My readers know I have my groups and I will follow most of them into any acting projects they take on. Kimura Keito from Fantastics being the male lead in Ameiro Paradox‘s live action is no exception. I had my suspicions since Mannequin Night Fever that he’d be the most open to doing a live action BL and I was right! Now’s not the time for gloating, but for a brief synopsis.
Onoe Satoshi (Kimura Keito) is a reporter for the weekly gossip magazine Dash!. Kaburagi Motoharu (Yamanaka Jyutaro) is a photographer for the same magazine. That’s where their commonalities ended – Onoe being somewhat ethical and serious and Kaburagi being indifferent. Their bosses’ shuffle the teams for articles and the duo are stuck together! As they attempt to get the best scoops possible they begin to develop… feelings?!
I give MBS, the original broadcaster, points for the irony of the male leads actual professions verses roles. Otherwise this wasn’t the strongest showing. It’s a manga adaptation which are 50/50 in general, the source material for this is iffy. It’s part of the “Drama Shower” project by MBS and Tunku of KADOKAWA; they had an entire years’ worth of BL’s created. Ameiro Paradox being the second to last one for the project.
Being more straight-forward, but kind, Ameiro Paradox was a pretty average modernized BL. I mean, they took a 2009 era manga, cleaned up the more questionable material and repackaged it to be more palpable. There’s one or two moments that might have you flinch (episode 3 being the worst of it), but nothing as egregious as what was contained in live-action BL’s actually produced in 2009. The storyline is choppy which doesn’t help much. I can’t tell if this is due to following the manga closely, or choices made by writers. It’s noticeable either way and never quite smoothed out. Otherwise, it’s sleek with nice lighting, good sets, decent script, and two really pretty guys making googly eyes at each other.
As for the acting, again straight-forward but kind it was acceptable. It was the first time either of the actors had played the leading man, and it showed. There was a certain amount of tension, and then familiarity between the duo which made for an interesting watch. However, due to the writing and overall narrative it felt closer to two dudes kissing each other for a dare, then any real romantic sparks flying most of the time. I do give both of them many kudos for taking on a queer role, and being open to some significant skinship (especially that last episode). It’s a little unfortunate that it’s in something so fetishistic but oddly grounded at a certain angle?
Overall, Ameiro Paradox leans into it’s name with the brain-candy nature of it’s story and delivery. It’s a fun little watch if you like either actor or like live-action BL’s but not a must-watch by any means.
Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan 