His - What Is Love (2020)

“meeting someone and being influenced by them is one of life's greatest treasures.”

A beautiful movie with a quiet, & realistic atmosphere.

The thing I liked the most is that I watched it solely for the romance factor but it turned out to be so much more than just that, it's a message of acceptance & forgiveness, it's not full of fluff but the chemistry is still powerful, especially when they kiss or make eye contact. there's a lot of court scenes which some people might not like, but personally, I loved it, Nagisa's lawyer is a side character you can't help but be impressed with, which made me love those scenes even more. Perhaps the story might have focused on divorce issues a bit more than necessary but even that was interesting & emotional to see. At first my rating was a 9.5/10, but after rewatching this once more, I loved how it's a mature movie that focuses on adulthood issues, which is really lacking in asian lgbtq+ movies & drama's these days.. so why not a high rating?

Now may I talk about the main characters?
Nagisa, nagisa.. NAGISA!! he's the cutest character and his relationship with his daughter almost made me cry. and then when he stands next to Shun, their height difference is honestly (lol) one of the reasons I like this movie. let me not talk about how he has to look up to kiss Shun, yea, let's not.
& then Shun, my heart felt for him from the first scene. Miyazawa Hio really did so well with this role, although his character is quiet & introverted, his eyes express themselves very well.
I think whoever cast those two as the main couple did one hell of a good job at it.

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The best thing to come out from 2020

I haven't felt the need to talk about a LGBTQ+ movie/drama so much since "Prayers for Bobby," and that was in 2009 sis, so this already speaks levels for me.

For the past couple of years Thailand, and now South Korea, have given us an unexpected (yet amazing) amount of "Boys Love" dramas and movies that, to be honest, have helped me surviving this pandemic mess we are living in today. However, despite all the fun and heartwarming stories I have seen portrayed in these dramas, none, I repeat: NONE can compare to the work of art this movie turned out to be.

I do not want to label this as a BL because I think the term doesn't necessarily match the theme correctly. Instead, I want to label it as an LGBTQ+ work. Simple and clear. As a gay man, I've been madly in love with watching BLs; despite that, I did notice the big level of unrealism they have. They are mostly just fanservice to get the juices flowing period. That, I said it, don't @ me cause I still love them.

"His" turned out to be a surprisingly realistic movie that showcased some of the struggles of being homosexual in society, especially Japan's conservative society, unlike any other work I've previously seen. The characters were allowed to struggle, learn, and take a step forward to their growth as humans. We also were given different perspectives of the same situations that helped build the world the movie wants to portray for the viewers' empathy. I found myself falling in love with the male leads and female lead (wife) because they reminded me of myself and things that I've been through. Needless to say, I have been reflecting on myself thanks to this.

Let's give credit were credit is due: the acting. I do not consider myself a fan of Japanese acting because I find it too forced and fake, but I am glad that they are finally understanding how things are done, and it shows! I loved seeing how their emotions were building up on their faces and the delivery felt natural.

This is definitely a movie I will save and rewatch in the future, and I could not recommend it enough. Please, do yourself a favor and watch this beautiful story. It's not the typical drama that you're probably used to but I assure you it will leave an impression in your heart.

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