Seven Days: Friday - Sunday (2015)

This is a review on both "Seven Days: Monday - Thursday", and "Seven Days: Friday - Sunday", because really, the two should be seen in conjunction with each other in order to get a complete viewing experience as both parts make up the whole.

STORY (No spoilers)
Actually, I read the manga (also helpfully entitled "Seven Days") on which this short 2 episode series is based on, long before I realised that they actually made a live-action version of it. Having enjoyed the short but sweet manga itself and having never seen a proper live-action Boy's Love series prior this one, I was curious enough to check it out.
I will get into the acting for this series in another section but story-wise, both episodes were amazingly faithful and accurate to the manga itself. Here is a short list of just how accurate it was:-
a) The manga itself consists of 2 volumes. The 1st volume being the Monday to Thursday sections, and the second volume having the remaining Friday to Sunday sections. The way the series is split is exactly the same way.
b) Dialogues from the characters are almost word-for-word from the manga.
c) Scenes and events that happen also mirror very closely to those in the manga.
d) What impressed me the most was that even the styling - from the hair, to the way they wear their school uniforms, to even their school bags and the way they carry them, mirrors that in the manga.
It was really as though the manga itself came to life - there were hardly any deviations of it in the live-action series. So, for those who read the manga and enjoyed the story, you would be surprisingly satisfied with this production.

Story-wise, the synopsis is a pretty good summary so I am not sure if I have anything further to add. It really is a simple premise of what started out as a high-school tease between 2 boys to date for a week (seven days), ended up creating feelings which neither were prepared for, and their various insecurities and misunderstandings arising from that. Like the sound of it? Then do watch. If not, then feel free to give this a pass.

Another thing to note is that the pacing of this live-action short series is rather deliberately slow. I believe that the production team and the director had in mind a pace that was meant to deliberately focus and pause onto the main characters, either to emphasise a scene or an emotion, because this is done consistently throughout the show. It's almost manga-like: you know, that scene where the 2 main leads stare at each other and the wind and leaves just keep blowing by... yeah, that kind of manga-like feel. If you're not prepared for it, it may sometimes appear as if the scene is being paused, but it's actually a deliberate drawing out of the scene. Some people might find this draggy or boring or weird, but I personally see it as an artistic approach and directorial style, and quite enjoy the slow, deliberate pacing of the show. Most Japanese series tend to be rather snappy and excitable so a mellow, calm-almost-to-stillness show is rather interesting and refreshing as a change.


ACTING/ CHARACTERS
I've mentioned how the whole setting, down to the styling and the outfits, were practically a mirror to that of the manga. Now how about the actual portrayal of the characters?

JAMES TAKESHI YAMADA as Shino Yuzuru - the senior whose cool looks apparently seem at odds with his playful and unpredictable personality. Looks-wise, I think James does have that cool look befitting the character but I had hoped that he could have acted a bit more "fly-away" or ditzy just to emphasise the dichotomy between his looks and his personality which many people around Shino keep banging on about. It would have made some of the comments from supporting characters a bit more believable and understandable. As it stood, I felt that we had to just accept what we are being told i.e. that Shino's personality is very different from the way he looks. More tell, rather than show, in this aspect, for me. Having said that, I thought the rest of how James portrayed Shino was well done. The curiosity, the internal dialogues, the progression of feelings and its by-products of uncertainty and jealousy - I thought these were all expressed pretty well by James in his role.
PS: I also liked the way he holds his bow and arrow, and his shooting stance. It did look very cool and natural.

TOMOKI HIROSE as Touji Seryou - the good-looking junior whose inner desire to find The One has led to an appearance of being indiscriminate when it comes to dating and partners. Looks-wise, I personally found Tomoki to look too old for the junior he should be portraying - and not a little older, but quite a lot older, which was was initially rather jarring when I first started watching. Looks aside, Tomoki did not do too bad a job in bringing out the emotions and the feelings of Touji onto the screen. His acting did not come across as natural or as at ease as James playing Shino, but neither was it so bad that it was too awkward to watch, so I would consider his portrayal to be serviceable for the role.
PS: Tomoki's shooting stance looked awkward, stiff and unnatural to me, compared to James and the supporting cast. Pity because he was supposed to be rather effortlessly good at archery and it does not really come across in this live-action adaptation. But this is a minor quibble.


MUSIC
Befitting the deliberately slow pace of this show, the background music is instrumental, mellow and rather poignant in tone. I thought it matched the mood and the pacing of the series well and personally found it to be a good enhancement to the scenes in bringing out the moment or the mood. Nice.


RE-WATCH VALUE
Seeing as it is a very short show of only 2 episodes or parts, this is easily re-watchable. Overall, it is quite a well done series, barring my minor quibbles outlined above. I can see myself viewing it again.

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As I said in my review for part 1 (Monday-Thursday), I wish the budget and production logistics had allowed putting both parts into one movie. But when you watch these two parts together, they are hypnotic and beautiful. This movie is an enjoyable romance that I think any film buff could enjoy--it's definitely not just for BL fan girls. These characters are young (10 and 12th grade in American terms) and the movie gives us a picture of how stressful it is to deal with adult emotions for the first time.

Seven Days is shonen ai (not yaoi), with an intense focus on the characters' emotions (and no sex). This will make it seem very slow to some viewers. In fact, I know some people will hate the long silences, the long lingering shots of people thinking. It's artistic and elegant. Not humorous or action-packed.

But other viewers will love how closely this movie gets into the characters' heads. Usually when movies use voice-over, it seems like a lazy way of story-telling. Just because the manga has characters telling us their thoughts doesn't mean a movie should drone on and on with voice-over. But it works here, perhaps because the characters present such restrained public faces. Hearing their thoughts, we can understand their doubts and misconceptions perfectly.

Or perhaps the whole movie works because the characters are three-dimensional and well-acted.

Or because the theme of knowing someone's appearance versus knowing their inner depths is so compelling? Or because the music is simple but builds slowly so you want to keep watching to the end of the scene?

I don't know, I just know that I couldn't stop watching.

I've talked a lot about what's in the characters' heads, but this drama also has passionate moments. The kissing scene on Saturday suggests the physical attraction between these two guys. Although BL stories can be notoriously oblivious to the realities of gay identity and "coming out"--and this is not a story about coming out, rather about falling in love--the actors body language makes this a plausible story of queer love. It's not one of those "I love girls but I love you more" stories that haunt BL manga. Overall, a great romance!

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Great sequel to a lovely prequel

This movie takes of where part one ended, and it does it beautifully showing how these two keep trying to figure out what they want from each other. What triggers them and if and how they can deal with the inevitable end for the one week relationship that is playing games with their minds.

This movie has several moments of tension, making the viewers wonder how will this go? is Seiryo really a masochist falling for impossible people? Or will he Skipp Yuzuru and go for his sister instead? Is Yuzuru really just a jerk? And what about that Shino girl that keeps calling and ruining things?

Part two was just as sweet and fun if not even sweeter, easy to watch and all round lovely... But do watch part one first! And well if you did not like pet one you will not like part two...

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I wrote a review/comparison of the live action and the manga on my blog
I do go more into detail there: http://wp.me/p87mzW-5Z6

Story (10/10)
I really enjoyed the premise of dating for seven days and finding out if you do or don't like the person you're with. Personally, I do think 7 days is enough to know if you do or don't want to continue a relationship, especially if you're hanging out so often, which is how Yuzuru and Seryou were. I loved their interaction. This is the second half of Seven Days and it gives enough information at the beginning to refresh our memories if we didn't watch this in one sitting.

Casting (10/10)
I originally read the manga first and casting is one of those big issues I have when stuff gets live action adaptations. I honestly didn't have an issue here as the actors fit Yuzuru's pretty features and Seryou's handsome/playboy look

Acting (5/10)
I decided to drop the acting score on this one because Fri -> Sun is the more emotional part of the movie. It's where the characters will break up at the end of the week and where they need to decide how they feel about the other. I don't feel we had the right emotions all the time plus the whole issue with little expressions I mentioned in my review for Mon -> Thu

Music (7/5)
I have no complaints but nothing stood out either

Rewatch Value (8/10)
I do think I could rewatch this, however, not immediately. It is short enough where it doesn't feel like you're stuck to a TV for too long and it ends at a place where watching this in 2 sittings isn't awkward

Overall (8.5/10)
I'm a huge fan of this story and the manga, and to see it faithfully following the manga really made my day! I do seriously think the acting could have been better and it does give off the feeling of being low budget, but still I recommend checking it out. Especially if you like Boy's Love

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Painfully Slow and Dull (For Me)...

Painfully slow and dull. This film was way too quiet and complacent for my taste, trying my patience numerous times, making me feel compelled to use my phone, which is something that I don't do when I watch films. I was so bored. The prequel, although slow also, was much better as it was able to keep my attention, which this film wasn't able to do.

Once again, another story whose conflict could have easily been resolved if only the ML's actually communicated with each other, instead of holding back and assuming incorrect ideas. All Toji had to say to Yuzuru is that Shino is his brother's ex-girlfriend who was at the house because she most likely reconciled with him. It really isn't that hard to do. He could have also told him that dating wasn't just a game to him, but for some reason, he never did. And why did Yuzuru reject Toji towards the end of the week just to ask to be his boyfriend at the end? That twist was random and unnecessary.

All in all, this film series was too overrated in my opinion. There are much better BL films out there to see...

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Not satisfying ..

Firstly, I recall a manga of similar plotline .. I remember the manga is pretty sweet ~
However for this movie (I watch this and the next one in one go), I would say that the execution is not that satisfying ..

[This is a review for both Monday - Thursday and Friday - Sunday]

I love the story, a slow developing, confusing feelings ..
A little misunderstanding due to feelings and thoughts not properly communicated ..

I have nothing against the actors .. BUT I would say that they does not portray the character well ..
It is as if that the execution of the character, and the way the story says the character is supposed to be, does not adds up, in my humble opinion ..
I am no expert, but this is my opinion as one of the numerous audience out there ..

For Seryou ..
The supposed image of him is a popular guy, new girlfriend every week
A popular, charming one .. A very gentleman ..
In the movie, the character of Seryou seems more of, a soft, weak uke (?)
One point that I pretty much dislike is the amount of powder on Seryou's actor .. I don't know whether it's Japanese culture or is there any certain purpose behind it, but I find Seryou's actor overly unnatural 'white' face (from powder or foundation? not sure, not an expert too)
And Seryou's general expression is more of,.. a very timid person ? But not really, it's like timid, yet stiff ? and rather odd ?
In real life, a person executed that way is, in my very humble opinion, unlikely to be someone who is very popular and has a girlfriend every week ..

For Yuzuru ..
The story portrays him to be someone 'cool', whose behaviour contrast the appearance ..
But I do not really see this .. It's more like, we get to know this from his flashbacks of rejection and told my his friend.. aside from that? Not really ..
I think that if the contrast is executed better, I would love his character even more !

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“Another new week has begun, where I can walk alongside you”

I’m gonna keep this review short, as I mostly said the same stuff in my review for the first part- Seven days Monday-Thursday. It was a interesting yet welcoming experience to see how Shinos feelings changed throughout the week/3days of his pov we were shown. The movie captured the awkwardness and confusion surrounding teenage feelings really well and like last time, all their interactions were cute and made you smile. But due to the tension the end of the week brought aswell as uncertainty you could see Seiryo become gradually more panicked, aswell as Shino. I really enjoyed seeing their in school interactions and out of school interactions as they both found in eachother acceptance and love. I think I would probably rewatch the first instalment rather than the last just because it was less angst (start of the week, the innocent dual growth of feelings rather than worrying about the end of week). The ending was really beautiful and the final words on screen can’t help but make you feel sad that you won’t see their story anymore but happy that they got a happy ending. “Another new week has begun, where I can walk alongside you”. Seiryo and Shino both loved the others “flaws/imperfections” about their personality eg Shinos ever changing emotions and brash nature. They both truly love eachother and it was beautiful to see develop and bloom.
My favourite scene of Seiryo would probably be where He defends Shino against his ex’s straightforward nature, it was really nice to see how much he cared about Shino.
My favourite Shino scene would probably be where he is really happy at Seiryo saying he loved his personality, it was so innocent and adorable at his excitement at finally being accepted
My favourite scene of Seiryo and Shino together would probably be their kiss scene or the final 15 minutes at their confession and the beginning of Monday, with them still together. It was really beautiful to see.
Overall I give this a 10/10, a great continuation of the first movie and one that will leave you smiling at the innocence and beauty of the movie.

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Okay, so you've maybe seen some ''yaoi'' movies. You know how some are, there can be some overacting, it can be a little rapey, there may be not a happy ending, it gets dramatic as hell and the whole world seems to be against our couple. So I was expecting something like that when I started this movie. I was pleasantly surprised :) The film is a bit slow and there's a lot of staring (serously, alot :'D), however the cinematography is beautiful as well as the music. The actors were hella good in their performance, it wasnt over the top or stiff. It could have been better, but there's not much reproach to do in that area.
The story is simple, will they fall for each other in a week? While the days pass, we see the boys getting closer and discover each other as well as themselves. That's it. It allows us, the audience, to get to know them and appreciate them as people.
I would re-watch this anytime! Give the movie a chance, I hope you like it!

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The storyline is full with ups and downs which makes it a little cringy and awkward. Although, I like the setting of junior-senior- relationships and the characters do stand out because they have a developed personality.
It's really awkward how Japan is the first to develop the genre of BL through whole Asia, but they are way behind despite the number of fans there are. These films are not broadcasted in any major theater, and it also doesn't have that much production costs (lol) so you know, it becomes hard.
One thing, its also awkward (srry for using this word again) when this story is developed through 2 continuous films (mon?thurs and this one) but all the "omg I'm in love with him what should I do" thing happens in the last 30 mins.
I guess James got the hang of his character, and his acting shows that. Although, the actor who played Touji doesn't stand out to me, and his acting is not in line with James. Also, I gave music a weird number because I literally don't remember it at all (even though I watched it 2 times), and that means its not disturbing nor enhancing the story in any way.
Although, I gave it a rewatch value of 7.5 because I did rewatch it myself.

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Leí Seven Days cuando era adolescente, y no tenía ni idea de que habían hecho una adaptación. Es una historia que me gustó mucho en su momento y que me ha encantado revisitar. No es demasiado compleja, pero logra enternecer bastante.
A pesar de que en un principio me chocaron esos espacios tan largos entre conversaciones, los largos minutos gastados en silencios que no parecen llevar a ninguna parte, los tramos vacíos y aparentemente innecesarios...al final, comprendí que es parte de la esencia de la película, de alguna manera, cuyo desarrollo es lento y extremadamente pausado.. Pero la dinámica entre los protagonistas está muy bien representada. Las elecciones de fotografía son muy buenas y logran captar la emoción de cada escena.
Aun así, siete días se pueden hacer muy largos, y más cuando el guion se vuelve algo antinatural a ratos. Supongo que, revisitando esta historia, he sido más crítico con los estereotipos del género que cuando tenía 14 años. Los celos excesivos y la falta de comunicación directa entre los personajes puede volverse muy frustrante.
En general, disfruté de la película, aun con sus puntos flojos. Es una historia genuina, sencilla y entrañable.

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An emotional roller coaster continuing from Part 1

All the emotions brewing during Part 1 of this story comes to the surface in this final part. The slow pacing in the 1st part continues here as well but if you didn’t mind it initially you will sail through this one too as a lot of raw emotions come to the forefront.

We left part one at the moment where Shino realises that the end of the week is fast approaching and he will just end up like of Seiryo’s multiple exes. Seiryo on the other hand is realizing the feelings that he has for Shino but is disappointed to learn that it won’t be reciprocated. With only 3 days remaining, the two characters try to spend as much time together as possible and in the process learn more about their feelings.

What can I say about the acting that I haven’t said in my review of the first part of this movie. The 2 leads have been exceptionally good. The movie takes us on a ride where we find the 2 leads enjoying each other’s company just to end up having an argument (mostly outbursts from Shino) to realizing they are running against a clock and getting back together.

A satisfactory ending to a unique storyline with great actors, slow pacing with much character development and loads of emotions.

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