Eien no Kino (2022)

Tragic romance comes to life

It was a rainy afternoon when their eyes met. As they held their gaze, the world stopped for them and an unknown energy exploded their bodies.
Mitsuru was waiting at the school entrance for the weather to improve, since he didn't bring an umbrella today. Koichi, his classmate, was more foresighted, and is now at his side offering him his. Despite being in the same class, it is the first time they interact. From that moment on, through their eyes, they will continue to look into the depths of their souls.
Oumi Mitsuru (Inoue Sora) is a quiet and introverted high school student who is highly intelligent but not good at socializing. He spends lunchtime alone, away from everything and everyone, while maintaining a cold, distant relationship with his father, a very busy hospital director. On the contrary, Yamada Koichi (Komiya Rio) is a bright, talkative, cheerful and popular boy with many friends in his class.
One of the two has to take the next step. And they cannot deny the strong attraction they feel due to their opposite personalities. Armed with courage, Koichi starts the first conversation and asks if they can be friends. This is how they establish an uncomfortable friendship that evolves between their school lunches without much conversation,
Just as the two begin a romantic relationship, Koichi tragically dies in a car accident, but in an even bigger twist, he wakes up from the dead as if nothing happened. The devastating tragedy sets the somber tone for the rest of the series, but also introduces an innovative twist, adding complexity and creativity to the narrative.
"He's not dead, he's a walking corpse," Mitsuru insists to his classmates who can still see the teenager, but who are slowly beginning to forget about his existence. But sooner or later, the two young lovers will have to accept the truth: the strange miracle of Koichi's walking corpse will not last long.
With excellent acting, writing, direction and overall production values, 'Eien no Kino' (Eternal Yesterday/ 永遠の昨日) is an epic live-action adaptation of author Yuuri Eda's masterpiece, featuring a dark theme of love between boys. Life and death, sex and adolescence mixed, a unique definition of teenage BL. That quote in itself is a clue to the heartbreaking nature of this Japanese romantic, school and youth drama from 2022. It is worth highlighting the imagination, sensitivity, creativity and brilliance of the film discourse.
While the story could have been a strange, over-the-top comedy-drama, it has a surprisingly touching plot about love and loss.
I am powerfully captured by the idea of ​​this iconic BL couple who refuses to lose love despite death and pain.
With discreet humor and a moving and emotional dramatic story, at the same time peculiar and unconventional, 'Eternal Yesterday' will keep the viewer glued to the couch until they see the final credits roll in the eighth and final episode, each lasting about 24 minutes. one.
The powerful story, the moving romance and the profound messages will draw the viewer's attention in this work, directed by Kobayashi Keiichi. 'Eien No Kinou' is an eccentric supernatural romance that explores delicate themes such as death, family relationships, coming of age, friendships and rejection, among others.
A mysterious premise, an attractive cast, the fun and at the same time melancholic vibe, and its powerful musical themes, opening: "Sunshower", by Ayumu Imazu, and closing: "Toi Natsu no Hi", by Kubo Aoi, are a guarantee of visual delight. The background music serves as a support to wonderfully recreate the atmosphere of the scenes without causing any distraction.
High praise for the two telegenic leads. In addition to his attractive appearance, Komiya Rio's change of register is pleasantly surprising by adopting a new personality, embodying a "living corpse", and incorporating various emotions: he has become strange, lonely, passionate and even mocking and funny, but He has a tendency to be sweet and romantic.
While to achieve naturalness when playing his role as Tanaka in 'Takara kun to Amagi kun' he needed to give his character a slightly mischievous touch, the same honesty could only be achieved by giving Koichi the same kind of vibes, but in a different way. It is in the eyes of the actor where you can see the talent and maturity achieved by the artist in his profession. Komiya Rio manages to play two similar characters in two BL series, but giving them a different feel.
Ductile, chameleon-like, Rio is perfect in capturing the dual traits of his character: on the one hand, the cheerful and optimistic student, on the other, that of the teenager who burns with the desire to love the boy he has fallen in love with.
For his part, Inoue Sora, as the moody, reserved but intellectual Mitsuru, plays in a very nonchalant manner, first by discovering that he has been in love with Rio's character all along, and second by revealing a fragility behind his touching and disturbing behavior. .
It is passionate in its struggle to accept the pain of losing the person you love. Their facial expressions, body language and expressive eyes convey a true marathon of emotions. He shows an apparent calm on the outside, but in truth a bloody storm of emotions has been unleashed inside him, and he appears too afraid to let his feelings be perceptible to others.
Another detail that demonstrates this actor's strong performance lies in how his character conveys the impression that he can spend time with his dead lover in the present, when in reality he is trapped in the past.
Unlike many romantic relationships between boys seen in various BL, that of Mitsuru and Koichi is full of symbolism, love, sexual tension and substance. My only regret is that the series didn't develop more of the early stages of falling in love.
With dazzling chemistry, the director manages to make the boys act with different personalities. The dynamics of the actors are slow, but you can see how they move towards a blossoming love relationship, which continues even after the tragedy, because neither boy is reluctant to let the other go.
I recommend watching the picnic scene, because it is so moving and sweet.
The sad ending does not surprise anyone, although I admit I expected some kind of miracle or that everything had been the result of the dream or imagination of one of the characters. It is the closure that Mitsura had feared from the beginning and that viewers are also subtly warned about. But its conclusion manages to meet the objectives set of addressing topics such as trauma and loss, especially in a love story between boys, managing to surpass many other dramas of this genre.

Lees verder