#call me by no name

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

Call Me By No Name - Upcoming JGL

Call Me By No Name, adapted from the novel of the same name by Yuuki Shasendou. "I knew from the beginning. If I called her by her real name, this love would end." Ai Seji, a student at Eichi University, meets a beautiful girl, Kotoha Furuhashi, who was abandoned in a garbage dump. Ai invites the elusive Kotoha to her home and wants to become friends with her, but her proposal is coldly rejected. She then learns that Kotoha is a name she changed. Instead, Kotoha proposes that they stay "lovers" until she can guess her real name. And it's a strange bet that if she can guess her real name during their temporary relationship, they will become "friends" as promised. Ai can't back out and takes the bet, and they awkwardly deepen their relationship as "lovers," but the past hidden in her name begins to bare its fangs in the present. Facing others, accepting yourself, knowing happiness. A new generation girls' love story that bursts with awkward feelings and sadness in a limited time. (translated from official site using gtranslate so apologies if it's not perfect) Cast: Osaki Ichika & Kudo Mio Director: Eda Yuuka ( Minato's Laundromat, One Room Angel)

Premiering January 9th on MBS. Right after When It Rains It Pours. No news on International distribution. [source]

[shenzhiheng]

To call that... the beginning of love, it was far too uncomfortable to be that. I knew I shouldn't take that hand. I had a bad feeling. If I did, there would be no turning back.

Call Me by No-Name コールミー・バイ・ノーネーム | Episode 1

[bengiyo]

Ben's Big BL Blurb 4: I Hope I See Jay Sorathon Again

New year, new blurb. Time to reflect on a few shows finishing, talk about some new shows, and see where we're at in January.

Haunted Hearts Sucked

Final Verdict: 5.5, Not Recommended. Y'all don't need to watch this weird mess of a show. Despite joking about "devirginizing" its lead multiple times, it was so chaste in the end. It also did some weird world shenanigans I was not feeling. The leads are supposed to be in another Oxin Films project soon, so we'll see if they're better there.

Caged Again Flopped

Final Verdict: 6, Recommended Only For Jay Sorathon. This one really hurts me, because I genuinely loved the first half of this show. Jay Sorathon as Junior was one of the most refreshing experiences I've had in a while. This young actor is charming in a way that felt different, and I found myself enjoying every scene he was in because he could deliver what he was asked to do. However, the show generally failed to do much with most of its themes, and I think it was a real waste of Nokia and Jaonine as a pair. There were interesting themes about how Junior and Sun wanted different things out of their relationship that didn't get resolved, so all of their skinship felt disconnected from the big themes they were teasing out.

I am sad that I cannot really recommend this as a complete viewing experience, but I do not want that to detract from how much I enjoyed the entire cast's chemistry. I just cannot pretend that this show didn't peak at the gif used above before floundering completely.

An Apology to City of Stars

Final Verdict: 8, Recommended. I skipped this show originally because I was overloaded and unmoved by the first episode. However, this show was actually one of the most consistent narratives we've had about the consequences of fan culture, sponsorship, and commercialization of queer actors we've had this year. Unlike Only Boo!, this show inflicted real consequences on Feuang for coming out to the point that he essentially had to change careers (which happens to real actors all the time, going back as far or further than William Haines).

The leads also kept having sex after getting together! A novel experience! I loved that Krom had almost no swag, and Feuang fell for him entire on family photos and his mom gushing over him. He really won as a tech worker. Watch this if you're interested in seeing a show with clear ideas about the entertainment industry and are willing to deal with some weak acting.

Our Youth Left Me A Bit Wanting

Final Verdict 8: Recommended With Reservations. I wrote my write up for this already, and will say here that I like parts of this show a lot even though I wasn't fully satisfied by the viewing experience.

See Your Love Got All The Important Things Right

Final Verdict: 8, Recommended for the Mains. I will admit that I didn't much care for the side couple, but I loved Shaopeng and Sean's relationship. I loved that this wasn't a story about fixing someone's hearing so they could be in a romance. I also love that one of our final scenes in Shaopeng's dad telling Sean's dad to go fuck himself. The leads reminded me of Jimmy and Tommy from Why R U and I loved their work together.

Love in the Air Koi Was a Genuine Delight

Final Verdict: 9, Highly Recommended. I liked it a lot. I think new and old fans will be able to enjoy it. I have high hopes about cross-cultural adaptations as a result.

Love is Like a Poison Was Spectacular

Final Verdict: 9.5, Highly Recommended. I had so much fun with this show. I love that this show blended multiple genres together, and I loved that Shiba was always in a legal drama. By blending this together this way, the show supports the idea that the different ways we love and see the world are not incompatible in relationships. Shiba and Haruto are one of the best couples we had this past year, because they each made the other better, and they each add something to their relationship. Also, this show was actively horny the entire time. Run, do not walk, to support this show (if you can) on Netflix.

Fragrance You Inherit Was The One of the Kindest Shows I've Ever Seen

Final Verdict: 9.5, Highly Recommended. Thanks to the constant efforts of @isaksbestpillow we were able to enjoy this incredible show. @twig-tea already wrote a great review. I will be thinking about Sakura and Touki for years. I will just add that I really loved that Hoshii was just a goofy dude that loved the women in his home. He respected both of them, and was just so happy to be included in their shenanigans. I cannot overstate how much the episode where we met him properly kicked this show into overdrive for me. I loved that he was a good dad and husband and that it was clear his wife and daughter felt safe and happy around him. I loved that this show was about kind people doing their best.

Okay, on to the currently airing stuff.

Your Sky is Faltering, but I Still Like It (8/12)

Look, I am just not keen on the Oh redemption arc. I'm also feeling the show dragging its feet at this point. I also am not sure what the relationship between the various sides are contributing to this story. That being said, I continue to enjoy the chemistry between the leads, and I am looking forward to seeing their dating era. This show has been riding the line on the bubble, and I am curious to see where it lands.

Ossan's Love Thailand (1/12)

I've grown to love Ossan's Love over the last year, and so I was cautiously optimistic about this adaptation. I don't think the humor is as tight or zippy as I would expect, and I think the branded pair component is hurting some of the initial setup. I also feel like the shower scene shifted in a way that doesn't entirely work. In addition, making Kongdetch a widower slows down his dramatic development. I'll check in again next month.

Call Me By No Name Started Weird (1/8)

gif by @my-rose-tinted-glasses

This show got off to a moody and somewhat intriguing start. I am looking forward to our little gamer's interactions with this possibly-fey creature for the coming weeks. It's difficult when the show starts coy.

When It Rains It Pours Has an Uphill Battle (1/7)

I am personally interested in the journey this show wants to go on as what will more than likely be a double cheating narrative. I like that the show started with boy guys in relationships they feel a bit frustrated with due to a lack of intimacy that is being actively ignored by their respective partners. I'm also intrigued because both partners seem like they're overall committed to our leads. This one started off in a mild note, so I'm curious how it holds audience attention. Still, both leads had sad masturbation scenes, one explicitly remembering when his partner used to fuck him, so it has my attention.

That's all for now! I'll check back in with one of these in a few weeks and we'll see where we're at.

[respectthepetty]

First episode of Call Me by No-Name, and I have color-coded girls . . . in a situationship (that has unlocked a new kink).

@avorbl wrote some good thoughts that started my train of thought about the girls' color dynamic, but I want to laser in on the lighting component as well.

Because there is a major barrier between them, and on one side, we have light, and the other side we have darkness.

Megumi is light and represented by warm colors.

No-Name is dark and represented by cool colors.

Megumi is an angel, and No-Name is, well, trash.

However these is a sweet spot on the color wheel involving hues of purple.

And I think that's where these two will reside.

Because right now, Megumi is innocent. She doesn't lie; therefore, there is an emphasis on her light and her entire face.

While Ms. No-Name is all eyes and darkness.

During this scene, her mouth is obscured behind the books several times as she continues to keep secrets about herself. Also, the first name she gave came from a book, One Thousand and One Nights.

But the angel is all face with no secrets to hide.

After Megumi brought No-Name in, she stated it was odd letting a person into her apartment without knowing her name, and No-Name responded that it was more odd that she even let a stranger into her apartment in the first place. Dark vs. Light.

Megumi doesn't even see the danger that No-Name poses with her dark nail polish.

And yet she allows No-Name to sleep in the bed with her only to wake up to her on top of her. She flips the positions, and changes the dynamic. Light on top, dark on bottom.

She leaves the bed and seeks out light in the form of a video game.

While No-Name, after complaining about the light, covers her eyes and fades into darkness.

They are beginning to exist in that purple sweet spot.

When they first kissed, it was a tiny box of light surrounded by darkness.

Because I don't think this is simply a story of Megumi being No-Name's light, but of No-Name seeing the light in herself through her connection with Megumi.

Sweet Megumi let a stranger in her apartment and bed, so No-Name isn't the only one who needs to find a balance within herself.

Therefore I'm thinking we are heading to a Purple Pair not for solely love purposes but because both girls need a bit of light and darkness within themselves.

They gotta find the sweet spot.

[girlsloveupdates]

Call Me By No Name Trailer

[lurkingshan]

Japanese QL Corner

The winter season has begun, with two moody new dramas starting this week while a couple fall favorites came to an end. These shows are streaming on Gaga unless otherwise noted.

Our Youth

We got two episodes this week to wrap up this story, a finale followed by a special episode. It's been interesting to see the mixed reactions to the way the story played out; this show didn't quite land its themes and it left folks feeling varying levels of satisfaction. For my part, I didn't take much from the finale, but I really loved the special ep. The chance to see these characters as adults dealing with the realities of trying to build a life together felt like a gift, and I thought it brought back a much needed edge of melancholy that made the story feel grounded again. This show may not have been the total masterpiece I originally hoped for, but it did a lot of interesting things and Hirukawa will be hanging out on my favorite characters list in perpetuity.

When It Rains it Pours

Strap in because this one is gonna be messy. It was a bit of a mild start for this show, and I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. I’m pretty generally dubious about romances rooted in cheating plots, and none of the characters in this have really grabbed me so far. Everything feels bland and unfulfilling, which I do think is intentional because it's a reflection of how the characters are feeling about their own lives. How much you like this may depend on whether you're in the mood to sit in a vague and gloomy ennui. We will see where they take the story for this one; it may have some interesting things to say.

Call Me By No Name

Aka Manic Pixie Trash Girl the series! I was similarly mild on the characters for this show, though I thought it was visually dynamic and I’m open to seeing where they take the story. Kotoha is our resident Manic Pixie, and she is certainly fulfilling that archetype to the max. Megumi is the type of pushover character that I always struggle with a bit, but hopefully they'll fill her in a bit more--@bengiyo told me the game she was playing is difficult and indicates she may like a challenge, so maybe there’s a bit of an edge to her that we'll dig into. @avorbl and @respectthepetty already spotted some themes in the visuals, so I am seated to find out more.

The Fragrance You Inherit

This lovely show is now complete and fully subbed. Thank you very much to @isaksbestpillow for sharing it with all of us; it's now a late entry on my favorites of 2024 list. More of a queer family drama than a QL, it tells the story of two families connected through several interwoven plots: an unrequited love, an enduring friendship, a reflection on past regrets, a young love, and a mother and son who just want to take care of each other more than anything else. As @twig-tea wrote in her final review, "this is a show about good people who love each other doing their best to be kind to one another." I found it such a joy to watch, and all of the characters so lovable. Toki and Sakura have taken the crown for best mother-son pair in drama. If you haven’t checked it out yet, I can’t recommend it highly enough!

[yet-another-wlw-shipper]

[hughungrybear]

I see we are all in for a couple of rough eps if they are using A Thousand and One Nights as the hook of their story 😅

[avorbl]

Call me by no name - EP1 Colours - Stepping around the colour wheel to keep the distance

Although I am not yet fully taken by Call me by no name's fake dating setup, the colour-coding in the first episode has piqued my interest.

It starts with Megumi and Kotoha in orange and purple.

But we soon learn that they are normally red/pink and blue coloured.

Because Kotoha got too close to her Megumi took a step back and her colour changed accordingly.

I am interested too see how this continues and if they continue change colours according to their relationship development.

[easterndelights]

So today i’ve watched call me by no name ep 1 - loved the visuals. I expect no less from the brilliant director Eda Yuuka; now wait patiently for the beautiful gifs to come pouring in so i could reblog them. Gotta thank the gifmakers in advance 🙏

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

Call Me by No-Name Episode 1

[stormyoceans]

watched the first two episodes of call me by no-name with my mouth hanging open LIKE DAMN OKAY CINEMA

[scarefox]

What is going on in my weird, mystery dumpster-girlfriend GL? What's with those flashbacks 😶

[asknarashikari]

https://x.com/dramaphil_mbs/status/1869294483696910409?s=46&t=r5cQ-fyChNi-Dn-w3MjHHg

They did the poses!

I am absolutely in love with Ichika's fit here. That is so wonderfully tomboyish, and the hair! I'm just *chef's kiss* 10/10

[respectthepetty]

It's them

[girlsloveupdates]

Call Me By No Name stills