In recent years, LGBTQ+ coming-of-age series have found a new, joyful and hopeful voice. Gone are the days when teenagers came out of the closet only to become victims of HIV and AIDS, homophobic attacks, parental disapproval, or increasing suicide rates.
In the new image of gay coming of age, happiness is deserved, even if there are some slips and stumbles along the way. This new positivity is welcome as both series and films celebrate LGBTQ+ relationships while drawing a line under the endless tragedies of the past.
However, some of the struggles of the coming out process, especially in heteronormative and patriarchal societies, such as Japan, where equal marriage is not yet legal, can be eliminated for the sake of positivity.
'Takara no Vidro', the series by Yuho Ishibashi ('Our Dining Table' and 'Toyko In April Is...') and Mirai Tomita ('Around 1/4'), sometimes opts for positive vibes instead of a more realistic exploration of homosexual love between two young Japanese university students.
Based on the manga of the same name by Suzumaru Minta, and scripted by Tomomi Shimo, we review a sentimental initiation series that tells the queer love story between two hiking lovers who begin to develop emotionally; a series that has the power to win your heart with its gentle charm that simply takes it to the finish line.
The literal translation of the title is actually 'Glass of Takara' (in reference to the character's obsession with glass marbles) although the name of the manga in English has always been known as 'Takara's Treasure'.
Directors and screenwriter have recreated an inspiring story. 'Takara no Vidro' has a strong sense of being a classic, down-to-earth series and doesn't try to be anything more than that. Instead, the staging develops an immersive and tender coming-of-age story with strong queer motifs.
The main hero of the series, Nakano Taishin, a shy and insecure young man who has just moved to Tokyo from his native Fukuoka to start university and reunite with Shiga Takara, a kind tourist who manages to comfort him during the summer of his third year of high school. while mourning the death of his pet. Surprisingly, this little encounter will change their lives forever.
Unable to forget that kind gesture, Taishin decides to thank him in person, but Takara acts cold and distant towards him.
"So all I have to do is keep trying until you like it one hundred percent?" With this idea, Taishin, undeterred, decides to pursue Takara anyway, and Takara finds himself increasingly charmed by Taishin's candid, direct, and honest gaze.
For his part, Takara has gone through childhood and adolescence full of internal conflicts, because after the divorce his father leaves his life and his mother looks for him whenever she wants, just to ask him for money. His grandfather is the person who loved him the most and instilled in him his taste for mountains and for small glass spheres inside whose "you can see the blue world turned upside down."
A lover of hiking, very popular among his mountain club colleagues and other university students, Takara's eyes say much more than his words. But their world is about to change forever with the arrival of Taishin.
Confident and sure of his likes and dislikes, Takara is Taishin's polar opposite, and it isn't long before a friendship and unspoken attraction develop. As they spend time together, romance begins to blossom, between the activities of the hiking club, their meetings on the university campus or the store where Masaya (Sano Gaku), a friend of Takara, is one of the employees.
Slow-burn romances, like the one the series presents us with, are sometimes predictable, but often leave viewers in suspense, wondering if the love interests will really come together. When Takara and Taishin finally realize that they are meant to be, all that waiting is worth it.
After their reunion, they begin an atypical friendship, which will unite them in the process of climbing much more than high mountains. With shyness and shocks, together they share experiences, words that until then they did not know, reflections that they had never uttered and, who knows, maybe they even discover the secrets inside the crystal balls.
Probably one of the most interesting aspects of 'Takara no vidro' and what makes it a unique series is that it is not just any love story. The audience will see the two protagonists consider concepts such as identity, self-discovery, acceptance, family, the universe, trust, friendship, helping the helpless, student camaraderie, life and death (seen in the loss of Taishin's pet, but also in that kind of loss that exists in any dissolution of marital ties). Many adolescents and young people will feel identified and understood thanks to their unusual way of seeing the world.
Little by little, the relationship between the two becomes closer, and Takara begins to wonder why she likes spending time with this boy so much that she insists on being close to him.
Following a theory from his friend Emiri (Mihara Ui), Taishi will believe that the only way to be close to the person he admires is to see himself as a "fan" of Takara and Takara as his "main", whom he cannot cause problems and who would have to be content with watching him from a distance without interfering in his life. However, Takara will tell you that the relationship between the two is not that of a main character and his follower, but between two equal people: "No one is greater or lesser than the other." He only has one request: do not hide from him and be honest about your feelings and emotions. This will bring you even closer.
The series adapts a very moving and intelligent manga, in which the dialogues are the basis of the story. Through the conversations between Takara and Taishin, two characters emerge who, although shy and insecure, will not hesitate to open up to love.
Takara and Taishin begin a journey of discovery, in which their group of faithful friends will also participate, who are united by the search for their place in the world: in addition to Eimiri, Yukawa Kenzo (Yamada Kento), Taishin's main confidant, Uehashi Minami (Kasama Yuri), the leader of the mountaineering club, Hyodo Mei (Shimoda Ayaka), and Ishikawa Akira (Asami Kazuya), Takara's best friend.
BL lovers will happily welcome this new romance in which the tireless search for love is narrated, with Taishin willing to do anything to conquer someone as seemingly distant as Takara. The push and pull between the two and the way their relationship evolves create an ideal series for fans of the genre.
Although its narrative is simple, it still works as a unique story about how to find love, understanding and warmth in the person whose footsteps you have followed over time and distance because you cannot erase them from your mind.
The music, original and catchy, fulfills its objective within the story, and helps us understand the feelings and moods of the characters.
The series is a loving and enjoyable romance that celebrates the love between two young people who discover their homosexuality through a senior-junior relationship and beautifully timed moments of drama. The chemistry between Hiroshi Iwase ('Saiko no Kyoshi: Ichinengo, Watashi wa Seito ni Sareta') and Eito Konishi ('Kabe Koji Desires To Be Recognized') as the central couple Takara and Taishin, respectively, is brilliant when the first sparks of Attraction flows between them through a shy smile, eye contact or the gentle touch of a hand. The couple adds warmth and emotion to the story.
The depiction of gay romance is full of light and sensitivity, and the series deserves kudos for that.