This Hindi movie is a pretty straightforward slice-of-life story that tries to give a modern look at what it's like to be a single, professional gay man. It dives into how he understands who he is, the chances he missed out on, and the personal choices he’s made along the way. The director used three parallel timelines to tell the story, which honestly didn't make much sense to me. While the core idea was actually pretty interesting, I really feel like this would have worked way better as a short film considering the point it was trying to make. Still, it wasn't a bad watch. The plot centers on Rachit, a city professional, and his friend Shikhar as they hang out for an evening. Rachit is a polished, urban guy, while Shikhar has more of a "small-town" rustic vibe, and you can really see the contrast between them when they talk. As the night goes on, Rachit starts thinking back to some old memories from a long time ago. He remembers being an intern after college in ...
I really didn't see this dark and gritty Japanese BL coming, and honestly, it wasn't a pleasant surprise. The whole plot centers on a Yakuza bodyguard who gets the order to take out his young boss. While that sounds like a cool setup for a thriller, the way they actually handled it was just bizarre. The show is packed with major red flags like extreme violence, abuse, and moments of sexual coercion that made it really hard to watch. It eventually tries to turn into a romance, but it’s mixed in with a bunch of nonsense that just doesn't work. Luckily, it's a short one, with only six episodes that wrap up in about half an hour each.
The story follows Kataoka, a respected Yakuza leader whose old boss is getting too frail to run the show anymore. Leadership ends up passing to the boss's son, Keito, who brings in Odajima to be Kataoka’s new handler and keep him on a short leash. Kataoka is a total loose cannon who treats Odajima like a servant, even forcing himself on him sexually. Every now and then, he shows a softer side, but it’s buried under a lot of aggression. Odajima stays totally stoic and keeps his feelings locked down, but he’s hiding a massive secret: Keito actually hired him to kill Kataoka and make it look like an accident. As they spend more time together, Odajima starts second-guessing his mission. We eventually get flashbacks showing that Kataoka is actually the old leader's illegitimate son, which is why Keito wants him dead. To make things even messier, Odajima has his own grudge because he blames Kataoka for the death of his best friend.
You’ve got Kataoka, who’s flashy and full of himself, being forced to go into hiding with Odajima, who is basically the human version of a rain cloud—totally drained and gloomy. The show tries to contrast this violent, bloody crime world against a sunny beach backdrop, but it totally lacks the charm needed to actually keep you interested. I just couldn't get on board with the idea that a guy who is desperate to murder his boss is suddenly going to fall in love with him; the logic just wasn't there for me. Plus, the show starts off with a scene where the lead gets on top of his partner while the guy’s eyes are closed and he’s totally unresponsive, which is just not okay. The Yakuza elements felt really rushed and poorly put together. I found myself rolling my eyes at all the senseless brawls, the constant physical abuse, and the toxic vibes. Between the guns everywhere and the over-the-top trauma, none of it really worked for me. By the time the show actually started to get a little better, I had already checked out and stopped caring about what happened to any of them. Even Keito’s character felt like a half-baked idea. At the end of the day, this was just a total waste of time, and the whole Yakuza-meets-BL genre felt like a complete fail in this case.
This is a toxic and poorly written series that relies on uncomfortable tropes and messy logic instead of actual storytelling. It’s a gritty misfire that's hard to enjoy, even if you're a fan of dark crime dramas. (2/10)
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