There’s something so special to me about queer-platonic relationships in stories. When you see people so full of love for one another that it transcends any labels because they don’t need them. They don’t need to define their relationship to know that what they have is special. They can just feel it through the way they support and understand one another.
I think love is most beautiful in this form. Not to say other forms are not as special or important, of course they are. It’s just the way that love is seen not out of any desire but pure adoration for someone as an individual. It’s them seeing each other, recognizing their flaws but promising to always be by their side. No expectations, no doubt. They just love each other.
I think more people need to get used to the idea that love isn’t just about a romantic connection. It’s a genuine, human bond that can never be simply defined. Just because two characters don’t “get together” in canon doesn’t make the love they clearly feel for each other any less real. I would take a pair who don’t ever get together that take time to build a bond and trust each other over a pair that starts dating just because it’s the “obvious” thing to do (If that makes sense?) any day.
Because at the end of the day, we all want to feel seen—to have a real meaningful connection to another person. I think that’s why I love QP relationships in media so much. The story isn’t moved by the expectation that the characters will get together, it’s moved by the characters learning how to be human together.
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Jekyll & Hyde musical: We have our leading actor playing the two titular characters for most of the musical.
Frankenstein musical (Korea): Hold my beer. *contains multiple major actors playing two different characters*
I say this with utmost affection because I love both musicals with all of my heart. I also thought it was interesting seeing the Jekyll & Hyde influence on Frankenstein, especially in the music. It makes sense since Jekyll & Hyde is immensely popular in Korea.
As the captain of this ship, I’m thinking of calling the Thorns/Elysium/Lumen/Irene ship “Navilights”
Reasons
• Their involvement in the Iberia/Ægir storyline and their events involving literal ships and navigation through the sea
• Thorns is literally a compass as of Exodus from the Pale Sea
• Elysium, Lumen, and Irene’s associations with light, both figurative and literal: Elysium being like a guiding light for Lumen to help him stand on his own to see the world and make his own choices. Lumen repairing and relighting the Eye of Iberia in Stultifera Navis. Lumen and Irene being part of or associated with the Inquisition and carrying lanterns.
(I swear I had more reasons, but if I remember them, that'll be another post)
Wanted to write down my thoughts on this movie because it was AWESOME and I don't want to forget lol. Non-spoilery thoughts above the cut and spoilers below it.
First of all, the colouring of this film is gorgeous. Everything is in dull greys and navy blues and cream, except for the red, and the red is throughout. There's red roses, red lighting, red ties, red viscera, and so, so, so much blood. It makes for a really stunning watch, to see this heightened red spurt and colour the white clothing of the protagonists, and on their faces.
The cinematography is also a lot of fun. So many dirty shots, where the creepy decorations of this school sit in the foreground and the characters having a conversation are left blurred in the background. Quick, hard cuts, so it's not clear whether something was real or not.
And I love the tension being around what is real vs what is fake rather than jump scares. The way cinema and pranks and voyeurism is woven into this plot to make everything more confusing is so well done; it puts us in the same situation as the characters stuck in this school with no clear sense of what's happening or why.
Most of all this was just fun. It was a wild ride where gross, gory, discomforting, messy, and generally weird shit happened constantly lol and I really, really enjoyed the experience.
Cutting here because I couldn't help but spoil from here on out.
I also really love the subtext of the show re: queer as monstrous. There is a suggestion that at least two of these characters were sent to this school abandoned by their families in order to be sacrificed because they are gay, or queer in some sense. The other characters have stories about doing physical harm to those around them, but at the least for Kenta, it's implied that whatever is going on with him and dressing femme--i won't assume--is what got him sent here (this is early in the film so I'm not counting it as a spoiler).
I had to laugh at the excessive lube; Japan's lube game is always incredible. We never get a normal amount of lube in a Japanese BL, and I live for it.
Also really enjoyed the cannibalism subtext! Cannibalism is always such an interesting theme in horror because it's such a taboo. This felt very Rocky Horror-like with the constant viscera shots and the open questions on characters' faces about where it came from.
The message in this film was so fascinating. Normally we get the trope of 'you have to defeat yourself ' as a hero's journey to get past self-doubt in order to win. In this case, Itsuki tells us he was forced to participate in...it's not entirely clear, bullying and mutilation at the least. He seems traumatized by the experience, and it's not clear how much damage he did on his own. But by the end of the film, after the teacher gave him the gun and told him to defeat himself, he manages to move through whatever was holding him back, and he fully embraces doing violence to others. He kisses Teshio, when he was surprised by/recoils from the kiss from Kenta. He laughs, glories in, is freed by the way he mutilated Teshio's corpse, and flashes back to his memory of when he was "forced" to hurt his classmate in his old school, but this time he's similarly elated. He had some initial reaction to seeing Kenta in a dress and wig--Shinji wondered if he wanted to wear it himself--and after the cult dresses him in heels, a dress, and wig, he does not remove them even after he's free and limping in the heels to drag along that sledgehammer. In this case, the hero's journey is one to freedom from moral constraints, allowing in the monstrous--both murderous and queer--parts of Itsuki to overcome any fear or self-hate or physical limitations, and to be victorious. And then we get the final scene, with the uncertainty as to whether the entire film has been a play, whether the play is in Itsuki's mind, or whether it's a metaphor for the audience to represent what happens. I think the uncertainty is the point. The entire film has been messing with our ability to tell what's real and what's fake, and maybe in the end it doesn't matter. Itsuki is dead; whether metaphorically because he's mentally snapped, or literally because he's killed himself, or because the whole thing was a metaphor and he's embraced his weirdness and joined this weird club and found acceptance in this group that puts on horror plays...the Itsuki who was traumatized and terrified of himself is gone by the end of the film, he's defeated the enemy within. I loved that.
And there's something in this film about how it gets us to be interested in this weird friend group before it starts killing them off for the sake of... entertainment, a ritual, to free their parents of the embarrassment, it's not entirely clear which. But there's something implicit in the morality here that these characters are humanized before they're demonized, and that we are set up to see the ritual as cruel and the level of violence as undeserved. This part reminded me of Gang of Cherry; these kids are fucked up, and cruel, and weird, but don't deserve the even more fucked up and cruel situation they're in, which in turn makes them even more fucked up and cruel, until it's a twisted version of enlightenment, when all you are is cruel and fucked up, and delighting in the purity of the emotion.
Anyway that's way too much navel-gazing for what is essentially 1.5 hours of intentionally bad blood-spraying camp and actors who didn't kiss in their BLs kissing in this. Big fan.
If you want realism, sexiness (there is a sex scene but it is not what I would call sexy; it's intentionally discomforting/edged with tension), romance, or a happy ending in the traditional sense this is not for you. If you like campy horror, strategic cinematography, gratuitous gore, gratuitous tongues, being discomforted, psychological horror, and metaphors on metaphors, I think you'll enjoy.
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Kind of wanna post yumeshipping content since I am so in love with certain fictional characters that I’ve created narratives and romance arcs for how I would meet them and interact with them in their universes
Wow, no wonder I like Yoshihiro Hara's soundtracks so much. He trained under Wada Shunsuke, a very talented composer for popular stageplay franchises. Yoshihiro Hara is also most likely a fan of Takano Akira, so all my faves are connected in some way as usual. I love that so much.
There's just something so special about stageplay soundtracks. The atmosphere they create, as if you're actually there in person even if you're watching a recording. I'm sure it must be even more exciting in person. Sadly, most of the soundtracks are not available as usual.
My partner has been more earnestly trying to get me to read One Piece so we came up with an exchange where for every chapter of One Piece that I read, he reads a chapter of BL manga.
And at the same time, we’re both reading Pandora Hearts as well.
We went on a picnic and brought the 1st 2 volumes of One Piece and My Summer of You to read and it was really nice (and he really enjoyed My Summer of You!).
I had him read Punks Triangle after that, which he also enjoyed, and now I have recommended Life Senjou no Bokura as his next read while I finish Usopp’s introduction arc in One Piece
this was takeda kouhei on twitter this afternoon when he couldnt watch his own drama because it's initial airing is on a region specific network. the person in the bottom tweet telling him to go to bed is the director fghfjh
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I'm so excited I can hardly keep it in my pants..........
A bittersweet adult love story about the lives and romance of two people in their late thirties who’ve left their corporate jobs.
Two former top sales rivals spend one night together on Kuji’s last day at work.
Eight years later, they unexpectedly meet again.
The one-time relationship they had buried sets their lives in motion after this sudden reunion.
As they face aging parents, loss, questions of career fulfillment and whether to live alone or with someone, they begin to share the world and their emotions with a grounded authenticity that only comes with age.
A not-too-sweet, bittersweet adult love story deeply rooted in the life experiences of people nearing 40. (translated from the official site)
Has Gaga already announced picking this up? I've retired from fansubbing after last year's reupload mess, but feel free to reach out if you have any questions at any time!
I haven't talked enough about Two Husbands, One Wife. Because really, what do you say about perfection? It feels like any words I offer cannot do it justice.
I pretty much hold my breath every episode and pray to the show gods that they don't ruin the absolutely beautiful thing they've created.
And so far...as of episode 7...they haven't.
Because every episode has built on the idea that it really takes all THREE of them to make this relationship work. The framing reinforces this with frequent triangle shots (and even triangle dialogue). There must be a connection between all points, and no point is more important than the other. Every person is essential.
Because while Takuzo may be the "responsible" one, he's rigid in his ways.
And while Mia is the realist who easily speaks her mind and expresses what she wants, it can make her very focused on herself.
They already tried it with just the two of them. It didn't work.
And Mia and Shinpei have already tried it with just the two of them too. It doesn't work.
Because they struggle with managing responsibility on their own.
They are willing to do the work, but they need someone to guide them with structure and remind them the laundry exists. I feel that.
And although Shinpei is a free spirit who really brings "joy" to everything he does...
With just Mia, he still feels a bit insecure and not quite good enough.
And with a younger boyfriend that has so many fans, Mia can sometimes feels insecure too.
As the men have developed and taken their relationship further.
Takuzo is able to affirm Shinpei and give him the words he needs to hear.
And Shinpei's earnest and sweet nature is able to break through Takuzo's walls to help him see that his rigidity can have consequences.
His infectious energy pushes Takuzo to go places he wouldn't otherwise and encourages him to try new things.
But both men recognize that they NEED Mia.
She holds them together.
Because she's the one who can express words and speak her mind easily.
Who will make the first move when things get difficult.
And push them to make the necessary decisions.
Because they're a throuple. And no (good) relationship exists without all three of them.
Bonus: There's food symbolism (even more than I mention here). Be still my beating heart.
Mia is gyoza.
Takuzo is curry.
And it's best when the chef (Shinpei) serves both.
Finally picked Club SLAZY back up after not having watched it for a few years (orz)
Spoilers below:
And wow, Another World just turned my understanding of the SLAZY world on its head. It’s also probably the most bittersweet entry in the series so far with the characters being unable to cleanly resolve or find closure with their regrets.
Will, V.P, and Act’s “Sayonara” rendition in this installment was so heartbreaking. Eyeball trying to reach out to Act when he returns to Club SLAZY but being unable to due to now being Odds’ Shadow ;-;
ある男 (Aru Otoko) Musical Song: 暗闇の中へ (Kurayami no Naka e)
It’s been several months since this musical premiered, but I just wanted to share the MV and recording studio video of the featured song 暗闇の中へ (Kurayami no Naka e, “Into the Darkness” in English) sung by Urai Kenji and Koike Teppei.
I am hoping and praying for an official Blu-ray proshoot release so I can watch this in some form! 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
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I found out that the Aru Otoko (ある男) musical VOD is gonna be streaming on Wowow on March 5th at 9:45 PM JST…
But I am sad that I cannot watch it because of region locks and VPN blocks ;-;
I was looking forward to this production since the song video and rehearsal videos available on YouTube were cool and most importantly, it had Urai Kenji and Koike Teppei costarring in a musical together again 10 years after they 1st costarred in the Death Note musical ;-;
In the cast comments, Urai Kenji and Koike Teppei even mention their time together on the Death Note musical and how they were excited to perform together again 🥹
And Hamada Megumi and Kaga Takeshi, who were also in the 1st run of the Death Note musical with Urai and Koike, are part of the cast too.
Also, I’m 3/4s of the way through the original Aru Otoko novel and it is quite interesting and introspective. And with my reading goals this year, I’m glad that the musical adaptation coming into existence motivated me to read the source novel.
I want to see the entirety of Punks Triangle from AE/Enaga’s perspective because the whirlwind of emotions that man was going through while having to worry about maintaining a double identity would have been fun to see.
We do have a short POV switch and get some of his inner thoughts, but I want MORE!!