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It's rare to find media today that depicts LGBT relationships in a manner which isn't highly fetishized or sexualized. However, It's even rarer to find media which portrays homophobia, sexual orientation discrimination, and the effect that it has on young people struggling to understand an identity that both Western and Japanese audiences have repeatedly rejected and shamed for centuries. I would like to offer some very deserved praise to Studio Hibari and Kii Kanna for creating what is perhaps the most accurate depiction of what it feels like be unloved, alienated, and different.

"Someday... being able to like and love someone, embracing each other tightly: ... I thought these kinds of things would never come true."

As a viewer and critic who grew up in a homophobic society not too dissimilar to the one presented in Umibe no Étranger, I've not related more to a pair of protagonists more than Mio and Shun. The struggle learning to accept oneself in spite of parental and societal disproval, the struggle of learning to love and be loved, and the struggle of shedding heteronormativity are all concepts that Umibe no Étranger approaches and masters brilliantly. While Shun and Mio's relationship seems rushed, it is certainly not forced; when you grow up surrounded by others who are happy, by others who have what you believe you cannot and will not ever have, and by others who repeat the same heteronormative lines, falling into love with the one person who seems to understand you out of tens of thousands is only natural, and might I add, something beautiful.

The art in Umibe no Étranger is simply stunning. The artists at Studio Hibari did a fantastic job of replicating Kanna-san's work through a screen adaptation. The background art of the flowers, the beach, and the mountains is vivid and full of life. The character art is especially well done, with special praise reserved for the design and animation of Mio's younger self. In addition, the sound design and music in this movie is spectacular; between the ocean sea breeze and the delicately orchestral soundtrack, I was enthralled in each scene and every moment.

As I watched Umibe no Étranger, I found myself often times distracted by the lush scenery and gut wrenching feeling of what it feels like to be gay and to hate being gay. Among my only critiques of this movie is the somewhat jarring use of sex and a lack of time for the protagonists to develop on screen. While I appreciate the author's concise manner of storytelling, Umibe no Étranger says too little when it comes to roles of secondary characters such as Mio's mother and Sakurako. Our protagonists are important, but they only grow to love each other because of the influence of those around them, and too often it felt like their roles were secondary or missing compared with overall plot development.

All this being said, with a run time of less than one hour Umibe no Étranger is well worth your time and extremely enjoyable. I look forward to getting my hands on the manga soon, but in the mean time I cannot recommend this movie enough.