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So much potential wasted -- again
What all of the four-and-a-half VBL productions I've watched so far have in common is that they take an intriguing premise with a lot of potential for interesting world building and plot with depth -- and then turn it into a piece of fluffy romance.So, when I saw that "Fight for You" was another VBL production, I knew what I was in for:
* attractive main and secondary characters,
* fluff, and maybe sexy romance,
* shallow plot that never explores the rich potential for story and characters,
* the main hurdle to overcome does not naturally follow from the premise but is derived from a romance cliché,
* mediocre to great acting,
* solid camera work.
And I got all of that.
In this case, the acting was good to great -- I loved Nelson Li's performance and hope to see him in something with more depth -- and the plot was thankfully not too full of holes (like it was in "Eternal Butler") or fell apart (like in "Stay by my Side"). The background music consisted mainly of pop songs that are fine on their own but not really working as background music (same as it was in "You are Mine"), often more distracting than enhancing the experience.
And the end was so cheesy that I could have hosted a fondue party for my extended family.
The secondary couple was superfluous here and they did them a disservice in tacking them on to this drama instead of giving them their own story. (Also, why the need for monogamy?)
So:
Was it good? -- For a VBL drama, it was alright. But I do wish VBL's writers would finally commit to their plot ideas instead of reducing themselves to the (perceived?) tastes of the masses. What's most disappointing with their dramas is that there's so much more potential for a great story, layered characters and, especially as their stories are all set in the same universe, intricate world-building.
Did I like it? -- I am maybe not the best judge here, because I knew what I would be getting into when I started.
Who would I recommend it to? -- To BL fans who really want a drama to help pass the time while ogling (mostly clothed, alas!) cute / attractive guys.
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Minato Akira doesn't need a boyfriend ...
... he needs therapy.Because there is really no reason at all for Minato to refuse Shin -- both of the reasons from season 1 are obsolete, everybody who knows them supports their relationship, Minato is both sexually and romantically attracted to Shin ---
Minato Akira has intimacy issues and should seek help.
And where I was a bit uncomfortable with Shin pushing Minato's boundaries in season 1, here Shin is just suffering. They are nominally "dating" but Minato keeps him at arm's length, gives him only crumbs; all the while Shin is feeling guilty for even asking for more affection.
On a meta level, this story feels as if it might have been one of those fluffy manga which find some success in the beginning, get a continuation, and then author and editor are afraid to change the formula, so everything just goes around in circles forever, until they notice they've written themselves in a corner and resolve things with the easiest plot point they can think of.
The whole thing was painful to watch, and if I hadn't wanted to know how the writer intended to escape the dead end they had been writing themselves into, I'd have dropped it in episode 4 or 5.
(The "resolving" was well-intended, I think, with a switch of their usual dynamics, but the couldn't have been more clichéd.)
In comparison, the second couple had much the same dynamic, but at least here we get to see a) a reason for the standoffish behaviour and b) some steady development. Unfortunately, there isn't enough contrast to the main couple to offset the pain of watching Minato refusing every kind of affection, so the secondary couple didn't even give me a respite from that frustration.
What's more, the few things I liked about season 1 -- the summer vibes, the cozy laundromat, the seaside town -- they are almost non-existent in this season.
The only aspect that saved this whole mess was the actors, who gave depth to their characters where there was none.
Was it good? -- No. The story went around in circles, the characters' issues were solved by a cliché.
Did I like it? -- No.
Who would I recommend it to? -- Ony to those who watched season 1, and loved it to bits. Those who were already annoyed by the first season, should stay far away.
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I, however, found it artificial in terms of story and visuals, and too on the nose. The characters sometimes moved through the scenery like puppets placed on a stage. Or like a pop-up picture book, if you will.
The scenes -- following parallels of life stages and seasons -- and the sub-stories felt clichèd and stale, the visuals were Ghibli-like, but without the depth Ghibli brings.
Do not look for any kind of realism here -- I mean, how would a café like this work without going bankrupt within the first year?
Especially the ending was so contrived I thought my eyes would roll out of their sockets.
(I waited for the moment that everything would be revealed as a picture book written by the main character, which would have made sense at least, but no!)
So,
Did I like it? -- No.
Was it good? -- It had high production value, and acting was superb (as expected from these actors). The story was a miss for me, but as I said, it will be loved by others.
Would I recommend it? -- Not really, no. Only if I know that the specific person loves these kinds of gentle and soft stories and is looking for something, what did people call it? "healing and heart-warming".
P.S.
Also, as a German, I have *opinions* about bread. Half of what he baked might have been パン but it was certainly not bread.
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A clever little drama about the struggles of gay men in China
Before I talk about anything else: Yes, this drama is too short. Yes, it couldn't develop anything the way it deserved. Yes, the acting was awkward at times. Yes, the sound and the editing leave a lot to be desired.And yet! This little drama is almost a stroke of genius in a very special way.
We know that Chinese censorship doesn't allow any positive on-screen depiction of homosexuality (which has only got worse since this drama has been published), and that their government and society as a whole in China is openly homophobic.
So, of course people exüress their amazement at how this little drama got away with this much -- almost kisses, sexual innuendo, two men sharing a bed, hugging, planning their life together. And they are right to do so.
The stroke of genius though, lies not in what was or was not cut from the final product -- it is in the premise itself. And I have no idea how it got through.
The concept of the "Deluded" themselves is just a thinly disguised metaphor for homosexual people. If you think about how people in the drama talked about the Deluded -- the insults, the fear -- and how Deluded have to hide their very own nature, especially if they are celebrities, and whenever they are exposed, their career prospects will be over and friends and colleagues will desert them.
Lu Lin's story matches a possible journey of a gay celebrity almost beat for beat. His fear of discovery, the press that's hounding him, the boss who's exploiting his weak spot -- but also the few allies who could stand by his side. (And if you listen to the aide and the little sister? They talk exactly as well-meaning but uninformed allies of LGBTQ+ would in real life.)
If we want to stretch the metaphor a bit -- and this is where I'm not sure if this is still the makers' intention -- Jiang Yifeng's inability to feel the world (i.e. make a real connection between himself and his feelings) could also be seen as a metaphor for a man deep in the closet, who is separated from what he really is, what he really feels, who is numb to himself and the world.
Lu Lin and Jiang Yifeng's love story parallels love stories of gay men in oppressive societies around the world, and as soon as I saw it, I could not unsee it. For me, with this metaphor in mind, a lot of what happened made perfect sense, and it was extremely easy to fill in the gaps myself.
That this thinly disguised piece of art about the struggles of gay men in China got through censorship is a miracle.
So.
Is it good?
It's a Chinese censored BL amateur production, so of course not. There's a great idea that should have been given a better chance.
Did I like it?
Oh, yes! The basic idea of the "Deluded" metaphor is great, and it's very obvious that there was a great deal of passion on the side of the team.
Would I recommend it?
Only to those who are willing to overlook the poor production value and who are able to recognize the hidden story.
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Masks, metaphors and speaking through the words of another
"Sonnet 18" is a short film that, typical of its genre, hints at underlying themes, characterisations and even the plot itself, rather than telling us everything.With this genre, I find that either you either relate to the characters or you don't -- since there's not much time to tell the story, the viewer must make their connection quickly and easily, or they will feel like I did with this one -- able to appreciate the beauty of the storytelling but not really liking it.
Was it good?
Absolutely. It's an artistic short film that tells its story with a specific aesthetic, and it's very consistent with that.
Did I like it?
Somewhat. I can appreciate the story they wanted to tell and the artistic way they told it. But I wasn't emotionally invested enough (that's me, not the film's fault).
Would I recommend it?
I wouldn't *not* recommend it, since it's so short; and it is well-done. People who like their plots spelled out for them might not find it engaging.
I liked that almost everything was filled with meaning: Where the characters are and what they are doing there (and in what state of mind), how they speak or don't speak, and at what times each one wears a (metaphorical or real) mask. The romantic classics (Debussy, Chopin, Brahms) are used sparingly, and with clear intention -- mostly we hear no background music, and the starkness of the silence underlines the characters' emotional state.
As for the use of Sonnet 18 -- we hear it three times. The first time we hear it is when the actor recites it on stage. To be honest, I did not like that one at first -- it felt almost farcical, with the overly theatrical hand gestures and intonation. The second recitation, however, made it clear that this was very deliberate -- and the third recitation confirmed it. If you watch the film, I urge you to pay some attention to how the sonnet is spoken each time.
Dialogue was used very sparingly -- and I wished they had used even less. The long stretches of silence felt more powerful to me than any of the dialogue (except for the recitations of the sonnet); and I think some of the dialogue could have been shortened even more.
Let the sonnet and the way both characters recite it and the silence in between, do the talking. Just as no single word in a sonnet is meaningless, so the dialogue in this short film could have been.
Overall, this is a well-crafted short film, obviously made with dedication and love.
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This is a solid Taiwan-typical BL rom-com, that unfortunately goes off the rails in the last two episodes.But first, what I liked:
* The characters (except for the father) were all very down-to-earth in their living circumstances, occupations and characteristics.
* Bai Liang's character is consistently written -- his passions, his fears, his experiences in childhood, his resulting way of life -- they're all parts of one picture.
* His actor takes this, and deepens the character by wonderful acting. His expressions mask the characters insecurities, his tics hint at his emotional state, and the anxiety attacks were beautiful to watch.
* The sets did not feel like sets, they all felt like real places (except for the mirror in the clinic, which was always a bit too conveniently placed).
The main flaws for me were
1. Too many couples. Seriously, why do some writers think they have to pair up all of their characters? Four couples in ten 30-minute episodes are too much; two of them don't even get more than a few minutes of screentime. The second couple (bartender/young man) also was not needed, its development did not connect to the main couple. I'd rather the writer had taken the precious screen time to delve deeper into Jin Yun An's character, because I did not understand some of his actions.
2. The father-son sub plot in episode 11. It comes out of nowhere (there were only some very minor hints that Jin Xu An was not on good terms with his family), is squeezed into one episode, the father's actions don't make any sense (he's so much against his son being gay that he hits him, and after that's done, he is fine with it???). It seems as if the writer feelt that Bai Liang and Jin Xun An must have an obstacle to overcome and couldn't think of anything else but this contrived cliché.
So, up until the end of episode 10, this drama is good, if a bit tropey (with a meet-ugly, a tragic childhood background, wooing through food, an old love interest and more), which is tempered by excellent acting, solid directing and editing, and a good depiction of mental struggles caused by trauma. Sadly, the afore-mentioned "conflict" decreased my enjoyment of the series.
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Finding closure and moving on
This is mainly a story how people who are stuck in limbo after a close person's death (a brother, a friend) find closure so they can finally move on.(Through the power of Love!)
... and I think this is why some might find that the romance part doesn't get enough screen time. This has been a point of contention in other recent (BL) productions too, that as soon as another story line gets more screen time, the romance part has to be cut a bit, which upsets some people.
If seen from this angle, writing choices make a lot of sense -- because grief needs time, grief is remembering the past, and letting it go. Trying new things can help, as can reliving the old things.
Neil needs someone to push him out of his fugue -- which Sea finally does. And only now that he is able to finally face the loss of his brother, his friend Reese, who until now had dedicated his life to help Neil, can also finally find his own new goal in life.
So, with these thoughts in mind, these are the things I loved:
* The time that was dedicated for flashbacks, and the way we got to see them bit by bit, to understand why the loss of Matt hit all of them so hard,
* the ugly crying -- crying is not cute, and if you really cry, then you don't care what you look like, you don't care about the snot and the mucus, you are just crying,
* the talks between Reese and Neil, which were so important for both, and obviously did not happen before,
* the way they found closure -- and that the writer chose to not go the route I expected in the beginning. This is obviosly onbly the start of a new part in the characters' lives.
Other aspects I liked:
* no romance arc between A-Liang and Ting Fei,
* the choice to show Sea's and Neil's first time as sensual rather than sexy,
* the way they chose to bridge the language barrier -- whenever Orca talks to anyone but Reese (as long as he doesn't want to rile someone up), they all talk in English. Heavily accented English, with grammar mistakes -- just as you would expect from people who speak English as a second language. For Reese and Orca, on the other hand, the writer makes it very clear that they both have been learning the other's language in secret -- they just choose not to speak it as long as they are at odds with each other.
* Actors were great -- I liked how Reese's actor gave it his all during the crying scenes, and I could watch Neil's eyes forever.
One story arc that got lost a bit for me, was Sea's story -- mainly how his feelings evolved from adoring his idol to loving Neil as an equal. I don't even think it would have taken much, just a small gesture or look here and there. It's already there, just not clearly told.
(I also wish they'd given him a different hair style, at least for the concerts. Especially during the last concert, his hair and his make-up made him look even younger than usual.)
I'm not too impressed with how the makers chose and used the background music. I'm not talking about the songs the characters sing, those are all right, if not my kind of music. I do think though that in a drama with music as a main theme, there should have been more focus on the effects background music can have. In several scenes, I found it distracting (silence is also very powerful! And it could have been used to its adavantage!) and overall, it was mostly bland.
All in all, it's a solid production, with a well-rounded cast and no glaring mistakes. "Finding closure through the power of Love" is a well-used trope and it's not badly implemented here at all.
Worth a watch.
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This was extremely hard to watch for me, and also to write a review, because my mother heard exactly the same diagnosis - and there was one scene in the film that came very close to how my mother died. Mother-daughter-relationships are also at the centre of this film, not all of them are good or even resolved at all.
So, if you're also sensitive to the topics in this film -- late-stage cancer, death of a parent, mother-daughter-relationships - then you might want to avoid it.
That being said, the actors are excellent! This is one of the reasons I couldn't not finish the film, because the actors, child actress included, portrayed their characters so well that I was already invested in their story and needed to know how it all ends.
Regarding the story, apart from my personal hang-ups: The three main characters, are all female -- and they are who are shown as the ones who shape the family, who take on the challenges life throws at them -- while the men are more passive, even weak.
The thing is, the mother is shown too much as the "self-sacrificing prototype", which really got on my nerves after a while. I wish the mother had been given a bit more time for her own struggles, her own pain, her own grief for having to leave her family. There was only one scene, right after she heard her diagnosis, when she broke down, alone in the hot bath (excellently filmed, btw), and then, once, near the end. All of the rest showed her being dedicated to her growing family -- but a mother is also a person with her own life, and I really wish the writer had given her that. It wouldn't even have taken a lot, maybe just her wiping away a stray tear, looking at an old photo, hugging herself in the kitchen ... just show us that there's more to her than just "devoted mother".
Overall, I can see how many people would love this film, even maybe find solace in it -- and most of the aspects I did not like are more related to myself than to the film -- so if you think you can watch something with the above-mentioned topics, then you should definitely try this one.
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Scattered mess of beautiful moments and weak scenes
I postponed writing a review for this drama for years now -- there are some parts I am still in love with, but some are just frustrating.The show is a mess of scattered plots, good acting, average music, fantastic plot ideas, weak acting, and some touching moments. So, any star rating would be wrong and right at the same time. (But MDL doesn't let me post this without a rating.)
First of all, I know that the makers of this series were unlucky with their timing, first it was aired earlier than planned and then there was Covid. But still, there are some structural flaws:
* I think the writers bit off more than they could chew when they introduced all of these side couples. They distract from the main storylines, and are not developed at the same time. Even without covid, if they'd cut down Tutor's and Fighter's storyline to incoporate Zon's and Saifah's -- where would they have put the side couples? There's just no time!
* Overall, the script is not very consistent, subplots are introduced but not resolved, some scenes are not connected to the whole script -- and it cannot all be due to interruptions by covid.
* The premise of Zon thinking he could be in a BL novel was an interesting one but was basically dropped after a few episodes. The question of "Is it real?" could have elevated this above the common-troped college BL story.
* Zon's endless waffling between shameless flirting and borderline homophobic panic attacks was just annoying.
There are some other minor things I did not like very much, which was the crude humour in the beginning, the way Zol's disregard of privacy and wishes of the real people she is writing about is never resolved, and the dynamic between Saifah and Zon.
This couple adhered more to "usual" BL tropes than Fighter and Tutor, which I tend to find boring, sometimes irritating. Otherwise, it was a cute kind of innocent first love. Some people seem to very much like it.
So, until here, it's maybe average, and I'm generous with that assessment.
But then, there's Tutor's and Fighter's love story. And if it wasn't for all of the points above and some other, minor, things, I'd rate this show much higher because of their story.
* I love their push-and-pull-relationship. At first, it's more of a rivalry which develops into more as they both struggle with their own feelings.
* Both are equals in this relationship, both are able to give and take, and learn to lean onto the other and give strength.
* At the beginning, both are -- in differing ways -- closed off to other people and are keeping their inner self for themselves. As they learn how to deal with their feelings for each other, they learn how to open up and show their underbellies. Especially Fighter is beautiful in these vulnerable moments, when he allows himself to submit to Tor.
* All in all, these two characters show some well-acted character development and a beautiful story arc.
Other, minor things I loved:
* Zon's gang was hilarious, I do love that kind of humour.
* Kae (the café owner) was as supportive as he could be, while himself strugglingas a member of a minority group and in unstable financial times. His scenes show that there could have been more, that the writer was capable of better writing but chose to focus elsewhere. (Or, rather, distribute their focus to everywhere, so there's no focus at all.)
* Blue is just ridiculously cute.
* Also, Hwa's character was interesting. I'd loved to see more of her emotional journey and what was going on in her family. but still, the glimpses we get are fascinating.
So, what to do about a rating? I love the Tutor/Fighter parts (10 stars), and I have watched those again and again. I am frustrated by the side couples (3 stars), and disappointed by Zon and Saifah (5 stars).
I can't recommend it, but I can't not recommend it either -- watch at your own risk.
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oof...
That was surprising.What starts as a one-night-stand, awkward testing of interest via small talk and slight kink included, ends as something ... very different.
(tw for violence, maybe murder, rape)
This is only 16 minutes long, and the plot could be summerized in no more than three sentences, but there's so much to pick apart in the characterization of one of the main characters, especially in the second part, that it easily feels much longer.
Everything, from the dialogue (small talk to sex talk to only few words), to the use of space (the short film is only set in the apartment and the short hallway outside, and in the end it focuses more and more on tighter and tighter spaces), the use of light and shadow (brightly lit to shadowy), and to the excellent acting by both the actors -- all of it forces the viewer deeper into the darkness, and in the end it's clear that there will be no escape.
I'd recommend watching this at least once, but only if you're prepared to know that this is not a fluffy piece but a graphic depiction of the lengths an obsessed person will go to get what they want.
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In "Sumodo - The Successors of Samurai" the director is allowed to enter two prestigious sumo "stables" (that's the word given by the subtitles in JFF Theater) to film the daily lives of sumo wrestlers. He films them during training and during downtime -- I was amazed at how close the director got to the wrestlers, and how open they were with him about their hopes and struggles.
Given that Sumo wrestlers do see themselves as the successors of Samurai (which is historically not quite unreasonable, as the documentary explains), and that Japanese society is not known for people openly speaking about their inner world, this is quite the feat!
(The film team is even invited to a wedding.)
Because of the closeness, the documentary is able to show us both the exterior of Sumo (the history, the stables' PR and, of course, the competitions) and the workings "behind the scenes". This documentary could have been a film focused on the fights, on the powerful bodies and the excitement of the tournaments -- it is that, but it is tempered by what we learn about the people -- real people with profound thoughts, with feelings, with bodies that sometimes fail; people who continuously push their boundaries and strive for perfection, even if it means to endure pain and suffering.
I started without any real knowledge about the sport -- the documentary was still easy to follow and I learned a lot. Since it's made for a Japanese audience, there are some things left unexplained, but it's still an educating watch.
If you have the chance to watch it, then I recommend to do so!
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How to survive in a heteronormative world
A poignant short film about two queer people trying to survive in this heteronormative world.A young woman who loses her fanancial support and tries to find a way out of the situation.
A young man deep in the closet and hopelessly in love with a married man.
A married hetero man, who rather believes unsubstantiated rumours than listen to the subtle hints of his friend.
Two-and-a-half locations, minimal music, details are told with the camera, not with words.
I wonder if people who are not LGBTQ+ can easily understand this short film, but I hope they'd choose to look closely and will listen better than the straight friend here.
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When you find your calling in life
I always admire people who have found their calling in life, and dedicate large parts of it to their passion. This film is about this kind of people -- who work steadily towards one goal, with a lot of hard work, attention for detail and perseverence.It's very Japanese in it's slow story telling, the lights and colours and the detailed sets. It's, again, a story about a small group of outsiders doing a work which is underappreciated by others, who find solace and satisfaction in what they do, not necessarily in what others think of it.
I'm not a het romance fan, but I liked the love story between the main protagonist and the landlady's granddaughter. They are full of respect for each other and the other's passion and interests, even though they don't quite understand them.
And one aspect I also liked: It's a story about words, but in moments of great emotion, the characters fail to find the right words to express them; and in the story telling, silence and the gentle background music is at least as important as the dialogue.
Well worth it.
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Arm WC, the sole host of this show, is a charming man, who can even make the most nervous newbies relax. A lot of the guests seem to enjoy taking part and keep coming back, and I think this is the reason why the show has been as long running as it has. (Arm Share has been running for five-and-a-half years now (Oct 2024), from before the Covid pandemic, through it, and beyond.)
Except for the episodes before the pandemic, the main goal of most episodes seems to be to promote the guests and the sponsors' products. And the latter is unfortunately so prominent in more than a few episodes that I felt as if I watched a long commercial, not a show. I do understand the need for finances, so I can take a bit of advertisement, but sometimes it felt as if every third sentence was about the promoted product. Recent episodes (I'd say from the beginning of 2024) have been much better in that regard, so maybe they've decided to dial it down a bit.
Edit April 2025: They seem to have settled on a concept for now, which is that either Arm takes his guests out to explore a street with its shops and cafés or an attraction, playing "tourists" or they play Werewolf. Both means that the obnoxious product placements are gone for the most part. I really don't mind that local shop owners get an opportunity to show their businesses.
For those who are undecided if they want to watch older episodes -- you absolutely can! I'd recommend the first 46 episodes, which had a different concept. They showed Arm as he tested food together with GMMTV staff, as he explained how to do subtle make-up for men, as he showed us parts of his life, as he worked as a stylist for concerts and MVs, as he travelled to SKorea and Japan. (A YouTube comment on the second Hiroshima episode reads "I miss Arm Share when it was about Arm" and they are right.)
Actually, I think it's a crying shame that the concept changed, because this way, the show underutilizes Arm's talents in the areas of styling, fashion, arts, and his general hard-working character who seems to be interested in a lot of topics. I wonder how this show would have developed if the pandemic and it's consequences hadn't forced restrictions on producing?
After those first episodes, it's probably better to choose only those when there's a guest you want to see, because, as I said, it's become about the guests and the product placements. It's still funny, but not as charming and authentic.
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I don't mind the rather predictable story about the men going on a drunken trip, and the ensuing entanglement with the local drug dealing ring -- but did they have to make it sexist? Especially the scene at the beach on the first day was terrible to watch. Also, the other female characters were at turns harassing the men and being the weak victim.
The stars are for the acting, the drug dealing plot, and the overall cinematography.
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