The Edge of Metamorphosis (2022)

“BL Metamorphosis” è un’ottima trasposizione live-action: ricorda benissimo l’atmosfera del manga e, anche se taglia alcune parti della storia per ovvie ragioni di tempistiche, lo spirito ne rimane inalterato.
Non vi fate scoraggiare dalla durata di quasi due ore, perché voleranno! Anche se è una storia semplice, io non ho smesso di sorridere dall’inizio alla fine di questo tenerissimo film.
La storia, infatti, parla di un’amicizia un po’ inusuale con una differenza di età di quasi 60 anni! Ma mentre la signora Ichinoi sprona Urara a crescere e fare quello che ama, Urara riesce a far riscoprire all’anziana signora l’adolescente che è in lei.
Ho apprezzato tanto il parallelismo fra la vita delle protagoniste e la storia del manga che leggono, e mi è piaciuto molto come lo hanno reso nell’inquadratura.
Strepitose le due attrici protagoniste: Mana Ashida, nel ruolo di Rara, e Nobuko Miyamoto, nel ruolo della signora Ichinoi. Non era semplice rendere quello che avevamo letto nel manga.

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A charming and delightful film based on a manga and about manga

BL Metamorphosis is the story of Urara and Yuki (Sunshine and Snow) who build a cross-generational friendship based on their mutual enjoyment of BL manga. Urara (Ashida Mana) is in her second to last year of high school and facing the choice of what college programs to apply for next year. She's working at a local bookstore when a recently widowed calligraphy teacher Yuki (Miyamoto Nobuko) wanders in to escape the summer heat and a finds a popular BL which catches her eye. Urara is an embarrassed secret fan of the genre, and Yuki had no idea such a thing existed but quickly finds that she loves it and seeks out Urara's advice to learn more about it and get her recommendations.

Acting is reacting, and, as ever, Ashida's reactions are on point, expressing all the embarrassment and social awkwardness of a young woman who has not found herself yet. Yes, she has a crush. But he's already dating the tall, popular, beautiful Eri, and what would happen if he or, worse, THEY ever found out she's into BL? Nevertheless, Urara guides Yuki into the world of BL fandom, and Yuki encourages Urara to try making a manga of her own.

The film is quite smart with lovely parallels drawn between the manga that the two are reading, and the other things happening in their lives. The score and song choices help to propel the story along and as whole the film feels much shorter than its two hour runtime.

It is, indeed, rare for a film to center on a friendship between two people with an age difference of over 60 years, and this film does so lovingly and well. Ashida, if she chooses to, will be Japan's breakout star in the coming years and Miyamoto is a good solid veteran actor. Together their scene work provides all the warm-fuzzies you could want.

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