So right
there's a live action of this???? :O :O
Okay, I just watched it lol I liked it ok, though, the "sex" scenes felt pretty forced or glossed over. I wonder if it's an acting failure or censoring thing or what it was. Don't get me wrong, it was super awesome seeing the manga as a movie, though. I'm definitely going to check out other live action BL movies!
I'm convinced the stiffness in those scenes were done on purpose. It was almost as if they wanted the audience to think, "hey, these actors aren't really gay and they don't like doing these kinds of things, but are doing them because it's in the script".
Can't risk Japanese female viewers getting aroused by that kind of depravity, right? ;)
It's too bad too, because otherwise the acting was pretty good.
Takumi kun series
Japan is still pretty sensitive over its declining birth rate. The government can't outright censor or ignore homosexual stories like they could in the past, due to its ties with so many western cultures, but at the same time they don't want to encourage anyone to run out and "turn gay" either. Until 2000, any homosexual storyline in manga, novel or movie (tv or big screen) had to end in either tragedy or separation if it wanted to get the green light from Japan's "morality police". Since I assume no one died in this, that in itself is a big step forward. They still want to hold on to the idea that a "fruitless" (childless) relationship can't be a happy or acceptable one. They need a few legitimately gay or lesbian idols and a good LGBTQ group to lead them out of the darkness of their ignorance.
I didn't like the live action so much (I watched it before reading the manga) and Shima in he movie seemed like he was aloof and didn't know what was going on haha but in the manga he's much more serious.