ThatWheatFlour

100% Rewatch Material!

The heading's pretty on-the-nose, but you'll most likely find yourself doing just that, even if you're not the type of person to rewatch anything like me.

First off, I believe the production team wouldn't have been able to manifest their vision if it weren't for the cast of completely cohesive actors. Jung Jin Young and Park Sung Woong in particular carried the entirety of the movie, which isn't surprising considering the plot mostly revolves around their characters. Both honoured their body-swapped roles extremely well- high praise to Jin Young, who managed to impressively pull off the mannerisms and idiolects of a wealthy, middle-aged criminal corporate without making it awkward or cringey.

This may sound slightly comical, but I personally love how they chose to focus more on Pan Soo's love story (in Dong Hyun's body) for quite a large portion of the movie. Somehow, it reinforced his sincerity considering he was limited to confessing in a high-schooler's body, not caring about the heavy scrutiny by disturbed strangers who have no clue about his situation. And hey, it enabled a lotta funny scenes too, which is always a plus.

I loved Man Chul and Mi Sun; both took their roles above and beyond, with the former providing much of the comic relief of the movie and the latter perfectly demonstrating the sentimentalities of a single mother struggling to move on from her first-love.
The order of this review is completely freaked up but I really appreciated the use of Pan Soo to physically destroy Dong Hyun and Hyun Jung's bullies, shedding light on the common crisis of school bullying. It would've been better if Jin Young lost the fatsuit, however, rather than vanquishing the bullies and undergoing a 'massive' change in his appearance to earn further, romantic attention from classmates who otherwise wouldn't have batted an eye. I mean, considering the other two victims of bullying weren't exactly bullied for their appearance, Dong Hyun didn't have to be any different, especially 'cause he's the protagonist of the movie.

All in all, I rate the movie a solid 9.5- here's to a hilarious, oddly-touching and wildly entertaining body-swapping flick!

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A simple, feel-good drama that I wouldn't mind rewatching.

Aside from the provocative concept of a seat change-induced confession, there is nothing particularly remarkable about After Moving Seats (AMS) at the beginning - however, the steady, increasing growth of character personalities and dynamics allows the audience to build a connection with and form opinions on each aspect of the drama.

Mayama is presented as an overly accommodating, incredibly reserved individual (which we later find is due to his past entanglements with undesirable folks) - easily prioritising others over himself and refusing to take a stance that is overtly selfish. Asamiya, on the other hand, is the typical, stoic tsundere type - untouchable in a way that is reminiscent of many other drama semes (e.g. Watarai from School Trip and Kurosawa from Cherry Magic) mainly due to the duality between his appearance and the subsequent expectations others have of him.

Acting-wise, Konishi Eito has definitely improved from his previous role as Taishin in Takara's Treasure - with varied facial expressions and an evident comfort with enacting comedic scenes (at least, to me). (His scrunchy smiling expression is cute :)) Gennosuke initially appeared flat and expressionless, however, I am inclined to believe it was an overly stylistic choice considering his facial expressions became more varied and vibrant later on. I think he definitely could have conveyed Asamiya's frustration with being seen as a mere pretty face much better, though I definitely don't hate what he managed to portray as is. Both actors' chemistry is very good, too - not as awkward as I'd noticed in Konishi Eito's former role in Takara's Treasure - and believable enough to last in the watcher's mind as a good ship.

I really, really liked the side characters in this drama - I think both actors did a really good job of supporting the main actors in their characters' distinctive ways. On the surface, Sakaki appears to be the more lively, unrestrained one - though he has his thoughtful, considerate moments (both when internalising his own feelings and when providing advice to Mayama during a chance encounter midway through the summer holidays). Tsunekawata is the quieter, more level-headed friend who contrasts Sakaki's personality well, and the two work well as a dynamic duo (that final pan-shot to Tsunekawata from Sakaki's viewpoint after that second seating plan change left no doubt in my mind that Sakaki has feelings for Tsunekawata). I would love to see a second season (that doesn't fall flat from the first, of course) solely dedicated to the development of their relationship.

Side note: Iijima Hayate looks good with black lipstick

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(Relatively) Obscure Gem

From its inception, Tokyo in April Is appears to be a relatively unremarkable J-BL - commencing in traditional Japanese style with a soliloquy from our protagonist before progressing in an anticlimactic reunion between two middle-school friends. But then, slowly, the story picks up - and we find ourselves launched headfirst into a painful flashback of heartbreak, misunderstandings and unresolved childhood trauma.

Learning the context behind the two friends' separation makes Ren's nonchalant response to the reunion more understandable, as we learn of the harrowing events that transpire between them 11 years prior. As a recent watcher, Ren reminds me of Akira from Contrast - although Akira can be likened more to Ren's inner self than the 'dazzling' front of amiable ease the latter assumes around seemingly everyone around him.

Kazuma is, by heart, an incredibly empathetic and kind-natured person - we see it in his actions, in his words and in his attentiveness towards Ren. That is not to say, however, that he inadvertently didn't overlook Ren's struggles as a result of wanting to respect the latter's space. Where he deems it best to remain silent and give Ren time to open up on his own, Ren himself is independently experiencing this seemingly never-ending cycle of emotional turmoil and lingering guilt. He is the only one who remembers exactly what happened following Kazuma's hospitalisation 11 years ago (even Hide found out about everything second-hand rather than actually experiencing the events) - and it is this truth which gnaws at him until the audience themselves are given closure through Yagami's and Kazuma's meeting at the very end of the drama.

Yagami, too, is an intriguing character - (it was very rewarding to see Motojima Junsei onscreen again, also). He is the one who truly beholds Ren's spiralling after being cruelly disowned and flown into a foreign country as though he were damaged goods - not the son who had nobly yet so foolishly taken the fall for a consensual event. Naturally, this initial concern and horror gradually transforms into an undeniable affection - yet Yagami is seen to be irrevocably patient and grounding as he stays by Ren's side and teaches him French from scratch (as per the latter's request). 11 years later, he harbours that same fondness for Ren - though remains unwaveringly attentive and supportive towards the man who has so bravely chosen to wait for his beloved to return to Japan.

Of course, every drama has its flaws - and in TIAI, it is occasionally the acting. Both actors are relatively new to the acting scene, and it shows in the lack of overt variance in facial expressions - specifically during crying scenes (although Takamatsu Aloha's depiction of Ren's panic attack and Yuki Sakurai's enraged outburst in front of Yagami were near-perfect).

However, what makes this drama different is the undeniable chemistry between the two actors - and Yuki Sakurai's efforts towards 'selling' the couple's relationship are especially admirable. He portrays the role of a mindful, ever-affectionate lover incredibly well - and this is similarly mirrored in his younger self of Takeno Sena. Naturally, it is staggering knowing that both actors who portrayed the couple's younger selves were actually 14 at the time of filming (which raises the question of their welfare during the shirtless kiss scene), but I sincerely praise their diligence towards portraying their characters at such a young age (Takeno Sena in particular). Takeno Sena perfectly conveys the progression from a grateful friend to someone who cannot find any other place for Ren than in his heart - and that, I believe, is a truly spectacular feat.

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A stupidly funny mini-series that made me yearn for more.

Hibiki's humour reminded me a lot of Haruta's in Ossan's Love - characterised by silly, exaggerated facial expressions and confused colleagues who have no clue what is going on beyond the fact that the former is a strange man.

Each character was nicely introduced and depicted, considering the series' short-lived reign - although I would have loved to learn more about each bartender. The bonds between the customers were pretty well-encapsulated, too - and I loved the accompanying cut scenes for each couple.

It goes without saying that I also loved the inclusion of historical explanations and recipes for each drink; learning what inspired each beverage and where they came from was incredibly interesting. Regardless of whether people are interested in making said beverages themselves, it is pretty cool knowing what makes up a mojito or that the screwdriver can be traced back to oil field workers in Iran.

All in all, an incredibly effective, crazy-funny drama - I think I'd definitely rewatch.

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These overly-cliche romances were never for me, but I wanted to give it a try, anyways.

Perhaps I was expecting something better than the Thai original considering I'd dropped the aforementioned, however, the Japanese remake manages to be just as painfully cringey, in my opinion.

Fukuda Ayuta's acting was somewhat believable and not too hard on the eyes, but Aihara Isshin's was really, really painful. Painful in the sense that there was no expressions on his face (I got war flashbacks of Eunwoo's 'tsundere' characters, so) and there was barely any disparity within his limited range to sell the concept of Sora being down bad for Hinata. Most viewers would want to be convinced by the LI's character enough to want to vouch for them, and I couldn't find it in myself to do that at all.

Vasayegh Hikaru definitely did his job as the only opp of the story (with more variance in his expressions and personality despite them being overly exaggerated in many places), though the encounters between Oji and Sora weren't as fulfilling as I personally wanted them to be. The other side characters are barely given a role beyond eagerly following up on the main characters' developing love story, and the progression of Da On and Riku's relationship was way too abrupt to be enjoyable. If anything, I probably liked Makoto and Yu's relationship the most (though that 'drunken' kiss was incredibly uncomfortable both visually and as a plot point).

Overall, a super difficult watch.

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Blue-Skied, Sentimental Prowess.

Man...words fail me whenever I seek to convey what I felt watching this. From the stellar casting to the absolute BANGER of an opening- one I can't skip no matter how hard I try under an urgent time limit- Miseinen remains an authentic Japanese drama till the end. Regardless of whether they remained unfaithful to the original WEBTOON, Miseinen stands out in itself as a reliable coming-of-age that touches upon multiple facets of growing teens' lives- from verbal and physical abuse to alcoholism and its consequences to that rebellious teen phase of smoking to undesirable high-school hierarchies. Such facets are both under-represented and overly-exaggerated in media, but it felt natural and almost expected of Haruki to descend into that spiral of self-loathing and play up to the role he was designated by peers. The duality between his and Minase's characters isn't unnatural and doesn't feel forced- from that first, awkward encounter to their final, joyful reunion at the very end of the drama.

In summary, Miseinen is an emotion that perfectly represents the tendency to make last-minute, spontaneous decisions without a second thought- the type of show I would've liked to watch growing up, when being queer and the queer community wasn't highly represented or at the forefront of mainstream media. The simplistic cinematography, colour schemes and sets also help make Miseinen memorable amongst other gems like Cherry Magic and Happy of the End, living on in our minds to the extent that the sight of a beach, or a letter, or a blue ice lolley unknowingly pull us right back to where we left off. Here's to J-BL- which makes me think- feel like no other.

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