BLISS RATING: ★★★★+
“The saddest thing is to be a minute to someone when you made them your eternity.” – Sanober Khan
This BL series is a soul-searching look into a topic that is not often mentioned and when it is, it evokes strong reactions in people and a sense of uncomfortableness ensues. This story is about a May-December enchantment between Minato (Kusakawa Takuya), the owner of a local coin laundry, and Shin (Nishigaki Sho), a local high school student. But it really is way more than that. At first glance, this series seems superficial until you begin to break it down. While it appears that Minato waffles at making life decisions, I am one of the few who believes he does not. All his decisions are focused, thought-out carefully, and calculated for the betterment of all involved in him. His hesitancy is not wanting to hurt others; not in making decisions.
His behavior throughout is cause for celebration. No matter how tempted he was or tentative he became, he never once got himself so deep into desiring Shin that he lost control. In this case, following the story, Shin is the aggressor, the manipulator, and the controller of Minato. The flattery of someone so young, viral, and handsome wanting you, is intoxicating. Deep down, he knows that Shin is in love with him or at the very least deeply attracted to him. Perhaps none of this is played out on a conscious level and is not meant to dominate in a negative way, but it nonetheless is tormenting.
I happen to know for a fact. I too, as Minato, was pursued by someone like Shin at exactly the same ages their characters are. It was an experience that was both exhilarating, addictive, and unimaginably difficult to keep in check. Minato always throughout, no matter how suggestive, forceful, or caring Shin became, he did not give in and always had his sight of what was the better route for Shin. He also knew, because of this own experience of falling in love with an ’older man’, in this case his teacher, that while strong feelings are undeniable, the reality of an actual relationship is almost non-existent.
What made this series so fascinating was the cast of oddball characters. They were so surreal that I wished this series had placed a bit more emphasis on making it an Avant Garde production. It never quite got there but was close to being so ‘off-the-wall’, it would have become a piece de resistance if it had.
Let us look at these characters. Minato is a misfit yet a person of great integrity and a person who is upstanding, honest, hardworking, and places the needs of others before his own. Shin is astonishingly brilliant, commanding, knows exactly what he wants, and goes after it. He is also deeply in love with Minato and not merely from a child-like perspective. Minato is his soulmate and focuses on him seeing how strong his feelings for him really are.
I know the tendency is to dismiss his ‘love’ for Minato as an infatuation, but in Shin’s mind, Minato is his world. I do not know of a deeper love than that for any age. When I was having this same experience, I too believed he loved me unconditionally as well. His love was never a question; mine was.
Shin’s school friend, Asuka (Oka Tomoya) is an astute, gregarious, and outgoing young man who is not only playful but perceptive as well. He ‘sees’ what is going on and tries to guide Shin along. In the meantime, he is in love himself with an ‘older’ man, Shuu (Inaba Yu), who is, at the very least, an odd character. Their relationship has been an ongoing connection based upon two different interpretations of Shuu’s behaviors.
And finally we have Minato’s original crush, Sensei Sakuma, his high school home room teacher and swimming coach, that he kissed on the last day of school. He too is an odd, seemingly out of place, individual remaining connected with his students but disconnected to functioning normally in the everyday world. In the end, he remains stoic but appreciates the gesture of love that Minato gave him. It becomes obvious he is not in love with Minato.
Who really S.T.O.L.E. this series? I could not help but to be intrigued by Inaba Yu’s interpretation of Shuu-Sensei. He is such an enigma and so eccentric that he draws people to him without the least bit of effort on his part. In fact, he seems to not understand why or is seemingly disinterested in their attention. The only thing that animates him is architecture. He gives off a rather aloof and distant vibe about his whole being yet there is just enough of a spark and an inkling of a connection to Asuka that makes their relationship so incredibly endearing to watch unfold. To some degree, the only person who could really stand him is someone who would love him as otherwise, he is impossible to know. And in return, the only person who he could remotely relate to on a human and animated level, is someone that can relate to his interests and that one is only Asuka. He has that small spark of acknowledgement with him and somehow that ignites in Shuu a basic understanding of love. A connection forms.
Sure, this series is slow moving but by design. Minato has a deeper connection to Shin from the beginning but is wise enough to keep it in check for three reasons. One is that Shin is only in high school, and Minato is an adult. The moral and ethical implications of a relationship between the two is the line that must be drawn in the sand not to be crossed. I know from experience how difficult it is to not cross that line for once you have, you can never undo that. It would haunt him, and Minato knows that.
Therefore, he maintains the ‘adult in the room’ attitude. And two, he needs to know if what Shin is really feeling is genuine or not. Could it be merely an infatuation? Or an obsession? Or a fascination that with time and meeting other people will fade? These are real and genuine concerns with falling in love with someone who has never fallen in love before. Finally, he needed to resolve his own leftover feelings for Sensei Sakuma. Perhaps intellectually he knows what those feelings are but emotionally, it needs to be felt and cleansed.
Sometimes, you simply need to let go of all your fears, doubts, and second-guesses and admit at your gut level what you feel. I found this series full of heart, tender, thoughtful, and handled with exceptionally sensitivity. The whole idea of falling in love with a much younger person is done with discretion and a solid moral compass pointing in the right direction. And they did all of this with characters that are unorthodox yet seemed so genuine and authentic. It did not try to placate the torture Minato was feeling as he began his journey towards falling in love with Shin. To think that because someone is older does not mean they are wiser. Alas, I know that from experience. In this case, however, it was true. Minato did not succumb to the many temptations that was thrown at him by the ‘youngster’ and waited until the time was right.
This is a solid story of self-restraint but with a twist to openness to allow love to blossom and perhaps grow, with the first step being admitting to it. That first step is indeed a giant one.
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