2
11
1
2
1
This review may contain spoilers
Road trip drama
"The End of the World With You" is, at its core, a road-trip movie -- in drama form, with a romance and instead of just one character dying, it's the whole world.
And the world here feels very real -- the way the drama is filmed, acted and edited makes everything feel very grounded. There's no flashiness; sets and colours are as realistic as they can be, and as a viewer, I felt the heat of the sun, the refreshing water, the lushness of a Japanese summer.
As usual for the genre of "road trip", it's about reflecting ones past, bringing up regrets and giving character(s) their last-minute character development. And there's always the question in the background: Will we believe in a miracle?
The miracle, so much can be said, is heavily implied here but not fully confirmed. I like it when a story like this one stays open-ended, others might not be satisfied.
It took me years to start this, several days to get through the first two episodes. First because others talked about it being "hard to watch" and "toxic" (and I should have known then and there that this opinion is utter rot, the word "toxic" is as much of a bad sign as "heart-warming") and then because it seemed as if this would be another BL about lost-and-found-again love told only from the perspective of the "uke" character. But near the beginning of episode 4 I saw that this would be more.
The drama started to really go into the road trip part: picking up new party members, encountering different strangers and situations, and going deeper into the past of the four characters, which (of course) are intertwined. During this second half of the drama, Ritsu undergoes a very subtle character development -- maybe a bit too subtle for the average Western viewer. He has to confront his decisons of the past, whether good or bad. He has to face the results of his decisions -- especially what his actions towards his then-lover did to Masumi. With typical Japanese restraint, both of them quietly resolve their tension and understand each other's feelings with the prospect that their lives might end in a few days.
Or it might not, and that is the main crux of the drama and of life: We know we will have to die, but it's not certain when. Masumi and Ritsu will probably die tomorrow, but maybe, if a miracle happens, they might not. We, the viewers of the drama, will probably live longer -- but maybe, if a disaster happens, we might not.
The question is, how will you go on regardless?
Was it good?
It was made with care and a limited budget. It's surprisingly realistic for such a fantastic scenario.
Did I like it?
Yes, and much more than I thought I would. I loved the subtle and understated character development of Ritsu's.
Who would I recommend it to?
Actually, I think every BL fan should at least try it and see for themselves.
And the world here feels very real -- the way the drama is filmed, acted and edited makes everything feel very grounded. There's no flashiness; sets and colours are as realistic as they can be, and as a viewer, I felt the heat of the sun, the refreshing water, the lushness of a Japanese summer.
As usual for the genre of "road trip", it's about reflecting ones past, bringing up regrets and giving character(s) their last-minute character development. And there's always the question in the background: Will we believe in a miracle?
The miracle, so much can be said, is heavily implied here but not fully confirmed. I like it when a story like this one stays open-ended, others might not be satisfied.
It took me years to start this, several days to get through the first two episodes. First because others talked about it being "hard to watch" and "toxic" (and I should have known then and there that this opinion is utter rot, the word "toxic" is as much of a bad sign as "heart-warming") and then because it seemed as if this would be another BL about lost-and-found-again love told only from the perspective of the "uke" character. But near the beginning of episode 4 I saw that this would be more.
The drama started to really go into the road trip part: picking up new party members, encountering different strangers and situations, and going deeper into the past of the four characters, which (of course) are intertwined. During this second half of the drama, Ritsu undergoes a very subtle character development -- maybe a bit too subtle for the average Western viewer. He has to confront his decisons of the past, whether good or bad. He has to face the results of his decisions -- especially what his actions towards his then-lover did to Masumi. With typical Japanese restraint, both of them quietly resolve their tension and understand each other's feelings with the prospect that their lives might end in a few days.
Or it might not, and that is the main crux of the drama and of life: We know we will have to die, but it's not certain when. Masumi and Ritsu will probably die tomorrow, but maybe, if a miracle happens, they might not. We, the viewers of the drama, will probably live longer -- but maybe, if a disaster happens, we might not.
The question is, how will you go on regardless?
Was it good?
It was made with care and a limited budget. It's surprisingly realistic for such a fantastic scenario.
Did I like it?
Yes, and much more than I thought I would. I loved the subtle and understated character development of Ritsu's.
Who would I recommend it to?
Actually, I think every BL fan should at least try it and see for themselves.
Was this review helpful to you?
