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Kaibutsu (2023)
The Power of Perspective and Young Love
I think this movie is best when you go in with no context, but the thing that makes this movie the best enjoyed is knowing one key detail. This movie is broken up into 3 parts, each a new perspective. Each revealing more and more details until the last perspective.
This is a great film for exploring societal expectations and the power of rumors/perspectives. Since we cannot read each other's minds, we seek to judge based on the limited information we can get. This is a core part of the movie.
Along with these societal expectations, we see the young love form between two young boys and how they're impacted. I don't think this is a story that could've been told if they were not gay. Because it isn't just about falling in love as a child and escaping reality together.
It's specifically about these two boys and how people are keeping them from being open about their love, causing them to hurt and feel outcasted. Like they're monsters and something is wrong with them. They're impacted because of how boys are 'supposed' to be and behave.
This is a full film. There's a lot to digest and it's just a great movie. Other than the first part of the movie feeling a little slow and not a lot of clarity, I deduct a point. But otherwise, the acting is amazing, the sets are gorgeous, and the film is beautifully shot.
Truly one of my favorite movies made to date. 9/10.
Kotarou wa Hitorigurashi (2022)
Really good and straight to the heart
I initially saw this because someone said it was a young kid and his trauma responses. I was not disappointed with this. It's a great show and every episode had me tearing up and crying, some more than others.
I think something I really liked was everyone around him was basically like us. As the episodes go on, more and more of Kotaro's life starts to unfold and his neighbors all deal with trying to understand him and how to get him to live his life healthily.
And I don't know man, I can't see how there is anything bad about this anime. All of the adults around him basically become his parents and look out for him because no one else will. That's so wholesome. Sad, but wholesome.
The fact that Karino basically becomes his pseudo dad was really wholesome. And I like the detail that he starts to slowly get his life together when he has to take care of Kotaro.
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Onto the sad part, I think it was really well done and it still let my gut wrench and heart break every. Single. Time. It was also really nice to see the people around him be sensitive to him.
One really, really sad part that made me cry a LOT was the whole tissues talk. I didn't know about that until when I saw that episode. Karino brought it up in a way that I thought was really good. When he reminded Kotaro that he didn't need to get the expensive tissues because he didn't need to eat them anymore, it was really sweet. He didn't really ask if Kotaro really ate tissues, he just picked up on it through signs, and Kotaro didn't ask how he knew.
Alternatively, when he kept gaining weight from eating the other's leftovers, the whole talk with Takei about how he isn't even hungry, but when he sees food in front of him, he can't stop eating. She says she understands him because she knows just as well that the daily meals aren't guaranteed. As this was after the whole tissue talk, this one really hit the feels.
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In the end, this is a story about a boy who lives a troubled life and all the people around him in this new location are trying to do their best with their own life and being with Kotaro. Some of the people around him are also troubled and have their own skeletons in their closets, but they keep trying with life. Kotaro continuously gives them support and they give him support back in whatever way they can.
And I think that's what I really like. Kotaro and Karino are basically found family, but the show goes on to show how loved Kotaro is. That there are many people for him to lean on when he needs it. And as someone who has family issues, it REALLY stroke a chord within me.
Kotaro and how he responds to everything in his life is due to his past trauma. How others react to him and how they understand him is also due to likely their own trauma. One big point that this show really drives home is that a community will make you feel welcome and heal.
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I know trauma is a tough topic and this kind of show isn't for just everyone, but I think if you can handle the topic of child abuse and neglect, you should definitely watch this anime. It's really heartwarming even if it's sad a lot of times. There's always a lesson being told and the stories are always full of emotion. It's just a really good anime and I love it a lot.
In the SOOP SEVENTEEN Ver. (2021)
The show is just very lovely and a joy to watch
Honestly, this show just does what SEVENTEEN always does. It shows who they are, just a little more unfiltered. They're honestly nothing more to say than the fact that they're lovely people and the show is very sweet.
Something that I think a lot of people who aren't fans of SEVENTEEN ask is that are the members even close? Well one look into In The Soop, and you have your answer and the answer is obviously yes they're close.
Its pretty funny that at the end of the episodes the editors tries to make it dramatic by showing a scene that could cause "drama" only for the next episode to come and the situation is defused in like 30 seconds lol there was literally no drama that they had to fabricate it
the show is just a joy to watch, as a carat, it just builds upon things I already knew about the boys, and they're just lovely people. I simply don't have enough words to express how much of a comfort show this is to watch. They have so much fun just being themselves, but its also nice to see them trying to adapt to a slower paced life, even if its just for a week.
This show was filmed at a perfect time for the boys to have a break and I could tell they all embraced it warmly, so that was very nice to see.
I also love how much they talk about the past and mention some old inside jokes from like 2015. It's kinda funny because you would think that they would've forgot about those events, but no, they remember all of it. For example One Fine Day (aka the 13 Castaways), literally defined the first few episodes lol and if you didn't get the jokes, it just means you have more SEVENTEEN content to watch. It just feels kinda rewarding how much nostalgia they talk about and how much they've been through and understanding everything they're talking about. Something about them that you've come to learn over the years is that they never forgot a single part of their journey. No matter how small you think the action is, they remember and they'll definitely make a reference to it again lmao
P.s. Its so cute how they wrote their theme song about things they did. My personal favorite lines were the ones about eating pa-jeon by the stream & looking into the fire zoning out while they lean on each other's shoulders. Its just so wholesome and the lyrics were so cute.
Wish You (2021)
this is the cute, simple queer love story that I've waited for my entire life
I say this movie was a pretty solid movie. The beginning was a little slow and I could ask for more scenes of Sangyi & Insu together, but overall it was a really solid movie.
They were a cute little meet-cute situation. Where Insu was a great singer-songwriter, Sangyi had a great talent for harmonizing with him.
Acting was a little unnatural at times, but I personally found it tolerable.
But this is the kind of queer love story I've been waiting for my entire life. As someone who is both Asian (hmong) and a lesbian, I think all my life I've been waiting for just cheesy romance movies with people who like the same sex, just like me.
This movie may not have been absolutely phenomenal, but it's enough of a good movie that it feels good.
I appreciate that they didn't have to add in homophobia as a plot point because honestly, as someone who is homosexual, I think I'm tired of having our media consumed in homophobia, where its all gloom and doom.
Overall, if you're in the mood for a cute, cheesy love story that just happens to be between 2 men, this is the movie for you. Nothing ground breaking, but just a really nice story about how 2 people fell in love through music. Simple, but very important representation for the future of LGBTQ+ representation.
And goddamnit, I've waited my life for these movies where queer people can just be people and fall in love. Representation is getting better and better as the years pass by, hopefully one day I don't have to be back to beg for more queer media.