Sankaku Mado no Sotogawa no Yoru (2021)

Aesthetically pleasing with slow burn storytelling

This was one of the most anticipated films on my list. Ever since the release of the trailer, the ost and visuals really caught my attention. Judging by the trailer, it seemed pretty appealing in terms of its supernatural story concept and not your typical slice of life bl.

Delving into the film, it started off strong with its visuals and character introductions, but the story pacing wasn't quite there.
I found myself pausing a few times throughout the film which was a bit concerning. It indicates the story wasn't engaging in the early stages (first 10 mins mark) especially when it came to the bond between the two main leads.

Story structure

The story went from point A to point B. There wasn't much breathing room to let the audience become invested in the characters. Of course, there were conversations made between main leads including Takito's character, Hanzawa (Cop). However, it took so long for a scene to show a genuine connection and emotion between the characters. The first half of the film felt absent, but its absence was not entirely bad. I replayed some scenes and noticed the silent pain the actors conveyed in their expressions which I appreciated.

I believe the film tried to appeal to a wider audience therefore the relationship between Hiyakawa and Mikado came across as a bit hollow. From a marketing perspective, it seems ideal to want to create a story structure that appeals to and invites both original fans of the source and supernatural enthusiasts. Based on watching the film it seems the film director and producers was struggling to build a gradual bond between the two main leads. It bothered me how everything was resolved at the last minute, but I loved how the threads started to connect together.

Acting

The casting choice was solid. From the beginning, middle to end, Hirate-sans performance kept me engaged and more intrigued with her character. I believe she is one of the idol actresses who does not overact. Okada and Shison-san's performance started to shine just after the 30-minute mark. In the climax scene, I believe everybody performed pretty well.

Music

A few osts caught my interest including when Shison's character has a moment of courage. The trailer song is a banger which I'm pretty sure it relates to one or two of the perspective of the main lead.

Production and Visuals

The CGI and colour gradient reminded me of the Bleach live-action. I appreciated the opening montage and ost. It made me realise the trailer didn't give away everything in the film which was a good sign from my perspective.

Overall, I would have liked to see more of the three main leads. I believe when exploring a manga adaptation especially with three main leads, it would have been great as a drama series or film trilogy. Hopefully, the anime adaptation brings more from the source material.

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Enjoyed it

Enjoyed it despite the lack of BL, it was a fun way to numb my mind. If you haven't read the manga and don't care about the lack of BL, it's still fun to watch.

The differences between the manga and the movie did put me off a bit though. Here's where I felt off-- the manga had its fun and adorable moments between Hiyakawa and Mikado, their relationship was intense but cute and funny, but the movie ver of them lacks the mix of those qualities. Even if they didn't want to make it a BL, they could've developed their relationship a bit more.
The ghosts were much more scary and creepy in the mangas, though I will not fault them for their CGI work. The sequence of Hiyakawa remembering his past was amazing, I loved it, it was very fun and a memorable part of the movie for me. I liked the art direction of it all
The sequence in the manga where Hiyakawa binds himself to Mikado forcefully is intense and low key scary, it was the most memorable part of the manga for me because it was like "Oh shit Hiyakawa is not as innocent as he seems" moment, but it was lacking in the movie-- I wish those elements were present. I wanted to feel that "oh shit" moment, if you know what I mean hahaha. The lack of the psychic character was also disappointing, but hopefully there's a sequel and they add him.
The manga has this found family element-- missing in this movie as well.. If there's a sequel, I would like to see that too.
I think an anime adaptation of this movie would have been better..

Anyway, comparisons to the manga aside, I truly did enjoy the movie. The actors did well in their roles and I enjoyed the music as well. The actor for the younger version of Hiyakawa was brilliant, truly memorable. I wish there was more of Erika Hiura!! She is such a complicated and brilliant character and I felt bad they hadn't shown more of her. The characters were a bit underdeveloped in terms of their relationship with each other and that made it a bit dull for me. The ending was pretty cool. I didn't really expect much from a 1h45min movie, and there were many questions left unanswered and unexplored, but I liked it anyway. I truly hope that this is just a movie to develop the bases and we get to see more. If not, it was fun in its own way.

I truly suggest anyone who watched this movie and are aching for more-- please DO read the manga. It's a brilliant work of art. The author herself reconfirmed on her twitter that Hiyakawa and Mikado are in love with each other.

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