An emotional experience of Love and Loss
This isn't just any BL series; it's an extraordinary experience. Eien no Kinou captures the audience with its unique blend of folklore-inspired storytelling, crafting a captivating and emotionally charged work of art that demands admiration. It also challenges the traditional notions of reality and the afterlife.The narrative revolves around Yamada Koichi and Oumi Mitsuru, two high school students with starkly different personalities. Koichi, an outgoing and athletic individual, forms an unlikely friendship with the socially awkward loner, Mitsuru. As their bond deepens, they confess their feelings for one another. However, their lives take a tragic turn when Koichi survives a life-altering accident, leaving him as a living corpse. Together, Koichi and Mitsuru must navigate the aftermath of this change while striving to preserve their relationship.
What sets this series apart is its departure from clichéd tropes. Gone are the unreasonable and immature characters fueled solely by passion, battling against an antagonist's interference. Instead, Eien no Kinou offers a grounded portrayal, delving into mature themes of death, heartbreak, and the profound impact of loss. The characters' conversations and perspectives transcend their high school years, enriched by unique family backgrounds and early maturity. Mitsuru, having lost his mother and bearing the weight of his father's complicated affair with a junior doctor, reveals his stoic yet deeply devoted nature. Koichi, hailing from a loving family, unveils hidden layers through a poignant exploration of his past. Together, they navigate the four stages of grief, painting a vivid portrait of the human psyche through Mitsuru's introspective monologues.
Komiya Rio's portrayal of Koichi is commendable, building upon his previous remarkable performance in Grand Guignol. However, it is Inoue Sora's depiction of Mitsuru that truly steals the spotlight. His passionate portrayal of a seemingly cold character harboring immense love for Koichi, ready to defy the world, is nothing short of captivating. Inoue's nuanced acting shines through Mitsuru's brokenness and flaws, forging an undeniable chemistry between the two leads.
In conclusion, Eien no Kinou is a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant series. It is not for the faint of heart, but it is a rewarding watch for those who are looking for a well-made and emotionally engaging story.
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Watch if you have some extra tears to spare
《SPOILER AHEAD》This is a love story depicted in the form of grief. From Denial to acceptance it has portrayed every stage without making it too obvious. With a bit of supernatural hint, it takes on a journey of losing the loved one "with" the loved one. Anyone who has lost someone close to him/her, and not just significant other can relate to many or the shows moments.
from being thrilled to being a living corpse, to seeing the complications of being a living corpse and why it's too much to bear. and how no one can be blamed at the end, it depicts these thing beautifully...
so yeah, if you're looking for HE this is not for you, but nonetheless, go ahead and try this
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I’M CRYING WHILE WRITING THIS
So i just rewatched this and the pain wasn’t less from the first time and i don’t think it will ever be (i don’t even know why i’m doing this to my self) this drama will shatter your soul into little pieces and you will never recover from it. there’s nothing unexpected on this series but it’ll torture you tell the very end. i honestly do not know what did i do in my past life to deserve this... i don’t know what to say more than that the pain will remain with you for eternity. enough talking about how this drama crashed my soul and let me talk about how amazing this drama is, the story is not very unique or anything but it’s good, what made me really like the drama is they’re acting the emotions felt so genuine, i felt the pain, how much they loved and meant for each other through they’re feelings\expressions they made feel so sad and lonely. i just LOVE this drama and i totally recommend.Was this review helpful to you?
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i cried so hard i genuinely thought i was going to puke
i cant even explain the heartbreak this show gave me. i only watched it because i knew the actor that played koichi played my favorite side character in takara-kun & amagi-kun. i started the show with honestly pretty low expectations, thinking i would just be watching anotehr cute bl like takara-kun & amagi-kun. good lord how wrong i was. koichi dying within MINUTES of the first episode was so shocking i had to close my laptop screen and just stare at my wall. the whole show was honestly so well done. these actors were COMMITTED they played their parts so incredibly well. the ending really did it for me. when i tell you i cried for DAYS i mean it. i was in distress, texting like eight people telling them i genuinely coudln't go on because mitsuru was going to grow old without koichi with him. i'm still not totally over it. this show was such a sucker punch to the gut, so i'll likely never rewatch it, but it's still an amazing show. the only reason its not a 10/10 is because mitsuru pmo sometimes.Was this review helpful to you?
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Worth It
Oh boy. As soon as I started watching this, I knew it was going to be a sad ending. I could sense it from the cinematography, from the actors, from the plot itself. However, that didn't detract from the show, I think it actually enhanced it. There are some stories that are only good because of the bittersweet-ness. If this had had a happy ending, I don't think I would have enjoyed it as much since it wouldn't have been as poignant a story.If you know me, you know I don't generally like sad stories. "Why watch sad stuff when there's already so much sad stuff in the world?" I always say. But this, this is the exception. When the story is so good, the plot and the actors and the writing is so well done, I get it.
So let's get to it.
First, the acting. While I've seen better acting, I do think the actors did really well. It's hard to convey the complex emotions this show requires. Grief and love are not easy emotions, and I think Komiya and Inoue did wonderfully given that they don't have a lot of acting experience as the main characters. Personally I think Inoue had the harder job -- it's hard to portray a character that is stoic most of the time and has to act more with micro-expressions. I think he did a really good job with that. I'd also like to shout out Otomo's portrayal of Kagami -- I really liked her character, she did well with the relatively little screentime she had.
As for the plot itself, I liked it a lot. The pacing was done beautifully with the exception of the last episode -- I felt there were a bit too many plot reveals at the very end, but I also don't know where else I would put them in the story. Otherwise, I really enjoyed the writing -- this is definitely one of those shows that makes you realize how beautiful life and love is, exactly because you can see it ending. It makes you realize just how special the sweet is because of the bitter.
Do I think everyone should watch this? No. There are some people who won't like this type of story. But I do think if you're on the fence, you should give it a shot. I didn't regret it, and I don't think you will either.
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A Bittersweet Tale of Love and Loss
Just finished Eternal Yesterday and wow… what a story.🥺💔 Yamada & Oumi’s journey is sooo different from the typical BLs—it’s unique and hits u right in the feels. I really liked the acting, and especially how persistent Yamada was with Oumi. Even though Oumi was reserved at first, he opened up little by little.🥹I was rooting for them to end up together, but even though the story was bittersweet, it ended on a meaningful note. What really stood out to me was Oumi’s character growth—he didn’t even want to become a doctor, but because Yamada believed in him and said he’d be a good doctor, he chose that path. And even five years after Yamada was gone, he was still Oumi's number 1. 💔🌈
It’s one of those stories that will make you smile, cry, and think about it for days after. I wish there was an alternate ending where they could be together, but overall, it’s such a beautiful and memorable series.🌸
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Underrated, Quirky and Heartwarming
I started watching this to pass the time, but this drama surpassed my expectations. It's quirky and has a sad undertone right from the start but it's sweet and heartwarming. At the heart of the show is how to deal with grief and they handled it well. Koichi and Mitchan are so sweet together. You can feel their love through the screen.The internal monologues, which are something I'm usually not fond of because they can be so cringey, are really well done and felt genuine. I love contrasts between the Koichi and Mitchan's personalities and they really complement each other. Their story progresses naturally and you really see the character development especially Mitchan's.
The timeline at the beginning felt a little odd and the supernatural stuff isn't really explained, but that's not too important. Watch this drama for the characters and the love they have for each other. As someone who doesn't usually like sad endings I must say that it was warranted here and really well done. Any other ending wouldn't have fit the story
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Interesting storyline, amazing acting and chemistry. Difficult pill to swallow.
This is a rather short BL like most Japanese BLs but I felt that the story and characters were well portrayed in the total run time. Koichi is a cheerful and likeable student while Mitsuru is shy and has a wall around him. Koichi manages to get closer to Mitsuru and the two become lovers. Unfortunately, Koichi suffers a car accident trying to shield Mitsuru.The central concept of this BL is about loss of a loved one as well as life and death. While every episode has both of the characters in them, I wouldn't consider this as a focused a love story because it is about accepting the other has passed and moving on while remembering them. This of course is insanely difficult, I cannot imagine doing this myself.
The actors have done an amazing job at portraying the story well. You can tell that the main characters love and care for each other, and that this is difficult for both of them. This is obviously fiction, which makes the story a little more magical and less depressing. I think this BL is for when you want to watch something more serious and deep. Now excuse me while I watch something lighthearted to cheer me up because this ending is as hard to accept as it is for Mitsuru.
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So different, so much better..
Sometimes things are in alignment. Not very often, but when it happens....wow! This one of those series that brings every facet of film making into line.The story grabs you by the throat, implausible as it is.
The acting from the two principals is the best I've seen in Japanese BL. They make evry scene look authentic.and not like acting.
The direction/production was excellent. well paced and edited. The emphasis on rain as a metaphor was great.
As a way to bring the tears to the eyes.....faultless!
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A sad but unique one of a kind BL drama that is faithful to the source novel to boot
So I am LATE to write my review.My review will be from a viewpoint of someone who READ the original Japanese novel (in Japanese).
At 1st when this series got announced I was suprised and a bit confused. There's a LOT of Japanese BL novels being released every year and only now they decided to adapt another one to be a drama (after my Beautiful man). I need to thank bookwalker for me being able to buy a e-book copy of the novel. I previously read Egoist (and that novel hit me hard), overall the novel for Eien no kino was ok (but Egoist is a better novel). It was a sad read and more importantly the mofits/themes of the weather described in the novel really impressed me (which I think the drama does'nt take from the novel enough the only flaw I will give the drama).
ANYWAY ON TO THE DRAMA VERSION. Overall solid and a REALLY good adpatation of the novel. I am seriously impressed and envious that Senpai, this can't be love did'nt get this treatment (lol I am still salty about this).
Story: Mitsuru and Koichi are high school students (also dating), the two are enjoying their high school life until one rainy day/ Koichi is hit by a truck. BUT Koichi is somehow alive after the accident, slowly Mitsuru notices odd things about him and concludes that he is a "corpse". Still Koichi can be seen by a few but slowly the memory of Koichi is slowly forgotten. Thus the time that Mitsuru and Koichi have is limited by time..
Casting/acting: You will hear me say a lot that it was good/solid. I've never heard of Komiya Rio and Inoue Sora before this drama but after I am going to notice them more. Inoue Sora nailed that dull, quite and serious tone for Mitsuru and Komiya Rio got down the happy go lucky mood of Koichi (plus showing his toned chest a lot lol). They had good chemistry and acted their characters out really well. Nakamura Yuchi was really good as well when he did that roof scene (he was also in a pop team epic skit acting his heart out lol so respect to him).
Music: The opening song is seriously really good, but overall really ok OST matching the mood of all of the scenes.
Positives: How FAITHFUL the drama is to the novel. When I watched a scene from the drama I would question "Was that in the novel?" and when I went back to the novel it's there word for word. I would say that the drama version helped me like the novel version of the story much better before I watched the drama. If not the drama bought the novel version to life like how would Koichi act like a corpse and the drama showed that to me. It's very well shot and directed.
Negatives: As I said the very few positives I liked from the novel was the strong theme of weather described in some scenes. It stood out a lot to me when the truck scene happened in the snow and the image of the two walking in the snow spending their time together giving a metaphor of their time being like snow beautiful but short. It's lost in the drama version as there's no snow and just rain. I feel that rain is not that impactful compaired to snow. But still a very minor negative.
Overall: A one of a kind sad romance story. Some may find it a bit confusing (like why is Koichi still alive?) and too sad. Look past that and it's a really sad but touching romance story that Japan could of done.
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ROLLERCOASTER RIDE... (Ready ur tissues)
MY TOP SERIES FOR THIS 2023 (i haven't watched it last year)Plot: 10
The series revolves around two highschool boys', (Koichi and Micchan). Where they soon fell in love but was ended tragically.
I loved how the plot depicted "Grief" as a person.
The touch of melancholic scenes, poignant and unpredictable plot had lead me to continue watching this series.
Acting: 10
Speechless. The actors gave justice to their roles. They also did a great job in executing variety of emotions.
Music: 10
PLAYING ON MY PLAYLIST 24/7!
OST: Sunshower by Ayumu Izamu (Intro OST) and Eternal by Aoi Kubo (Outro OST)
Rewatch Value: 8
I had my doubts in rewatching it, because I don't want to cry again. But I let my intrusive thoughts and decided to watch it again for the 3rd time.
Note: IT MADE ME CRY FOR DAYSSS STRAIGHT. PLUS I FELT BROKEN FOR MANY DAYS. PREPARE URSELF MENTALLY FOR THIS EYE-BAWLING SERIES.
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Watch it now!!!
💜The plot of "Eternal Yesterday" is very good and emotionally touching. It shows a life and death relationship and what could happen if someone you love faces such a situation. The acting in this film is excellent and natural. The actors do a great job of bringing the story to life, with their expressions and the way they deliver the message of the film. The direction and writing are well done. The story is told in a way that keeps you engaged and emotional throughout the film.The visuals of the film are pleasing to the eyes. The way it is shot adds to the overall experience of the story. The music and sound effects fit well with the film and help to enhance the emotional impact of the scenes. "Eternal Yesterday" deals with themes of love, loss, and the fragility of life. It makes you think about what happens when loved ones face life-threatening situations.
💜I really enjoyed "Eternal Yesterday". The story is conveyed beautifully, and the emotions feel real. The natural performances and the engaging storyline make it a must-watch. Overall, I give "Eternal Yesterday" a perfect 10 for its amazing storytelling and emotional depth. This film is a great example of how love and the human spirit can endure even the toughest challenges.
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