Pornographer (2018)

(Slight spoiler, but nothing major! I'm not explaining or summarising what happens in the series.)

First I want to start by saying that if you are considering watching this series, then you need to know that this is not your usual fluffy drama with tons of comic relief. This is a very raw story and it's not so much about their relationship (them being together) as it is their emotions and how they handle the situation(s) they are put in.

This series is very heavy with the topics it brings up and is not a drama I would recommend for someone who's just looking for some cute relationships, because this is NOT that. This drama is more psychological and may be triggering if you have experienced violation of any kind. There's manipulation, lying, heavy drinking, dubious consent and very explicit scenes involved. I saw one of the reviews written for this show gave it a very low rating because I don't think they were expecting it to be as explicit as it was. Because it is very NSFW, and also again, NOT A FAIRYTALE LOVESTORY.

There is a lot of depth to this story, and I don't think everyone choosing to watch this will be able to see passed the cruel nature of a lot of the things that happens. This series requires the understanding that it isn't about the romance, because this isn't romantic. It's about the characters and how they deal with the situation they are put in, how they take into account the feeling of the other people involved, etc. Also, they do not romanticise the seriousness of the topics in this AT ALL, but then again some may think they do, but they don't. Just don't watch this with the mindset that this is going to be a fully functional and healthy relationship throughout with fluff and epic romance. Because, it isn't.

So, do I recommend this drama? Absolutely, I thoroughly enjoyed it! It is probably the best Japanese drama I've seen. The acting is on point, the emotion is raw and honest, the dialogue is natural, they have chemistry and are not shy to be doing the things they do for the performance to be truthful and believable. 10/10, honestly. However, I would be careful when deciding to watch it, because they do bring up topics and themes that could be very sensitive and triggering for certain people, so it honestly is not for everyone. So, I also DON'T recommend it for those looking for that cute fairytale BL, because again, this drama isn't really about that. And I would be careful if you have PTSD or similar mental health issues related to being subjected to manipulation, sexual and psychological trauma, or similar things.

I hope this helps some of you with deciding whether or not you should watch this. Also, watch this before Blue Indigo (this came out before anyway) because there's a few things you won't get with Blue Indigo in terms of character development if you watch that before this. Also, it makes Kijima's character a lot more mysterious and that is what makes the plot make sense. Kijima's character is supposed to be a wild card and unpredictable, so watching Blue Indigo first sort of ruins that.

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I've been a bit iffy when watching Japanese BL because for the most part it never really delivers on the realism with lackluster kiss scenes and barely any action till the final episodes. After watching the first episode of 'Pornographer' I thought this would be the case yet again. But as the series commenced I was quickly proven wrong. With only 6 episodes at just over 22-minutes each, the story was filled with rich development that was brought to life by a phenomenal cast! The chemistry between the two male leads was excellent and the intimate scenes where beautifully executed that at times I thought I was watching a soft-core porno!

STORY: 9/10
The story of 'Pornographer' is more complex than it lets out to be. A young student crashes into a man with his bike who just so happens to be a pornographic novel writer. The novel author is injured and hurts his left wrist (which is suggested is his dominant hand). Since the young student has no money to pay for the hospital bills, he offers his services to the be the writer for the porno author till his hand recuperates. During this time together, the two develop a strong and meaningful relationship as the young student learns more about the author, who he calls 'Sensei', and becomes a fan of his writing style. He also learns that his Sensei has dreams of becoming an author outside the porno genre and that for now porn novels is what is sustaining his finances. The story sounds cut and dry, but there is a lot of mystery introduced into the plot as the young student gets Jealous of other characters that interact with his Sensei and when he starts imaging himself in the same sexual situations with that he writes about in his Sensei's novels. I would have given the story a perfect score, but unfortunately the ending left me without closure. I would hope there is a second season for this drama, but I'm not sure if there will be. Open-ended endings are nice, but I like endings where I am sure things have been properly resolved.

ACTING: 9.5/10
Every single actor in this drama gave glowing performances. Both main-actors played their characters amazingly well and their chemistry was through the roof. I especially enjoyed the editor character that came in later, he was extremely hunky and had a deep voice that made my heart swoon, All-in-all the whole cast was excellent!

MUSIC: 8.5
The music was good. It was a bit cheesy at times but it helped movie the story along and capture the feelings of the characters,

REWATCH VALUE: 8/10
I'd say this drama is good for one more watch but after that it may lose it magic. It's too short and there is no point looking into it much deeper than what is given to you unless season 2 is in the works. Other than that it would just feel incomplete.

OVERALL: 9/10
I really enjoyed this drama and I highly recommend it to any BL lover. Both main actors are not only easy on the eyes but have great acting chops. Their chemistry was also wonderful and the story itself is filled with twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

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Beguiling intimacy~

No spoilers.

❝You might be wondering why I did this silly thing. Maybe, it's a way to cover up how lonely I am.❞

Pornographer is the story of Kuzumi, a university student who accidentally bumps into a man and injures his arm following which, he decides to assist the man who turns out to be an author, to complete his novel. But as Renjiro begins his dictation to Kuzumi, he is surprised to learn that Renjiro writes erotica, moreover Kuzumi is discomfited by his own sexual reactions to Renjiro and Renjiro’s erotic narration.

❝I don't want to finish the last page. I want to be with him much longer.❞

Pornographer is brimming with the sort of raw emotions that are so common in Japanese dramas. It was quite overwhelming to see the feelings which these men developed for one another.

For one, there is no constrictive labelling of sexual orientation. There is no labelling of being "gay" or "bisexual." Similarly there is no strict line between lust and love. There is just sexual desire and a convoluted romance of sorts which is undefined and all their own. The dark ebb and flow of desire is beautifully displayed using a warm colour palette which elucidate the constantly varying emotions.

❝Such an idiot. This kind of thing... will never go away.❞

As their relationship progresses, it is fraught with lust as Kuzumi starts imagining himself in imaginary situations with Renjiro. In a way Kuzumi becomes a muse to the broken Renjiro who only seeks to keep writing but cheap erotica is all that he can sell.

Pornographer does not seek to rectify, uphold or justify the despondent actions of its charcters who lie and cheat and fall in love, or rather, a sort of intimacy from which they can never extricate themselves because they have revealed to each other the deepest desires hidden at their core. They are, in a way, disastrous for another; their relationship is tumultuous, the portrayal of their relationship is vivid and deep. The love letter in the form of an erotic novel cannot possibly be the last I've seen of them.

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Story - This drama is nothing like the title "Pornographer." It is beautifully produced, directed.. whatever those experts do. Every episode ends you on a hanger and represents a new part of the two character's relationship. Their relationship is as deep as it could be for as long as they know each other. This is totally opposite from the title.

Cast - Sensei is selling me looks! But real talk. They both played their roles excellently. Kido (supporting character) also did his part well. Japan executes so many parts about film in such a beautiful way. Everyone who worked on this including the actors deserve a thankyou from me!

Downfall - The story builds up and builds up. It is a story full of hope. We feel the hope with Kuzumi-kun. But the twist of the drama and the "open" ending ruined my fantasy and left me unsatisfied. This drama is a great JOURNEY with a sucky DESTINATION.

Rewatch Value - The journey is more important than the destination, aye? So re-watch value is 10/10. It's just that ending'll get me every time. 2 words: UPSET & SALTY.

Recommend? Yeah. Girl. Go watch it.

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To tell you honestly, I was skeptic in watching this series. The title itself sounds salacious. I initinially thought that this will be a cheap and improperly interpreted. However, I was wrong....

The plot and the story itself were well written. It's different from any BL movies that I watched. The way the story was narrated is superb. It is as if am also part of the movie.

Some scenes are indeed salacious, but the delivery has class. I'm reall surprised with the acting skills of these Japanese actors. Their character seems lit, as if they are not fiction anymore. The editing and the music is good. I do not think that each episode is short. Seemed to me like (the episodes) were intentionally kept that long to keep the viewers wanting for more.

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IT IS NOT A BL

This is a mature, straightforward story about the relationship between two men. That's it, there's no heartwarming story about overcoming obstacles to be with the person you love, no dramatic coming out journey and most importantly, no unnecesary fan service.

The story builds up and then suddently just ends. At first I was kind of annoyed, but reflecting on it, I really appreciate that, it felt fresh and realistic. Not every story needs a huge conflict that changes the lives of the characters, because that's not how real life is. This is not a romantic story, and i think that's what some people were expecting to see here.

They play a lot with sexual fantasies, especially with Kuzumi's and I feel that's what makes the sexual scenes meaningful; they're not realistic and they're not meant to be, It's all about attraction and desire. That pretty much sums up the characters relationship, none of them were expecting a happilly ever after, they don't even know each other that well, but they're attracted to each other because of what they can get from the other.

The scenes can get problematic, I agree, but we're dealing with sexual fantasies within a fictional story on a 18+ rated drama, they're not meant to represent real life by any means.

The acting is surprisingly good, the characters feel real and you can feel the emotions. On the last episodes there's a lot more crying than i would've like to see, but they do a good job at it too.

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Epic. Just....Awesome.

I absolutely loved this movie! It’s raw, it’s intriguing, and it’s highly sexual. I enjoyed the story, (which I will be purposely vague about, because I feel it really needs to be watched and discovered for yourself) and I loved the characters. Is this a “fluffy, feel-good, cute, it takes hours and hours of watching for the main characters to even touch hands” BL? No. And no offense to those series, because I love them, too! This is a mature, in-your-face roller coaster ride between two characters working together, getting to know each other, or what the other person is pretending to be, discovering sexuality, and falling in love despite their past hang ups and baggage. I’m seeing people saying it leaves you hanging at the end... Solution? Watch “Mood Indigo” after watching this. It is the spinoff, and it clears up the open ending of “Pornographer” in the first 2 minutes, and shows what happened between Rio and Kido before the events in “Pornographer”. To each their own, but I loved it, and I highly recommend it!

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I am shocked at the reviews.

TW// mentions of sexual assault and force, mature themes

To start off, I would like to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the story and acting in this drama. It's short and straight to the point. What made me dislike this show were the explicit scenes. I am surprised I don't see more people talking about this, most are saying how it was hot. I found the explicit scenes very forceful, to say the least. I read other comments saying "the sex scenes were about lust and desire and that's what made it hot." Quite literally every explicit scene in the show, whether it was a fantasy or not, somebody was being forced. The one between the two main haracters absolutely disturbed me. The writer forced himself on the college boy despite the boy saying no multiple times, even slapping the writer. The writer just pushed him on the table and forces him... It would be different if that scene was supposed to be seen as sexual assault or something, but it's not. It's seen as hot and steamy, the reviews proving my point. I find it quite concerning the number of people saying they were turned on or got off to this show. You don't have to agree with me but the explicit scenes really put me off considering they were portrayed as hot and not as assault.

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One of my fave!

I think the title alone is enough to discourage some people from watching this mini series. It is such a pleasant surprise that this series has more to offer than just steamy sex scenes.

First of all, actors look soooo finnnneee... I am in love with Kenta and Takezai. They were also very talented and did great portraying their characters. I've seen Takezai in non-BL shows and the vibes he gave off on this film is very different.

The plot is unique. It is dark, sexy and is a bit twisted. The sex scenes were very explicit and raw, yet felt it was done in a classy/artistic manner.

I have watched this series 3x now. I'm hoping more people get to watch and appreciate this masterpiece.

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You have to look beyond the title which has more layers of meaning than it superficially suggests. Sounded quite heavy but the beginning was very funny and well done with two (later three) characters but got heavy again later. It's a weird tale but sucks you in (if you see what I mine). The rushed ending I find rather too "neat" and unsatisfying. Further comment under spoiler. "Cuts" in film are an easy option to jump time. They are risky and don't always work. One positive message suggested to me is that you do not have to "do" or perform a job, activity, vocation or whatever to "prove" your value as a person. Music - less is sometimes more and imo it would have been more effective to leave it out at some intimate points. Not one I'm likely to re-watch. It made its point first time round. Overall I'd go with the majority opinion of 8/10.

Not important but the younger guy did not look Japanese - OK I know I should not "stereotype". Avoid if you object strongly to cigarettes.

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Surprisingly Good!

I came into this movie with only one expectation: that it was going to be bad, because honestly, I've NEVER been impressed by a Japanese BL in my life. The tables have turned!
But this truly isn't a BL. Lol! This movie has a lot of heterosexual fantasies in it, but the mains just happen to be kinda gay with each other. In a very lustful way-- not so much in a fluffy, romantic way. One of them constantly has super gay fantasies, so I guess, maybe it's a BL??

Anyways, I freakin' loved this series! I binged the 6 episodes in one night. I thought it was art. It brought me through a rollercoaster of emotion/thoughts, and it always left me on the edge of my seat.
Just a warning that this movie isn't for people who want light-hearted cutesy stuff. This movie was about raw sexuality and desire. There's a lot of sexual stuff in it. But it also has a story! And you actually care about the characters. Sometimes, you become curious, and think, "well, he's mysterious!"

+1 Cast
+1 Acting
+1 Story
+1 Would rewatch it

-1 It really isn't what I would call a BL, but it's listed everywhere as one

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