Umibe no Étranger

lovely, heartwarming, and visually stunning movie that i took a great nap after. cute character designs and cats. i thought it was gonna be sadder but it was overall a very relaxing and domestic slice of life. unlike most shows like this, theres no miscommunication tropes. the leads are pretty straightforward, so outside of their complicated feelings abt their sexualities, there's little conflict and everything gets resolved quickly which i appreciate. the love scene towards the end was so tender and well written also, i had to pause so many times to kick my feet kekeke

loved the casual yuri side couple too like yess a ... world where gays are completely normalized and not even the granny gaf.. thats how it should be!

This isn't exactly a bad piece of media, but not a great one either. It is just mediocre, a good person meeting a good person, no conflict sticks in the movie, which may be a plus point for viewers wanting to see wholesome stuff for once, but for those wanting drama, there isn't any. Some plotlines just exist.

The art itself is very good. It is animated beautifully.

Characters are mostly very flat and have a very basic background and backstories. As I mentioned before, there isn't much conflict, so character development is non-existent, which is not a flaw of the movie, as it doesn't require ... any, but I hoped for more.

Overall, it is mediocre at best and painfully plain at times

In an attempt to make BL less problematic, Umibe no Etranger came up with a relatively wholesome romance plot that is also bad and directed in a manner that is incoherent.

I don't read/watch BL but I am very open to works in other mediums handling LBGT issues, especially as they tackle social issues in increasingly creative approaches. Whether Umibe intended to go down the more modern and grounded take of gay romance or to make a BL that was more palatable than the modern problematic BL... I couldn't really tell.

It gives off the cute, wholesome vibes of say, Josee or Ride Your Wave, but ... for a short run time (one hour), it somehow decides to tackle abrupt time skips, flashbacks, and a relatively explicit sex scene. This wouldn't be terrible if done artistically, but the direction is horrid - none of these scenes appear with warning and this movie simply does not have transitions. Shots are quick, don't match movements, and you may find yourself in a different spatial or temporal setting within seconds with no idea of how the characters got there - either physically or emotionally.

Talking about emotion, there's very little characterization of the characters beyond a few boohoo points, and there is little chemistry between the leads. Hell, the female childhood friend fiancee who asks for a kiss probably had more chemistry with the lead.

The art is nice, and the animation isn't bad. But ultimately, I would prefer Doukyuusei with its slightly problematic writing but significantly better direction and art, than this movie: yeah the plot is progressive and non-problematic, but who cares???