#kakenuketara umi

[lurkingshan]

Japanese QL Corner

We've got a jam packed post this week, folks. The live airing shows continue to impress, a sequel film and a recent GL dropped, and one of my favorites of the year cam to an end. These are all streaming on Gaga or provided via fansub (feel free to ask if you don’t know where to find them).

Our Youth

This week the show gave me everything I wanted from a POV switch, as we finally went back a little to get a peek into Hirukawa's head and learn how his feelings for Minase developed. From there, we continued with the high school era story, with Hirukawa and Minase going together to see his dad's new film, which turned out to be a BL. The show really nailed how meaningful that moment was to both of them, to see characters like themselves depicted on screen and realize what it meant (@twig-tea). This episode also gave us more of a sense of what's broken in each of their relationships with their parents, and they are now heading off to spend the weekend with Hirukawa's mother. I'm nervous to see how this past iteration of their relationship ended, but also excited to get back to the present.

Love is Like a Poison

An excellent ending to all around solid as a rock show. This drama managed to blend several genres and develop a great romance and tell so many good jokes and somehow never take a single misstep in its storytelling. So refreshing! Shiba and Haruto are a battle couple for the ages and I wish them well on their future domestic and legal partnership. Can't recommend this one highly enough!

Love in the Air Koi

Color me charmed. I really like Fuma and Kai as a pair, more than I expected to. Fuma comes across more good-humored and unserious than he does sleazy, and it's clear that he is actually very serious about Kai. “Why do your eyes always look like you’re asking for help?” was a great line to demonstrate that Fuma sees through Kai's bluster, but at the same time he knows when to back off and give Kai space to process. Kai got me with his constant smiling whenever he thought Fuma couldn't see (the shot in the side mirror of the car being my favorite). I also loved the quick scene we got with Arashi and Rei discussing their friends and the casual affection between them now that they're a couple. This show is great, and so far I think they've done a good job with the darker aspects of Kai's story. I really appreciated @bengiyo's reflections this week on what it's doing well and how the show is subverting expectations with the casting.

The Fragrance You Inherit

This week we got more context for Sakura's college days, including meeting her bestie Ryosuke (an ace king!). I definitely suspect that Sakura's affections were not entirely one-sided back then, but Mone remains a mystery for now. This story is definitely about closure rather than any new romance, and maybe in the end allowing Sakura to be who she is more freely. Speaking of which, Toki might just be my favorite teenage son character ever. He's such a good boy, and he seems driven primarily by a desire to know his mother and support her in pursuing her own happiness instead of just his. I look forward to meeting Mone's husband next episode and continuing to watch all these lovely people treat each other with compassion and kindness. You can find the show here, with big thanks to @isaksbestpillow for providing English subs.

Let's Eat Together Aki and Haru: More Please

This week Gaga dropped a sequel to this charming if inessential little food BL film. The first one let us down by not making the relationship explicitly romantic, and the sequel did rectify that as the characters prepared to leave school and contemplated life no longer living together. Though still no kiss for us. It didn't blow me away, but it's a nice little bit of fluff if you have free time and want something light.

Salty Blue

This short GL film (only 15 minutes) tells a solid and sweet little friends to lovers story, with some surprises thrown in for fun. I recommend giving it a watch! You can find it here with big thanks to @nicks-den for subbing and sharing it.

[nicks-den]

Kakenuketara, Umi. (2024)

Synopsis: Umi and Mitsuki bail out of a boring mixer and sneak into a public bathhouse about to close down. There, Mitsuki's unrequited feelings for Umi come rushing to the surface.

Download subtitle file and raw here:

Mega | Mediafire

Stream here

If you didn't manage to catch the official translation of this movie while it was rental as part of the shortshorts festival a few months back, do give it a try now.

The official title of this short is "salty blue".

Note: Earsubbed, so there may be errors.

[easterndelights]

"Did you know that the ocean and human bodies are basically the same? The ocean and people's bodies have the same elemental makeup. It's a curious thing, isn't it? I'd like to know more about myself."

駆け抜けたら、海。 Kakenuketara, Umi. (2024) dir. Masashi Sogawa

short film & hardsub available at nicksden

[easterndelights]

駆け抜けたら、海。 Kakenuketara, Umi. (2024) dir. Masashi Sogawa

short film available at nicksden

[easterndelights]

駆け抜けたら、海。 Kakenuketara, Umi. (2024) dir. Masashi Sogawa

short film available at nicksden

[easterndelights]

Favourite QL Pairs 2024✨

Thanks again @avorbl for sharing this game (check his faves here). I’ve rewatched a few series in 2024, so some will be included here. The series from my previous list won’t be included here - I find it easier to decide this way. Here is my list, in no particular order:

If It’s With You (2023) - Ryuji & Amane

Koisenu Futari (2022) - Takahashi & Sakuko

Kakenuketara, Umi. (2024) - Mitsuki & Umi

*Like a Dragon: Yakuza (2024) - Kazuma & Nishiki

[*] not a QL series; purely yakuza drama. These two had some subtle bromance and their fight scene felt pretty intimate.

*Tengu’s Kitchen S1 (2023) - Motoi & Yui

[*] not a QL series. Can Japan make a QL series with these two actors? I see potential.