BLISS RATING: ★★★
“The emotion that can break your heart is sometimes the very one that can heal it.” – Nicholas Sparks
This is an emotionally draining series that is so exacerbating in the way it was presented. It had such deeply poignant undertones to its characters – all of them. Yet, proceeded to present them so superficially and without any serious profundity to them. If you are going to present distressingly flawed individuals, you need to present them in such a way that we can feel their pain with more solemnity and intensely. Not just seeing it in snippets or revealed in discourses. That was not the only flaw in the story which began so enticingly but ended up being just another trite-filled half-empty pseudo-psychological case study filled with people who, I do not think, honestly, exist. At least not in real life.
The story begins dramatically enough. Ikushima Shizuma (Tomita Yuki) an astonishingly handsome veterinary intern has just been unceremonially dumped by his girlfriend. He on the surface seems unphased by it all and does not appear to be embittered by his public rejection. Apparently, he escapes to the first bar which happens to be an eclectic establishment where he finds himself sitting down next to a devilishly handsome young man about his same age. Mito Minato (Kida Naoya), with the most pronounced golden-colored hair and warm personality, seems to be an enigma. Shizuma does not realize that he has entered a gay bar and he by accident has created a drunken discourse with Minato. In their intoxicated haze, something sparks between them that alters their lives forever.
When they awaken the next morning, Shizuma thinks he has in some way violated Minato sexually and proceeds to apologize profusely for his transgressions, as he simply does not remember anything from the previous night. All of this, as we discover, is part of a giant ruse which unravels and re-ravels again and again throughout their incubation.
In a strange twist of fate (and honestly an implausible one) Minato’s brother, Itsuki (Sato Ryuga) is dating Shizuma’s brother, Shohei (HAYATO). The story vacillates and intertwines between the expansion of their relationship and the one between Minato and Shizuma. Honestly, I had a difficult time relating with or feeling a connection to either Itsuki and Shohei. Itsuki was so soft-spoken and laid-back who had more of a personality of a Catholic priest (or perhaps of a Buddhist monk). Pearls of wisdom and benevolence flowed from him as if it was all second nature. Being the ‘older brother’ but acting more like a wise old uncle, his personality was oddly laid-back for someone so young. Meanwhile Shohei’s personality was too child-like and innocent to be believed. While an ‘adult’ his developmental stage seemed more like mid-teens, fresh with excitement and wonderment that he was going to be living with another person. He did not seem to fully comprehend the enormity of living together with someone. Something just felt improbably disjointed with their whole relationship. Shohei seemed immature and naïve while Itsuki seemed much older and wiser than his chronological age. The set-up seemed at best weird.
Who really S.T.O.L.E. this series? Much to my surprise, there are a bunch of supporting casts of characters who add flavor and charisma to the flow of the story and give it a bit more joviality than it otherwise would have had. They also added a sounder dimension to the human spirit and reduced the feeling of tension in this series. The bar employees are quite entertaining and add real dimension especially the oddly interesting character of Mama (Takashi Yamanaka) who owns the bar and dresses in a geisha outfit, dispensing aphorisms like candy from a vending machine. But somehow, she always sounds sincere and honest, and straightforward. You just want to believe her. Actually, her advise is more like observational notes rather than statements. Thus, there is a sincerity in what she is saying as it comes from a sense of living a non-conformist lifestyle. We also get to see something remarkable in this series. Two of Shuzuma’s co-workers begin to denigrate Minato for being gay with Shizuma in one of only a few instances where he gets angry and says that if you cannot accept anyone who is different, you are not worthy of being my friend. By the end of the series, however, the two begin to see and more importantly understand the depth of love that Shizuma has for Minato and begin the process of unconditional acceptance. This was accomplished with such subtle tranquility and surprisingly good acting to be able to convey an attitudinal change like that without introducing a radical shift to change them. It was a nice way to show how changes within individuals can be introduced slowly and still be effectively done with good writing and dramatic acting. Many of these supporting roles are unsung heroes and heroines in these series. Kudos.
This whole series is essentially one big lie. The protagonists are not telling the truth or if they are, they twist it in ways that fit and suit their wants and desires. It is only when ardent feelings begin to bubble up to the surface that reality sets in. Let us be honest. Minato is seriously damaged goods and when we find out his background story, it is quite intense. When genuine love is shown to him, he is incapable of handling the endurance of that emotion. He has relied so fully on his brother for all his emotional support up to this point in his life, he literally lacks the capacity to cope with unfeigned love. Not that he is incapable of feeling it; he indeed loves Shizuma, perhaps even deeply. Shizuma is really a one-of-a-kind individual. He is straight but is so in love with Minato, he wants to and pray-tale needs to understand the complexities of Minato. His deep love for him is unique and quite special and has to be exhausting. He gives of himself only to be rejected; much like he was with his previous girlfriend. That has got to hurt. This series touched upon all that in superficial ways and skirts around how serious Minato’s personality issues really are with trust, being able to return intimacy in return, and ever feeling secure enough that anyone he loves will be there for him. Minato is an exceptionally sad figure. The real question becomes will Minato ever learn to love himself? On the other hand, Shizuma is such a deeply loving individual who then, becomes the vulnerable person who must always be the one to rescue Minato from himself. Who will fulfill Shizuma’s needs or even recognize that he too also has needs, wants, and desires along with fears and anxieties. Will anyone be there for him?
I am not here to analyze or present psychobabble jargon about characters that are not real, but it would behoove production companies to research further the characterizations of the personas they are presented with a bit more sense of reality. Not everyone who has suffered what Minato has suffered can so easily transition into a loving relationship as he seems to be doing without a lot of support and/or therapy. I wish that had been presented. The theme of this series is commendable; its presentation seemed a bit too idealistic to me. Not impossible; I just think the road ahead will be a very difficult one and that it was made to look simple. The heavier burden to carry is with Shizuma now.
What I also had a significant issue with is the way these series diminish gay sexual relationships. They simply do not show it, especially in Japanese BLs. Only in one or perhaps two instances did the kissing seem authentic; the vast majority were forced, pedantic, and fake. The actors looked like they were trying to be sensuous, but it all came across as clumsy, awkward, and mechanical. Look, these guys are in LOVE, they are young, hot, horny, in the height of their sexual peakness/prowess, and they act like two individuals kissing their grandmothers! Will someone please explain to me why Japanese men are incapable of being passionate in bed?? Is their society so repressed and reserved that they cannot or will not even relax or let go even in the throws of lovemaking? There is a strange awkwardness between the main protagonists which made their intimate scenes feel forced and unusually short in duration – almost like they both did not want to do them. Honestly, there is no chemistry or sexual tension between the two of them. The secondary couple certainly had more chemistry, but it felt weirdly like a teacher-student relationship. Remember, actors, this is ALL acting; you are to try and convince us you are all in love and are enjoying lovemaking. It should not be a slogging undertaking.
What is so bothersome about Japanese BLs as of late is that they play everything too safe. The story, the screenplay, the acting, the plot, and worst of all the lovemaking. This is a story full of intrinsic pain treated with superficiality and in glossy terms. They present individuals in highly idealized fashion that simply do not exist or as adolescent caricatures. Introducing change in an entrenched culture is difficult and the subtle hints about gay marriage in this series were not lost and are deeply appreciated. Art in all its forms, including BLs, is the perfect vehicle to introduce change to an audience that would be more receptive to it. Be bolder and take bolder steps to be more real in presenting gay life. Reflect the real world for a change.
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