[ J ] Detective series are good. Spy series are great. Political dramas are fantastic. But how many of these can you watch without starting to have the feeling of diminished returns?
For me. I think I have reached that negative feeling a long time ago.
So, it was nice to try out More Than Words on Amazon Prime the past few days.
A series about friendship. I am not kidding.
And it turned out to be very moving and refreshing for me.
Of course the naysayers will argue that it is more about forbidden love but I will beg to differ.
Sure, the scenes of intimacy between two men may not be what most people are used to but I think in this case, they are necessary and tastefully done.
Ok I jumped the gun. Rewind. Let’s restart with the gist first.
A boy and a girl who are good friends in school meets a slightly older guy at work. They become best friends, the two guys fall in love, but all three remain very close.
But the good times do not last because in a conservative society, same-sex relationships are still not widely accepted.
As the couple struggles to be accepted, their good friend offers the ultimate sacrifice.
Now if I tell you what it is, will you still watch? So no. I’m not saying but you can guess.
The plots, even twists, can be dismissed as cliches but the acting in this series is definitely not.
Where did they find Ryoko Fujino, Yuzu Oki and Daisuke Nakagawa? I hope they keep looking in the same direction.
There is nothing straightforward about the emotions they have to convey, especially for such young talents. But the trio’s performance is way above what I have seen in recent years.
There is nothing straightforward about the emotions they have to convey, especially for such young talents. But the trio’s performance is way above what I have seen in recent years.
Not about friendship? Think again – when was the last time you met your friends’ parents for a meal?
So much about this series is in the subtle body twitches and the space between them and they handle the nuances so delicately.
As you follow their growth, you will witness the transformation – from someone just curious about his or her own sexuality, to one who’s more comfortable, and then the stage of reality, betrayals and compromises.
In the end, it is still about a beautiful thing called friendship and, not but, given the additional dimension of homosexuality, it is even more remarkable.
Only true friends will go beyond what’s expected.
Now that’s More Than Words.