The queerbaiting issue aside, I'm conflicted

Was the show enjoyable? sure, until a certain point. However, the last episodes were way too rushed and too many things were going on, as if the writers tried to wrap up every single plot line they presented throughout the series, but the end result is bad and almost unwatchable. The ending itself is just completely ridiculous. I won't add spoilers, I'll just say I almost immediately snorted with contempt when I watched it.

And then there is the queerbaiting issue. While realistically a gay couple would never live happily ever after in the Joseon era, the show is full of events and characters that just wouldn't happen at that age. So anachronism definitely wasn't the issue. Why did the writers halfway through the show decided to take a step back and turn the romance into a bromance? Who knows. I just hoped queerbaiting was a thing of the past. I guess I was wrong.

The acting itself was decent, again, considering the unbelievable plot line.

The music was annoying, but I guess that's a personal thing.

Wouldn't watch again, 6/10.

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I really wanted to like this movie more than I did

It's not every day that we see a Chinese BL movie, and one that contains some explicit scenes too.

However, steamy sex scenes cannot cover up bad writing. While the premise is promising, with an historical-fantasy theme, the execution itself is quite poor. In the first minutes of the film we learn that there are three factions of races in the world - dragons, humans and mermen - and that they are all in constant conflict with one another. Why? that's a great question, but you won't receive a clear answer throughout the movie. The love story between the two main characters develops way too quickly - they go straight from enemies to lovers. There are many more problems with the script other than these two, but I don't want to add any spoilers.

The acting itself was good , considering the story. It seems they all tried to do their best.

The music was not noteworthy. Not bad, but not outstanding either.

Overall I probably won't watch it again. And that's a shame, really, because with better writing it could have been a really great movie.

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Light, but not lightweight

The story tells the tale of two openly gay Korean friends, Haneul and Bongshik, and what happens over the course of a few months after Haneul breaks up with his partner of 3 years and moves in with his friend. Accordingly, the story does address several issues that most gay men could relate to, the most of which are very common themes, maybe too common, in other gay films. However, the screenwriter managed to keep it refreshing, by including jokes, puns and showing different aspects of the characters' lives. So, while I think some of the themes were already better discussed in other films, what makes this film stand out is how accurately it portrays human lives - sometimes full of conflicts and drama, sometimes light and fun, and sometimes a combination of them all.

The acting is one of the strong points of the film, and in my opinion all actors played their characters perfectly and realistically.

I watched it during a film festival event, but I would watch it again probably as soon as it's released with English subtitles (if only just to screenshot the Chungha reference)

9/10

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Premise is interesting but fails to deliver, mediocre acting.

I have to say that I've not read the manga, so I had no idea what to expect before watching.

Though apparently some of those who read the manga would beg to differ, I actually don't think the story is the main issue. True, the way the movie depicts the struggle of a famous actor to accept his sexuality is simplistic at best, and for western audiences that might seem like a non-issue nowadays, but as Japan is a little more conservative when it comes to positive portrayals of LGBT, that wasn't much of a problem in my opinion.

What the movie actually lacks is good acting. I don't know whose fault is this - whether it's the director's or the actors' - but some scenes were so exaggerated and amateurishly acted that it made me physically cringe. Sometimes otherwise OK scenes (story-wise that is) were completely ruined by inappropriate facial expressions, vocal tones or gestures - For example, in one scene one of the actors, who was supposed to be terrified, visibly couldn't hold his laugh back.

The music also didn't help. Inconsistent and inappropriate at times.

Wouldn't watch again.
6/10, and I'm being generous.

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A gentle story about coping with loss

I think it's one of the few movies about the subject which didn't make me want to burst into tears while watching, yet the hardships of the of the protagonist are subtly and gently conveyed to the viewer. The story successfully relays the struggles of the Tohoku residents years after the disaster without being too graphic about it, which is a big plus - focusing on the horror is easier, but making the viewers understand and feel the loss without doing so is much harder.

The only thing I didn't like about the story is a minor "plot-twist" at the end (no spoilers, don't worry). In my opinion it was unnecessary and didn't contribute much, and was added only to make sure the protagonist would say a certain sentence.

The acting sometimes felt a bit forced to me. Usually it's a result of either the directing or inexperienced actors, in that case I believe it's the former and not the latter.

The scenery is beautiful! I don't know why they didn't show more shots of the town, it complements the story perfectly.

The only reason I gave it such a low rewatch value is that I don't think I'm going to watch it again, but that's me, I almost never watch a movie more than twice :)

8.5/10

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Sometimes short films get the message across better

Such a sweet short! I know that often people are hoping for a full-length version of shorts, but in this case 20 minutes are just enough.

Although this kind of story line is a bit exhausted, even clichéd nowadays (which is the reason I incurred 1 point), the message is still a positive one and was executed perfectly.

The acting of both the mother and the son was on point, conveying their feelings perfectly. The scene were they were talking on the phone - great.

The music subtly complemented the plot and the scenes.

I wouldn't mind watching it again (I probably wouldn't, because there are so many other films out there to watch) but still. Good job.

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Next time less sex, more plot please

Let's get first things first: there's A LOT of sex in this film (and by A LOT I mean about 2/3 of the film). However, surprisingly they aren't too obscene and there's even something a bit naive about them, quite a change from some recent Japanese gay movies (if you've watched any of the Saitankyori wa Mawari Kudokute films or Sei no Gekiyaku, then you know what I mean).

However, these scenes exactly are the problem of the film - they are not sexual enough to turn it into a porno (at least, in my opinion), but they are not interesting enough to become an essential part of the story. I think that if some of the sex scenes were cut and others added with some more lines in them, it would have been much better - for example, the relationship between the protagonist and his sister, or the protagonist's personal love story (which we just get a glimpse of at the end) .
The other option was to go full-on porn mode and just make the scenes as explicit as possible. The current result feels like a bit of a mess. Maybe I misunderstood the genre, but that's what I think.

The acting was good, I think, though sometimes during the sex scenes... I don't know whether the main actor was extremely uncomfortable or just bad at pretending to have sex (the tongue, bah).

The visuals are stunning, and combined with the eternal sound of the Japanese cicadas, I actually felt like I was in Kyoto during summertime.

Probably wouldn't watch it again. 7/10 and I'm being generous

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Overused, annoying trope in the story

Alert - spoilers ahead:

The reason I scored this otherwise fun and well-produced series quite low is the annoying "Bury Your Gays" trope - while the general tone of story is light (so, you wouldn't suspect there's a tragedy looming ahead) and the straight couple goes on to live happily ever after, somehow the gay couple does not. It was already an outdated tactic back when Western media often employed this trope, 10-20 years ago, so it definitely shouldn't be adopted into Asian media now.

While sometimes a bit corny, the acting is overall good and the actors chosen portray their characters well. The transitions between the two actors which play Pan are very smooth.

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A light watch for a weekend at home

Story:
While the premise looked promising and there were moments in which I felt there was something deeper than what shows on the surface, the execution was not the best in my opinion, and some viewers might find the end disappointing. Also, I think the romance tag might be a bit misleading - the story is much more focused on friendship and personal growth in my opinion.
To summarize - don't expect anything too deep or coherent and you'll have an enjoyable show to binge over the weekend.

Acting:
Overall, I think the actors did a really good job. Personally I don't like the over-the-top acting style often seen in Japanese comedies, but here I didn't feel it was too exaggerated or cringey.

Music:
Tbh, I didn't pay much attention to it. I guess it was ok? Otherwise I would have noticed.

Rewatch value:
I might watch it again when I'm in need of something (mostly) light.

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A hidden gem

The movie is not without problems (as I will elaborate bellow), but it has many qualities which make it superior to other 2000's lgbt-themed Japanese movies, and even some of the more recent ones.

Story - the films deals with several issues within both the queer and heteronormative communities in modern Japanese society, such as parenthood, familial relations in general, balancing one's personal life & career, coming out and more. However, I think some of the subplots should have been cut, as the final result is both long (more than 2 hours) and somewhat incoherent at times. The roles of certain side characters (such as Naoya's mother) could have been easily transferred to other characters, too.

Acting - Nothing bad to say here. Katsuhiro and Naoya were much more believable as a couple than most of the Japanese BL couples we have seen recently. The actress who played Asako did a wonderful job too.

Would probably watch it again, even just in order to try and spot details I missed at first.

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A lighthearted & fun (and seemingly underrated) detective story

If you're looking for a crime drama which will leave you sitting on the edge of your seat, then this is not the show for you.
While there's some mystery (especially in the background story which follows the protagonist throughout the series, and will leave you wanting more), the show has a more a Pink Panther, Agatha Christie or Sherlock Holmes's novels vibe to it. If you like the genre, the story is well-written. In each episode a different case is being solved, and with each one the protagonist's character and his relationships with his coworkers develop and gradually change.

The only problem I had with the story is the protagonist's sexist-bordering-on-ridiculous approach to women. I get it's part of the character development, but still. Some of it was unnecessary and actually not an authentic representation of neither virgin Otakus nor sexist doucheb*gs.

I think the acting was superb, really. Each actor portrayed their character perfectly.

The music was mostly fine and added to the Pink Panther~ish vibe of the series, though sometimes I think it was a tad inappropriate.

Overall, I would probably watch it again when I want to watch something light & fun. Go check it out!

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Short but sweet

The episodes are really short - the first one is only several minutes long - but they still manage to tell a complete story in each episode.

Although in some parts the writing isn't perfect (I still do not understand how and why they met, for example), the story is mostly well-written and very relatable. The hardships of finding a job and managing an "adult life", having a gay relationship while your family isn't accepting, etc - are conveyed perfectly.

The music though... sometime the music doesn't match the scene at all, and it almost always abruptly stops or changes when the scene is over or even in the middle of it.

I might watch it again. Go see it! it's on YouTube in 1080 and fully subbed to English.

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