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...
Jun is an 18-year-old high school student. He hides the fact that he is gay from his mother and other people. Miura-san is a classmate of Jun. She is obsessed with books about BL (Fujoshi is a term referred to girls who are obsessed with BL stories). Accidentally one day Jun sees her buying a BL books that scares off Miura-san. But from that point onwards, an unlikely friendship starts between the two. Jun in meanwhile dating (Sleeping around) with an older married man Makoto. It's an arrangement of convenience for both men where they have sex and even talk about their personal lives. Mr. Farenheit is an online gay friend of Jun, with whom he shares his deepest darkest thoughts. When Miura-san one day proposes Jun to be his girlfriend, he accepts it because deep down he feels he will never be able to be himself and he need a partner to lead a "normal" life. They start dating button day she sees Jun and Makoto kissing. Even though she is a huge BL fan, seeing two men kiss in real life shakes her up completely. Jun's secret in school is out leading to him trying to commit suicide. Eventually Miura-san and Jun's best friend come in support of him, trying to understand what being gay is all about for him. Thereby, Jun starts to slowly come out of steel, start accepting who he really is rather than trying to hide.
Though I have not mentioned in the summary but Jun has some beautiful moments shared with both Makoto and Farenheit. Fahrenheit eventually commits suicide and Jun goes to meet his family to fulfill his last wish in the end, which was actually quite sad. I also was glad to see that Makoto and Jun's relationship was dealt with dignity and not cheapness. Both men had their own reason to be in the relationship. Doesn't matter of someone is right or wrong. As is the social norm, around us, it is clearly understandable why Jun stays aloof, except for when he is with his closest friend, because he fears his sexuality being outed. Miura-san's character was very interesting. I didn't realize that there is a formal term Fujoshi. She clearly was madly in love with Jun, and so expectedly her heart breaks when she learns the truth. But she is not ready to give up. This is one part of the show that I did not agree with. Was she trying to "cure" Jun or what was the reason. She eventually comes around, but I am so glad they never showed any bitterness towards any character. Jun tries his best to be normal with her. He really enjoys the company, but he just doesn't feel sexual towards her, at all. Such kind of tiny little things are all shared with minute details in this 8 part series. The story made sure to explore everything in detail. There were no half-assed plot points that were thrown in and forgotten about. Jun and Makoto-san's relationship, the story of Mr Fahrenheit, Jun's mother, Ryouhei and Jun's backstory, and Miura-san, all were explored deeply, dynamically, and tied up neatly at the end. Even the smaller characters went through noticeable developments.
The actors all do a really good job. Jun is actually quite good looking and there are luckily no awkward pauses and sudden reactions like most BL shows have. This was subtle and most natural. Throughout the drama, Jun is conflicted between many decisions that are strongly influenced by the people in his life. All the comments they make or ideas they share influence his decisions. Use of Queen's songs in background worked very well too. The ending is abrupt but still positive. This series was definitely a very pleasant surprise and a welcome addition to the ever growing list of must-watch BL series. (7.5/10)
Comments
Still a very interesting watch. I liked they used Queen as a red thread.
I am not sure about Japanese society, but I think in the initial episodes, she makes a comment saying that even though she loves BL books, she is sure such things don't exist in real life, which hints that she is still quite prejudiced in reality against homosexuality