Unexpectedly amazing
Didn’t expect to love this even half as much as I did!The synopsis kinda put you off but the story is so much more in depth than it lets on. The characters are realistically flawed, there’s such a great found family vibe, there’s some interesting glimpses into idol culture and LGBT representation beyond just the main couple being gay/bi.
The supernatural element wasn’t explored too much but I think that’s fitting for the story tbh and I don’t feel like it suffered because of it, in fact I’m glad they didn’t delve too into that or it would’ve been a very different kind of show.
My only (very minor) complaints would be the very abruptness of the ending and the few frozen statue/mannequin kisses that were randomly thrown in - which seemed even more out of place when the couple kissed perfectly normally at other points in the story.
Overall I absolutely loved it though - and it’s very explicit for a JBL!! I personally really appreciated the raw realism of the sex scenes in this show, the honesty of how they were depicted (with actual movement and talking during) was a refreshing change after the staged stillness of most NC scenes.
Was this review helpful to you?
Wow what a wild ride it was !!! Highly recommend !!
I am very happy that i came across this one, since i always feel bored in everyday monotony yet afraid to venture out same as the lead. Both the lead actors portrayed very nice contrast in the flashback, where Masumi is the naive college guy and Ritsu as the heartless playboy. If there were no end of the world circumstance as shown in the drama I sincerely doubt if they would both get together and will Masumi ever have it in him to forgive Ritsu (Honestly I wouldn't).The scene at the end where they both are in the stream made me realise how we dont really know what's there out until we step out and explore before its too late. The ending didnt bother me that much since Masumi and Ritsu had each other what may come their way and if they survive we can confidently say that they will live life to the fullest filled with love and happiness.
Ps- Really liked the supernatural angle with Yuma and his dramatics. Suprised with how the intimate scenes turned out realistic and depicted the typical college life of the leads.
All in all a very good watch !!
Was this review helpful to you?
aka: The End of the World With You ~ A surprising and very good watch
Done in typically Japanese fashion; a little quirky, gently paced, complex characters and mature content that never felt gratuitous, as can sometimes be the case in both gay and straight dramas/film.There's nothing like the end of days to make one evaluate the past and face up to stuff. If not for that, I doubt Masumi's previous deception, youthful arrogance and cruelty would have been forgiven at all. I choose to think he changed and learnt from his past, and lonely present. I was rooting for them to have a happily ever after.
I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought Yuma was a delight... the bit where he blows at something, was genius. Very amusing, yet it fit right in.
I thought the Kagami brother/sister characters were excellently played by Idegami Baku and quite moving.
It might not be award winning, but it suited me and my mood perfectly!
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
A Story to remember
I started watching this drama since I had nothing else on my list and I wanted to just fill my time with something. But I am glad I decided to watch. This drama had one of the most poised plots and character portrayals I had ever seen. Every character had its own journey that concluded so beautifully.What I loved the most about the show is the way it showed Masumi and Ritsu's evolving relationship. It was raw, real and very very refreshing to watch. None of the things between them was sugarcoated. The way they reconciled did not feel forced at any point. Instead, it felt like the most natural thing.
Yuma's character was the most fun and refreshing to watch. He brought back life into a story that was about endings and dying. The way he loved and cared so intensely and expressed himself so intensely was the life of the show.
These show had some of the most heartbreaking scenes that I will never forget. One of those scenes would be when Ritsu threatened Masumi not to follow him anymore or he'll out him. Masumi's eyes had the most painful thing ever. Another scene would be, where that actress Madoka told Ritsu that if there was button on her chin that would let her die if she pressed it, then she would press that button. God! That was so heartbreaking.
Over all, it was definitely a show worth watching, a story worth experiencing.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The Unseen Complexities of Human Relationships
Please go watch this drama before reading the reviews.This is one of those dramas that every person will have their own different opinion based on the type of life they are currently living. If your life is all sunshine and rainbows, you might have a hard time relating to some of these characters.
•❅✧❅✦ Story ✦❅✧❅•
At a glance, the premise of the drama is very simple, a meteorite is coming, so two exes reunite to spend their last days together. But the reality is different. Every character and their backgrounds add an extra layer of complexity that makes the plot even better. Masumi’s inner battle against his love for Ritsu, while Ritsu faces his past fills the main bulk of the plot. Ritsu’s issues with Meguru and Madoka fill up the rest, but the meteorite is really just a backdrop.
Ritsu learning to open up about his complicated past with his family makes us learn to enjoy his character that we all hated at the beginning of the series.
This drama is really about the complexities of human relationships that can’t be seen by the human eye. If you don't want to sit down and think about every character or every scenario that each other these characters face and read between the lines of what they are doing or saying, then maybe this drama is a little to psychological for you.
•❅✧❅✦ Manga vs Drama ✦❅✧❅•
The manga was very wholesome. It has basically the same plot as the drama but adds additional details to certain parts of the story. For example, when Ritsu and Masumi return from Hamamatsu, they discover the library was burnt down. Also, in the epilogue, the meteorite was blown away by USA and European missiles (but they still think Yuma did it.) They keep in contact with Meguru and Yuma (who is shocked that Meguru is a boy.) Ritsu gave up his business and bought a fixer-upper house in the countryside. He runs a youtube channel showing his progress on the house. He explains that he bought the house to prove to his loved one that he can stay loyal. Masumi quits his job to move in with Ritsu, once the house is done. The manga ties up all loose ends creating a complete story
The drama does a really good job adapting the source material. The drama took out all of the irrelevant scenes, while expanding on some of the scenes that needed more info. The drama handled Ritsu’s history with Madoka a lot better than the manga. However, the manga did better wrapping up the ending. The drama leaves the fate of everyone unknown with only hints that Yuma blew the meteorite away, but the manga expands on it, giving us a proper ending
•❅✧❅✦ Acting ✦❅✧❅•
All of the actors did an amazing job with there characters. While the main leads were amazing in their own right, each of the supporting cast members could hold their own and are just as memorable. Honestly, my favorite character is Meguru, and he is only a supporting character. That is how much impact he had on the story.
•❅✧❅✦ Overall ✦❅✧❅•
Bokura no Micro na Shuumatsu is a thought provoking drama. You’re going to either love it or hate it. At a glance, there is a slice-of-life element to it that makes the drama seem kind of slow at times. But there are also some sci-fi-esc scenes that make you question what genre you are watching. However, the heart of the story is the characters and their backstories.
If you’re not a fan of slow-paced and character driven films, then this drama may not be for you. However, if you love to dig into the backstories of each character, you’ll love this drama.
Was this review helpful to you?
"The Necessary Enemy"
Like any other comments, I really did not expect that it would turn-out to be distinct from previous series with the same story. What makes it more unique is compressing the whole story in a 24-minute, 8-episode series. Not only that, the story unfolds as they thrive in their journey before the world ends. That would make you grasp to each and every episode while understanding the "why". Besides, you'll never expect how the story connects each and every character.Among the casts, flashbacks of course evolves on the MLs but with their convo, it also reveals the story of SLs and the other person. Haters gonna hate but Ritso is the necessary enemy that intensifies the story; throw your morals aside because even Misumi's obsession (my personal bias) is another necessary enemy for them to beat in 10 days.
The music is too lovely that drives your emotion in each and every scene. Especially in their intimate moments, it alienates the vulgarity of the scene into lovely ambiance. From the beginning to end of each episode, plus the subbing, you can really feel the vibe especially when the world comes to an end soon.
Quite low in re-watch value because if you already know the story, everything will be predictable. But not that low because from the cast to production, surely you will miss them soon...and the steamy not too conservative moments...lol!
All in all, it is just a simple story as the title denotes with some countdown. But the execution of every counts matters. It made the simple to amazing. Things you would never expect that from a common countdown , it's not just about the journey but it's about the story behind every character portrays.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Self-reflection, forgiveness, and miracles
This is one of those shows where you are either going to love it or you’re going to hate it. I… really liked it to be totally honest, and I went in with low expectations.There’s just something very refreshing about the concept. What would you do if the world is ending, you don’t have any strong relationships, and someone from your past offers to ride out the final days together?
People that have close family and friends might find it far fetched that Masumi would follow Ritsu. However, it really just seemed like he was lonely and figured “screw it, the world’s ending anyway”.
Ritsu’s character could have been better fleshed out in terms of his motivations during their original relationship. At the beginning, he literally seems like he’s got some kind of personality disorder. But I think at his base he’s just kind of lonely and immature. Which is not an excuse for his actions, the characters around him don’t excuse him either.
There’s just a lot of exploration around the kind of things you reflect on at the end. Masumi talking about how he felt like he kind of wasted his life because all he did was work and go home… it felt very articulate and real. I really liked that.
Anyway… needless to say I’m in the camp of people that think this was solid. It’s definitely not for everyone though.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The sky is falling but also WE
Face to face with the end of the world we can see how the world falling apart from the Main lead Masumi even before the world actually fall apart. The hopelessness in his eyes are align with his without pants body as he threw himself into the bed staring at the ceiling feeling a lot of emotions at once. I love how the actor is laughing in despair. He really portrait the hopelessness to the T.I love the transition between the past memories and the presents time. The cinematography shows the scenery align with the feeling the characters Projecting.
For the Story i gave it 8,5 out of 10 Because it's somewhat original i haven't encounter the same story in BL and it's enjoyable however idk maybe because it's in Japan so people doesn't get that much chaotic but i think it'll be more realistic if the environment more chaos because it is the end of the world.
for the acting i give a 10 out of 10 for the Actor who plays Masumi. OMG he portrayed happiness, sorrow, guilt, hopelessness, love, will and courage with perfection! even his face during 'that' is convincing.
The kisses, i love how it's not just a peck or an 'angle kiss' it's real and feels real. and the 'encounter beyond just kisses' are a cherry on top to end the series.
Was this review helpful to you?
Some excellent ideas not developed enough, I could not connect to the acting
The premise of this series is great : the news get public that an asteroid is estimated to hit Earth in 10 days, wiping the human race. With this imminent threat on the life of the characters, the stakes could not be higher. It leads as well to some self reflection on what to do when all hope seem lost. What would you do if you had only 10 days left on Earth in a context where it is the same fate for everyone ?Despite this excellent plot idea, I unfortunately was unable to connect with the acting. Most of the emotional scenes felt quite cringy...The main issue for me is that I found both main leads really unlikeable. I could not manage to get invested in them and their relationship. The acting I resonated the least was done by Seto Toshiki playing Nishina Masumi, the hero that as the viewer your are supposed to empathize with and support. I just could not do it !
The production value was okay overall. Some nice sets in nature but also some special effects sequence that felt a bit cheap. The soundtrack was alright with a really nice song which might have felt a bit repetitive at some point if I'm honest.
I would recommend this to people that are looking for a very different kind of BL story. Given the fact I found the context in which the characters evolve super interesting, I was in overall disappointed by the drama. I felt the writing did not exploit well enough the doomsday setting. The ending felt also a bit like a cope out even if I understand why it concludes that way. My main issue is with the acting as well as the writing of the main characters. It prevented me to empathize and support the characters as well as to connect with the emotional scenes who felt cringy.
Was this review helpful to you?
That’s what makes this series so powerful and unique. And that’s why it surprised and won me over with its very creative plot. It’s not just an apocalyptic love story set at the end of the world, it’s a deep dive into mental health, in which the characters seek to resurrect hope by reconciling with their past traumas and regrets so that they can find hope to live again Each character has their own personal “meteor” symbolizing self-destruction, and they have to “destroy” it if they want to build a hopeful future worth living for.
A hidden gem. Beautifully written, with deeply moving and emotionally powerful performances that lead us to deep reflections on the meaning of life, on ourselves, on our relationships, on the world we live in and the way we carry our pain. Give it a try, you won’t regret it.
Was this review helpful to you?
Promising at this stage
From the trailer it feels like it's hinting a tragic story and has a lot of potential. From previous experience of Japanese bl works, I've only seen 30-sai and they did a great job with it (definitely one of the best ones in the genre, in my humble opinion), so I can't help having hope this one would be of a similar standard.As we are still in the early stages of 2023, it's not expected much works would be released until March at the very least (approx March-May when higher quality works would drop) in terms of films/dramas in general. Hence with this in mind, I didn't expect to be drawn into The End of the World With You.
With the current rate that the industries are churning out bl dramas like machines, there's an underlying frustration when it comes to production, and I hate to say I've grown to be particular when selecting which to indulge in. It's clear much of the premises are indicating recycled plots and tropes, and the depth is somewhat lacking. I'm by no means an expert, but these are the criteria that determines what makes or breaks this genre:
- storytelling/plot
- emotional depth
- conflict - more than homophobia, or coming to terms with one's sexuality
- character development
- chemistry between 2 leads
- any included romantic scenes
I've seen a few works where there is no romantic scenes involved and the drama turned out brilliantly, and it should be emphasized that this isn't necessary in the first place. There's some dramas with too much of these scenes but no plot, and those with good plot, chemistry and storytelling without it being overly done. The thirst is real for explicit/romantic scenes, but ultimately the nitpick is how well these are shot if the directors choose to include it, and sometimes these end up looking extremely unnatural, not to mention a cringe fest, that it would've been better had it been left out.
In the case for Ep2, I hadn't expected them to go that far, but I appreciated that it was done properly rather than shoving it for the sake of attempting to express romance. A red flag ensues, however, that leaves a resolve to be desired between the two characters.
The premise is unique concept with a time limit involved, which I've not yet seen in a bl. There are plenty of routes this theme can open up to and it's very promising. I didn't want to give a higher rating since it's still quite early into the plot, but so far in seeing 2ep, it looks worthwhile so I'd be continuing to see how things unfold.
Was this review helpful to you?
Ritsu Sucks!
I hated Ritsu wished for another man to be Masumi life. Don't give a fuck about Ritsu I hoped he was never mentioned in the 2nd season and 2nd season is where Masumi gives up on Ritsu and be with someone else who actually loves him dearly and knows to understand Masumi. But overall loved the other two in this story because they seem a little more interesting and hopefully have more of them, there were drama between but they overflow the drama so that's what I like about how they were mad but sad nd then happy to know the truth.Was this review helpful to you?
