BLISS RATING: ★★★★+
“My irreplaceable person, forever. The person I want to be with.” – Quote from Countdown To Yes
I found myself thoroughly absorbed in this love story that is told unreservedly and unconditionally only from the perspective of the two individuals involved. It is displayed in soft, gentle tones, almost like a whisper. With cloudy overtones to the hues of the cinematography even though, ironically, it is a story where the central focus is photography. It is a serendipitous happenstance that turns out to be a long journey to destiny for two young men.
It all commences when Nakano Wataru (Amemiya Kakeru) happens to admire a photograph of Yokoi Minato (Yoshizawa Kaname), who by chance is passing by in the halls of their high school just as Wataru whispers the name of the photographer. The two, admittedly an odd couple, become instant friends. Wataru has a passionate love for photography and is zealous about it and sees everything as a picture. Minato, perhaps more idiosyncratic, takes them because it means something to him, intrinsically. The two quickly become close, spending much of their time photographing together. Perhaps unconscious, perhaps not, they begin to take a lot of pictures of each other, as if they are recording a path for the two of them.
While in college and afterwards they live together and what is obvious a deep, deep friendship spills over into the unthinkable. Both may or perhaps already have fallen in love with one another. Yet, pretending as if they are just ‘best’ friends. Their union goes on for many years together until Minato gets a job offer that will place him far away from Wataru. While they can pretend that they are merely friends, the universe knows they are not. Neither can say it nor admit it, until they feel the sting of the abject loneliness for the other when they must separate. It is a despondency of love lost.
Wataru distances himself from Minato because he cannot bear the weight of his loss and loneliness. He innately realized, after Minato left, how deeply in love he was with Minato. He simply cannot face the truth. Unbeknownst to him, Minato had always been in love with Wataru. Over time, Wataru found work at a local photo studio and has become a good photographer. Meanwhile, Minato had become successful and has been transferred back home to the corporate office after three years.
Their reconnection is, at least for me, a work of art, even though many found it a ‘slow burn’. This time, what I did was to put myself into the shoes of the characters of Minato and Wataru. When Minato returns, he wants ‘them to live together’, which is equivalent to saying ‘let us be boyfriends.’ However, Wataru hesitates; proposing it might be better if they remain ‘best friends’; not lovers. Minato will just leave him again. Feeling empty. Lost. Again, without love. Wataru cannot face being left alone again with those same propensities returning.
This is a saga from a slice of life of two young men who are so deeply in love with one another with one so haunted by the thought of losing the other again that he is willing to not love again. Wataru knows he is being selfish but the pain of losing Minato again is unfathomable. So, Minato gives him his space and tells him that he cannot be just his best friend; he is in too deep. For the two of them, it hurts to love.
Remember they are restricted by a society that does not value the commitment of two men living together. It felt more like an environment of “don’t ask, don’t tell.” So, there is no obligation, no social contract, no foundation, no pledge for staying together other than their own embrace to each other. Which for one party felt overwhelmingly fragile and very scary. I got it. Finally, I understood. Wataru can neither live with Minato nor can he live without him. Losing a ‘close friend’, while painful, seems less so and is easier to emotionally imagine. But to live with Minato in a loving relationship with no tethering to a feeling of something tangible and then suddenly he might be gone again is untenable. Unbearable. Beyond livable pain – again.
Who really S.T.O.L.E. this series? This series paid particular attention to its cultural sensitivities. It so beautifully executed those portraitures in soft, gentle, tones, mannerisms, and dialogues yet to a significant degree showed an awakening of societal changes, perhaps, in the Japanese culture. Who best represented that was the real-estate agent working with both Minato and Wataru. Nakayama Shoki’s portrayal of Shioiri Kohei is profoundly important to this series. He represents the outside forces that recognizes and understands that two men want to live together not just as friends but as partners. He also recognizes that they are deeply in love and want, simply because it is within his nature to do so, to find the ‘perfect’ place for them, which includes all aspects of their lifestyle. That represents a deeper understanding of a character and appreciation of the relationship between Minato and Wataru. His exchange with them at the end when he finds them the right place and becomes emotional when he congratulates them is a significant milestone in that understanding. He knows ‘their story’ and is instrumental in helping them become a couple. Small, perhaps an unimportant role, but he elevated it to making them be and feel like accepted members of their own society. Well done for the subtlety in pulling this off so seamlessly.
I found some of the reviewers’ assessments of Wataru perplexing by labeling him indecisive. He was not. Minato deep-down knew he was not. He knew he loved him. Wataru was scared, frightened that if he went ‘all in’ in loving him and Minato left again, he would not survive. He needed to work through his fears. Minato knew that. Minato simply needed to show him and finally convince Wataru that he could be both his best friend and lover. The two are not incompatible or mutually exclusive. He could and would be both for him. And will be there for him – always.
The series concludes in one of the most creative and original ways I have ever seen, and I thought it was so authentic and astonishingly moving. This is a series I felt deeply because of the quiet passion Wataru and Minato had for each other. Their love for one another never wavered. Their commitment was never questioned. The outcome was never in serious doubt. It was the fear of loss fueled by a society that tells you what they have is wrong and will not last and there is nothing that can bind you two together – except each other. Both had to reach the point where they BOTH realized that will be enough for them to succeed.
What slightly distracted from this series but only a bit is its lack of passion especially in the kissing. Although it is certainly better than the vast majority of Japanese BLs of late, it still lacked a depth of believability to it. Make us truly believe you are in love with each other with at least one good, passionate, erotic, exotic kiss. Is that really so hard to do?
There is a special episode called After Story that beautifully interlaces Wataru and Minato into an even more progressive couple. They do this by striving to understand one another better and learning to accept the shortcomings and quirks they will inevitably encounter together. No doubt, they are at the beginning of a wonderous relationship and are both with earnestness looking forward to making it work, given how difficult the societal pressures there will be. Fortunately, they have family and friends who will be there for them. While Wataru’s mother warns Minato that Wataru’s sweetness could be a burden, Minato heeds his mother’s gentle advice to give Wataru the calmness he needs to make him feel he is an equal partner in this relationship. They will learn to do undertakings together.
It took 3,698 days to say yes to something on day one seemed destined to be inevitable. This is a very special and unique treasure and is likely to end up on my Must-See List for this year.
I appreciated and admired this gentle, sweet love story.
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