Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on August 2011

It may come as a shock to some that there is an entire genre of manga, and a big selling one at that, devoted to gay love among teenage boys. Perhaps even more surprising is that the consumers of these tales are almost exclusively preteen girls. Within this “Boy’s Love” field the Takumi-kun series is one of the most popular: the volume this flick is based on itself moved over four million editions. The story revolves around Takumi (Kyosuke Hamao) and Gii (Daisuke Watanabe)⎯Ano Toki, the fifth in the series, is the last time these actors will depict the characters. Fans of the saga will be relieved to know some resolution to their love is in the offing (huge sigh of relief). From the very first frame we have the heartrending sounds of Takumi’s violin and a hyper-melodramatic voiceover from Gii, so we know they are going to lay it on extra thick. Indeed, the action takes place over a week in June where Takumi must deal with the anniversary of his older brother’s death, and his love for Gii. Apparently this is riveting for a 12-year-old Japanese girl. The existence of the genre is far more interesting than the work itself. (90 min)