More than Words (2022)

An original story with remarkable surprises

Through the interwoven stories of Mieko, Makki, as well as an older Eiji, More Than Words makes the point that all relationships have to evolve with time.

The story takes a particularly interesting turn when Mieko decides to become a surrogate mother for Makki and Eiji’s kid. To the 3 of them, this is the only way they know how to move forward. It’s a way for Makki and Eiji to exist in society, and a way for Mieko to cement her indispensable significance in their lives.

And as the characters are placed under the ultimate test, their fraying relationship teases out the worst tendencies of human nature. I don’t want to spoil what happens in the end so you’ll have to watch it to find out, but the twists and turns that the story takes is remarkable.

The storyline is creative, emotionally wrecking and sometimes, deeply uncomfortable to watch.

More Than Words is a slow burn that you must be prepared to sit through patiently. There are moments where the show just involves 2 people having a conversation while eating a meal. It feels realistic and mundane, which adds to the charm of the show, but can get a little dull if you’re looking for more stimuli.

All in all, it's a truly original story.

Full review: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2022/10/31/more-than-words-2022-review-bl/

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Actions speak louder than words.

Objectively a great show, this show falls short of a 10-star review because 1) That's for shows I actually loved and enjoyed every moment of and 2) The storytelling falls short of delivering the proper emotions at parts.
I also feel very conflicted about whether I should recommend this or not. The thing is the production level of this is amazing. The cinematography, set design, lighting, make-up, clothes, directing, and acting are on par with the best of the best, I believe. It's a naturalist style, to a fault! Every character, situation, and interaction feels, painfully, like it was plucked from a real moment. And from episodes 1 to 6, I loved that world so much, that I wanted to open the screen and crawl into it and live in the characters' lives. The show just makes Japan look lovable!...and then episode 7 happens.
For the record, I don't think the show is "ruined". They didn't "mess up". The plot works. The doomed, terrible fallout is logical and expected. It's just that that moment feels like a balloon has burst and suddenly the rose-colored glasses are off and you see the grimy, messed gore of the show's underbelly. Nothing in life is that clean, easy, and straightforward forward, and as a show that feels more like a documentary in its realism than a scripted scenario, it was bound to fall apart as magnificently as it did. But just because it's logical and true to style, doesn't mean I enjoyed sitting through it. This was so upsetting. Maybe because it felt so real, it hurt more than your average drama. It was devastating and I felt so much distress during the final hours of the show. So how can I just consider the technical part when the emotional part was so scarring and dissatisfying?

Summary: The story follows three friends. Meiko, a girl with a hardened heart but a deep fear of abandonment, Makki who is the poster child for a manic pixie dream boy but who is actually hiding his fear of being left behind under a sunny personality so people around him don't feel burdened by his sadness and won't leave him, and Eiji a spineless but kind university student who I would like the punch very very hard in his soft face but that's not related to the plot. Meiko has sworn off relationships, and Eiji has recently discovered he's gay. He falls for the INAPPROPRIATELY younger Makki and Meiko who is lowkey 100% also in love with Makki just sort of settles for supporting them and hangs around like a really lovely third wheel. Things fall apart later. Of course they would...ugh!

Plot: I could probably write a whole essay on this show's plot. It's low-key brilliant but it's also so frustrating. So you end up wanting to acknowledge how brilliant it was but being too pissed off by everything that goes down to be able to appreciate its greatness. That's why you would see a lot of reviews either praise what a great show it was but avoid talking about the details or people ranting angrily at how much they hated this and rating it suspiciously low. I'm here to tell you both are valid reactions. I also feel like throwing the metaphorical show out of the window from frustration but also give the crew a standing ovation. Frankly, I'm only just leaning towards praise because I didn't like Eiji's character much and liked the fourth (mysteriously kept out of my summary) main character who shows up way too late into this show. Now if I wanna get real deep into it, this is how I would review the plot. There are two issues with the plot:

1) The core of this story lies in the name of the show: More than words. In order to understand the plot, the characters, their motivations, and their ridiculous choices, you need to pay attention not to what the characters say with their words but what they say with their actions. Characters say they want something but don't really mean it. Others say they don't want someone but actually do. Other characters just don't say much but show their feelings with their actions and ultimately the tragedy of this story comes from the fact that even the characters miss each other's silent pleas. It's beautiful but also...it wasn't totally well delivered? Some bits of the editing work to the detriment of the plot. They manage to trivialize certain dynamics or underplay the importance of certain connections to the point that until the end, I'm still not sure who feels what and how much. And not knowing this, affects how you see these characters. This works especially against the relationship between Eiji and Makki which in addition to having a very imbalanced power dynamic, also suffers from the fact that I could never be totally sure just how committed one was to the other. Meiko is our POV character for most of the show and she herself knows there's a deep part of Makki and Eiji's relationship that she can never gain access to (and she desperately wishes to insert herself into it! Gosh!) But because of this, it just feels like Eiji and Makki are really good friends who are randomly living in the same house! Now, in retrospect, this may have also been due to an unreliable narrative situation involving Meiko's perspective of things (and how she wanted to make it SEEM less deep than it was due to personal...guilt) because, in the last 3 episodes of the show, you get ALL that when Makki is the POV character, lol (and honestly? that's when I started to feel nauseated watching this because a 16yo should never date a 22yo because that clearly fcked up his perception of intimacy and it was just painful to watch during those last few episodes AAAAA) Anyway, I'm getting off track but what I'm trying to say is, I could never trust Eiji's feelings, not the whole time throughout the show and he just irks me, that creepy mf.

2) The second arc is too short. So turns out, this show is an adaptation of a manga called "More than Words" and a partial adaptation of another manga called "In the Apartment". With MTW being the prequel to the main story of ITA. Unfortunately, though, this show is 80% More Than Words and only includes one arc of In The Apartment. Mainly because that's when the narrative set up in MTW reaches its conclusion and this being more focused on MTW, they probably added the extra episodes for clarity. But, In the Apartment is a nice story too! It's not as raw or lovable as MTW, but MTW was actually a mirage so that's why it was too good to be true, anyway. ITA is more realistic in its gloominess but less so in its characterizations because we only get a very very summarised glimpse of it. To be honest, I would have loved it if this show had 3 or 4 more episodes so that we could see Makki's character recover a bit from the messed up indoctrination that his former relationship left on him. He was so flawed and beaten down by the end, I wanted to just sit and cry for the kid.
I also have to talk about the characterizations because, despite her selfishness and bad choices, I really liked Meiko's character too. All the characters are so flawed but so well-written. Even though I want to sucker punch Eiji, I still appreciate his characterization. It's so brilliant. And of course, I feel deeply sorry for Makki because we just don't see enough of his interiority but what little we glimpse of him through the eyes of others is so intriguing and interesting. And that brings me to the next point:

Acting: The acting in this show is wonderful! Usually for me, Japanese dramas are a hit or miss as frequently they have this cartoonish, cutesy, over-the-top acting that I just hate. I simply hate it. There was none of that here. Maybe, some background characters had a bit of that but the main cast was so good, so natural, so level-headed, and so realistically awkward in their performances that I just can't praise them enough. Such a wonderful cast. I love them. They made the characters FEEL complex, like real humans.

Production and music: I already said how wonderful the production is. I will just add that the credits are so beautiful too. So smart. Also, the music on this show is amazing. This is how you score a show! SK and China please take notes...please! I am begging!

Rewatch: Hell, no.

Negatives: There is a freaking minor/adult relationship in this show. It's never properly addressed as being weird and I know, it's not legally wrong in Japan since I think the age of consent is 13?! But still. How do I say this... this must be how the relationship is in the show because the show may not say it but as you watch, you can literally see the bad education and emotional scarring that such a relationship left on the minor. The show doesn't mention it but it's there! Right there! Especially if you have seen this in real life, you will know the signs and they are there and it's heartbreaking. I just wish we got more of the show so we could see more of that aftermath and maybe some form of recovery because no minor deserves to be taken advantage of like that and then just be left to fend for themselves. (now if you'll excuse me I'll go cry)

Overall: I don't know if I should recommend this. I would have recommended it if I'd written this while watching episode 5 but...I've seen all 10 and while I know it's a good show, the lingering emotions I feel after watching this are not what I would like to share with you all. Dive in at your own risk!

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When a 10/10 Drama becomes a 7-8

This had the potential to be a very powerful story, however the level of angst pile on is akin to torture p*rn. Granted, the Japanese are one of the best at film noir and striking heavy tones, but at times it can be overdone. It seems to me that this story was made as bleak as possible just so it can seem tortured. Sometimes this works but in the case of this drama, the better story or the better direction would have been to rein in the tortured narrative somewhat as it didn’t fit the overall direction of the things that had been established about the story and also it needed a bit more in-depth backstory and time to sit with the secondary characters in order to make it work. We needed to have more of an emotional connection with the secondary characters in order to see them as grey, complicated humans instead of one dimensional antagonists. It would have made their outcome feel like the only possible ending for them instead of it feeling very disconnected from the narrative and their only function being to be the catalyst for a climax/obstacle/angsty vibes. Essentially we were missing the pay-off for the emotionally tortured ending to resonate with the viewer. I know the ending is supposed to be bittersweet with an optimistic outlook but that’s not what you get from it. That’s why I say there’s very little pay-off.

I can’t fault the acting and I think they had a good premise with the story. It’s just the pile on of the bleakness (there’s a time and a place for this), and some of the story direction that lets the narrative down, but quality-wise it’s not a badly written or executed story. If not for these things (which unfortunately dragged the score down substantially) this could have been at the top of my drama list with a 9.5 or a 10. Because this movie is technically well made, I couldn’t give it lower than an 8. It’s a proper movie, filmed artistically and professionally.

*Please be advised this review is based on me watching this movie three times over a 2 year period in order to give it as much of a chance as possible.

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Realistic BL that shows our society.

First of all I really liked this BL because it was based on reality.
I just want to tell everyone if you want your relationship to be good so never ever involve a third person in it.
I only liked the character of Makki because he did what was right and he was straight forward.Maybe people will not agree with me but Makki was brave enough to leave them and Eiji was the shit character.
He was shown as an adult but he didn't do a single thing like an adult.
He was terrified from his dad and didn't fight back even though he had a job and was independent.
But you know what was the villian in this story that was Mieko.She was a good friend but she gave the most idiotic idea ever which leads to the break up.
And she always said I don't really like men but she did end up marrying Eiji.And that jerk said I like you too like bit*h please choose your sexuality first then date.
I liked the ending that Makki didn't return to Eiji and started living his life.

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Must Watch

Alright so I have been continuously watching this drama non-stop and honestly compared to alot of others BLs that I have watched, this one would be a strong contender for the first spot in my favorites. This drama isn't the typical romantic BL like the other ones but instead, has a really realistic view of the world and a very strong storyline to keep you hooked up. Even though it might sound like I might be overselling this drama, but it honestly touched me a bit.
The casts did a really good job expressing the thoughts and brought out the characters very well, be it sadness, depression or happiness, it actually felt kind of genuine.
If I speak about the directory and production value, some parts of the drama such as like a scene when they carry out an activity seems kind of extended and unnecessary, (or so I thought at first) felt realistic and like as if it wasn't really a drama at all. I have never seen anyone use this style of production and directory in a movie or drama so I liked it and it was totally new to me.
Speaking about the music and stuff, it goes well with the drama but at times I thought they could have done better than that but nevertheless it was good.
Will I rewatch it again? No. Why? Even though I honestly loved it, I don't think I would actually rewatch something be it any movie or drama, twice.

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Heartfelt

I will keep it short and will not include any spoilers.

One of the best Japanese BL that I watch. But, at this point i'm not sure if i could call it a BL. This could have very well be a movie good for Cannes Film Festival.

It turned out to be an adult love story. It addresses a plethora of real-life questions offering no easy answers, and refusing to pander to romantic movie stereotype.
Heartfelt, real and emotional to the bone. Good acting and a good chemistry between them.

I will 100% recommend to watch the series. As for me, it raise the bar when it comes to BL movies / series.

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Poignant.

There's an underlaying sense of realism to this series. For instance, the dialogue: as in life, when things are spiralling, there's a lot more said in the silences between people than in the words between people. Kudos to the actors for their restrained and layered performances. A thumbs up for the taut script. Also, I'd add a nod to the directing. This series will leave you thinking after the credits roll. I found myself thinking that peoples lives rarely follow a straight line, and it's not the roadblock that tumbled us to our knees that defines us. It's what we do after the fall.

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Lovers of drama will love this

A stand out drama from beginning to end. Not one scene is wasted or out of place; the end credit scenes alone are worth watching for the innovative treatment. Hard to believe this is Hashizume Shunki’s first drama; his direction is sure throughout, even allowing for his lead cast being highly experienced actors and a screen-adaption from the mangas by Asano Taeke who has 60 scriptwriting credits to her name.

Heart-breaking and gut-wrenching in slow motion as this story of friends and lovers plays out over 8 years of their lives together, and apart. A piece of LGBTQ+ storytelling so good it merits an exceptional quality award.

But a word of warning: those who wish for clean tidy resolutions should know that “More Than Words” is true to life, and aspects of the story could easily yield a follow-up. Instead it ends with the certainty that while we live there is no end point to the emotional knots these characters have consented to being in. And yet, over 340 minutes, their story held me captive with their love and care and desire to not let go of each other.

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Mieko hate page

Mieko is so fucking annoying it isn't even funny,, I get their like a trio but dang girl give the guys some breathing space,, she just HAS to be apart of everything I think she forgot that she's not apart of their relationship,, this girl is so infuriating, ain't no way she suggest she has their child then marries her bsf boyfriend bffr and the way they tried to back out of the whole impregnating her thing and she says there's no turning back like girl tf you mean,, you single handedly ruined their relationship and the writers have the nerve to make her look like some sort of good girl victim. She was nothing but selfish yeah she might have had some good in her actions but the choices she made only benefited herself and somehow it seemed like that was her goal, I saw her as an egotistical and selfish girl and I don't understand how people like her ngl. And I don't understand how they had a threesome but she lied and told makki it was his cause she's 13 week but it was eijis cause the doctor said she was eight week?? Did she and Eiji continue to have sex behind makkis back?? Cause he did say he saw how eiji’s feelings towards her changed and that's why he left. But even if why did they get married?? Eiji loved makki and mieko wanted to make him happy or so she said so why would she marry the love of his life? It was a good show tho,,

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A Tender Meditation on Life, Love, Friendship, and Change

More Than Words initially left me, well, speechless. This is not some cookie-cutter BL or escapist fantasy. It is a masterfully written, lovingly crafted, beautifully shot, wonderfully acted, and deeply affecting story that spans years. It is not about one character or couple; it is not even, ultimately, about just three friends, as it really lets us, as viewers, inhibit many POVs throughout, which in turn fosters sympathy for very different (and all decidedly imperfect) people.

I can't say anything to reassure those who seek reassurance in fleeing reality. All I can say is, This series affirms life and love because it doesn't deny the challenges and changes they bring. It ends hopefully, and that feels far more earned, and far more consoling, to me than impossible promises. A masterpiece.

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