This review may contain spoilers
Intriguing story, great cast and acting, but the finale was a tad rushed and gratuitous
I had consistently given this show a 9 rating, untill the last episode, which seemed rushed, and a little too good and perfect an ending for a story so messy so far. So, I'm downgrading the final score to be 8
BL-needle score: 7. Moderate BL-ness, interspersed with serious and interesting themes
An intriguing story on two lonely people who feel unloved, and stuck in their sex-less relationships. Feeling slighted by their respective partners, and unable to withstand the undeniable attraction between them, on a rainy night, they break open the dam of pent-up desires, emotions and frustration. Raises important questions around desire, control, norms and power-games in relationships.
Sei is attracted to Kazauki and lives with him as in a relationship...but Kauzauki was clear that they can never have sex or physically intimate...Sei feels cared-for and protected, but unfulfilled...starts to question and feel caged...Hagiwara has an apparently loving girlfriend who he is expected to marry, but they have completely stopped having sex...whenever he makes an advance, she avoids it indirectly.....which is starting to make him feel unloved, shut out, and slighted.... with a simmering frustration and anger that seems to be growing...
An accidental email gets Sei and Hagiwara talking...and as often lonely people do, they keep talking, unaware that they are actually office colleagues..even though they meet in the professional space, they do not know that their email-mate is this same person......Eventually their pent-up sexual and emotional frustration bursts forth as they act on the undeniable attraction and need....even though they initially agree to keep up with their respective relationships, things get more complicated as Hagiwara confesses that it is beyond just sex for him....Sei, even though palpably unsure about his own heart, makes an attempt to stick to his relationship..........until, as expected, their partners find out.....
The series was almost perfect till the last episode or may be teh last two episodes, I would say. It felt like they felt compelled to redeem all the characters and made it look like a gift wrapped finale, which was not to my taste because I was primed for the mess that it seemed to be headed for....mess that helps you clear confusion, and understand your heart better. Instead they did an 'All's well that ends well' and 'everyone gets to be happy (almost)' kinda finale ...which got me disappointed and borderline annoyed. Some characters need not be redeemed, even if it is important to depict why they are the way they are.
Anyway, I would still recommend the show because of the stellar acting and also because it raises questions and creates conversations around the spectrum of sexual expressions (or the lack of it), desires, social norms around them and how relationship power games manifest in that canvas.....
BL-needle score: 7. Moderate BL-ness, interspersed with serious and interesting themes
An intriguing story on two lonely people who feel unloved, and stuck in their sex-less relationships. Feeling slighted by their respective partners, and unable to withstand the undeniable attraction between them, on a rainy night, they break open the dam of pent-up desires, emotions and frustration. Raises important questions around desire, control, norms and power-games in relationships.
Sei is attracted to Kazauki and lives with him as in a relationship...but Kauzauki was clear that they can never have sex or physically intimate...Sei feels cared-for and protected, but unfulfilled...starts to question and feel caged...Hagiwara has an apparently loving girlfriend who he is expected to marry, but they have completely stopped having sex...whenever he makes an advance, she avoids it indirectly.....which is starting to make him feel unloved, shut out, and slighted.... with a simmering frustration and anger that seems to be growing...
An accidental email gets Sei and Hagiwara talking...and as often lonely people do, they keep talking, unaware that they are actually office colleagues..even though they meet in the professional space, they do not know that their email-mate is this same person......Eventually their pent-up sexual and emotional frustration bursts forth as they act on the undeniable attraction and need....even though they initially agree to keep up with their respective relationships, things get more complicated as Hagiwara confesses that it is beyond just sex for him....Sei, even though palpably unsure about his own heart, makes an attempt to stick to his relationship..........until, as expected, their partners find out.....
The series was almost perfect till the last episode or may be teh last two episodes, I would say. It felt like they felt compelled to redeem all the characters and made it look like a gift wrapped finale, which was not to my taste because I was primed for the mess that it seemed to be headed for....mess that helps you clear confusion, and understand your heart better. Instead they did an 'All's well that ends well' and 'everyone gets to be happy (almost)' kinda finale ...which got me disappointed and borderline annoyed. Some characters need not be redeemed, even if it is important to depict why they are the way they are.
Anyway, I would still recommend the show because of the stellar acting and also because it raises questions and creates conversations around the spectrum of sexual expressions (or the lack of it), desires, social norms around them and how relationship power games manifest in that canvas.....
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