Yay, grown-up men in a BL - unfortunately, the characters and kisses are not
Your typical Japanese non-plot, where characters silently suffer from being horrible at communicating. And life in general. There is barely a main plot, more of a slice-of-life story. And while I often enjoy those and while I wasn't bored per se, I also wasn't entertained or inspired by it.The technical stuff like acting, cinematography, set design ... are all solid. Except when it comes to intimacy, were they give you dead fish kisses and a few seconds of the most uninspired humping action here and there.
All the side characters are nicely done! If only the main characters wouln't have been this lacking ...
Was this review helpful to you?
Was surprised by the acting and how this truly feels like a slice of life!
I was really surprised by this series. Especially by the actors and how they played out various scenes, most notably the actor playing Azuma. It felt real. It engrossed me in the story. I was even surprised by them keeping the same level of acting during the intimate scenes, especially Azuma's actor. ( His expressions are not afraid to show passion and pleasure or softness etc. Even the way he moves and acts)I really love actors who take their work seriously and perform well. They do not let their acting be affected by preconceptions about the genre. There is none of that mindset where they treat it as a joke, or carry an attitude of secretly finding it disgusting and hating it.(Sometimes even openly while acting)
That lack of respect always translates very clearly into their performances and you can tell.
I mean, if someone does not like certain roles, then they should just avoid auditioning for them. Doing it just for the paycheck or not taking it seriously hurt everybody in the long run.
I have seen so many shows esp I dramas where the actors look like two dead fishes just going through the motions,(of kissing or touching, zero chemistry! Somebody might as well pointed a gun in their faces) and it drives me crazy. I am not just talking about BL either, but acting in general.
So this series earned a lot of respect from me for avoiding that and just acting to the best of their abilities. I also like how they avoid most typical BL clichés
It is kind of sad because this should really be the standard, but unfortunately, it is not, at least for now.
This show felt so realistic and human, like I was really watching someone live this kind of life a true slice of life.
This might not be something I might want to rewatch ( just cuz the topics have more of that sad/bittersweet, such is life moments and I prefer more of the optimistic happy ones) but I liked the atmosphere. It was refreshing to see in a BL, the more human side of it.
Was this review helpful to you?
Could have been an easy 10
From the very first ep i devided this is a 10/10 series for me, it's one of those beautiful Japanese dramas that focus on characters and their interconnected relationship with people and their lives.Sadly it moves in a linear motion, after a few episodes it just shows random stuff happening with no messages or anything, I'm not saying everything should jave a moral value but the things happening oit of no where, then we move on to the next random thing as of nothing happend is just odd.
I know this is "adults' relationships" so yeah, we cry it out and move on, but i think they should have added any sort of meaning behind what happens.
Not saying it's a bad show, I'm just explaining why ot dropped from 10 to 8 for me.
I love that they showed normal-looking adults, unlike other shows that just show pretty boys with too much makeup, and too many fan services scenes.
The two talents that lead the show are amazing they carried the whole show gracefully and delivered an amazing performances.
Highly recommended show ~~
Was this review helpful to you?
a lot of people might find it boring or uninteresting. but for me it was just such a comforting thing to watch. the story was so simple, but so relatable. the aesthetics and the cinematography were so soothing to watch. I fell in love with the house, and the people living in it!
I will miss Azuma and Kuji🥹💙
Was this review helpful to you?
Life In Beautiful Blue
This unfolding of the story of two men will not move mountains but it will present a reality that for many is what is happening to them. It is a transition of them getting older and the realization that they are gay and are now coming to terms with it and learning to accept its reality. In a society that still does not accommodate it. Each must take their individual journey down a very lonely path. But the beauty of this legendry is that their paths once crossed when they were younger, intersected again when they are older. And their joint path may now be going down the same road together. Softly, gently. Each holds the hand of the other and along the way, they are inviting trusted friends and family members to join them in their peaceful journey to seeking a life of fulfillment together. This is a wonderfully rich story in exploring the beauty of living life together, taking pleasures with being with one another, and knowing that the other person is exactly where you are as well. You can read the full review at BLBliss.com.Was this review helpful to you?
.
Finally, a Japanese BL that I genuinely loved. 😊
And an extra bonus for having older main characters. It’s refreshing to see a story that focuses on adults rather than the usual school or university setting, and it made the series even more enjoyable for me. 🤍✨
.. ... ... .... .... .... .... .. .. ... ... .... .... .... .... .. .. ... ..
🌸✨🌈 Hiii~ Welcome to my kawaii corner~ ♡(≧▽≦)ﾉ✨🌸
You can find more of my reviews on Instagram~ 🌟💖
Check my homepage for my account~ (｡♥‿♥｡) 🌷
Some reviews are under 500 words, so I can’t post them here~ (≧ω≦)ﾉ💫
Thank you sooo much~ ☆:.｡.o(≧▽≦)o.｡.:☆ 💕🌸
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The adult way of love
Categorizing this show as BL might actually be an insult to the show since we're not talking about "Boys" here.It's a story about and between two grown-up men. Two men with their own separate histories and struggles.
They meet,and it's not the puppy-love-fairytale-sparkling kind of romance you would expect from a BL.
It's a beautiful story about two people finding their own way in a modern society while slowly getting to know and learning to rely on each other. No big drama, no burning desire, just two human beings. Based on my perceptions so far, I would say this drama is as close to reality as a drama can be.
Acting and music were perfect for me as I found the whole story pretty convincing and well done.
What I found most interesting as an european was the fact that the older someone gets, the more similar the worries get across all cultures - I could easily identify with a lot of doubts the main protagonists had. That's a thing I rarely experienced with dramas in a younger age group.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
NOT BORING AND CALMING TO WATCH
This is hands down one of the best hahaha, the vibe is so relaxing. I've watched this 2 times already hahaha I can't get over it. The actors expressions are on point! The acting, the lines, all of it! Kuji and azuma's character is so well written, they really compliment each other, watching this will make you think about life itself, kinda stressing and will make you anxious. Although it's not perfect still it's really great! It's a really good series, BIGYAN NA NG SEASON 2 PLEASE HAHAHAHAWas this review helpful to you?
Sweet relationship of mature adults (refreshing vibe)
The series follow two adults, former colleagues, who meet each other again after some years.We are witnessing a mature relationship as it unfolds between two grown adults. No unnecessary drama, no fury in the plot, just surfing their life as they grow attached to one another.
Recommend 100% if you enjoy watching for the whole and don't need twists and turns to keep you into it.
10/10 worth it.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Amazingly Beautiful
I placed spoilers at the end of this review.It is always refreshing to watch a BL series with a more mature story concept. I also love how this BL series focused on many other underline themes about one’s own struggles. The artful simplicity of this script was incredible. Everything from the relationship development to the overall themes about family was well paced. The entire cast did an outstanding job with their characters. Unfortunately, there is one exception with the male leads which is very puzzling to me. The cinematography was beautiful and helped capture the undertone mood while the events unfolded.
Random Note:
I originally was undecided about watching this because the MDL series synopsis, which is very inaccurate, scared me. The one on GagaOOLala is much better.
******Potential Spoiler Alert******
The exception was the very inconstant chemistry between the two lead actors during the more intimate scenes. There were times that they were great, but then we get the standard dead lip kiss scenes that you usually see in Korean BL series. Although very puzzling to me, this was only a minor irritation.
Was this review helpful to you?
This is so incredibly beautiful
I wasn't planning to give this a 10. That's a rating I reserve for my absolute favorites: My Personal Weatherman and Khemjira. But then I started selecting the star rating for this review and thought, well damn, I really loved this one!Full disclosure, I'm an older BL watcher and probably have more in common with the leads here than with most of you reading this. Maybe that's part of the appeal for me. But I also think they did a great job. The acting was so good. The storytelling was lovely. There was tension and release but no sharp peaks and valleys. Just the undulating tale of two lovers finding each other and themselves.
I love so many things about this. The chemistry and intimacy was great. The love they showed for each other and the people around them was so real and unadorned. I loved how beautiful their mature faces were. I loved the way they looked at each other.
Watching this one was like a long, warm hug. I didn't know I needed it, but I did.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
What am I expecting??
The simplicity of this series carries such deep emotions. This is why I fell in love with JBL, and honestly, it's been a while since I last felt this way about one.I fell in love with it in the first episode, then slowly fell out of love after two or three episodes. But then I stopped and asked myself: What exactly was I expecting from this series?
The characters are literally in their late 30s. So what was I expecting? Fluff? Pick-up lines? Cringey romantic moments?
And that's when I fell in love with it all over again.
This series is not for everyone. As I've mentioned before, this isn't your usual fluffy, student-themed BL. This is real life. There's very little fantasy in it. Instead, it hits hard with themes like midlife crises, the struggle between choosing stability or happiness, the pain of slowly losing people through death, falling apart, and of course, love and marriage—especially as a queer person.
So yeah, it's not for everyone, but I'll definitely recommend it to all of you.
Bye and peace
Was this review helpful to you?
