Otaku is an interesting site. I wonder if it's currently being maintained. You have to wait for a "registration window," and it said it will reopen the window in late 2025, so apparently someone's not doing their job. :D
I signed up to be notified anyway, so fingers crossed. Thanks again.
I was hoping she'd kill that busybody bank spinster.
Overall, I have no idea what to make of this. I watched all the way through, though I considered dropping out at points. I don't know what to make of the FL, or the film, so for the time being, it's a 6/10 from me.
If you're still around, I'd love to read what you see the message as being. I just finished watching, and was wondering that very thing. The film left me with lots to ponder, but my biggest question was "what is the overall message?"
Not a fan of this flick, but HUGE props to Nakamura Ataru, who plays the bar owner and mentor to our trans hero. It's appalling that she is not listed above as first supporting actor in this film, but rather shoved off to the second page, among "see all." She is essential!
It bears mentioning that one of my fave JP actors, Saitoh Takumi, is sadly misused in this film. I felt embarrassed for him.
The MDL rating here is as ridiculously high as the ratings for countless other bad flicks/dramas on MDL. It's a feel-good rating awarded out of all proportion, by an audience that sees what it wants to see on screen, rather than what is there, or just as importantly, what is NOT there.
Sadly, this flick starts strong, but about a third of the way in, explodes like a Roman candle in 20 different directions, and each fizzles out into...not much.
Most bizarre is how the sex-change operation at the heart of the story is handled. Apparently, we are to believe one can perform tremendously complicated sex change surgery after reading a few books and smoking a lot - no hands-on training required! Nor is there any need for the equally complicated recovery and ongoing aftercare procedures mtf trans surgical patients must undergo for successful and safe outcomes.
Doc just lops off that "wiener," rearrange a few innards, and off to Tokyo the patient goes, free and clear! (Where, by the way, despite having left with one suitcase and no money, the patient is guaranteed a one-person apartment, stuffed with all manner of pastel-colored furniture, painted walls, and cute accessories, lit up like a runway.) No biggie, see. MTF transition surgery and aftercare are FUN!!!
Before I continue, I should say that early on, during that first third of the film I mentioned, the musical numbers inside the nightclub are delightful. The first, delightful, fantasy musical number outside the club is pure, joyful magic, but those that follow become evermore camp and pathetic.
Yeah, I was all on board until that Roman candle explosion at the one-third mark, where it all began to go wrong. By two-thirds, I was considering dropping the thing, but held on, hoping for a turnaround that never came. By the end, I felt embarrassed for all involved.
The family relationships and reactions as our hero "came out," were presented in an equally absurd manner. Our trans hero seems to have believed no one knew she was trans, even though she had long been wearing her hair in a female-coded style, and walked, talked, and presented as a young woman. All of which made Dad's supposed outburst at the restaurant laughably cringe.
I could go on, but I won't. This is a flick for people who want the journey of a trans person from a physical man to a physical woman, and all the angst, sorrow, and desperation that precedes and follows it, to be presented as a fantasy flight through the cotton-candy skies of Disneyland. It is insulting to trans people and anyone who knows them.
Yokohama Ryusei is damn good looking. It's a treat to see a handsome actor who appears to be free of plastic surgery. (I'm looking at YOU, Korea!) Oh, and he's a damn good actor too. :) If those two supporting actresses think they're getting at him, they'll have to get through me first.
Ryusei's characterization of Keiichi anchors and carries the film. Yoshioko Riho is very good, too. Others, meh...not so great.
The film is a mix of well put-together elements and a lot of not-so-well put-together ones. Many times, it has the feel of a TV movie, with its plot holes and cliches. Overall, I come away with a positive feeling, though, mostly due to Ryusei, whom I have not seen before. I'll be checking his bio for more of his work.
1 
1 
F**k off, Killer Knetz,
This is horrible.
What is going on? Kbls and Jbls have gone to crap, too.
Dropped
1/10
I signed up to be notified anyway, so fingers crossed.
Thanks again.
I don't speak Russian or Romanian, but I'll give the English subs link a try. :)
Before I give a reaction and change my rating, can anyone clarify what it was that Yusuke threw off the bridge?
Can't wait to watch this tomorrow night.
Or, you can always go pay for your movies.
Overall, I have no idea what to make of this.
I watched all the way through, though I considered dropping out at points.
I don't know what to make of the FL, or the film, so for the time being, it's a 6/10 from me.
I just finished watching, and was wondering that very thing.
The film left me with lots to ponder, but my biggest question was "what is the overall message?"
It bears mentioning that one of my fave JP actors, Saitoh Takumi, is sadly misused in this film. I felt embarrassed for him.
The MDL rating here is as ridiculously high as the ratings for countless other bad flicks/dramas on MDL. It's a feel-good rating awarded out of all proportion, by an audience that sees what it wants to see on screen, rather than what is there, or just as importantly, what is NOT there.
Most bizarre is how the sex-change operation at the heart of the story is handled.
Apparently, we are to believe one can perform tremendously complicated sex change surgery after reading a few books and smoking a lot - no hands-on training required! Nor is there any need for the equally complicated recovery and ongoing aftercare procedures mtf trans surgical patients must undergo for successful and safe outcomes.
Doc just lops off that "wiener," rearrange a few innards, and off to Tokyo the patient goes, free and clear! (Where, by the way, despite having left with one suitcase and no money, the patient is guaranteed a one-person apartment, stuffed with all manner of pastel-colored furniture, painted walls, and cute accessories, lit up like a runway.) No biggie, see. MTF transition surgery and aftercare are FUN!!!
Before I continue, I should say that early on, during that first third of the film I mentioned, the musical numbers inside the nightclub are delightful. The first, delightful, fantasy musical number outside the club is pure, joyful magic, but those that follow become evermore camp and pathetic.
Yeah, I was all on board until that Roman candle explosion at the one-third mark, where it all began to go wrong. By two-thirds, I was considering dropping the thing, but held on, hoping for a turnaround that never came. By the end, I felt embarrassed for all involved.
The family relationships and reactions as our hero "came out," were presented in an equally absurd manner. Our trans hero seems to have believed no one knew she was trans, even though she had long been wearing her hair in a female-coded style, and walked, talked, and presented as a young woman. All of which made Dad's supposed outburst at the restaurant laughably cringe.
I could go on, but I won't. This is a flick for people who want the journey of a trans person from a physical man to a physical woman, and all the angst, sorrow, and desperation that precedes and follows it, to be presented as a fantasy flight through the cotton-candy skies of Disneyland. It is insulting to trans people and anyone who knows them.
Highly NOT recommended.
4/10
It's a treat to see a handsome actor who appears to be free of plastic surgery. (I'm looking at YOU, Korea!)
Oh, and he's a damn good actor too. :)
If those two supporting actresses think they're getting at him, they'll have to get through me first.
Ryusei's characterization of Keiichi anchors and carries the film.
Yoshioko Riho is very good, too.
Others, meh...not so great.
The film is a mix of well put-together elements and a lot of not-so-well put-together ones. Many times, it has the feel of a TV movie, with its plot holes and cliches. Overall, I come away with a positive feeling, though, mostly due to Ryusei, whom I have not seen before. I'll be checking his bio for more of his work.
7.5/10