BL Metamorphosis (2022)

A charming and delightful film based on a manga and about manga

BL Metamorphosis is the story of Urara and Yuki (Sunshine and Snow) who build a cross-generational friendship based on their mutual enjoyment of BL manga. Urara (Ashida Mana) is in her second to last year of high school and facing the choice of what college programs to apply for next year. She's working at a local bookstore when a recently widowed calligraphy teacher Yuki (Miyamoto Nobuko) wanders in to escape the summer heat and a finds a popular BL which catches her eye. Urara is an embarrassed secret fan of the genre, and Yuki had no idea such a thing existed but quickly finds that she loves it and seeks out Urara's advice to learn more about it and get her recommendations.

Acting is reacting, and, as ever, Ashida's reactions are on point, expressing all the embarrassment and social awkwardness of a young woman who has not found herself yet. Yes, she has a crush. But he's already dating the tall, popular, beautiful Eri, and what would happen if he or, worse, THEY ever found out she's into BL? Nevertheless, Urara guides Yuki into the world of BL fandom, and Yuki encourages Urara to try making a manga of her own.

The film is quite smart with lovely parallels drawn between the manga that the two are reading, and the other things happening in their lives. The score and song choices help to propel the story along and as whole the film feels much shorter than its two hour runtime.

It is, indeed, rare for a film to center on a friendship between two people with an age difference of over 60 years, and this film does so lovingly and well. Ashida, if she chooses to, will be Japan's breakout star in the coming years and Miyamoto is a good solid veteran actor. Together their scene work provides all the warm-fuzzies you could want.

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Realistic, Simple & Pure, Loved it, Highly Recommended

The movie was just amazing, I think I hardly stopped smiling during the whole movie, the first impression with the 1st couple of minutes continued till the end.
It was so Realistic, simple, felt so pure and so brightening.

By Koyel : https://mydramalist.com/profile/8453309
This was like a ray of sunshine falling upon one's feet peeking out of a thick blanket's end after a night that's been cold & deary. You watch this kind of film when you're doubting yourself & losing a sense of the daily mundane goodness in everyday life, especially when you're thinking too far off into the future.

I was really....really having a difficult day. By the time it was past evening, I was tired and slumped. Thankfully, everything in this comfort of a movie made me happy & lighthearted. What a lovely watch.

P.S It's always such a fascinating thing to me when two far-fetched generations come together to bond over a singular thing that they both love. Kind of makes it much more humane regardless of that gap of age and the imaginary walls of every generation dividing us.

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