serious

fantasy mixes with reality in this movie as a teenager's weird sexual obsession is the background for many stories of other inhabitants of his apartment block and middle school。 there is a lot of silliness in this movie but also、 if you are open minded a lot of interest and amusement though not entirely lighthearted some serious developments in the story though、meaning it did not drag for me at any time。 hiraoka plays his role well and his contortions bending and stretching maybe made him taller in the end！ it ends with more obvious manga parodies and an unexpected ironic outcome in one point of story。 worth watching to fill two hours WARNING: if you are a real middle school-er let your parents see the title only not contents unless they have liberal views as there are some really "explicit" scenes here they may not take in the comical way intended！！www

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Emperor in August

very good historical account of the attempted coup against Japan's acceptance of terms of allied powers to end Pacific War and Showa emperor's central role in achieving it〜 the production values are good although the lighting is rather dark、 whether intended is not clear but even so maybe adds to claustrophobic atmosphere of tension as ministers argue and small group of conspirators drawn from military elite try to gather support for their ill-starred enterprise： the swan song of militarism that dominated Japanese politics and society through 1930s to 1940s〜10/10 as interesting history and likely I will watch again

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Touching historical drama of a family and Hiroshima

I decided to watch this drama having enjoyed Matsuzaka's other dramas〜 episode 1 has a slow gentle start、I was expecting more impact of historical events to be show in the drama but initially it sets the scene of a provincial family's story but it more than makes up for this as the series progresses to the awful climax of the Hiroshima bombing： the the settings, costume, production are very authentic〜I like the ML and FL： both very pretty and Matsumoto honaka has nice character but all the characters including the support actors and actresses I can really empathise with。 very much recommended if you will like serious historical drama and becoming attached to the lives and futures of a family living through the personal and historical events of its era〜

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manga bender

enjoyable comedic drama but as it went on for me it became more than just this and was thought provoking too on nature of gender and also where reality and fantasy begin and end with manga passion transmuted into ”real life” 〜very touching and well thought out ending though slightly disappointing from one viewpoint acting good all round：I think Matsuzaka is in characteristic style here as accident prone "little guy" finding himself in compromising situation but ？maybe？ seems slightly ill at ease in same sex scenes here but Iura quite at ease and excellent🇯🇵

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painful love tangle

very good but painful film〜 appears to me a classic story of a man unable to love himself and therefore unable to be loved by others、protecting himself from vulnerability by pushing them away and leaving emotional havoc behind： I think especially with the women he so easily attracts trying to sustain the outer image of a conventional straight relationship which is false to his (maybe unconscious) real self which Imagase begins to pull to the surface。yet it seems Imasage ultimately fails too。 I detect irony comparing Otomo's relationship to Imagase at the start and the end of this film as it seems at the end Otomo needs Imagase as well as the other way round where before Imagase alone pursues Otomo： finally we are left with images where Imagase experiences the pain of real love but Otomo is left literally with an empty room reduced to fantasy ーusing an ashtray of Imagase to evoke Imagase but without the cigarette ends that would show Imagase is actually there himself

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美しい彼〜嘘!

this drama has some good aspects but I do not change my earlier critique。 a lot of the acting in the first half school episodes ーI assume reflecting the script ーwas superficial and unpleasant in the cliched way so many Japanese school dramas focus on bullying。as for the relationship of Kiyoi and Hira、 for five and half episodes out of 6 I see a disturbing narcissistー codependent relationship fuelled by Hira's obsessive love attraction which - as Proust shows so well - really derives its strength from projection of a fantasy image on the loved object。 then we are asked to believe in the last half of the final episode that this was all a misunderstanding and the flame of love was buried but now lights up after years 〜but！ Kiyoi is still putting down Hira and this is somehow the basis of a lasting relationship when anyone with self-respect would walk away ：if it does lead to some kind of relationship then it is a twisted one。 the ending has some appeal and it is nice if you can view it as somehow a happy ending、 but being honest this is simply not reconcilable with what is depicted in the previous five and half episodes。 I do not criticise the main leads who made the best of a ridiculous script。

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Night Flight

wonderful moving film about gay love repressed in an oppressive society reflected in its schools 〜thoughtful and provocative with much darkness about how and why people behave to each other so cruelly especially to those considered "different" and the struggle to accept yourself being gay in this environment。the action is filmed against a background of arid broken gloomy urban landscapes well reflecting the cruelty and alienation in the fight for survival among the persecutors as much as those they persecute. there are only brief interludes of happiness or beauty along the way such as Yong Joo's and Gi Woong's trip to the coast。the title of the film Night Flight comes from an abandoned gay club （closed down because of prejudice it was too near to schools！） where Yong Joo and the only other student from a different school in the area secretly meet。 it is a dark film with much violence bitterness hatred but out of the darkness almost miraculously come fragile glimmerings of light, love and hope💛💛

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Silent Criminal

really interesting start and just gets better from quiet small beginnings in small provincial town about a clever local constable the plot becomes more complex progressing to involve high affairs of state〜the MLs have appealing chemistry of opposites reminding me of 「The Untamed」 and main female leads also have well-drawn characters〜 the wuxia is exciting without taking over the story。among the few dramas I can rewatch and wish was longer though one of the strengths is the tightness of the plot。music very good too。 very glad I found this drama and I wish the MLs had more good roles though seem limited to support roles from MDL list❤️

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look through the politics and you will find an endearing short Chinese GL drama series

enjoy this good story attractive actors, costume, background but the modern political prejudices are hardly well hidden [Kuomintang one-sidedly portrayed as the inhumane thugs] and it is fairly obvious why Chinese censorship did not take a heavy hand with this despite the same sex undertones （some parts even contain virtual lectures：do not let the start put you off）：maybe in 2017 they thought with the propaganda it is worth risking effect of the heavy friendship！ yes、 end very telescoped （but you could say this about the whole drama） but it worked〜 look through the politics and use your imagination （though with Zhou Yao Huayou's character played by Yan Zi Dong maybe do not need much imagination） and this is endearing same sex drama〜

☆*✲ﾟ*｡(((´♡‿♡`+)))｡*ﾟ✲*☆

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Good ride

very slick well written and planned and well-acted thriller with plenty of action like the best K-drama of its genre〜the concept is not that original but it is well done 〜reminds me of 「Mission Impossible」except it is not one completed story for every episode but leaves cliffhanger and there emerges an underlying backstory and plan behind the targeted individuals〜 you have to focus to follow the detail 〜this is binge watch quality which is rare for me。Great cast both main and support。 you really want them to get those low-lifes in high places。Song Seung Hyeon was also in similar genre「 Black」（also with Kim Won Hae） and 「Time Slip Dr Jin」 that I liked but his main career roles seem romance or melodrama〜Kim Won Hae also has a long distinguished career in similar roles （main and support） such as 「Nine Times Time Travel」、「Black」「 I am Human Too」 「Hotel del Luna」 to name a few it would have been good to see a follow up with these actors as they developed good chemistry。

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Beautiful story of enduring GL

For me the main virtue of this short GL Chinese movie is that it actually contains openly gay scenes 🏳️‍🌈 maybe just escaping the Chinese homophobic censorship〜 the story is nothing unusual of its genre except possibly the green blood❇️　 and the mermaids of the title seem different from humans only by this and their possibly more ethereal makeup and clothing〜〜 but indisputably the best part of the movie is the end： brilliant original unexpected moving and beautiful with the music overpowering me with emotion 💕🔆
(♡ᵉ̷͈ัॢωᵉ̷͈ัॢ )‧₊°♡

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