Liltsu

I agree with you that MAME is a very problematic writer but i actually thought the way they handled the scenes in the last episode were well-written with how 1.) They showed how traumatic something like r4pe is (so it wasnt romantisicing it) and 2.) Prapai's reaction: being emotionally supportive and present toward Sky to help him cope with his trauma, stayed patient and gave him affirmation and comfort

I do think that this series has a lot of gray areas and that the trauma for instance should have been explored more after the events in the final ep but i also felt that some of the writing in the last scenes, particularly in terms of Prapai telling Sky that in his presence, it is safe for him to cry but crying himself instead was quite interesting. Particularly because that moment was highlighting Sky's trauma with how his coping mechanism was to repress everything he felt after going through an abvsive situation. Meanwhile, Prapai crying in his stead to express what Sky was holding back, empathising with his pain.

That was just one side of my perspective though so i was curious as to why you still felt that way (if you feel like it, could you please elaborate)? 💕

Just a few posts below you might see a thread of theories/interpretations that I wrote answering to another person’s comment (I watched the film without subs tho so the other person was also informing me of the events more clearly, so maybe what I wrote doesn’t seem as solid anymore but I’d love to elaborate on what I currently think if you have any thoughts on what i wrote), if you’re interested ofc~

Ps: I’m curious to hear what your theories are as well <3

Thank you so much for explaining the context better, I’m so glad that’s the case then!

That makes a lot more sense now! I had sensed that there was a higher power behind Kai and the guy who was working as a prostitute but I wasn’t sure how exactly that came into place and why Kiritani would be suddenly killed or targeted again so thanks again for clearing that up. I guess whilst that almost completely brushes off the second theory (thankfully), I still wonder if the first theory I had written about could still play in somehow. Nevertheless, I’m just happy that Kiritani was in love with Kai without being “betrayed” by him, but just sad that, given that Kai was right there, that he couldn’t have prevented it somehow. It leaves much to think about symbolically though. I really liked this movie even though it was so heavy and saddening, I do kind of wish that Kai had at least taken a glimpse at Kiritani’s face before leaving him, but I’m at ease knowing that he at least saved Kiritani’s lighter, which he will keep by his side from now on. In a way, that lighter also represented Kiritani’s strong will and intention to live the way the way he wants to, his “burning” spirit that allowed him to overcome his trauma from being raped. So Kiritani’s will still lives on through Kai.

In any case, thank you for the kind compliments as well, I’m very pleased, and for reading all of that. It was fun talking about the film with you :>

if you copy paste the japanese name on the website dandanzan, then you'll find it but there are no subs out yet anywhere

I'm so happy to see someone discuss this movie!! I just finished it yesterday too and because there aren't any subs yet I tried to understand it as best I could through the visual storyline (and also through the basic, basic japanese that i can recognise). I actually thought I understood it pretty well and seeing your comment affirms that so it's a relief.

I'm particularly glad because, whilst I did understand that, in the end, Kai wasn't the one who raped the protagonist, I was still worried that I might have misunderstood, given that I'm not fully aware of the dialogue being exchanged, so it's again, a relief that my assumption was correct (plus, it wouldn't make much sense in some ways otherwise, but still).

Therefore, without excluding any possibilities, I had a few theories on the ending:

1.) One thought I had was that, perhaps, the run-down area where people perform their rap, and where the protagonists hang about, could be a visual representation of a gathering of rape victims. Meaning that anyone present there may have been victim of rape in the past, and therefore join together there, to find solace in each other, especially given that they're also now outcasts in society. This also makes sense because the rap that they perform there would then be symbolic of freedom and a form of venting. Venting openly about each other's trauma or other repressed feelings which can't be as easily or at all expressed in any other setting.

This would also explain why Kai "recruits" the protagonist (i'll just call him sensei/teacher) after he was raped. Not to mention that when Sensei was literally being raped, we could hear someone rapping/singing nearby (maybe symbolizing a sort of mourning/empathy from other victims). This feels accurate, especially if Kai is indeed NOT the one who raped the teacher/protagonist. Plus, how would Kai know what the rapist told Sensei (the whole "it's alright") if it wasn't a common/trademark or saying that was told to all the rape victims from the area (plus, putting the mask on the face as of the victim as well)? Also the fact that Kai's friend, who was close to the child who died, would have at the very least lashed out at him if Kai was indeed the rapist (which is why, if I understood correctly, this same friend was the one who told Sensei that Kai wasn't his rapist).

IF that's the case, that Kai wasn't Sensei's rapist, then the identities of the actual rapists don't matter, in the sense, that one, the rapists shown in the film don't represent a particular individual, necessarily, but the act of rape in general. For example, with the sensei's rapist, he was wearing a pig mask, reflecting animalistic and grotesque desires and impulses. He was also seen wearing a suit during the hallucination scene of the protagonist at the bus stop (could literally be anyone, although it definitely doesn't seem to be Kai at least, and I just rewatched the rape scene and the rapist's hands are definitely not Kai's). Whilst the other rapist, the one who had more of a killer's mask, reflects anonymity in general and the bloodlust of rapists.



2.) Now, my second theory is a lot more eery, and it breaks my heart a lot more, but it's too poignant to brush off. What if...Kai was actually the perpetrator? What i mean is that Kai himself, his conscious self, would not be the rapist/killer, but that he either has alter egos or strongly denies his involvement to the point where he seems to hallucinate about alter egos who do commit the atrocities? This is notable because of how the protagonist dies. It was really striking to me, upon my first watch, that Kai didn't wake up when Sensei was presumably taken away. Really? He didn't hear anything, he didn't sense anything? Sure, the killer might have woken up Sensei and threatened to kill the both of them if he made any noise, but even then, that sounds unrealistic.

Not to mention that Kai is an extremely vigilant person, it just seems strange that he wouldn't be alert or sense this. There's also the fact that we never ever see Kai asleep during the entirety of the film, except for in that one moment when he falls asleep next to Sensei and wakes up alone. Coincidence? I think this was deliberate, especially given we never even see Kai's bed or room or anything of the sort. And there's this strong duality between day and night in the story.

During the day time, all is well and fine, during the night is when danger is imminent and ever so present. When Kai was alone with Sensei in the daylight, and awake, Sensei was safe, but as soon as they both fell asleep, and night came, Sensei was taken away and killed. To me, this represents Kai's repressed self which he denies. And it's why it's only when he wakes up alone, when it's daytime again, that he has to face the consequence of his own actions: the protagonist's death. My theory is further solidified because of what the killer tells Kai when he finds out: for one, the "killer" (who would then be a mere reflection of Kai's repressed desires or an alter ego at this point) questions Kai on why he is making a surprised face (because it's Kai who did it, why should you be surprised at something you did yourself?). Secondly, the killer reassures Kai that he has nothing to fear because he won't kill Kai (this much japanese I understood, fuck i'm getting shivers). This is significant, because the reason why the "killer" wouldn't kill Kai when he obviously targets anyone and everyone (even children ffs), is that of course the perpetrator wouldn't take his own life. Why would Kai be an exception otherwise if it wasn't his doing?

What makes this all too on the nose, is when we hear the sirens of the police (and this part makes me feel like I can't deny my theory at all, despite myself, cause it HURTS). What happens then, is that the voice of the police can be heard, and to this, Kai panics and flees. At first, I was more shocked by the fact that he just ran past and left the body of the protagonist behind (because how could you leave the corpse of your loved one without even checking their face first, not to mention missing out on the possibility of the "real perpetrator" be captured once and for all), but this aligns with the very idea that Kai has been the killer all along. Kai flees because, otherwise, he is the one who will be captured. So he runs. Plus the fact that the supposed "killer" gets shot multiple times, without anything actually happening to Kai. To me, this simply represents Kai returning to reality, and therefore he "kills" the image of his alter ego, so that he can escape by himself.

This interpretation tortures me but there's too many clues to back it up, ah I kind of hope I'm off... what do you think? And sorry, that was really long so if anyone read this long rant, I appreciate you <3

Thank you so so much!! <3

Has anyone been able to get the raws? I still can’t find it anywhere T^T

Thought it would be fun to edit a bts song with the new episode, i hope it makes sense:

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMFUedbex/

<3

Yes so true, i would never recover tho :’D

Thank you, pleased you found it interesting!<3 And ikr, it would be really beautiful thematically but it would hurt so much, knowing that Ouimi would live on with that denial or eventually will have to accept his loss, when he’d just met someone who was making him feel more alive (ironically)

Wait, do we know whether they are already dating or not? (It was a bit unclear). If they’re already meant to have been dating, I am a bit scared, because i think that means that there’s a higher likelihood of a sad ending. The reason(s)? If they’re already dating, I feel like Koichi might actually truly he dead, in the sense that he might represent Ouimi’s denial. Ouimi’s incapability of grieving Koichi’s death (and that he might not truly even be there, perhaps). Especially because that would mean that the confession scene we’re about to see in the next episode would be in the past. Scenes and moments that have already happened and no longer are. Not to mention that Ouimi has been shown to have been alone a lot of his life, and probably had been lonely, and when he met Koichi, he was relieved from that. So losing Koichi might have been too much for him. I hope im wrong tho TT

I’ve always wanted to explain this to others because I find it so true, and you’ve vocalised it so well <3

exactly, and I love how that makes their relationship feel natural and it will be even more fulfilling to see them actually together romantically given that we've been given so much screen-time for contextualising and giving more depth to their bond throughout the years, which gives the viewers a real sense of a passage of time. Unlike with some other romances, where it can sometimes feel like we're just jumping from one scene to another, and suddenly the characters are into each other and dating.

I like how Eiw has been able to embrace himself and his sexuality throughout the years, and that we were able to see that gradual journey, from when he first realised it and felt fear and shame, to now being open about it to his friends:

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMFhTYUmv/

Yeah i was not ready:

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMFhUpJge/

not to sound cynical, but i also noticed that earlier on with korean BL series, they tended to have the same (relatively new) actors over and over again (for ex: Jang Euisoo who was in Where Your Eyes Linger, Mr. Heart, and My Sweet Dear, or Han Se Jin who was in Nobleman Ryu's Wedding, and Mr. Heart). It seemed like there weren't really many actors at all who were willing to act in BL/queer media, and that the production teams for these series were seriously struggling to find other actors. Which was then a relief when we were blessed with shows like Light On Me, and To My Star (especially the latter, that features more experienced and skilled actors). So my assumption is that, due to either homophobia or the fear of potential backlash (not to mention how strict some agencies are), then they're now letting some lesser known idols star in BLs to, as you mentioned, help promote the group, or then to let the idols kickstart a career in acting (since so far, the series are really short and the characters are fairly simple).

That would be amazing, yes please

For real <3

Yeah i definitely agree with you on that one, it’s a shame that screenwriters will often feel the need to do this in fear of making their show too “boring”, without realising that we also just need time with the characters genuinely interacting without needing for there to be a conflict at the centre of them every time.

True haha only difference is that with Minato’s laundromat, it somewhat made sense for there to be such a back and forth because of the issue with the age gap, but it’s true that they dragged it too much near the end