Value of Time

Most of the things in this movie revolved around Ito’s poetry, which I think was a reminder for us to treasure every single moment that we spend while we’re alive. The movie challenges us to ponder on the value of time and how we might choose to spend it after we realize how short and limited it is, another challenge that was delivered throughout the film was how far we would stretch time before we start taking a brave step forward to fulfill our dreams and do what we really want. Both challenges might not be relatable to everyone since they were taken from the perspective of cancer patients, but will surely resonate with most of us now that we are all faced with the ever-present threat of the pandemic, which should make us realize how each second of our life is valuable.

The actress Aikawa had the least exposure among the dominant characters in this movie but she had the most complete development. Ito and Ato’s development could also be considered complete only because they both expired at the end of their individual countdowns. The most heartbreaking part of this movie was [spoiler alert] Dragon’s (Sakamoto) character, although hints were thrown at the beginning of the film, we didn't realize he was also down the path of Ito and Ato’s journey until the last remaining seconds of the movie had been revealed.

Ito’s writing being the central element, led to a heavy emphasis on the relationship between Ito and Ato; the things they did together weren’t as daring (and pointless) as that of Julien and Sophie in Love Me If You Dare, but being both cancer patients, their recklessness were approaching the same level of danger. I am not wishing for this movie to turn into a BL, but I just wish Ato and Dragon’s relationship could have been explored more.

I felt that the music was a bit lacking, I was expecting so much from the final piece and was hoping for a soundtrack that’s worthy of the repeat button, but it turned out only to be so-so. Even the lyrics, which was purportedly Ito’s final writing, was just too literal and shallow, lacking the depth that got us hooked to her writing at the beginning. One more thing I found lacking was the explanation of the “kimochi” formula that was introduced in the story, enough airtime was provided to discuss this matter but the metaphorical translation didn’t hit the bullseye, if the formula has been plotted or visualized as a graph instead, it could have made more sense and more philosophical value could have been dished out, especially when highlighting the asymptotes and the approach to infinity.

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The enduring love

If you're looking for steamy action, better watch porn. If you're looking for a movie that'll well up buckets of tears, better watch some overrated melodrama. If you're looking for a movie that supports LGBTQ+ relationship, find something else because this isn't it.

The take of this movie lies more about waiting, thus, the title which entails the passing of time. Most parts of the movie will also involve elements of waiting and anticipation, and will only result in more questions than answers. Oftentimes responses to questions are delivered subtly and most of the time not directly at the main characters but with what's happening with the people around them.

The main theme of this movie is more on love that perseveres and endures over time. It might be cliché to quote a passage saying that love is patience and does not keep records of wrongs, but this movie provides a preview of those who exactly love this way; they're always at a dead end which was strongly framed in a scene at the care facility, and their lines go something like this:

YJ: "I have nowhere to go home to"
Mom: "I have nowhere to run, he (referring to SY) has nowhere to go"

It could have gone tragically for YJ. The mom could have hated everyone. SY could have died. Yet we're treated to an ending of the three being reunited, sharing drinks and a toast, but everything was still stalemate. Mom being ok with things back the way they were, fully knows well everything, didn't choose to hate the two boys. SY oblivious to the love that the other two characters had for him (he may have suffered a bit of amnesia). YJ who still patiently waits but explicitly expresses he is tired and lamenting that only SY seems normal among the three of them.

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