Director: Takeshi Yokoi
Stars: Kyosuke Hamao, Daisuke Watanabe,
Yukihiro Takiguchi, Yûta Takahashi, Kei Hosogai, Yûki Hiyori
This is the 2nd chapter of the Takami-kun series, an LGBT romance made in Japan. I quite liked the first instalment, but I'm happy to say that Nijiiro no garasu is an even better chapter of this young romance. It's well-made, beautiful, entertaining, and surprisingly emotional. At times it made my heart sing with glee, then it made me quite angry, but best of all, it made me feel heartbroken by the end. This is a show with a heart and soul. It tenderly displays the romance of a young, gay couple, and all the complications of their relationship.
Takami-kun and Gii have been going steady for the past year. The new year brings more drama in the form of a lover's quarrel, and a romance that blossoms in the midst of a terminal illness.
I enjoyed it mainly because of the introduction
of Morita, a handsome and intelligent first-year. His character caused quite
the commotion in the mind of Takami, who believed that Gii had fallen in-love
with Morita. This storyline was filled with emotion like jealousy, anger,
fear, and heartache. It was done well enough that it made me feel quite upset
myself. There are dark moments and light moments concerning the character
Morita, making him the character I enjoyed watching the most.
I absolutely adored Morita, played by Yûki Hiyori. |
I liked Hamao's overall performance, just not in this scene. |
There’s some sort of sad farewell to a
character we’re supposed to be well acquainted with. To be perfectly honest, I
do not remember a thing about that character! It appears as though I should
have been heartbroken, but I just didn’t know who he was! Gii then went on and
on about this character’s terrible illness, which would have been upsetting had
it not been for the less than stellar performance by Kyosuke Hamao. He just looked like a
deer in headlights, gawking at poor Gii with zero expression. You’d think he’d
show some kind of emotion on his face, but there was nothing there. That
performance, as well as the fact that I didn’t know the character in question,
made the whole sequence very slow and monotonous.
The final act of this episode is
absolutely heartbreaking. Even though I wasn’t fully connected to the characters
of Morita and Takeshi… their romance and their ending just tore me to pieces.
The flashbacks of their meeting, their friendship, and Morita’s search for the
‘Refractales’ book were just devastating to me. The way they executed this
tear-jerking sequence was absolutely perfect. The scene of the refracted light
shining through the hospital window is pretty damned moving.
Even though I wasn’t completely chuffed
with this chapter, there was a higher degree of emotion, and enough interesting
content to keep me entertained. I was pleasantly surprised at the extent to
which they showed the lovemaking scene. I’m sure it was a pretty big risk
concerning mainstream Japanese morals. I’m ever so glad the creators stuck to
their guns, because it provided a wonderful climax and showed off how much Gii
and Takami love each other. So in the end, I truly enjoyed Nijiiro no garasu, which is so far the best instalment in the Takami-kun series!
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