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juushikaAllow me to trascribe and edit a chat with Express in lieu of/in order to create a real post.
Tonight, I rewatched and reread a good chunk of Ai no Kotodama (Words of Devotion). The manga by KONNO Keiko is English language licensed but, yes, you can read it here; the film can be streamed in pieces here.
Ai no Kotodama walks that careful line between the miscommunication plots which I hate and the why-people-communicate-and-how plots which push all my good buttons: what motivates our relationships and our communication, for good and ill. That's especially true if you know the full story via the manga, but even as a standalone film—despite low production values and sketchy subtitles—it's not perfect but it's beautiful. I'd even say the film handles its part of the story better—it's a tad less confusing.
Two guys in high school stumble into a sexual relationship when they discover they're attracted to one another; two years later they're in college and living together, but they haven't come out as a couple—even, really, to each other. One is emotionally repressed, both have internalized homophobia, and neither has been able to communicate their intense romantic feelings. But a visit from a high school friend sparks jealousy which enables them to start working their shit out and acknowledge their relationship. The story isn't delivered in order—it begins with them at college, and only the manga flashes back to high school; either way, when spelled out like that it sounds like fairly traditional BL tripe.
But what Ai no Kotodama actually is is an intense look at how and why we define relationships and how those definition change communication within relationships, and the danger of emotional and social repression. It's also a bit humorous and titillating, and it flirts with that will they/won't they thing that makes established relationships seem boring and first time stories so intense—much like the vast majority of BL manga, of course. Unlike the vast majority of BL manga, however, Ai no Kotodama is self-aware.
BL is rooted in heteronormativity and homophobia, however ironic that is: there are assigned pseudo-gender rolls (top and bottom), and tropes like rape is love, and objectification and titillation and general clichés—and, of course, gay fetishization. (See my massively navel-gazy and TL;DR thoughts about reading Friendly Hostility and writing Ghost & Aaron for further ramble on related topics.) But Ai no Kotodama grays a lot of those things. Gender/sex rolls get fucked with: the stereotypical-to-BL top is implied to bottom, but sex roles are never defined and there's no indication that they're fixed (to think! people might assume multiple roles, or roles might have more than one meaning! just like real life!) The will they/won't they is actually a yes they are—there's development within the relationship, but it is an established long term relationship, which is a pretty big deal in its own right. And in the manga in particular, and thus functioning as backstory for the film, the beginning of their sexual relationship is unusual for the genre: they both begin in heterosexual relationships, both seem to fall somewhere on a queer spectrum but their sexualities are never labeled outright, adolescent experimentation isn't just a plot point but rather an important part of sexual development, and love isn't the obligatory conclusion to a sexual encounter.
It's not a collection of tropes; instead, it's a really well developed story and a strong piece of commentary on other collected tropes, the fact of which makes it an even better story.
And then I said to Express: oh god sorry you do not care half this much but man apparently I have Thoughts. But Ai no Kotodama warrants them, and if you've read this far and still give a shit, then why don't you go check it out for yourself?
Tonight, I rewatched and reread a good chunk of Ai no Kotodama (Words of Devotion). The manga by KONNO Keiko is English language licensed but, yes, you can read it here; the film can be streamed in pieces here.
Ai no Kotodama walks that careful line between the miscommunication plots which I hate and the why-people-communicate-and-how plots which push all my good buttons: what motivates our relationships and our communication, for good and ill. That's especially true if you know the full story via the manga, but even as a standalone film—despite low production values and sketchy subtitles—it's not perfect but it's beautiful. I'd even say the film handles its part of the story better—it's a tad less confusing.
Two guys in high school stumble into a sexual relationship when they discover they're attracted to one another; two years later they're in college and living together, but they haven't come out as a couple—even, really, to each other. One is emotionally repressed, both have internalized homophobia, and neither has been able to communicate their intense romantic feelings. But a visit from a high school friend sparks jealousy which enables them to start working their shit out and acknowledge their relationship. The story isn't delivered in order—it begins with them at college, and only the manga flashes back to high school; either way, when spelled out like that it sounds like fairly traditional BL tripe.
But what Ai no Kotodama actually is is an intense look at how and why we define relationships and how those definition change communication within relationships, and the danger of emotional and social repression. It's also a bit humorous and titillating, and it flirts with that will they/won't they thing that makes established relationships seem boring and first time stories so intense—much like the vast majority of BL manga, of course. Unlike the vast majority of BL manga, however, Ai no Kotodama is self-aware.
BL is rooted in heteronormativity and homophobia, however ironic that is: there are assigned pseudo-gender rolls (top and bottom), and tropes like rape is love, and objectification and titillation and general clichés—and, of course, gay fetishization. (See my massively navel-gazy and TL;DR thoughts about reading Friendly Hostility and writing Ghost & Aaron for further ramble on related topics.) But Ai no Kotodama grays a lot of those things. Gender/sex rolls get fucked with: the stereotypical-to-BL top is implied to bottom, but sex roles are never defined and there's no indication that they're fixed (to think! people might assume multiple roles, or roles might have more than one meaning! just like real life!) The will they/won't they is actually a yes they are—there's development within the relationship, but it is an established long term relationship, which is a pretty big deal in its own right. And in the manga in particular, and thus functioning as backstory for the film, the beginning of their sexual relationship is unusual for the genre: they both begin in heterosexual relationships, both seem to fall somewhere on a queer spectrum but their sexualities are never labeled outright, adolescent experimentation isn't just a plot point but rather an important part of sexual development, and love isn't the obligatory conclusion to a sexual encounter.
It's not a collection of tropes; instead, it's a really well developed story and a strong piece of commentary on other collected tropes, the fact of which makes it an even better story.
And then I said to Express: oh god sorry you do not care half this much but man apparently I have Thoughts. But Ai no Kotodama warrants them, and if you've read this far and still give a shit, then why don't you go check it out for yourself?
