They
attend an all-boys school, but it is primarily young girls who follow their
story. You could evasively label it “coming of age,” but it is really a chaste
romance. That is what Yaoi manga and anime is all about. In this case, viewers will
also get a sense of the pressure Japanese teens feel as they start applying for
college. At least, Hikaru Kusakabe and Licht Sajo will be there to support each
other during this nerve-wracking period, when they are not quarreling in Shouko
Nakamura’s feature length adaptation of Asumiko Nakamira’s Doukyusei (trailer
here),
which screens this weekend in select
markets.
Sajo
is the school’s over-achiever and Kusakabe is the under-achiever, but he’s in a
band, so it’s okay. In fact, his musical aptitude will help bring them
together. Supposedly, Sajo needs to be coached through the song their homeroom
class will perform in the school’s chorale competition (a tradition you can
probably only find in Japanese prep schools by reading Yaoi). Of course, it is
really just an excuse to spend time together, even though neither lad is
prepared to admit the obvious.
Yes,
serious hand-holding will commence. However, the reactions to their
relationship are pretty cool for the most part, ranging from complete
indifference to relief from friends previously worried by their lack of
romantic interest. There is no crude, stereotypically homophobic bully ginning
up outrage—so far. There were five volumes of Nakamura’s original manga, so
there could be plenty more in store for these kids.
The
hand-painted pastel-ish-looking animation is also unusually elegant, especially
by the standards of manga-to-anime adaptations. Kotaro Oshio’s acoustic guitar
soundtrack further enhances the classy package. Indeed, the style and ambience
of the film should impress animation fans, regardless of subject matter.
