This is your typical indie coming-of-age tale about a teenager, though it’s clearly working with a very tiny budget. Set within a migrant family living in Southern California’s Coachella Valley, the movie digs into how fragile old-school traditions and expectations can be. We follow a teenage son as he goes through the process of coming out and struggles to find acceptance while dealing with homophobia, domestic abuse, and a messy love triangle that involves his own sister. Goyo is seventeen and just about to graduate from high school. Since he’s been a bit more feminine since he was a little kid, he’s always had to deal with emotional and physical transition from his dad, Ramon, who is obsessed with him being "a man." The only real love he gets is from a lady next door who actually respects him for who he is. The family lives in a Mexican community where everyone works on a grape farm, but things get shaken up when a new guy named Lucio arrives. Lucio basically seduces Goyo ...
Miyano, an all boys high school student is obsessed with BL novels and his friends know it. But he is very self-conscious of his hobby around strangers and would rather keep it a secret for the fear of people judging him. Till this point, he has never questioned his sexuality just because he likes BL novels. He insists that he likes girls. One day when his friend is getting bullied, his one year senior Sasaki suddenly appears to his rescue and they realize that the two have a common friend. Since they both take the same train to school, their interactions keep increasing every day. Miyano opens up about his love for BL novels and after borrowing a couple of them from Miyano, slowly he starts taking a liking to them too. The dup will spend time together discussing the manga , their data and will take the train together. The more they chat, the more they both realize that they feel strongly for each other. Sasaki is more sure and he even asks Miyano if he wants to go out, but the suddenness of it freaks out Miyano. Over the course of many episodes, the duo finally find the courage to accept their feelings for one another, actually admit to each other and their friends and stop caring about what anyone will say about a boy going out with another boy.
This coming of age series about teenage crush is very charming and is actually handled with understanding and compassion. This is not bogged down with unnecessary drama. The many friend of both the guys does add to some confusion at a few points, but actually it is also fun to see, how they in their own ways are trying to ship Sasaki and Miyano together. The simplicity of this show is actually the most charming aspect of the series. Think of your teenage years, the giddy feelings and the knot in your stomach that you feel when you think you are falling for someone, when you want to spend every moment with that person, when you smile and blush and giggle on silly things. The animation is done really well. But it sometimes does get confusing when it suddenly goes into these meds of euphoria when the main characters become skids and we hear their inner thoughts. For non native speakers, I feel that's hindrance. Also I think The show is a bit stretched by the indecisiveness of Miyano. It takes twelve episodes for Miyano to sort out his sexuality, a long personal journey filled with doubt. At last, he admits to being infatuated with Sasaki on a physical, emotional & romantic level. Sasaki has been waiting patiently, but Miyano is caught up and eventually reciprocates his love only in the final episode. Its understandable that he would wanna take time, but that doesn't mean that for audience you should also stall time. Th best was the last episode when they finally kiss after confessing to each other. Even in those scenes, they do keep the charm and innocence of teenage love and I liked that fact.
The show can use some improvement , but thanks to a great beginning and an end, this charming, coning of age teenage love story strings your heart. The ending is powerful and happy and you can feel the love is all over in the air. (7/10)
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If you have recommendations of any more anime BL, do let me know