A Beautiful Ending
Once again Utsukushii Kare has surpassed my expectations. Yeah, I don't know how they keep doing that either.Hira and Kiyoi have grown significantly since the previous season and their relationship is a far cry from its unstable beginnings in the first season.
The movie focuses on two things: Firstly, Kiyoi's acting career and all the pitfalls that come with it, including rabid fans (and oh the juxtaposition here absolutely destroyed me in the best way, this was a brilliant story-telling device) and prying tabloids (which it tackles very deftly through Anna's character and her relationships which I thought was a perfect balance to the direction Hira and Kiyoi's relationship takes over the course of the film).
Secondly, Hira's difficult journey of reconciling his deep-rooted insecurities both in himself and his relationships, with his secret belief in his own superiority, and learning to finally, finally meet Kiyoi as an equal in their partnership. The last line specifically really hit me like a truck, it was absolutely perfect.
This movie is beautiful, poignant, deeply charming and provides the perfect ending to a brilliant series.
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You're going to enjoy it !
That was a really cute ending to a beautiful story. !When you first met the characters, you may think it's going to be cliché or cringe but they really put a lot of effort to craft the characters, their personnalities, their stories and their relationship perfectly.
The relationship is super cute to watch and you just love them together. You want even more when it ends.
Also, the other characters storyline are really interesting to follow and add to the main plot without dragging the story !
I can see that the entire team did this movie (adn the all serie) with love and passion and I'm thankful for that !
I hope to see them in an other story soon maybe as grown adults ?
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Good character development, but I was expecting more in general
Note: I went to see the movie in a Japanese cinema, the version most likely slightly differs from the net/DVD version.Definitely can't say I liked this more that the TV series. The movie doesn't have much of what I was eager to know after the two seasons - no character backstories and surprisingly little communication about Hira and Kiyoi's relationship status. I was expecting some more development of this topic after S2. First thought it might be because of the focus on the character's feelings, but that wasn't the case either, unfortunately. There are so many things happening at once plot-wise that the production probably found it hard to emotionally stress everything properly. A little disappointing overall, but definitely not boring to watch.
I liked that there's more focus on Kiyoi's personality and feelings, but was a bit upset we didn't get to hear his thoughts like in S2. Also REALLY happy that he's not toxic anymore and focuses on proper communication (which obviosuly wasn't the case before).
Hira's character development: good. The strong supporting characters: amazing. I really enjoyed the photographer man and Anna's influence on the plot. The story was well-paced, but could be a bit more thrilling. But this franchise generally lacks powerful culminations, so it's not too noticeable.
Overall, very enjoyable! The cinematography in the movie was much more high-quality than in the series, now it's not only Kiyoi, but every third shot that you can feast your eyes on. Very easy and pleasant to watch, nice weekend movie. And obviously, if you enjoyed the series, this is a must-watch to calm your heart and observe that character development we've been waiting for for a whole two seasons.
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This review may contain spoilers
I genuinely think this is the best thing I have ever watched
Now, whilst I enjoyed the first and second season, to me it wasn't top of my list. Yagi Yusei's portray of Kiyoi throughout the first and second season is the main reason I enjoyed it. Normally both characters in the couple have to be grasping my attention for a series to really be enjoyable, but I found myself so frustrated with Hira throughout s1 and s2 that I wanted to watch an edit of the series with just Kiyoi.I could genuinely write a dissertation on Yagi's portrayal of Kiyoi and I'm not even what I would consider a "fan". Like I know nothing of his other works, but his acting in this has genuinely bought him to the top of every possible list. The most phenomenal part of his acting is in that portraying Kiyoi he portrays all very different, warring sides to him. The side that is polite and business ready as an actor, the side that is casual with others, the side that supports Hira, and the side we all love and that doesn't come out "explicitly" but in the change of his tone, expression, and use of words, that only Hira sees, his selfish side. My favourite though is his vulnerable, "weak" side. When Kiyoi cries and his voice breaks, you feel it, your heart aches for him. And though I didn't want to watch a sad story I wanted to see that again, and luckily in this movie you do, often for good reasons.
That being said whilst I was looking forward to seeing Kiyoi again I wasn't looking forward to seeing Hira again. I didn't feel in s2 there was enough growth for Hira and its frustrating watching behaviour which I think genuinely stems from neurodiversion and needs some learning on Hira's part to understand others emotions and how to communicate his own. This to me is not an overnight solution, and frustrating that the "introverted" character in dramas often gets mixed up with the character that has clear spectrum signs and is expected to just overcome his struggles with gumption. Hira's stutter and difficulty processing others emotions without being explicitly being told them, are all signs of that.
That being said, this movie is not that. Hira's worship of Kiyoi still continues but not in an obstructive way. Kiyoi has become better at making Hira understand his feelings, and Hira miracle of miracles actually takes the hint from time to time. I especially loved the moment where Kiyoi uses his "King" persona to force Hira out of a state of hesitation and anxiety over taking his photo, and focus on him (also I would have loved if they explored a bit more the dom/sub undertones of their relationship but alas only so many tropes can be covered in one movie).
All in all the movie shows growth and intimacy, a side to their relationship which I wish had been shown sooner. It really is so satisfying watching them connect and understand each other, and the story is wrapped up so beautifully nothing feels missing or incomplete.
Also quite rare in bl is intimacy scenes which are actually real. I am so fed up of the "obligation kisses" in drama where actors just purse and press their lips together, and fancy music plays in the background and that's that ticked off the list. It feels awkward and cringey. In this there is none of that. When Kiyoi and Hira kiss, they actually kiss. There isn't a lot of it, but intimacy portrayed by these two actors goes so much further than kissing. Kiyoi's expression and voice just from being touched by Hira, the way he gets embarrassed and shy is honestly *chefs kiss*. Genuinely props to the actors for really throwing themselves into it without any restraint, their immersion made it actually believable. My only misgiving is, just like the end of the drama when they are properly intimate for the first time in the lab, there is this ridiculous solar flare of a light in the background for "artistic" purposes and it is so incredibly distracting. Like we don't need to see them doing the do in detail, but don't bother filming it if you're going to make it impossible to watch. Unfortunately the final scene in this movie does the same. There's a weird semi-transparent fabric net over them and all I could think about was, are these actors not suffocating in there? Thankfully halfway through the scene the camera comes inside the "net", and I get it was supposed to be this whole ethereal effect, but it would have been all the same if not better, if it had just been natural and real instead of all artistic.
In conclusion to this long, derailed review, go watch it, you won't regret it. I rarely rewatch but I really think I will rewatch this one.
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This review may contain spoilers
A satisfying ending to their story
Not going to lie, I was super nervous about this movie because I didn't know what to expect. I really wanted to see their relationship mature and I'm happy to say that I got just that. Even though Hira still isn't the most confident person, this movie showed us that he has potential and that he can become a King too! I thought that was such an important moment and I loved that Noguchi played such a big role in that. There were a lot of cute and hot moments which is always a nice addition but for me, the other interesting part was that they don't fight with each other like they did in previous seasons. It shows a lot of growth and I fully believe that they can only get better at communication at this point. There was still angst between them but that's to be expected, in my opinion. We can't have a movie without angst, right?And lastly, I want to mention how incredibly wonderful the cinematography was! They just can't miss. They said we are going to make the most aesthetically pleasing movie and they did it like it's nothing to them. I was once again impressed by the beauty of the scenery. When they started looking for new places, I was SO SAD because I didn't want them to leave that house... I'm emotionally attached to it... so I was very happy that in the end, they ended up not moving out. That's their home and I want them to live there for the rest of their lives<3
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This review may contain spoilers
this had the same vibe, of the 2nd season. reading the description was sure this was a retelling of the plot, with a happily ever after ending (as don't think, there will be a season 3 or another movie). but it wasn't a retelling (+ summarization) of the BL series. one could just watch this movie & get a general background to how everything started (went on in the series), & considering the 1st season, it would save them a lot of headache lol (well i was the only one having a bad trip??) if u know u know. ?
(pretty sure) was the odd one out, cause the 1st thing i did was search if Kazuki was in the character list. he's a side-character that has almost no screen time & yet he has always been my favorite (think mainly cause of how everyone kept bad-mouthing a pretty sane/normal/healthy in the head character) ??
also noticed Shitara & Anna; the sec saw them, was sure (what i thought would happen in season 2) would occur here. kinda hard not to come to that conclusions, as Shitara came off as even crazier then Hira (& that's saying something, dude obsessively addicted to Kiyoi).
having watched this, wont say this was perfect or loved every sec. it was good (for sure enjoyed it more then the 1st season) & thankful that now that we get Kiyoi's POV, it doesn't feel one-sided. where Hira is the subservient, pushover that's being taken advantage off & gaslit. like in season 2, u see that Kiyoi's as addicted & his attitude, actions in the 1st season stemmed from his insecurities. that he as addicted to Hira as Hira is to him. so putting the "drama" of the kidnapping aside the plot was cute & they both finally (in their own way) committed to each other.... "and they lived happily ever after".??
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Could two kings co-exist?
I am confused! I cannot say MLs are attractive (my opinion)it does not seem this story could happen in real life, I even must admit that I would not be sad if leads separated and their paths went different directions. At the same time I was watching the story and never was bored. Whereas in other bl dramas we usually have two handsome boys and it is easy to "forgive" mistakes - because they are cute... here, with one lead shown as a king and another - a slave like nerd (I checked - actor is a cutie one, it must have taken a lot of effort to make him look creepy), it take some energy and thinking to understand the real reason they are together. MLs are strengthening each other, the drama shows that heart has its own ways and real love is much deeper than appearance and conventional behavior. Chemistry is on other level, and I can believe that, as after butterflies in the stomach period, relationships must have deeper meaning, such as partner's development, discovery of new personality layers, surprises.Maybe this is not the best drama, maybe I won't rewatch it and it is not sweet, but was it worth my time? Definitely!
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love this so much
nice story ever , i like how the hira effort to his love , the way hira says to kiyoi that he is a king and treated him like god , DAMNN ? , love the ending of seosen 1 . i did not even watched seosen 2 anymore , but what i thought is its gonna be awesome , i just hope you guys voting and gives a nice review to this film bruh for a nice storyline ??? , anyways i hope they're add more episodes on seosen 2 because its so niceee , but koyama is also great boy which is the best partner of hira , he good at handle hira socially akwardly when introduced him self in front of people at club meeting . thats all from me ???Was this review helpful to you?
Breathtaking movie
I absolutely loved this movie, from start to finish! I loved the actors, i loved their unorthodox relationship and chemistry. I can go on record and say this is one of the best BLs I have seen, certainly compared to what we have gotten in 2024. I have watched it twice and will definitely be watching it again. Thank you Japan ?Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
We Are Eternally Grateful For This Movie Continuation
I had zero clue where this film fell into the timeline of the series. I knew it was after season 1, but had zero clue it was after season 2 as well! Which I love, because seasons 1 and 2 were both great. This was even better, because of the added budget for the film. Some of the shots in this were incredible, super gorgeous seriously. The series has always had an aesthetic that I drooled over as a filmmaker, but this took the cake. That last shot of Hira and Kiyoi under the transparent sheet was literally like something out of BTS's "Blood, Sweat & Tears" which is one of my favorite music videos of all time. The film shows their relationship very well, how they've grown and how they will continue to grow now that they've confirmed their forever. The stuff intertwined within the story was good too, but lets all be honest. Were here for the coupleness that is Hira and Kiyoi! I know there's not really a "need" for another film/season in this series...but I want one. I really enjoy these two and want more artistic BL filmmaking like this, I Told Sunset About You, Colour Rush, Until We Meet Again, etc. Its just so much more meaningful than any cash grab could ever dream of being.Was this review helpful to you?
I loved this movie, 10/10
I loved it so much that i cried when it was over and rewatched it 2 times in the same night. I will definetly be rewatching it again in the future.-
I personally have nothing bad to say about this, the story is interesting, the characters are interesting and the visuals are amazing. I loved watching the characters development, especially in kiyoi.
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You should watch the season 1 and season 2 before watching the movie, it continues the story. I have seen people complaining about the story but if you've come this far, watched both seasons, than you should know what to expect.
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Be open minded while watching
I personally enjoyed this drama because I could relate to the second male lead ?. I would totally behave the way he did in the drama if I was dating someone that good-looking. the acting was really good. the story although didn't have much content it was still really good and it made me laugh with some scenes so yeah. this is my second Japanese BL and because of this film I am now open to watching more Japanese content. cause it honestly wasn't bad, the story didn't drag on and to an extent it was relatable.Was this review helpful to you?
