Strange, but Intriguing.
That's exactly how I would describe Utsukushii Kare. Based on a somewhat familiar trope, what made this drama pique my interest were the leading characters.Timid and introverted Hira falls for the cold and untouchable "King" Kiyoi. It then follows their twisted connection and the moral dilemmas that each of them face.
It's 100% non-fluffy by the way.
The show never moved away from the "romance" aspect, which I unfortunately found boring. Narrated from Hira's point of view, we rarely leave his bubble.
Both Kiyoi and Hira had distinct personalities and personally, I felt that there was more room for growth and portrayal of their different facets. I am not familiar with the source material, so I might me wrong.
Hira in particular, looked a bit more lively and open during the latter half of the show, particularly after his time at college. He is definitely one of the most uninteresting protagonists I've ever seen, but there were not many characters or relations in the story to begin with. It looked almosy empty or crowded at times.
I particularly loved the portrayal of the characters in the final episode, thanks to the cast who did an excellent job. It was too rushed for my taste, unfortunately.
Overall, it's definitely worth a try if you are seeking some dramas which deal with the ugly truth of a few people out there.
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This review may contain spoilers
Started off troubling but finished strong
As far as episodes 1 to 4 was concerned, Kiyoi appeared arrogant, narcissistic and unkind, while Hira was needlessly reverent. How could a healthy relationship possibly result from such a dynamic? I thought. But I was completely won over by the end as the final episodes offered revelations from Kiyoi’s perspective.The beauty of Utsukushii Kare is in how it demonstrates the communication quirks in conservative Asian societies. Reading between the lines is required to grasp subtler expressions of love.
When Kiyoi uses the term “stalker”, he really means “thank you for coming to me”. When he says “disgusting”, albeit in harsher tones, it’s because he just doesn’t know how else to express what he’s feeling.
“How did I fall in love with someone as disgusting as you?” Taken out of context, his sentence might sound terribly unkind. But in the particular context where it was said, Kiyoi doesn’t actually think that Hira is to be abhorred, but instead, he wants to say, “how did I find someone as special as you?”
Read my full review: here: https://asianblreviews.wordpress.com/2021/12/26/utsukushii-kare-my-beautiful-man-2021/
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A peculiar love affair
Doubtless, many theses could be written about the Japanese psycho-sexual cultural impulse. In this series, the character Hira’s low self-esteem manifests itself in a fantasy obsession with the aloof, vain and arrogant Kiyoi. The peculiar Japanese take on this relationship imbalance is that Hira welcomes and Kiyoi obliges with masochistic behaviours. The two lead actors do outstanding work portraying these flawed characters. Kioyi evolves through his trail of humiliating failures to achieve some humility and regard for Hira. Hira’s character, on the other hand, barely leaves his comfort zone of demeanment and in the end, the writers ask us to accept that Kioyi’s continual slurs are meant as tokens of affection instead of the corrosive verbal instruments of degradation that they actually are. In my opinion, this relationship does not have the happy future the show’s creators would like us to believe. Production values are good and the earnestness of everyone involved is without question.¿Te ha parecido útil esta reseña?
I really wanted to like this, it is now going to have a movie too
I really wanted to like this series, it was recommended to me, and I thought I was going to enjoy it, I love BLs, but no. I just couldn't enjoy this show at all, the actors did a great job acting in their roles but the plot of the show, the writing, and the no real character development bothered me. I wanted much more for this, and some parts confused me in the series, where I honestly felt like dropping it. I continued watching it till the last episode, and my mood didn't change. If I was Hira, I would have picked the friend who honestly really loved me and cherished me. That was the perfect option, but anyway. This show wasn't for me, but I'm sure it has fans that love it. So I recommend just watching the first episode to see if you would continue it or not. The actors did a great job in their roles; this had nothing to do with them. Just the writing of the series.¿Te ha parecido útil esta reseña?
