Boys Love DVD with Saito Takumi, Kotani Yoshikazu (Unrated) +Movie Reviews

SO thrilled this has finally been subbed

C. Cummings | Shiga, Japan | 01/19/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I live in Japan right now, where this movie's been out on DVD for over a year, but as my Japanese is conversational at best, it's always been more of a chore to pay attention to the dialogue than the action on-screen.

This movie's really...well, different for everyone. It's moving at parts, and definitely a little cheesy and "wtf" at others. But it's DEFINITELY worth the price here (especially as this subtitled DVD is actually cheaper than the original), and one of the better, in my opinion, gay/gay-themed movies Saitou Takumi has taken part in.

If you're looking for a good 90-minute movie that will satisfy your longing for some nice eye-candy and a moving storyline, then this is it. If you're looking for a revolutionary look at homosexuality...then perhaps you're better off searching somewhere else."

Simple, Beautiful Film

Megan E. Thunem | Dallas, TX USA | 05/09/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"On the surface of things, Boys Love might be seem like a simple (perhaps even clichéd) romance that traipses along the lines of vague vulgarity, but by the end you cannot help but feel a certain attachment to its protagonists.

In using the term 'simple', I refer to the general plot of the film, but there are concepts and sequences within the story that cut just a bit deeper than your average misty-eyed effeminate male love story. In such a manner, there are numerous quotes from literature and notable speakers threaded silently throughout, usually as conclusions to pivotal scenes, which encompass many of the emotional boundaries in which the characters of Boys Love entwine - from innocence to promiscuity, tenderness to maddening jealousy. Some of the quotes seem obvious, but many will stir about your sense of reasoning and curiosity.

For the most part, Boys Love is indeed rather predictable. However, the compelling and genuine performances of leads Saito Takumi and Kotani Yoshikazu result in a nevertheless touching and irresistibly engrossing experience - all culminating into an unexpectedly dark and lingering final chapter.

Boys Love isn't a movie to be examined and picked apart, but instead, a movie to be felt, absorbed. There's a lot of heart here, you just have to be willing to look for it."

Great eye candy, but not much else

Bob Lind | Phoenix, AZ United States | 04/18/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Quite popular in its home country of Japan, "Boys Love" (2006) has just recently been released in a subtitled DVD in the US.

The film tells the story of Mamiya, a 20-something journalist, who is assigned to do a profile on popular teen model (and amateur artist) Kisaragi Noeru. Mature for his years, Noeru takes control of their meeting, and later of Mamiya himself, as he introduces the young journalist to his first experience with man-to-man sex. Visiting Noeru a few days later, Mamiya learns that Noeru is more than a bit of a slut, and seems incapable of settling down with one person or keeping his word to anyone, including his best friend Chidori, who has an unrequitted crush on Noeru. After Noelru picks the wrong person to go home with, and is the victim of a gaybashing, Mamiya learns from him why he is leery of forming a close relationship with other. amd pledges to be there for him, which turns Chidori into a jealous rage.

It's actually a simplistic story, stretched out to fill almost an hour and a half. Though the film is chock full of great eye candy, the acting is a bit "over the top" and tedious at times. I could also have done without the "proverbs" used by the director to transition from one scene to another, which I found to be anmoying after a while. The ending seemed contrived and hardly logical, as well as unnecessarily depressing. I would rate it four out of five stars for the eye candy, but only two for everything else, so let's call it an average of three stars out of five."

Jealous Schoolmates

Amos Lassen | Little Rock, Arkansas | 01/22/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Boys Love"

Jealous Schoolmates

Amos Lassen

Coming on the Ides of March from Picture This is the Manga inspired melodrama, "Boys Love". The plot is simple--a young magazine editor falls quickly for a sexually experienced teenaged model. The film takes its name from an umbrella term used in Japan for the publishing genre of gay romance stories.

The beauty of the actors in the movie is what makes it so special. Here is eye candy that will have you thinking for a long time. Taishin (Kotani Yoshikazu) is the magazine editor who interviews Noel (Saito Takumi), a high student who has such good looks that he has become a male model. He has lived somewhat of an adult life sexually and usually gets what he wants. He decides that he wants Taishin and makes a pass at him in a restaurant bathroom. This is the start of an affair which is marked by seductive manipulations and interference from Noel's jealous high school boyfriend. Within the passion of Taishin and Noel there are twists and turns that will keep you thinking. As the editor becomes more and more taken by the model, a relationship develops but it is fraught with trouble and it looks as if it will not survive. It is not just hard to maintain a relationship but when jealousy and random men, booze and the demands of a career are added the stakes become very high indeed.

The characters are sharply drawn and the actors portray them beautifully. Just to see the beauty in the film makes this one worthwhile but it is also a good movie.

"

Visceral

Mike Ross | 03/25/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I initially approached the movie from a manga-esque, bishonen point of view, and I was not too off the mark. My expectations were not too high for the intelligibility of the script, but focused mainly on Asian eyecandy -- in which regard I wasn't disappointed.

I half expected to see some sort of anime/manga-based art work on the walls as Taishin (Kotani Yoshikazu) interviews Noel (Saito Takumi) on his 'art,' but groaned when I saw kindergarten-level art instead. Already the story line was apparently unraveling. Thankfully Noel had a modeling career, and that didn't seem too far fetched, given his beauty. Suspension of disbelief was engaged, and I moved forward.

But, surprisingly, overall, the movie quality was good and the acting was quite decent and believable, and I found I had to start re-evaluating my prior assessment of the film as the character interactions became more complex, and more of the story line was revealed. I was equally pleasantly surprised how the movie shifted from initial sex to the gradual telling of how the characters were falling in love. The movie was actually becoming better and better. Some people might object to the occasional quotes on the nature of love during the course of the movie; I actually quite liked them. They didn't detract, in my estimation, but underscored various aspects of the film and the changes occurring in and between the main characters.

Although the story line was somewhat predictable, the movie was, nevertheless, engaging and quite enjoyable. It was fun watching Taishin learn to swim and Noel to box. There was an onscreen chemistry between the two. I was thoroughly enjoying the film right up to the end -- and then I had a major reality disconnect as well as quite a shock. Without giving things away, it wasn't so much that they went to the ocean, it was WHY they went to the ocean and not to a much more obvious, rational place, especially given their current plight. And then there was the final scene... Immeasurably sad. And, yet, I shouldn't have been in shock given my original mind set -- Manga. It all made sense, in a way, given that point of reference. I had, simply, become engrossed in the movie and forgotten the obvious.

If you're looking for a light, frivolous, fun film such as 'Another Gay Movie,' this is not it. I watched the film three days ago and I'm still thinking about it. For me it held a visceral punch at the end which continues, as I said, to linger with me. Still, I recommend it and feel it deserves a better rating than some have given.

"

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