I'm back here again because of Ride or Die in netflix

Yeah having now watched the movie I'm not so keen. The acting was typical Japanese overacting but aside from that, it felt like they didn't do the main characters justice, nor did the girlfriend left behind play any real part like she did here (by dying and causing more of The Angst). Really what was the point of even mentioning her at all? Meh. Felt too much like another "gay girl convinces straight girl to try the gay" line of bs.

Problem with the movie, IMO, is that they basically skip all of the side characters from the story. Thing is, all of the growth in the two main characters feels like it comes from their involvement with those side characters. Without them, there's no real impetus for them to develop or grow, and then any progress feels contrived.

I'll give them credit for putting effort into getting a lot of cosmetic details to match the manga, like the cuts on Otaka/Rei, but superficial stuff like that can't replace substance. It just doesn't work for me without all of those connections that they form along their journey.

Also, did anyone else look at that awkward kiss scene with the drunk girlfriend in the bath and think, "She really does not want to kiss her." She was so tight-lipped it looked almost painful.

last edited at Jun 22, 2021 2:53PM

Watched the movie with my gf, we both were kind of lukewarm on it. It felt very bittersweet and less tragic than the original story, and I didn't like the tone of the ending nearly as much. The complex emotions evoked by the manga were oversimplified and turned into a straightforward love story. Kiko Mizuhara wasn't that bad though.

Watched the movie with my gf, we both were kind of lukewarm on it. It felt very bittersweet and less tragic than the original story, and I didn't like the tone of the ending nearly as much. The complex emotions evoked by the manga were oversimplified and turned into a straightforward love story. Kiko Mizuhara wasn't that bad though.

I will also say that the Letterboxd reviews for the movie are all extremely biased because of the inclusion of the sex scene with Rei and the man at the train station, which just feels like an overreaction. All of the top reviews say stuff like "you can tell this is a movie about wlw directed by a man," but fail to mention the fact that the mangaka is a woman lol.

I can't believe I never read this. This is easily one of the best works on Dynasty.

The art is absolutely marvelous, at some point I was internally screaming in jealousy, like "do you just wanna brag that you can draw hands and feet in any position/perspective and draw them perfectly!?". It was very exhausting, I assure you lol

I really like the story, though I didn't like the way the storyline just kept rethreading itself. I feel like it could have done without one or two of the many complications the main characters face (and I mean the menial stuff, like losing/gaining money/a car) It just feels a bit aimless, is all.

That said, the dialogue is definitely on point. You can even feel the weight the translators put behind every choice of word, and I'm sure it wasn't an easy task, so thanks!! Each and every line of dialogue felt very deliberate, and it reveals a tiny portion of the each character's mindset one at a time. This story could be just dialogue, no pictures and no prose, and it'd still be an incredibly interesting story.

I will also say that the Letterboxd reviews for the movie are all extremely biased because of the inclusion of the sex scene with Rei and the man at the train station, which just feels like an overreaction. All of the top reviews say stuff like "you can tell this is a movie about wlw directed by a man," but fail to mention the fact that the mangaka is a woman lol.

About this, it may just be that the reviewers feel the framing of the movie is male gaze-y. It kind of reminds me of the movie adaptation of "Blue is the warmest color", also a comic written by a woman, but the movie (despite having scenes that were lifted straight from the comic) was directed by a man and it just... well, felt very male gaze-y, so much so that the author even had to comment on it. Framing is everything, after all.

"oh it can't be that bad" this is the first time i've felt physical exhaustion from reading something, jesus christ

created an account just to say how much i love this manga lmao, the art style fascinated me and the characters did too. girlfriend-chan definitely didn't deserve to get caught in this messy mess!!! i was really sad about her :(

the two MCs are fascinating. reminds me a bit of breaking bad, where the characters are insufferable and i keep thinking "they cannot POSSIBLY make the situation even wors- oh there they go again", and i kinda want to kick them into orbit but at the same time i end up cheering for their small moments of happiness because they're just so.... pathetic and human that i can't help but empathize? truly just a story about two deeply fucked up, abused, abusive, manipulative, toxic people that just can't keep away from each other. i've never experienced a toxic relationship to this degree, but i'd be lying if i said i didn't recognize a bit of my own past in some of their exchanges.

girlfriend-chan, her parents, her dogs, and les-chan's nephews were the mvps. the rest.... therapy. and prison.