Umibe no Étranger

Why am I giving such a low score to a movie that so many people love? It's pretty simple: If you have't already read the source material this whole thing is going to be incoherent. Very little is fleshed out or explained, there's a huge time skip, and no relationships are defined at all. I'm syre that this is satisfying fan service for those who read the series, but if you're judging it as a stand-alone anime project it fails completely.

The animation is nice enough and everything else is of good quality, but I can't recommend this if you're anime only like me. It's just ... a bunch of random scenes strung together. It's not a real story.

The setting of Umibe no Étranger has always held me in a vice-grip. An island surrounded by the blue ocean, the residents are dressed in billowy clothing. The flowers are bright and blooming. It is the essence of summer. It's the place which you read in a book and then proceed to ache for. Or rather, in this case, the place which you see in a manga and then proceed to ache for. This overwhelming feeling of being in the moment presents itself perfectly (thank you, Kanna Kii), so much so, that you want to be living through it instead. I believe the best media ... shows itself in whether or not the viewers wish they could be a part of the story.

Mio and Shun contrast each other. Shun is a quiet novelist who, despite having known his sexuality before Mio, still hasn't come to terms with it. Mio on the other hand is young, carefree, and is comfortable with openly confessing his love to Shun. They balance each other out. Mio learns from Shun's family situation, while Shun learns from Mio that he shouldn't be embarrassed about their love. There is nothing wrong with expressing feelings for someone of the same gender or sex. And Shun, having lived his life with this affecting him, comes to terms for the first time, that, this is how he is, and that's perfectly okay.

I will admit that the pacing of Umibe no Étranger is rather fast. The pacing is the weakest part of both the anime adaptation and the original manga. Before you know it, it's over. This may have faired better pacing-wise if it had been split up into a four-part OVA.

The art. I'll just say it. It's great. They did Kanna Kii's style justice. The animation is smooth, the backgrounds and coloring are beautiful. There is nothing to nitpick. It's above average, probably even ABOVE above average. Studio Hibari did a wonderful job.

Now, for what I am head over heels for - the sound (by Eiko Morikawa) and original music (composed by Mina Kubota). None of the sound effects felt out of place - the blowing wind and stretching sea made the setting even more immersive. And what takes the cake is the music. Beautiful piano pieces, that, whenever they started playing during a scene I would focus on them instead because I didn't expect them to be so... good. Mina Kubota did an amazing job with the music. The ending song is equally addicting; it is all I imagined a song representing Mio and Shun to be. This attitude also goes towards the voice actors, who did a great job with bringing these two to life (along with Sakurako, Eri, Suzu, and most particularly a young version of Mio, who actually had a child voice acting him).

Umibe no Étranger is a story that bases itself around coming to terms with who you are and your situation. It is a story about growing up and basking in pure first love. The animation, sound, music, and setting all bring this movie together. And albeit it may be a little fast-paced, it surely is a diamond in the rough.

Also, it has cats.

//may contain some light spoilers

Umibe no Étranger is so much more to me than just another BL story. It kinda reminds me od Doukyuusei, with its storyline and characters and showing the more sweet and realistic depiction od same-sex love. As a LGBT person myself, I love stories surrounding these topics but it's so hard for me to find an anime that would satisfy me. Mostly, because most yaoi/BL stories are overly sexualized and show same-sex attraction as a fetish. L' Étranger is different in that case. It's good to hear the word 'gay' being used in the show and see a character identyfying as ... such. Sure, Mio still follows the 'I'm in love with a person, not their gender' trope but from what I've understood from the manga sequel, he's still unable to have sex and fall in love with a girl so he might have some identity issues. Besides, there are people who are bisexual with a strong preference for the opposite gender but they still feel same-sex attraction. I'm not against that, what has always annoyes me is the fact that it's been overused in BL stories.

The relationship between Mio and Shun is very real written. It feels real, there are no big fireworks and their dillemas are actually relatable for me. The whole story is not centered around sex and we can actually see their daily struggles with life. Shun's high school life was well depicted and I wish we could see more of it. There is no stereotypical seme/uke dynamic between these two. They're both equals in their relationship.

The movie was quite short and I wish it was at least 90 minutes instead of an hour. The art was beautiful, they really brought the climate from the manga to the big screen. The colours were vivid, the background were detailed. The voice acting was amazing and their voices sounded just like I imagined them in the manga.

The thing with L'Étranger is that it's actually a very simple story. But I feel like we need more stories like this or Doukyuusei with LGBT characters. It's so refreshing for me to actually enjoy a simple romance between two guys, no fetishization, no characters dying. Just a pure story about love. I really recommed it to anyone who's looking for this kind of story. Trust me, it's definitely worth that hour of your time.

Here finally after 2 and a half years of continuously watching anime, I found something that I can call my "Most Hated"  show ever. I just completed this show and decided to read some reviews and I honestly don't understand the appeal of the show whatsoever. I know this is somewhat of a controversial opinion but bear with me.

First of all, let me say that I am not a hater of an anime/manga about LGBTQ at all. If you check my list you will see that I consider 'Doukyuusei', 'Bloom into You', 'Asagao to Kase-san to be pretty good shows and 'My Lesbian Experience ... with Loneliness is one of my favourite manga of all time. So I don't particularly hate Umibe no Etranger because it is BL.

First I would like to praise it for having good visuals and voice acting. The art style is pretty decent but the animation is eye-catching and the background visuals perfectly fit with the character emotions and the mood of the show.
So that's the only praise I have for this thing.

Before talking about my problems with the show I would like to say what I think is the most important thing about Romance anime. "The romantic progression between the main characters (why and how they fall in love)".

Now talking about my first problem with this anime and that is the romantic progression between the main characters.
We don't know much about both of our main guys especially Mio. We know Shun lives with a lesbian couple and an old lady and his parents were against him being a 'Gay' and Mio lost his mother and always sits on the bench outside where Shun lives.
And Shun started having feelings for Mio. Why? Because he is gay? Is that how straight people think about Gay people? that they like whoever they see as long as it is a boy? At first, when Shun talked with Mio, Mio yelled at Shun coz he thought Shun was just talking to him out of Sympathy. And by looking at that it's obvious that they won't be able to get along with each other for quite a bit of time. But No. Mio immediately apologise to Shun the day after and decided to spend a day together. And Mio decided to go to the mainland and he returns to Okinawa after 3 years and  confessed his love to Shun. Everything progressed way too fast that it's unlikely for people (at least for me) to care about the characters and their relationship. What I hate about most romance anime is that " Characters will fall in love even tho they have no logical reason to" and what makes it even worse is when characters fall in love with each other but we dont even know much about either of the two. Why should I care about the love story of 2 dudes when I barely know them or I have barely seen how they've grown their feelings for each other? Its like watching some random kids in public fight. We enjoy watching them fight but deep down we wont care even if someone dies right there.
And for a romance anime if you cant make viewers care about the main relationship it's pretty much impossible to make up for that flaw.

Now about my second problem with this anime aka. "The Characters"
Shun and Mio are bland as fuck.
They arent blessed with many character traits. The only thing we know about them is that they are 'broken' and love each other. And that's the only thing we got when we asked more about the main guys character traits. The author tried to rely on their not so good childhood to make viewers care about them but failed to do so. And even tho the author showed us some bits of Shun and Mio's childhood we never saw the complete picture of it. Which further makes their 'Broken' trait even less interesting and makes viewers care even less. And supporting characters are almost nonexistent. The Lesbian couple did some teasing to Shun and Mio about their relationship and that's the only thing they did. And Sakurako who had some sort of role in the story was not executed properly too. She was there to make Shun overcome his trauma (his parents being against him being gay) and make Shun return to his home. But we didnt see Shun doing so. So I'll say she was a wasted character.

Now about some problems I have with the show that some people might not have problem with.

1: Their first kiss was stupid and forced asf. It was only there to satisfy the thirst of some fujoshi.

2: There is a time skip so early in the series that makes the relationship of mc's even more confusing. Especially considering what Mio said to Shun at the ending of the show " I love girls but still I fell in love with you". But but why? What happened in those years that Mio fell in love with Shun? Guess we'll never know.

3: Like the Kiss scene I was talking about the S3X scene in final part of the show is uncomfortable asf and the comedy between the scenes ruined it even more.

Those are it.
Umibe no Uranger is my most hated show of all time but I don't think it is the worst thing ever. It might be pretty enjoyable for the targeted audience.

A lot of unexplained stuff, lack of depth in character, pacing issue, lack of logic behind romantic progression etc ruined this anime to its core.
Only if the main guys had a bit more depth to their character, instead of the huge time skip if it was focused on their romantic progression and if side characters were focued slightly more this anime would have been somewhat enjoyable to watch but we can do nothing except for imagining about it.

In Short/ Tldr: Watch 'Doukyuusei' or 'Bloom into You' instead.

Thanks for reading. I am open to criticisms so feel free to comment if you disagree with my review.

Have a good day/night.

BL is a genre with very, very low standards. I’d say that the only genre that’s worse off in that regard may be shows for kids, and even that is debatable. So, once in a blue moon a BL anime that isn’t utterly terrible is released, and just by the virtue of not being completely garbage it gets praised as the best thing ever. And to be fair, in comparison with most of other similar works, it’s pretty good. In comparison to regular anime though… that’s a different matter.

First, the good part. The visuals are gorgeous. This movie is very nice to look at, and ... especially the backgrounds are aesthetically pleasing. In this aspect, the production value is high, which is the opposite of average BL product. To give credit when it’s due, I have no complains about this part. Maybe the only downside being that this is the only interesting thing about the whole movie. It almost tempt me to give it a higher score, but unfortunately rest of it is still dragging the enjoyment down.

The story is… chaotic. It feels like watching a digest of a series you have never seen. The characters are poorly introduced, it’s riddled with confusing cuts that seem to just skip over huge portions of would-be story, and has timeskips without warning that make it even more confusing. We are given no reason as to why should we care about the characters at all – unless of course you are a fujoshi, in which case the usual procedure would be to get hyped about boy’s love and disregard everything else, no further characterisation is required. Ultimately the story, or at least what I could catch from it, adds up to about an average shounen-ai plotline about dude liking a dude while some people are not fully okay with that. Nothing groundbreaking. I have not read the original work yet, so I don’t know if it too is as rushed as the movie, but guessing based on the fact that it is only one volume long, the adaptation probably didn’t left out much things.

There is one part where the story finally stays at one place for a longer time and finally starts giving out a bit more coherent storytelling and even a somehow interesting source of conflict which again tempted me to at least give this a 6/10, alas it makes up only about fifth of the runtime and the movie still feels like a very long trailer than an actual movie.

As hinted at the start, this is actually very good for its genre, but that is really saying more about the awful state of the genre than the quality of this movie. It is nice that it’s not so creepy and rapey as “classics" such as Sekaiichi Hatsukoi or Loveless. It’s nice it has animation that doesn’t look like a deviantart user was made to be in charge of the storyboard. But, that doesn’t make it great, that just means it passed the mark of not being terrible. Still, for fans of the genre I would recommend it. For others – well, as I mentioned, at least it looks

Ah yes Umibe No Etranger, a simple yet light-hearted story and now brought to us with a movie. As a manga reader that read this back then, I was beyond excited for this movie. This is labeled as a shounen ai movie but it does have yaoi elements since it is based after a yaoi manga.
Though it's not just boom sex right off the back.

It's about two people genuinely caring about one another, and overtime helping each other grow. Without any spoilers, the characters are like real people, and not portrayed as some stereotype. Giving a more realistic approach. Also the music and ... art is nice.

Once again it's a simple movie, nothing to special. The movie isn't the greatest, but isn't the worst. It was satisfying finally seeing this animated and it's worth the watch especially if you are a fan of the manga.

This will be an analysis as much as a review. And their will be some spoilers.

The Stranger By The Shore is the kind of lgbt content we need more of. It doesn't fettishize us or make light of us, but treats lgbt people like normal human beings. It is a character drama and full blown romance that treats its leads with agency and respect.

Homophobia is something that a lot of LGBT people experience. It's almost unavoidable. There will always be people who hate us and our own insecurities eating away at us. Shun is the focal point of this struggle for the story. He ... experienced homophobia from his classmates in high school before even coming out. When he over hears his classmates riddiculing him for being femmine he runs away and experiences a panic attack, something he suffers from to this day. Later we are shown Shun being asked by his female fiance if he is really ok with marrying her. He replies it's fine as long as its her. We later learn he said the same words to her as a child where she is thrilled and his expression is one of accepting a hard truth.

From his early childhood, to his highschool days, to his wedding day. Shun tried to bury his feelings and live a life of least resistance. A normal hetero life. But like many real people, Shun couldn't put up this front forever. When he comes out to his parents, he is ridiculed for breaking  things off with his fiance and asked by his mother to deny his truth. In response, Shun accepts his parents scorn and leaves. But the scars of the past aren't soon forgotten. These experiences left him with some trauma, taking the form of internalized homophobia. Shun believes he would be better off if he could of loved a woman, and even as he grows closer to Mio, he tries to warn him of how society will view their relationship. With flashbacks and scenes of judging eyes sprinkled in between romantic moments in public, we are given a glimpse of what homophobia may be like for someone in Japan, as well as what the environmental can do to a person.

Now Mio has a different story to tell. The focal point of his character is overcoming loss and depression. When we are introduced to Mio, he has just lost his mother. We are given glimpses into their relationship via flashbacks and other sources. The flashbacks are beautifully incorporated into the scenes. Often while Mio is by the beach. Be it his special bench overlooking the water or his secret spot he shared with his mother.

There is a scene where mio and shun are talking on the beach while Shun fishes. While this conversation is happening, a young Mio and his mother are scene in the background having a conversation. There voices played along side the conversation Shun and Mio are having in the present. This perfectly illustrates how Mio is living in past. Unable to let go of his mother even while interacting with Shun. It is also a great example of the effort that was put into the cinematography of each scene. something I will touch on more later.

Mio's depression is demonstrated by his facial expressions and the way he interacts with the world. Despondent and  wanting nothing to do with the present. That is until Shun slowly breaks through the darkness surrounding Mio. Interacting with Shun slowly opens Mio up. Shun gave Mio the strength to keep living and the we see the true Mio when he returns later on. This time it being his turn to help Shun.

This isn't a romance with no grounds as some people might want to claim. Both men are given reason to be attracted to the other. Initially, Mio is shown to be Shun's type. A flashback shows a boy Shun had a crush on who shared a similar appearance. And Mio's depression and circumstances drew Shun in with the desire to reach him. Shun's kindness and attempts to reach Mio via his bench and the bread he used to enjoy with his mother, leads to Mio giving him flower trimmings from his Mother's plant. While a misunderstanding about Shun pittying Mio leads to a brief fight, it brings them closer together when Mio realizes Shun was in fact flirting with him and not pitying him. Shun even accidentally gives Mio his favorite food that he shared with his mother, curry. And by providing Mio a hot meal and the sensation of a warm home, Mio finally laughs and smiles.

The romance is there for both boys. It's demonstrated both subtlely and unsubtlely , but beautifully done. When Mio returns later on it is his turn to reach Shun, who has succumbed to his depression and own inner homophobia. Mio spends the rest of the movie being the more active member of the relationship. He breaks down Shun's walls and making Shun realize that he does deserve to be loved.

There is a beautiful scene where Shun discusses with Mio his family situation and how he doesn't want to go back to them. It cuts to their reflection on a TV screen and a picture of a young Mio and his mother beside it. A few seconds later Shun leaves and it cuts back to the TV screen and picture, with shun leaving Mio alone in the reflection. While Shun has the chance to reunite with his family, Mio never can. Something Shun doesn't seem to realize. It perfectly illustrates how Mio is still holding onto his past and how he is truly alone without Shun.

The cinematography put into this scene and the scene on the beach I mentioned earlier is phenomenal. The effort put into these scenes alone shows that this movie was made with a lot of love. Some other recuring symbolism is the two bracelets mio wears.  It is never outright stated, but it can be infered via flashbacks that these matching bracelets were worn by Mio and his mom since he was a child. There are several subtle frames  where mio is shown looking at them or gripping them as he is missing his mother and feeling distant from Shun.

Another recuring symbol is the two cats often being shown embracing eachother as they sleep. Something Mio wants and Shun resists. These cats are shown in this pose when mio is longing to sleep side by side with Shun and again shortly before the boys have sex for the first time.

Speaking of the sex scene, it is also done excellently. Shun turns Mio's attempts to get him in bed down repeatedly throughout the film, and while displeased, Mio accepts. It is only after both of them are ready do they engage in the act. And the sex scene makes no attempts at ignoring the basic requirements of anal sex all gay men face. It addresses them head on, and it is portrayed with consent for various acts being asked and comfort being asssed before proceeding. It is done tenderly without taking the romance out of the moment or fetishizing the two men. Since this is not a hentai nothing outright explicit is shown. Camera angles, cuts and strategic use of showing them in reflections are used to dance around the act. This is far less visual then most American produced content aimed at teens and should be considered acceptable for age rating the program was given.

By the end of the film, both Mio and Shun have healed from their traumas. Shun will return home to face his family, and Mio who was stuck living the past, finally let's go and has a new home with Shun. This is symbolized by him smiling as he bids farewell to his parents grave, shun by his side,  ready to leave their island sanctuary for the time being and sail into the future together.

I have covered most of what I wanted to adress in this review. I'd gladly analyze the entire film but I think you readers deserve to experience it fully for yourselves. I won't cover anymore of the plot but I'd like to briefly cover the main supporting cast of characters, as well as the cut content that hindered the movie.

While the supporting cast isnt the focus, they leave a strong impression. Shun's aunt serves as a wise adviser who provides shelter and jobs to lost souls in need. While her presence in the series is small, you can tell she truly cares for those she welcomes into her home and restaurant. Eri is the kind, big sister like friend we all deserve. Someone who teases us and wants what's best. She repeatedly tries to look out for both Shun and Mio, and pushes their relationship forward as best she can. Her and her girlfriend, Suzu, show the future Mio and Shun can have if they come together. They show that even amidst a judgemental society with subtler homophobia like Japan, two people can be in love and have a happy healthy relationship.

Then there is Sakurako, Shun's childhood friend and ex fiance,  arguably the most important supporting cast member. She brings Shun's past to the forefront. While he has secluded himself from his family and past she breaks into his sanctuary with the intent to make him face it. She views the island as his paradise with Mio and while she wants what's best for Shun, she can't help but resent him and his life with Mio. She supported Shun through their youth, even being his confidant in matters concerning his homosexuality, yet she held onto her childhood feelings of love for Shun even after he called off their engagement. This trip to see Shun is just as much for her to move on from their shared past and her feelings as it is to help Shun reconnect with his parents before it's too late.

There's this powerful scene where Sakurako steps into the water at night after a big fight with Shun. It's as if she's ready for the sea to take her away, giving into the pain she feels. But it is Mio who comes to her rescue. His pure love for Shun and wish for him to be happy and to reunite with his parents, even if it means Shun leaving him behind, speaks to her. And the scene takes on a new meaning. Instead of giving into her despair,  Sakurako's pain is washed away by the water. She sees that Mio's love for Shun is far purer then her love that was willing to live a lie

Sakurako is a character with many subtleties. Love, resentment, concern, relief, despair and even comedy can be seen through her actions. She knows Shun could never love her but was willing to accept their engagement. She knows Shun could never kiss her and yet they had sex. She proclaims she's not their to get back together with Shun, but clearly is testing Mio and still holding onto feelings for Shun. She knows shun and Mio are together and yet she wants a goodbye kiss from Shun. She's a girl full of contradictions, who puts up fronts for those around her. While she leaves the island, she proclaims she'll never come back and it's yours. Subtlety saying Shun belongs to Mio and they can have their life together.

Finally  I have only read one chapter of the manga as of now, but I encourage viewers to read the book as well.  Within the first chapter a lot of set up was skipped entirely.  Not to mention, the series is acually ongoing, with a sequel series currently being published. Now  a lot of the cut content offered insight into Shun and Mio's characters. Scenes focusing on Mio's mother and his situation after her death were left out, as well as details about Shun's life on the island and basic info about his character. To me the most unforgivable cut though, was this touching scene where Mio and Shun were walking back to Mio's foster home after their curry dinner and Mio pulls Shun aside to his secret sanctuary thay he shared with his mother. Together they stare at the sea as Mio proclaims he's giving this spot to Shun and tells him of his departure.  The anime equivolent scene on the bench also cuts a brief kiss that Mio gives Shun before parting.

What's weird about this cut scene is the anime shows Mio heading to this location later with no context.  Mio's flashlight goes out leaving him in the dark after his fight with shun and before his effort to find Sakurako. While the scene in the anime is symbolic of Mio's despair and loneliness and animated beautifully, it loses its meaning without this context.

Some other cut content also explains how Shun won an award and became a published author within the three year time skip. Only ever receiving a congratulatory letter from Mio.  While not crucial to the story, these scenes give context that heightens enjoyment. And with the movies short run time it's bizarre that content had to be cut. It's barely 58 minutes long. If it received a proper feature length runtime no content would have had to be cut.

In closing, if you enjoy lgbt content that doesn't fetishize lgbt people and treats its characters with respect, The Stranger By The Shore is a great movie to watch. 
It does not shy away from the issues we face or sex, but tackles them head on.
I'd say the characters and their struggles are highly relatable to LGBY people and broadly relatable to the general populous as well.  This story certainly spoke to me and helped me reavaluate my own feelings and past struggles.  I hope that  people of various ages can come across this story and relate to it. I think it could have a valuable impact on people questioning their sexuality. Everyone deserves the chance to fall in love and be loved back.


I highly encourage fans to check out the manga and the ongoing series for more content. Who knows, maybe enough support will get the sequel an anime series one day or an adaptation that portays the full content of the first book.

I was really excited about this anime, I had heard of it by recommendation, the animation looked amazing, and it was about queer/gay people, being queer myself, this was a big plus.

Unfortunately, right off the bat with this film, I was already suspicious. I know that the BL genre is ripe with problems from beginning to end. The great majority is written by straight authors for a straight audience with zero respect for actually gay people. It's only once in a blue moon that you can find a piece that both succeeds in enticing storytelling and in character authenticity/respect.

While I concede that the animation and ... visuals of the film were beautiful and captivating, that is pretty much all it has going for it.

On to my frustrations!
In the beginning, even when there is a romance beginning, one of the characters is clearly a minor! This is super not okay, especially when trying to show relationships that are different than the "norm" where people are quick to make assumptions.

Not only this but the characters were super underdeveloped. I know nothing about them besides the "juicy" things that make the characters traumatized enough to be "interesting."

This was another really problematic thing: the use of trauma to make a character. This is used a lot in all types of media, but at least in the better cases, there is more to that character than their pain. This obviously did not happen in this film. We only ever learned about the main couple (the rest of the characters are left completely undeveloped and unexplained) and of those two the only thing we learned was what made them "broken."

SUPER IMPORTANT NOTE: TRAUMA DOES NOT MAKE ANYONE BROKEN, I ONLY USE THIS WORD TO DESCRIBE THE WAY THE FILM DEMONSTRATES THE CHARACTERS.

Not only was being traumatized their only character traits, but they weren't even addressed properly. When the storyline came to something that could potentially trigger a character, it would gloss right over, using it to further the entertainment value while avoiding difficult topics.

Last but certainly not less frustrating is the clear ignorance of consent.
There were several moments in this film where a character clearly said "no" or "stop" and it was not followed. Consent must ALWAYS be listened to and followed, that did not happen in this film.

Final Verdict:
As a queer audience looking for a queer film, this movie was more than disappointing.
If you enjoyed this film, I am super glad you did but I urge you to see its failings as well because its send a lot of detrimental messages that should be consciously recognized as such.

I had put off watching this for SUCH a long time because this did not get a good reception at all upon release and I feel so STUPID for letting myself be swayed by that public opinion.

It's actually an amazing BL work, and deserves all the flowers. People that complain about it being too rushed haven't had to sit through 12 episode of nothing just to get a mid confession. It's amazing that in such a short runtime they were able to explore so many things and it doesn't feel rushed at all. Some anime fans just need over-exposition and this movie is not that ... at all, and it doesn't NEED to be.

It's probably one of the few animes that actually dive deep into the realistic issues with same-sex relationships, down to the cuteness and normalcy of the sex, whereas a lot of BLs take a more patriarchal approach and immerse the characters in unnecessary gender roles. Most BLs go through the cheap route of having the more effeminate man be the woman's POV for self-inserting fantasies, but this one is not it at all. It probably breaks every single BL trope and maybe that's why it didn't fare well, since the main audience for this is mostly loser fujioshis, which are no better than incel fanboys. But I hope its gay audience can appreciate a lot of the things that it did to depict a more realistic romance, along with all of its struggles.

I can see why it still didn't vibe with SOME people, but for me personally, it's a straight up 10/10. It's a clean, gorgeously animated piece of work that manages to deliver great storytelling in its tight runtime. It's very to the point, cute, and the conflicts get satisfactorily resolved rather quickly. I prefer that than a long drawn out anime where a simple misunderstanding takes 4-5 episodes to resolve, or 12 episodes for one of them to return their feelings. I feel like I got the full scope of the story, and even though I'll probably dive into the source material, it's a perfectly fine standalone adaptation. I'm still puzzled as to why people were confused by it but I guess not everyone can fill in the gaps and need a lot more of exposition to fluff the story out. It definitely accomplishes more in its 60 minute runtime than a LOT of BLs do over a full length season. Really wished people were more lax with it because I can guarantee you they do not look at other animes under such a magnifying glass.

The movie Umibe no Étranger is a very simple and beautiful piece of work presented neatly and (relatively) efficiently within 59 minutes.

I'll just highlight some things that I think this movie did great/not so great in:

[What I think this movie did great in]
1. Homophobia is a common theme in all media featuring same-sex relationship(s). Umibe no Étranger is no different. In fact, internalized homophobia also came into play in this movie. But refreshingly, the movie dealt with the subject in a very subtle and elegant way--with character development that felt very natural and real.
2. The way the characters react to their situation also felt really ... refreshing. It's also nice to see a romance anime where the character was honest with themselves and actively tried to pursuit happiness and their wants in a healthy way. A particular character inside this movie came into mind when I wrote this and I adore him a lot.
3. Have I mentioned how refreshing the movie was? It's the third time I used that word in this review. Maybe it has something to do with the beach/Okinawa setting or maybe it has something to do with the healthy and innocent relationship of these two young dudes, but for the fourth time, I'll say it again: this movie is refreshing.
4. Standard/average animation but very pretty art (colours & background). Also, if you see the source material, you can really tell that the studio did justice to the character designs. Good voice-acting and music. The child voice actors & actress did especially great.

[What I think this movie could do better at:]
1. Pacing. I guess it's a mixture between my preference for faster-pacing stories and the deliberate laid-back mood of the movie that depicts life in Okinawa... but the beginning of the movie bored me a little (it accentuated the simplicity of the story too much for me). I guess it's a fair warning for potential viewers who have a short attention span like myself.
2. It ain't an anime movie if there ain't a scene where the main character is running dramatically with equally-dramatic music playing in the background. I'm tired of it!
3. Aaaaaaad... that's all! I don't think there's anything else that turned me off from this movie.

So there you have it, folks. I definitely would recommend this movie to everyone. Umibe no Étranger is simply a beautiful, honest, and highly-accessible piece of work.

Final score:
Story = 6 (fair); Art = 8 (very good); Sound = 7 (good); Character = 8 (very good); Enjoyment = 7 (good); Overall = 36/5 = 7.2 (rounded to 7.0)

I was so excited to watch this movie and it did not disappoint! The story flows well, it's sweet and enjoyable. The characters are all special in their own way, there's not really anyone that you'll dislike. The character development is nice, it was good to see how both Shun and Mio didn't give up their feelings for each other!

The art is just amazing, the animation is beautiful, I really loved watching the movie because of it. The setting makes you want to move there, it's just that beautiful.

Overall the story made my heart squeeze in a good way. Plus! The cats made it ... so much better. I highly recommend watching it.

Protect Mio at all costs.

Stranger by the beach where two boys meet and fall in love. The pacing was a bit fast but the progression of the story was amazing. They showed that Shun grew up in a homophobic environment and forced heteronormativity onto him at a young age. Even going as far as making a girl his "fiancé." When Shun saw Mio and developed a little crush on him, he still hadn't accepted himself at that point which is a very realistic representation of someone who has grown up in a homophobic environment.

The part that really shines and shows that Shun accepted his destiny as a person was ... when they had sex for the first time. It is a beautiful thing that really empowered both of them to accept who they are as people, as human beings. It is a wholesome and pure way to execute this theme.

Mio keeps pushing Shun to accept who he is and forces him to realize that he can't change who is. He is a good representation of jealousy and a person who just wants the best for someone they truly love.

All in all, this movie was outstanding and it is a movie I would love to rewatch over and over again.

Yes, yes, yes I am the bad person that gives this movie not the highest rating. Because I probably like toxic BL (as you can see in my list, no) or I'm homophobic. But I want to explain it.
Story (5);
ABSOLUTELY does not stick together. I read the manga over a year ago. And even in it, there were moments that were unexplained or unfinished. But in this movie, the events are not logically related. They are very cut and fast. And yes. The thing that makes this movie think this movie is great. Supposedly it presents a REALISTIC love story. And I want to explain ... something. Yes, this is not Junjou, Sekaiichi, Love Stage where we have harassment and abusive overtone. But just because Umibe no Étranger is NOT toxic in ANY aspect, it doesn't make it realistic either. And why am I saying that? Because we have two tons of similar stories like this, in shoujo and shoujo-ai genres that people call "sterile", "vanilla" and no one calls it a realistic story. And in this case, it is realistic because it takes place between two boys? It may not be harmful, it does not spread bad stereotypes, but it cannot be portrayed the way most people do. I'm sorry.
Characters (6);
The main characters are okay. Sometimes, and especially at first, they seem a bit infantile, but over time they get over it. I really liked not the main couple, but the characters that accompany them. They are quite good and I liked them.
Sound (7)
Good. And that's it
Art (8)
The best part of the movie. Wonderful. The prettiest BL I've ever seen. Perfectly drawn elements of nature.
Summarizing. You can compare this movie to Classmate. Because they are quite similar. But I didn't like it that much. Better than popular, mainstream BLs but I don't share a popular opinion about it.

From what I've heard I expected some phenomenal and outstanding movie with great story and even better character development, but it turned out to be really boring (in my opinion)
Everything is going too fast and that sudden love confession after 3 years is really out of place :/ Moreover after 1st half Mio started to get annoying. He is so pushy with his love. I understand - he has feelings for Shun, but the way he shows it is just hard to look at and watch. It seems like that's his one and only personality trait troughout the movie.
I wish Umibe no Etranger was a ... bit longer so maybe it would make more sense
Anyways the style and music is great, really love the animation and that's a big plus
Have a nice day/night <3

I'll make this short.

The characters arent develloped enough and the relationship between them lacked a story. The movie just throws you in the narrative right at the start without context and the rest just goes wayyyyyy too fast. And the time skip DID NOT help. How am I supposed to encourage two guys I don't even know? The random bits of backstory are...kinda forced? No the WHOLE relashonship of the movie seems forced.

This is the kind of movie that would need a 12 episodes anime to truly enjoy the story. The art is great and the characters also seem great...it's sad that they were wasted ... in a 1 hour movie.

Mio is right for calling out Shun's creepy eyes (because Shun is an adult and Mio is a child), but uh... Shun should not be so happy when Mio says he's glad to be hit on (because Shun is an adult and Mio is a child). Sure, the time skip happens and Mio ages up to young adulthood, but he still very much acts like a child throughout their entire budding relationship... which he practically is in comparison to their very different maturity levels and we are given nothing to indicate otherwise.

At its core, this is a fairly typical story about internalized homophobia. Nothing groundbreaking. ... If you like the "repressed gay finally finds love and self-acceptance" trope, this'll hit the spot for you and sometimes that's all you need. The animation is gorgeous, the blue tones really capture the melancholy mood, the voice acting has its immersive moments, and the soundtrack is quite pleasant to listen to. It's the type of movie that makes you curious to read the source material for more context, but alas it just didn't convince me personally to care enough about the characters or their stories beyond this tiny surface level glimpse at their lives.

The short length is both its strong point and its biggest hindrance. On the one hand, the character development just isn't there and it quickly becomes apparent that this is simply a fanservice project for fans of its source - complete with non-con and questionable consent, as the genre is unfortunately known for (though, mercifully, the farthest it goes is soft kisses and one awkward sex scene). On the other hand, a longer run time would have needed better character writing and a strongly developed plot to back it up. As it is, the audience is given hints as to why the characters feel the way they do and how they ended up here, but we are left with more questions than answers. So, it's both a blessing and a curse that this movie comes and goes as quickly as its main characters do. If it had been any longer, I think my brain would have lost interest.

All in all, this is a serviceable 50-ish minutes if you're looking for a light queer-focused story with pretty visuals and cute cats that won't demand too much of a time commitment. It's a neat little sampler for anyone wanting a taste of the manga before diving in and it's probably satisfying fanservice for fans of the manga who just want to see their favorite characters come to life on the screen.

The movie is very beautiful visually and story-wise. It felt similar to movies like Your Name and Weathering With You, but it had its own charms. The colors and scenes pop out vividly and catches your attention but in a relaxing way.
As someone who lives in a pacific island, the movie felt like home. The scenes of the island and the homes felt nostalgic, and the details were captured well. The story is very well written. I understand the constraints that the movie may have which is why they had to cut the time, but nevertheless, it was a very enjoyable experience for me. It ... wrapped up well and gave you what you needed to know.

[Spoilers Perhaps]

Though it felt like Shun didn't reciprocate Mio's feelings enough, that part did feel bothering to me until the end. But given what he's been through and after reading the synopsis, I could kind of understand. Shun did try, and it seems that Mio understood through Shun's walls in the end, given his character, which further encompasses how healthy their relationship is and how they are meant to be together. Both of them want the best for each other and it's been shown throughout the story.

One hour was not enough to truly encompass the beauty of the story the show has. I only wish there could have been more time.

SPOILERS
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
... -
-
-
-
-
-
I was like, oh it's titled shounen ai must be a cute lil love story AND THEN THEY JUST, I mean nothing wrong with that it just came as a surprise.

Anyways loved the story and to be honest it had a lot of potential to become something bigger. Like I would totally watch a season of that. The side characters were interesting as well. So it kind of felt rushed to put that into a 1 hour long movie. I still have some questions. For example: How is Shus father going to react to him having a boyfriend? All in all it had potential to be something bigger than just a movie.

Note: This is my first review for an anime.

The reason why I love this film so much, not just because of its majestic animation and visuals, but it focuses on how time is an important element in love.

Moreover, the characters' circumstances and experiences, thus, in fact, brings out the desired emotions the audience wanted to have. I do think that the audience can somewhat relate their selves within the characters' perspective, which is one of the notable factor in creating an emotional film.

Plus, this anime film is straight to the point and it does not set the focus on a metaphorical approach. ... It can be easily distinguished what the characters meant.

It also got me reading the manga sequel, and it is one of the manga I've ever loved.

A sweet BL to have a soft cry, laughs and heart throbs too.

We open with Shun Hashimoto, always looking the way of a boy who stays by himself by the water. Although he does hold concern for the boy, he has a lot more interest in him then just his well being. With try and try again, the two end up getting closer and learn about one another. Unfortunately, the quiet boy by the water needs to depart from their small island, but leaving a promise to come back in the future when he becomes an adult.

The years flew by in the flash of an ... eye, with Shun continuing his work like always not giving a second thought to the person who will be moving into his residence. And would ya look at that, the boy from the water, Mio Chibana, comes back to Shun with full force after wanting to see him for years.

Watch these two learn about each-others past, learn about dealing with external criticism/comments and find love within each other.

If you enjoyed the manga, then this movie is an ABSOLUTE MUST for you! The pages have come to life, and the sweet OST to go along with each and every scene is soooo swweeeeeettt!!!
I would also suggest this movie to anyone who wants to start BL. This isn't intense like other series, is easy to ingest, easy on the eyes and ears... and let's face it, if this sweet series doesn't get ya hooked on sweet BL romances then I don't know what will.