Reviews

It's Boyette and not Boyet

It's a story of a feminine gay accepted by their family but pretends to be straight at school because of a homophobic best friend. It's not a BL story. It's the story and adventure of Boyette in college. It's not solely focused on the gay hardship in society but also family importance, and making and fulfilling a dream. I watched it without expectation so I was really surprised by the story.

It is mainly comedy and not drama and romance, so it will not cater to many viewers. The whole movie was full of slapstick comedy, they make exaggerated movements. Sometimes the comedic acts are funny but sometimes they are not. Also, sometimes it is funny because it is really not a funny joke. I just laughed and sometimes cried while watching the whole movie.

If you just want to laugh, I think you can try this movie

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A sweet (too) short film about breaking up and coming out

Sadly only one short episode so this is more a short film than a drama really, but there is potential even in this very short story. The aesthetic and cinematography is really nice (as expected from any Korean production) with some really nice colours. The music is very classic, but works quite well for the story.

It is very short so there is not much in terms of story, but there is enough for a short film. I am always of the opinion that a good short film story should not be more than a couple of sentences. This is your pitch. The importance is in how you present and develop it. The story of this short film is simple: "Two young women used to date each other, but broke up because one did not want to come out to her family. She realises she cares too much about the other to let her go, but can she come out and will the other take her back?" It is a story that can resonate with a lot of queer people. It is certainly one which I have talked about in other reviews I have written on this website. The actresses manage to show the longing, the regret, to make us understand everything that happened before which is only alluded to.

I liked the use of tarot cards, both for the aesthetic of it and for the way it was used with the cards that are turned to reveal to the audience what happened in the past and the one left unturned because it is what this short film's story is telling us.

Special mention to the kiss in this short film which is one of the best kisses I've seen in the Korean short films I have seen so far and I like that.

In conclusion, it is a little short which limits its potential and the rating I could give, but if you have 4 minutes to spare, this is a very good use of your time.

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Typical Japanese BL of it's Time

Asymmetry is definitely a Japanese BL of the 2000s; as in it doesn't have a happy ending.

While it does a great job of portraying a realistic gay love story from it's time, I found it quite boring. If you like slice of life dramas and enjoy the realism then it might be a nice movie to watch, but for me it was boring. While realistic, there was no real hook to keep watching the movie. The love story was very unoriginal and even the characters were quite boring. It was quite obvious that the movie was going to end the way that it did from the beginning.

I guess if you're looking for an actual love story in a BL, then this is not the movie for you. If you are looking for a very realistic, slice of life, unrequited love story then maybe this might be for you.

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OK so I don't know why is there not a single review in this beautiful movie? Anyways
I just watched this because I was bored of dramas and wanted to start watching movies and this was on my plan to watch list so I decided to give it a try and I do not regret it at all.

*****SPOLIER!!!*****

It's basically about Sakamichi Onoda who is an otaku, loves animation and a loner. He was about to enter the anime research club, but the club was suspended because there weren't a lot of members. Imaizumi Shunsuke who is part of the cycling club saw Sakamichi Onoda riding the bike to school early in the morning to go school and wanted to have a cycling challenge with him. If he lost then he will join the anime research club so Sakamichi Onoda agreed to do the challenge. After the challenge Sakamichi Onoda realized that he likes cycling and went to apply to the cycling club.

I like that this mainly focuses on cycling and friendship, so if you were looking for some romance it might not be for you. The characters, acting, music, atmosphere, and story all are 10/10 for me. Its a must watch. I know this is a not good review, but I really hope u watch the movie.

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a masculine sensitivity.

It was Hashiguchi Ryosuke's birthday recently and it reminded me I hadn't seen one of his films before. Given he's a noteworthy filmmaker in modern Japanese queer cinema, I thought I would fix that.

Hisaguchi’s preference for long arduous shots often leaves his characters bare naked in scenes—their every motion captured raw for potentially masochistic viewers. It’s awkward, but so is being a teenager, and it’s in this way that the movie really goes for the jugular. These characters are incapable of truly being themselves—they either don’t know how to or are afraid to or both—and after a painful two-thirds of skirting around feelings, everything comes to head in the film’s stunning final act. It’s potentially some of the most captivating 30 minutes ever committed to screen, considering how hard it was to look away. Each shot finds ways to imprint itself more & more into the brain, until it's all taken away.

As an intimate exploration of sexuality—not in the physical, but in the emotional—Hisaguchi has crafted an almost surreal piece of escapism via self-actualization that still manages to resonate some 25 years later. It’s tender, brutal and honest, and kindly asks its audience to be the same. It's not for everybody, but it certainly was for me.

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Unforgetable Memory of Love and Passion

A story of love and passion. Two souls that meet and share a day together. One a broke mystery Guy and the other a Girl about to get married to a different man she doesn’t love. I don’t think this is an everyday occurrence, but they made you feel the raw emotions of it all. Sung Hyun Ah is as sexy as they come and she played the part of Girl perfectly with passion that will make your heart pound. Jo Dong Hyuk also did a great job portraying Guy the mystery heart throb.

You almost feel you shouldn’t be watching these two as they love each other and share their one and only day together. Their chemistry was through the roof. As with most one night (day) stands, things come to and end. But every once in a while you touch something special that will leave a memory forever.

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Even though this movie is extremely short, I have to admit I felt so many emotions mostly ranging from: I feel like I'm impending someone's personal life and should stop watching - to feeling super happy for the character - to being so mad I could fist fight a 8ft man.

If there was something I could say about this movie was that it was real. It was raw. It was truth. No matter the year, era, generation.... Somewhere someone is going through this and it's fucked up and sad.

I loved (if even for a moment) that happiness he had and newfound strength to stand up to his brother...

I actually would love to see this movie get turned into a full length/show..... preferably with a happy ending that he deserves.... even if life isn't all rainbows and happiness, I wish he could have that.

Now excuse me while I go cry.

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I don't know what to say

That's just my title I do know what to say...The 1st 42 minutes were painful. I didn't get that it was one day (VD's) over 4 years until the very end. I kept thinking when does the 4 days play into this? So I don't like to criticize someone's effort to push the art form. Great idea but it didn't manifest well for me. As others have said there is way too many dead scenes that seem to go on forever. ha-ha it was only 4 days....anyway, Sebastian did a great job looking younger then older...did he loose wait for the last year? Mikoy also looked different each year not really older in year 4 but different. I have to say I did think that Mark was a bit hard on Derek on the 4th day. There was no reference about talking about this before the 1 year anniversary, I think for substances sake it should have been mentioned either way. Anyway, he got his way but geez is that the message we want to give here? Explode on your closeted partner to get him to come out? Maybe this should have been a short. I do have to say I do have some sort of satisfaction from experiencing this movie, most of it was during my typing of this review. Think about it....

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A poignant drama disguised as a comedy.

I watch dramas for the romance. This movie had a romance that made me think. Blending an American Pie type show into a poignant drama with the dark side of abortion was something I never expected. The comedy, which was often weird, help emphasize the impact of what one young woman was going through. I think it was intended to show that while some are playing and having fun there are women out there who have just made a life decision and are in physical and emotional pain.

Contrary to other reviews, I thought the acting was great. It was supposed to be slapstick comedy and it was. I laughed and I got angry. Not many movies can bring out those two emotions. It was thought provoking.

Ha Ji Won did a fantastic job with her portrayal of Lee Eun Hyo. She was just starting her acting career and it must have taken guts to accept this role. She play it with style and grace. I got, what I felt, was the true meaning of this movie and I enjoyed every moment. She made it feel real.

And one final comment about romance. Don’t ever think the person who is whispering sweet things in your ear is better than the devoted one in front of you without giving it a lot of thought. The grass is rarely greener on the other side of the fence.

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“Prison is the only place that won’t kick you out no matter how badly you behave.”

“Society today is extremely cruel to people who step off the path. But even those of us who stay on the path aren’t happy. So we’re unforgiving.”

How does one find their way back into society when society is doing everything to keep you out of it? What I loved about this movie is the fact that it doesn't just focus on one side. It depicts social issues, such as inequalities, prejudice and how unforgiving society can be. But it also deals with how our protagonist became the person he is now and how your life choices can define who you are.
Mikami is impulsive, easily angered and impatient. He wears his heart on his sleeve, longs to find a place in life and just wants to feel appreciated. I loved him the moment I saw the sadness in his eyes. Mikami might not be in prison anymore, but it would be foolish to call him free.

Directed with emotional depth and empathy, well-acted by the whole cast and refined with a beautiful soundtrack. For some people it might feel slow or even incoherent at times. But for me it was all about those little moments and Yakusho Koji giving the performance of his life.

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● OK, the title sounded pretty amazing which I thought should give me a bang of emotion. but after completing it am actually confused about what the director and writers wanted to convey with the movie. demons covered in scars should I be sad for them or NOT?

● Bullying is a sensitive issue but this movie was more like a revenge plot by a victimized student while serving NO pity for the main characters. the film even opens up with this bangin' disco number cut with slow-mo's of Shino getting bullied while schoolgirls are dancing in the hallway & kicking shoes around. The movie plays out more like a horror thriller than a high school drama as the bullying intensifies.
 
● The movie is based on manga, the storyline seemed straightforward, but then in another aspect, it didn’t make sense, which felt like a cluttered and semi-confusing plot with many weird dialogues, maybe the subs didn’t work out for me. And then it was bad at a point that showed PTSD in an eerie way as if it was the whole cause of bullying. Everyone seemed heartless, so am in no mood for pity.

● A killer execution by the leads, the performance is marvelous, showing their cruel and gruesome side. Music is not wow but it is fine. Rewatch is no for me as I can't really really handle this movie as the bullying seems endless.

● If you want to watch a bullying movie, it is a good movie, but the ending is not worthwhile for the record. It is like do you now feel when you walked into my shoes.

●LESSON
bullying invents broken people, the victims become the victimizers, those who stand by and do nothing are as bad as the bullies themselves. In this movie whole school is a jerk even though they didn’t participate they are not spared.

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Straight to the point

The story is so well defined. It has no awkward moments. It shows no friends or family. because that's unnecessary to the storyline. Both of them look very promising. Kong knows what he wants. Without having second thoughts he goes after it. Kong is a go-getter type. He quickly learns many things about Film. I cant say that Film is taking him seriously. But Its obvious that he likes him. otherwise he wont play along.

Their silent gazes are more than enough to tell the viewers what's going to happen next. "Love at first sight" concept definitely needs an attractive face. No other explanation needed. Its as simple as that. It looked like they fell in love with each other without much difficulty. and Its also easy for us to accept it. If they're not good looking, It takes time to build up intimacy. They don't have to force themselves to like the same gender. They don't have to think about how people gonna react. It has a simple story. The actors nailed it. They delivered everything perfectly.

Its highly recommended. In my opinion if you're a BL fan, you should give it a try.

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