The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese

Very interesting and well-made, but not perfect

I just finished watching the movie and I have a few thoughts about it. What is most interesting to me about this movie is the main character Kyoichi. He is VERY unpredictable and it is a puzzle to piece together what he is thinking. There were multiple times in the movie that i was thinking to myself "What in the world does he want?".

Small SPOILER as examples: Kyoichi said he could never choose Wataru as he is a man, then later that same night he had sxx with him. Later on, Kyoichi got together with a girl, but went to a gay bar. Another time was when Kyoichi told Wataru he did not need him anymore, then had sxx with him again... such a rollercoaster of a movie.

The other main character Wataru is interesting, seemingly laid-back yet extremely obsessive. But his thoughts and feelings are more simple than Kyoichi. I highly enjoyed the acting of all actors, all of the characters, including the women, were believable and real.

The story itself is interesting, but very vague and many things are implied, not stated. This can be seen as simply an artistic choice, and the movie is very interesting because of it, but the story is lacking. It can be summed up as: confused bisexual likes to sleep around until he rediscovers his high school friend with whom he has rather poor communication with. The movie is just filled with toxic behavior and relationships, something that happens in reality but not enjoyable to see in a movie.

I am somewhat stumped with this movie because I do not idolize it. The relationships in this movie are very toxic, so rewatching it would feel disrespectful to my own happiness. While we all know some relationships in movies and dramas are idolized and fiction, these are not realistic necessarily; just toxic.

Small sidenote, the movie did not have any music that I remembered, it fit the movie a lot but I do enjoy music in films. Since it fit the movie I gave it a high score. Overall, I'm unsure if I am glad that I watched it. It's definitely interesting, but if you have other more highly rated things to watch first, watch this later.

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a brutally honest portrait of love, change, and emotional accountability

this isn’t the kind of BL film that wraps itself in idealized tropes or gives comfort in romance. it’s an uncomfortable, messy, and deeply human story—and for that reason, it's one of the most powerful i’ve seen.

at its core is kyouichi, a man who lives a pitiful and hollow life. a womanizer and emotionally vacant, he gets married not out of love, but out of a vague sense of obligation—because it’s what society expects of him. he’s never really stopped to think about what he wants, who he is, or how his behavior affects others. he moves through life selfishly, detached, never truly caring about those who try to get close to him.

then there’s imagase, who represents everything that challenges kyouichi’s emotional stagnation. his love is obsessive, manipulative—even predatory at times—but it’s also raw, honest, and unwavering. his searing line, “you have a weakness for people who love you, but you don’t trust that love in the end, and sniff around the feelings of those who approach you,” cuts deep, not just into kyouichi’s character but into the emotional detachment that defines many modern relationships.

and yet, what makes this film resonate is not the toxicity—it’s the potential for growth. kyouichi isn’t a likable man, but he is human. and for all his flaws, he proves capable of change. he begins to accept who he is, stops running from himself, and starts taking emotional responsibility—not just for his own life, but for the people he’s hurt. that willingness to grow doesn’t come easily or quickly. it comes from being challenged by someone who, despite everything, truly loved him.

this is beautifully encapsulated in the final scene. kyouichi sits alone at the barstool—on the same stool where Imagase always waited for him. the ashtray is no longer thrown away but placed gently on the table, washed and cleaned. the curtains are white and sheer, replacing the tacky blue ones. small, quiet details, but they say everything. he’s not waiting for someone to fix him anymore. he’s doing what he can, on his own. as he puts it, “i want to wait. by myself. i want to do what i can.”

in the end, imagase's love—unconventional, obsessive, but undeniably pure—becomes the catalyst for kyouichi’s growth. and in that sense, the film suggests that to truly love someone is for them to become your only exception.

it’s not romantic. it’s not easy. but it’s real—and that’s what makes this story unforgettable.

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Stirring, Sad, Emotional

This movie is very well done - adapted from a manga.

The characters really made me feel emotional, although most of that emotion is kind of sad. The ending leaves it up to the one watching to decide what happens at the end. The one thing I didn't like bout the movie was the darkness in most of the scenes. I understand that was part of the setting to make the scenes more emotional, but I think the movie could have been made in better lighting.

I feel like both characters had issues, but they took an emotional and physical journey together. One character had a lot of difficulty in all of his relationships, because he didn't know what love really was, but in the end, he finds himself.

This movie is raw, stirring, sad, emotional and yet somehow not sad at the same time.
Both actors did a fantastic job portraying their characters.

The sex scenes between the two characters are explicit. This movie may not be everyone's cup of tea.

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Not for Everyone, But a Powerful Masterpiece !

This kind of movie is **not for everyone**. It is unapologetically **mature**, emotionally heavy, and deeply intense. From start to finish, the cast delivered their performances **masterfully**, carrying the weight of the story with remarkable depth. The film hit me with such a flood of emotions that I physically couldn’t watch it in one sitting—I had to pause, step back, and let my mind process what I was feeling. That alone says everything. This is not just a movie; it is a **masterpiece**.

It is incredibly powerful—one of those rare films that doesn’t just entertain you but **triggers something inside you**. The dark romance vibe is irresistible, raw, and hauntingly beautiful. Yes, it includes nudity, but it never feels empty or meaningless. The intimate scenes are done with care, passion, and emotional weight. Every touch, every look between the leads felt intentional. Their chemistry wasn’t just physical—it was **emotional, painful, and achingly real**.

After watching this BL movie, I realized something very personal: **this is the kind of film I’ve always been searching for**. It leaves you feeling strange—almost broken—but in an exciting, addictive way that pulls you back again and again. My eyes were filled with tears the entire time, fighting not to spill over… until they finally did. And when they fell, they carried everything I had been holding in.

I will absolutely recommend this movie. What I felt while watching it is beyond simple description. It moved me, disturbed me, healed me, and stayed with me long after it ended. For me, it is a solid **10/10**—unforgettable, emotionally devastating, and completely worth every moment.

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I don’t even know what to say

I really don’t know what to say about this movie. it’s one of those movies you don’t really expect to come out that way. I really hated his character. He would hurt him over and over again but Imagase kept coming back. it just goes to show that he really was in love with him. 8 years and he worked his way to have him love him one way or another. The ending is kind of heart wrenching to me because he did break up with his girlfriend because he couldn’t deny his feelings for Imagase but, he let him go in the end. I don’t really understand. I like to think of it as Otomo does love Imagase but he had to deny it because of fear. I just know they both still love each other and I like to think of it as if when they both have their stuff figured out (especially Otomo) they’ll find each other again. The ending scene kind of shows, Imagase is having sex with that guy but he breaks down because he’s devastated about it, whilst Otomo is seen cleaning the cigarette platter. I just sense that they both don’t want to let go and will find each other. For example even until the end, Otomo holds on to the platter even if he doesn’t smoke and Imagase doesn’t live with him anymore. In my mind, they will love happily ever after together.

I loved the movie.

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Otomo Kyoichi (Okura Tadayoshi- '100 Times of Crying',) works at an advertising company. He has an indecisive personality. Despite being married, he repeatedly has affairs. After seven years, he meets his college freshman classmate, Imagase Wataru (Narita Ryo- 'Katsuben!'), who reveals that he was hired by Otomo Chikako (Sakihi Miyu- 'The Man Who Can') , his wife, to investigate his infidelity, but also confesses that he is gay and has been in love with Kyouichi since the first day he met him.
Given the confusion created in Kyoichi, Imagase promises not to reveal his infidelities in exchange for a kiss. Kyouichi accepts the proposal, hoping it will save his marriage, but their secret relationship begins to escalate and eventually becomes sexual.
Isao Yukisada's 2020 live-action film 'Kyuso wa Cheese no Yume wo Miru' (窮鼠はチーズの夢を見る) is based on a Japanese manga series 'The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese', written and illustrated by Setona Mizushiro, serialized in the josei manga magazine Judy from 2005 to 2006. The book was followed by a one-volume sequel titled 'The Carp on the Chopping Block Jumps Twice' (俎上の鯉は二度跳ねる, Sōjo no Koi wa Nido Haneru).
This is a fascinating and heartbreaking film that deserves much more than being classified as BL, as well as better attention from the public.
The two protagonists are joined by Yoshida Shiori ('Chihuahua-chan') as Okamura Tamaki, Sato Honami ('Lupin's Daughter') as Natsuo, and Ohara Noriko ('Disturbed by Gymnopedie') as Ide Ruriko, whose characters they vividly embody. and compelling the idea that no matter who you are, once you fall in love with someone, your world will be turned upside down and there is nothing you can do about it.
The acting of the actresses allows human relationships to be more interesting than in a typical romantic film.
Tadayoshi Okura as Kyoicho shows talent and instincts, while Ryo Narita brilliantly plays the role he has been waiting for for a long time. The looks, gestures, words and silences of the two actors, sometimes playful and sometimes passionate, make this work even more realistic. The performances of the protagonists are especially good and indisputably express the heartbreaking but endearing love story.
The character played by Ryo Narita portrays with grace, naturalness and a certain sexual appeal the subtle changes in his emotions, which oscillate between arrogance, vulnerability and impatience on the screen.
Imagase transmits power and shows beautiful gestures that I have never seen before, but also despair and suffering. It's painful to be with him, just as painful to be away from him. His raw emotions make the viewer feel suffocated. He achieves the audience's empathy, and at times they forget the other characters present. He is the person who leaves the audience spellbound. His charm could perfectly work in the world of Wong Kar-wai or Lou Ye.
For his part, Tadayoshi Okura, with his passivity, boredom and rootlessness, also contributes to the creation of the atmosphere that the film tries to convey. Although natural, it exudes a certain air with elegance and seductive charm.
In particular, the scene in which while Kyoichi claims to be planning to marry a woman, Imagase begs him to allow her to continue seeing him, whether once a month or every six months, just to see his face, is very heartbreaking. At that moment I thought of the main characters of the American movie "Brokeback Mountain."
In this triumph of compatibility between director Yukisada and the actors, phrases said by Imagase will resonate over time, such as "When you fall in love with someone from the bottom of your heart, that person is the only one in everything", or "You have a weakness for the people who love you, but in the end, you don't trust that love and you keep sniffing out the feelings of the people who get close to you. Because of their power, these words impact and move.
Although Isao Yukisada set the standard within the Japanese and world seventh art with films such as 'Crying Out Love, in the Center of the World' (2004) and 'Year One In The North' (2005), creating an aura of mysticism, there came a period of stagnation from which only minor works emerged. But for the good of his followers, it also meant a time of meditation and intellectual growth.
We see the result in 'Kyuso wa Cheese no Yume wo Miru', a film with which Isao Yukisada returns to the path of success and expectations surrounding his productions, bringing us solid visual expression and human representation, making his narrative heroes play ruthlessly and skillfully.
The above is demonstrated when it seemed that the film was running out of breath after the first 40 minutes of its more than two hours of duration, Yukisada's virtuosity and professionalism refloated to achieve a convincing work.
While the two main characters cannot be happy, neither can the women around them. The four women who have been interfering in Wataru and Hyoishi's romance end up acting in a resigned or useful way for the development of the plot, which is probably why the director and screenwriter criticizes their characters from a feminist perspective.
In this kind of unrequited love, the film has the fascination of surpassing the original work. When one finishes watching it, one is impressed by its beauty and the helplessness it leaves in the viewer.
I leave for last my impression of the final scene of the film. When filming began, the two characters are on the shore of a calm, serene sea, but suddenly the wind blew and became intense. Someone asked to stop filming, but Okura Tadayoshi, Narita Ryo and Isao Yukisada, some in front of the cameras and the other behind it, stood firm, giving us a pulsating scene that leaves us with a lasting impression for life.

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Perfect Title

Yet again, Japan doesn't let me down with the detailed BL romance. lol If you're looking for something cute and fluffy you couldn't be in more of the WRONG place. This is nothing more or less than exactly what the title represents and it'll make more sense as the movie goes on. I found it very powerful, heart breaking and tragically realistic. Honestly, at no point did I feel bad for one of the MCs but all my emotions ran wild with the other. I'm not sure what I was looking for with this movie and although I wouldn't recommend to just anyone (basically hardcore BL fans ONLY!) it's worth the watch. Not for the faint heart though as it gets pretty rough at the end. Speaking of ending...I can't decide if I was satisfied or not. Leaning more toward dissatisfied, hence why my rating is what it is. I think maybe the ending is what YOU want to make it. (Did can be such a powerful word)
Enjoy...

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A TRAGÉDIA QUE É AMAR ALGUÉM VERDADEIRAMENTE EM MEIO A UMA AURA DE CAOS

Aqui temos o Otomo Kyoichi que é um homem casado que sempre trai a esposa e o Imagase Wataru que é um detetive particular que foi contratado para o pegar no flagra.

No passado eles eram colgas de faculdade, mas o Imagase Wataru sempre foi apaixonado pelo Otomo Kyoichi e por isso ele o ajuda e o cerca. Ele quer ser amado de volta.

Otomo Kyoichi é um homem que não sabe amar e nem entende o amor, para ele a vida é ter uma relação estável e tentar se sentir vivo fora dela, e por muito tempo isso até que funcionou, mas a partir do momento em que a esposa dele quer o divórcio e ele se vê numa espécie de "relação" com o Imagase Wataru ele entra em espiral.

O Imagase Wataru por outro lado é apaixonado, devotado e carente, ele cerca esse homem de todos os lados porque ele sabe que ele pode escapar a qualquer momento (e ele escapa), mas chega o momento em que ele também foge porque a insegurança é grande demais.

Esse filme é sobre se descobrir, se entender e tentar se achar no amor. Os dois protagonistas estão passando por suas próprias turbulências.

É um filme bem interessante e tem vários momentos realmente profundos, como o entendimento de suas vidas vazias, auto sabotagem, pequenas simbologias e o final aberto.

Vale a pena assistir.

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