This one's a beautiful, tender, quiet romantic drama with a moody atmosphere, set in a tight knit Welsh fishing community. It's a touching story about a man waking up sexually in the middle of his life, and how he, his family, and everyone around him deal with it, which makes it emotional and sentimental without ever getting over the top. The slow burn plays out against a landscape that's as bleak as it is gorgeous, where quiet, closed off men are stuck inside rigid ideas of what masculinity should be. Some people might be reminded of "God's Own Country," but I think both films are lovely in their own way. Jack is a middle aged guy who co-owns a mussel farm with his rough around the edges brother Dyfan, and the tension between the two of them is simmering under the surface right from the start. Dyfan's three sons all help out with the work, while Jack's sulky teenage son Tom keeps skipping out. Jack's been with his wife since they were both 16, and...
The series is based in a world where few people suffer from color luminance. Monos, as they are called, see only shades of gray, black, and white. The only way Monos can see color is if they come into contact with their Probe. Probes are soulmates who bring color into their Monos’ lives, often sparking a dangerous behavior or obsession. Yeon-woo is a Mono, whose mother was the same and is missing for a few years. He now lives with his aunt. When he joins his new school, his meeting with Yoo-han changes things. Yeon-woo is overwhelmed by the unexpected rush of emotions he feels every time Yoo-han is near. Since Yoo-han always wears a mask, the first time when his face is revealed, a sudden rush of colors washes over Yeon-woo therebyrevealzng that Yoo-han is his Probe. The next few episodes go back and forth on Yeon-woo trying to be close to yy to see colors but also being careful to not get obsessed by him. We are later revealed that Yoo-han also suffers from face blindness where he cannot clearly see anyone's face, except for Yeon-woo since he has met him. Are the two boys meant to be together?
I have a lot of issues with this series, like the constant mood change and where is the show trying to go. Sometimes it get very melodramatic and suddenly gags are. Thrown in by a few of their classmates. It becomes soppy when Yeon-woo thinks of his mother and suddenly becomes investigative when his aunt is trying to find out what happened to his mother. And none of these is actually taken to a completion. Yeon-woo wants to be close to Yoo-han but is afraid of historically what have monos done to probes. Attempting suicide to avoid that ones out of nowhere. And then suddenly Yoo-han show sup in hospital and takes him away. IT makes absolutely no sense. This entire plotline is unbelievably problematic, both minimizing mental health issues, and glorifying obsession as a form of love. Some 3-4 episodes are wasted in just Yeon-woo seeing different colors. The chemistry between the leads is strictly ok. Their bright red lipstick is very distracting. I am almost certain that was not natural. This story could easily have been a story friendship but culminates as BL love when the two boys feel they are meant to be together to overcomes each other's challenged and seal it with a kiss.
The show has good production value, average acting and disastrous narrative execution makes this series a very frustrating watch that I just wanted to finish asap. (4/10)
Comments
Can I strongly recommend you watch Kinou Nani Tabeta (what did you eat yesterday ?). Very good, more real, I found it had a very interesting look on homosexuality in Japan.