I know not a lot of people enjoy watching BL or maybe some do but are not very open about watching or reading it. I understand that since there are still people who are not very accepting, so if that's the case for you, feel free to skip this post. :)
As I was looking for some short animated films to watch, I stumbled upon this BL movie called The Stranger by the Beach.
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An openly gay aspiring novelist named Shun was disowned by his family after coming out to them. After he left, he started living in Okinawa.
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He lived as a tenant in a small place by the beach. When he's not working on his novel, he helps around the shop. His kind landlady owns a restaurant and offers food to other tenants and guests as well.
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One day, he met Mio and was captivated by him. Mio used to live with his mom, but unfortunately, he was orphaned. He's quiet and reserved and often goes to the beach and just stare at it longingly.
Knowing Mio's story, Shun was worried and started talking to him and offered him some food. Mio thought he was being pitied, but Shun denied pitying him and confessed to have an ulterior motive. lol
The two grew closer, but Mio decided to leave for the mainland because he's still a minor and he's got nothing left in the island.
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Three years later, a 20-year-old Mio went back to Okinawa and confessed to Shun, but a lot of things happened and changed within those years... will Shun be able to accept Mio's feelings? Are they both ready to commit?
Here's a short trailer of the said movie...
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The movie is quite short. It's just 58 minutes in length, so it was perfect for me. Despite it being short, a lot of messages have been conveyed well. The story is simple and realistic. It reflects a lot of issues gay people go through in their life. How they sometimes live in fear and doubt. However, there are also some people who showed their support.
The characters in the movie are also very distinct. They're quite the opposite with Shun being mature yet complicated, and Mio who's less mature but free. I like how he doesn't care much about what others think, but then again, he wasn't able to experience what negativity Shun had experienced.
I like how they argue with each other, but still communicate. Communication is healthy in any relationship. People should know when to talk and when to listen.
It's a breath of fresh air compared to some of the toxic BL comics I've been coming across these days. hahaha
With regards to the animation, I really like its quality. The art style is so beautiful and very pleasing to the eyes. I especially love how they drew the beautiful scenery of Okinawa. The music was quite good, too. All in all, it was enjoyable to watch. :) I'd love to watch more BL with this kind of characters and story. It's heartwarming... and good for my mental health. haha
Thanks for reading and see you around!
PS: Baby Mio is my healing... He deserves the world!