3
Pain! Pain! Pain!
This is a story of pain. Sometime unimaginable and incalculable pain. Pain that for both these protagonists centered and defined their lives. Additionally, it presents, whether we like it or not, the ugly side of culture. The side of culture we accept as parenting, even though it is abusive, reprehensible, and evil. No one starts out to be such but acceptance of the nonsensical notion of making your children fit to some type of conformity is so strong that reasoning and common sense and standards of decency are thrown out the window. All to make your kid stronger; only in the end to make them weaker internally and vulnerable to doubt as to who they are. This is a story of lost souls. Astonishingly sad and told in muted tones filmed in dark hues as if to signify the total depression of the two of them. There are magical scenes in this series that will make you weep. Not from sadness but from remembrance. Remembrances of the happier times they had together.Was this review helpful to you?
Grab You Then Loses You
This series was astonishingly hooking at the beginning. I was completely mesmerized by its fascinating story and intriguing premise. And I love period pieces and stories that reflect the culture, customs, and religions of other societies. To want to live so for someday he could reunite with his reincarnated love was just magical and so romantic. And I believed it. I wanted this story to be true. Perhaps that is the sentimentalist in me. I became starry-eyed and wanted to see true love be never ending. While this series is entertaining, it lost its magic when it got so deep into its own story. The convoluted twists and turns were simply too much and throughout it became harder and harder to find the characters likeable. Overall, this series is mildly entertaining. It certainly started out strong but then as it progressed, it seemed to flounder in what exactly it wanted to say and how to say it. I never quite bought the love story.Was this review helpful to you?
Titanically fun series to watch
I love history-period pieces, especially Asian ones since I know so little about Asian cultures and customs in general. For me, I romanticize the story even more and thus, it becomes pure escapism. I confess that I got completely lost in the complexities of the story and with the names and who is kindred to whom. I had a hard time following the lineage of who is related to whom and therefore the story for me got a shade complicated. However, I got the gist of the story and all I was interested in really were the main characters. They were not just entertaining. They were tantalizing. For some reason, decidedly handsome men in exotic period costumes add a greater dimension to the level of the portrayals of their characters they are playing. While at first the story seemed a bit juvenile, once it starts to evolve, it becomes an epic love saga, albeit a painful one. While this series has a swashbuckling feel about it, it is deeper than what it is given credit for. To be sure, there are some inane moments, and superficial scenes, but it never loses its mythos about the power of love.Was this review helpful to you?
Brilliantly Redefines the Meaning of Love
Overall, this is a raw, gritty series that presents itself more like a documentary movie than a BL series. It is dark, brooding, and exceedingly realistic. The characters are real people with real problems in real life actualities. I felt drained after watching this series. And categorically it is one of the most intelligently thought-out and refined BLs I have ever seen. It started out dark and remained dark even though its essence is not dark. The presentation of this series is very dark and certainly contemplative. It feels perilous and is filmed in a rather hazy dim fashion. Perhaps reflective of life for many people whose lives are more represented by this series. Pedestrian. Overlooked. Where life is difficult. Full of struggles. Lots of pain. Many unfulfilled dreams and desires. Yet, the foundation for continuing is still family, love, and commitment.Was this review helpful to you?
Cinematic Magic!
In a sense, this story is deeper than in season one. While still about Haruta, the story circumvents him to encompass more individuals around him and does so in a deeply, introspective, and immensely emotional fashion. To be sure, the keystone remains parallel to season one. The Captain, an older distinguished-looking man, falls in love with Haruta, a much younger and energetic man. Yet, in the end there is such a surprising twist that it caught me off guard. I honestly did not know what to make of it. Was it real or a profound cry out of a desperately lonely man? I cried at either prospect as Haruta, for the first time, truly seemed adrift. This is effulgent and, along with the previous “Ossan’s Love” productions, are worthy of our reverence. This is a jewel of virtuosity and therefore I would consider it a ‘Masterpiece’. They may be archival but should not be forgotten. Treat yourself to pure joy!Was this review helpful to you?
A Masterpiece and One Of The Best! Magnum Opus!
Undoubtedly, this is one of those series that will either be loved or panned, mainly because of the esoteric and metaphysical nature of its theme and its presentation as a Greek tragedy. It is allegorical with metaphorical representations of life presented in temperaments of profound introspection surrounded by an almost overwhelming sense of loss, guilt, and shame. It tackles all the hidden and unexplored and often times buried emotions of humans we do not want to face or find impossible to bear. It strips away for us to see and quite literally experience and feel. We see it through the eyes of a protagonist and an antagonist at the same time; with each character being both. This series is a thought-provoking, intellectually stimulating elegy that uses the language of words to embody love. If you want to see lust, or romps in a bed, or contrived love scenes, or soft rituals of love, this is not for you. If you want to see a deep, meditative, and, at times, profoundly poignant perspective of human nature augmented by the process of finding what the meaning of love is all about, then this is for you. There is nothing ‘cute’ about this transmigration at all. It is deeply solipsistic, pensive, and intensely mystifying. There is also nothing ‘clear’ about this series. It is symbolic with symbolisms of all kinds bombarding you. At times they overwhelm you. Everything has meaning. Even the smallest of details. Blink and you might miss it. You have to decipher their meanings. Much happens mostly through words but also through deep reflections in expressions of the faces, manners, and body language of the main two characters, as well as all the other characters in this series.The rest of my review of this phenomenal series is posted at BLBliss.com.
Was this review helpful to you?
Gore, Guts, Gays!
Wow! What a ride this movie is! You must be warned, however. This movie is a ‘hack-and-slash’ gory romp of blood and guts. So, if this is not your thing, I suggest you do not watch it. I loved it even though I generally dislike these types of movies. Despite what you might imagine, it is a gay-themed movie but certainly not BL by any stretch of the imagination. However, there is no romance here; it is just eroticism. This movie is based on a real lifestyle of gruesome theater that was popular in France in the late 19th Century and early 20th Century. While it was characterized by the ‘grotesque” drama, it stresses horror and sensationalism and explored the darker aspects of human attributes. This movie takes that to a whole new level.Was this review helpful to you?
Non-descript BL series
This is a pretty standard BL that is fluffy, cutely predictable, only so-so entertaining, and fast becoming too common. What made it thus is that there is really no drama here to bring you down (or up) and the characters are endlessly consistent. They are, how to put this, rather ordinary. It is not that the leads are not cute; they are. But the characters are so mundane, leading ordinary lives and facing the same issues the rest of us do. Overworked, with little time to eat or sleep, no social life. This series has no depth to it. The characters are there. The plot is boring, characters are mundane, any reference to love is barely visible, and the acting is modicum.Was this review helpful to you?
One of the Best!
This I would not call a ‘BL’. Perhaps it should be labeled more of an elegy about a deep personal connection. It is a story of two men smitten with each other but calling it love may be on a higher plane than actually exists for either of them. If anything, this is a toxic love story. Not pretty and not meant to be. Criticisms of this series are all valid but that does not take away from its validity. Nor its brilliance. This series is real, honest, brutal, and contemporary. It is a middle-class love story about two rather baneful individuals who found each other at the wrong time in the right place. There is great sadness in this series but also hope. Despite everything, this is a story of human tenacity and fortitude. It is not splashy, cute, or pretty but oh God it is real. Especially living in the City of Angels. Therefore, one of the best series, hesitatingly calling it a BL, for this year of 2023.Was this review helpful to you?
My Friendship Season 2: Before the Rainbow
2 people found this review helpful
Just Brilliant in its Simplicity
While it may not be necessary to watch 1 before 2, it might make more sense since 2 is the prequel to 1. However, I watched 2 before the first series and for me, it was not necessarily the smoothest of transitions. But the story is simple, basic, yet conveys a sense of life as it really exists. One comes to terms with who he is and the other does not. There are only two characters in these series and so the whole story is shouldered on the strength and conviction of these two young men. Mon and Oak are the powerhouse couple in BL today but are not recognized as so. Just brilliant acting.See my full review at BLBliss.com.
Was this review helpful to you?
No Emotional Connections
This is noteworthy in the sense that it is not your typical BL involving college boys. It is esoteric and creative but is so lacking in emotional connections. The irony of it is, is that this whole series is one big continuous emotional journey, mostly about death. If you have a series like this, you have to make it relatable to the audience to make it believable. If not, then it lacks a connection to the audience. I simply never felt a connection to any of the characters in this series. It is not bad acting as much as it lacks a coherent and flowing screenplay.Was this review helpful to you?
Yawn
This is a very disappointing BL series, surprisingly form Japan. Normally, Japanese BL are edgy and provocative and interesting. This is flat, boring and completely lifeless. They acted more like children in love than adults in love. I get that there are cultural and societal differences about how to express love, but honestly at some point, someone has to be grown-up enough to at least hint that the love the other person. It also seemed obvious to me that the actors were either given poor directions or simply were not going to give any hint of a connection with the other. If you are going to play a gay part, then try and pretend at least that you are.Was this review helpful to you?
Great Moral Arc
There is a great moral arc to this story but the characters were simply not real. If you are looking for any sense of deep connection with the main characters, then move in. It is NOT bad acting; just a bad script. You have a main couple who lack any kind of deep connection to each other. Sure there are cute stares, and magical moonbeams but no hint of any real attraction to each other. There was not even a kiss so therefore how can there be love. This story could have been a good one but fell short. But there is a support role here that is just phenomenal. You can read my full review at BLBliss.com. She was simply brilliant.Was this review helpful to you?
Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice but to Kiss!
2 people found this review helpful
Quirky but Sad
I think this is supposed to sort of be a rom-com and parts of it are quite funny. The Japanese have a real eye for self-depreciating humor in the first person. And the physical comedy that goes with that. Unquestionably the two main protagonists are quite quirky and real misfits, which made them very likeable. The first half is much better than the second half. The last half just turned into a silly cat-and-mouse game of playing with emotions with neither one wanting to make any type of a commitment to have a relationship. I found that patently silly and absurd. I was very disappointed overall with this series and found it to be formulaic. In the end, I found them to be way more sad figures than happy ones. Ironically.Was this review helpful to you?
Awkward but It Works!
This is a complete mish-mash of characters that honestly should not work. They are awkward and seem awkward in their own skins. But weirdly, it all works and turns out to be a charming and engaging series. It grabbed my attention and never let go. There are some hidden meanings in this series and that is captured very well. An awkward happenstance that turns charming and you end up rooting for them. Physically, these two actors seem out-of-place, not compatible with each other, and awkwardly clumsy. Yet, it all worked. There is such good chemistry between them that appears to be genuine, even if it is unorthodox. Just enjoy this charmer.You can read my full review at BLBliss.com.
Was this review helpful to you?
