Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
miuomi
lovely, heartwarming, and visually stunning movie that i took a great nap after. cute character designs and cats. i thought it was gonna be sadder but it was overall a very relaxing and domestic slice of life. unlike most shows like this, theres no miscommunication tropes. the leads are pretty straightforward, so outside of their complicated feelings abt their sexualities, there's little conflict and everything gets resolved quickly which i appreciate. the love scene towards the end was so tender and well written also, i had to pause so many times to kick my feet kekeke
loved the casual yuri side couple too like yess a world where gays are completely normalized and not even the granny gaf.. thats how it should be!
Read at the sourceimmosha
In an attempt to make BL less problematic, Umibe no Etranger came up with a relatively wholesome romance plot that is also bad and directed in a manner that is incoherent.
I don't read/watch BL but I am very open to works in other mediums handling LBGT issues, especially as they tackle social issues in increasingly creative approaches. Whether Umibe intended to go down the more modern and grounded take of gay romance or to make a BL that was more palatable than the modern problematic BL... I couldn't really tell.
It gives off the cute, wholesome vibes of say, Josee or Ride Your Wave, but for a short run time (one hour), it somehow decides to tackle abrupt time skips, flashbacks, and a relatively explicit sex scene. This wouldn't be terrible if done artistically, but the direction is horr…
Read at the sourceAlice98
Stranger by the Shore's anime adaptation is too short and incoherent. It simply doesn't work as a film, requiring previous knowledge of the material to be actually enjoyed and, to a certain extent, understood. To a viewer unfamiliar with the manga, it becomes a guessing game and ultimately fails to bear any emotional impact, as the plot moves along too quickly to let the dust settle and to allow feelings of empathy with any of the characters to bloom.
The animation is beautiful, though, and there are some truly touching moments. It's just unfortunate that everything's so condensed and fast-moving. This could easily have been turned into a terrific miniseries. As it stands, it leaves much to be desired.
Why 7, then? Well, even if the characters and their relationships are underdeveloped a…
Read at the sourceinternetinfused
Being queer can be such a strange experience.
I've been openly lesbian since I was about 10 years old and I've realized that because of it, I see the world differently from most people. This movie perfectly shows how that can feel sometimes. Yet, despite the recurring homophobia, both internal and external, the main characters aren't ashamed to loudly affirm their identity, and that was so comforting that it brought tears to my eyes.
In truth, despite the BL/GL genres existing, they rarely portray what it feels like to actually be queer, only depicting homosexuality through a lense meant for consumption: It is sexualized and shameful, both to the characters and the readers. This isn't the case for Umibe no étranger. Here, we see reality: the inner conflicts, the external pressure, the lon…
Read at the sourceKlabautermann
I don't know the source material, but I do know it's short. No matter its quality, this seems like a poor adaptation. I'm not exactly sure how Umibe no Étranger came into being in the first place, but whoever steered the wheel on its production course either had a limited budget, or conceived this as a series of shorts initially, because the story feels chopped into rather disjointed parts that have clumsily been put together. The plot itself is nothing to write home about, so when you further ruin a pretty simple, straightforward love story by ruining its pace, omitting its conclusion, and rushing through its time skip, everything else, no matter how beautiful the movie looks, ends up suffering because of it. The most satisfying part of this movie is without a doubt how it looks and how i…
Read at the sourceCrisGH
I had put off watching this for SUCH a long time because this did not get a good reception at all upon release and I feel so STUPID for letting myself be swayed by that public opinion.
It's actually an amazing BL work, and deserves all the flowers. People that complain about it being too rushed haven't had to sit through 12 episode of nothing just to get a mid confession. It's amazing that in such a short runtime they were able to explore so many things and it doesn't feel rushed at all. Some anime fans just need over-exposition and this movie is not that at all, and it doesn't NEED to be.
It's probably one of the few animes that actually dive deep into the realistic issues with same-sex relationships, down to the cuteness and normalcy of the sex, whereas a lot of BLs take a more patria…
Read at the sourcePotato-Chhan
I'll make this short.
The characters arent develloped enough and the relationship between them lacked a story. The movie just throws you in the narrative right at the start without context and the rest just goes wayyyyyy too fast. And the time skip DID NOT help. How am I supposed to encourage two guys I don't even know? The random bits of backstory are...kinda forced? No the WHOLE relashonship of the movie seems forced.
This is the kind of movie that would need a 12 episodes anime to truly enjoy the story. The art is great and the characters also seem great...it's sad that they were wasted in a 1 hour movie.
Read at the sourcefisheye_e
Pedophilia in the yaoi media has got to stop at some point right?
Right???
I mean come on, no wonder he had to leave and come back later, it's because he was too young in the beginning.
I don't care what anyone says, he was a 17-year-old boy with no family at all, grieving the death of his mother, he is vulnerable and alone.
Shun should not have feelings for him at all, because myo is a kid. Periodt. I hate it so much. It just adds and normalizes this awful stereotype to the lgbtq+ community.
Fucking hell. Hate this trope in yaoi.
Read at the sourceKursedArcana
This will be an analysis as much as a review. And their will be some spoilers.
The Stranger By The Shore is the kind of lgbt content we need more of. It doesn't fettishize us or make light of us, but treats lgbt people like normal human beings. It is a character drama and full blown romance that treats its leads with agency and respect.
Homophobia is something that a lot of LGBT people experience. It's almost unavoidable. There will always be people who hate us and our own insecurities eating away at us. Shun is the focal point of this struggle for the story. He experienced homophobia from his classmates in high school before even coming out. When he over hears his classmates riddiculing him for being femmine he runs away and experiences a panic attack, something he suffers from to this…
Read at the sourceabystoma2
BL is a genre with very, very low standards. I’d say that the only genre that’s worse off in that regard may be shows for kids, and even that is debatable. So, once in a blue moon a BL anime that isn’t utterly terrible is released, and just by the virtue of not being completely garbage it gets praised as the best thing ever. And to be fair, in comparison with most of other similar works, it’s pretty good. In comparison to regular anime though… that’s a different matter.
First, the good part. The visuals are gorgeous. This movie is very nice to look at, and especially the backgrounds are aesthetically pleasing. In this aspect, the production value is high, which is the opposite of average BL product. To give credit when it’s due, I have no complains about this part. Maybe the only downside…
Read at the sourceGotten_Softer
Here finally after 2 and a half years of continuously watching anime, I found something that I can call my "Most Hated" show ever. I just completed this show and decided to read some reviews and I honestly don't understand the appeal of the show whatsoever. I know this is somewhat of a controversial opinion but bear with me.
First of all, let me say that I am not a hater of an anime/manga about LGBTQ at all. If you check my list you will see that I consider 'Doukyuusei', 'Bloom into You', 'Asagao to Kase-san to be pretty good shows and 'My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness is one of my favourite manga of all time. So I don't particularly hate Umibe no Etranger because it is BL.
First I would like to praise it for having good visuals and voice acting. The art style is pretty decent bu…
Read at the sourcehyacinths_sun
Note: This is my first review for an anime.
The reason why I love this film so much, not just because of its majestic animation and visuals, but it focuses on how time is an important element in love.
Moreover, the characters' circumstances and experiences, thus, in fact, brings out the desired emotions the audience wanted to have. I do think that the audience can somewhat relate their selves within the characters' perspective, which is one of the notable factor in creating an emotional film.
Plus, this anime film is straight to the point and it does not set the focus on a metaphorical approach. It can be easily distinguished what the characters meant.
It also got me reading the manga sequel, and it is one of the manga I've ever loved.
Read at the sourceItsMeBee
I was really excited about this anime, I had heard of it by recommendation, the animation looked amazing, and it was about queer/gay people, being queer myself, this was a big plus.
Unfortunately, right off the bat with this film, I was already suspicious. I know that the BL genre is ripe with problems from beginning to end. The great majority is written by straight authors for a straight audience with zero respect for actually gay people. It's only once in a blue moon that you can find a piece that both succeeds in enticing storytelling and in character authenticity/respect.
While I concede that the animation and visuals of the film were beautiful and captivating, that is pretty much all it has going for it.
On to my frustrations!
In the beginning, even when there is a romance beginnin…
Read at the sourceJupiter20
Yes, yes, yes I am the bad person that gives this movie not the highest rating. Because I probably like toxic BL (as you can see in my list, no) or I'm homophobic. But I want to explain it.
Story (5);
ABSOLUTELY does not stick together. I read the manga over a year ago. And even in it, there were moments that were unexplained or unfinished. But in this movie, the events are not logically related. They are very cut and fast. And yes. The thing that makes this movie think this movie is great. Supposedly it presents a REALISTIC love story. And I want to explain something. Yes, this is not Junjou, Sekaiichi, Love Stage where we have harassment and abusive overtone. But just because Umibe no Étranger is NOT toxic in ANY aspect, it doesn't make it realistic either. And why am I saying that? Beca…
Read at the sourcedelta5
Why am I giving such a low score to a movie that so many people love? It's pretty simple: If you have't already read the source material this whole thing is going to be incoherent. Very little is fleshed out or explained, there's a huge time skip, and no relationships are defined at all. I'm syre that this is satisfying fan service for those who read the series, but if you're judging it as a stand-alone anime project it fails completely.
The animation is nice enough and everything else is of good quality, but I can't recommend this if you're anime only like me. It's just a bunch of random scenes strung together. It's not a real story.
Read at the sourcekuroshoto
I was so excited to watch this movie and it did not disappoint! The story flows well, it's sweet and enjoyable. The characters are all special in their own way, there's not really anyone that you'll dislike. The character development is nice, it was good to see how both Shun and Mio didn't give up their feelings for each other!
The art is just amazing, the animation is beautiful, I really loved watching the movie because of it. The setting makes you want to move there, it's just that beautiful.
Overall the story made my heart squeeze in a good way. Plus! The cats made it so much better. I highly recommend watching it.
Protect Mio at all costs.
Read at the sourcemartwica
//may contain some light spoilers
Umibe no Étranger is so much more to me than just another BL story. It kinda reminds me od Doukyuusei, with its storyline and characters and showing the more sweet and realistic depiction od same-sex love. As a LGBT person myself, I love stories surrounding these topics but it's so hard for me to find an anime that would satisfy me. Mostly, because most yaoi/BL stories are overly sexualized and show same-sex attraction as a fetish. L' Étranger is different in that case. It's good to hear the word 'gay' being used in the show and see a character identyfying as such. Sure, Mio still follows the 'I'm in love with a person, not their gender' trope but from what I've understood from the manga sequel, he's still unable to have sex and fall in love with a girl s…
Read at the sourceneighismyname
Stranger by the beach where two boys meet and fall in love. The pacing was a bit fast but the progression of the story was amazing. They showed that Shun grew up in a homophobic environment and forced heteronormativity onto him at a young age. Even going as far as making a girl his "fiancé." When Shun saw Mio and developed a little crush on him, he still hadn't accepted himself at that point which is a very realistic representation of someone who has grown up in a homophobic environment.
The part that really shines and shows that Shun accepted his destiny as a person was when they had sex for the first time. It is a beautiful thing that really empowered both of them to accept who they are as people, as human beings. It is a wholesome and pure way to execute this theme.
Mio keeps pushing…
Read at the sourceJellyf
The setting of Umibe no Étranger has always held me in a vice-grip. An island surrounded by the blue ocean, the residents are dressed in billowy clothing. The flowers are bright and blooming. It is the essence of summer. It's the place which you read in a book and then proceed to ache for. Or rather, in this case, the place which you see in a manga and then proceed to ache for. This overwhelming feeling of being in the moment presents itself perfectly (thank you, Kanna Kii), so much so, that you want to be living through it instead. I believe the best media shows itself in whether or not the viewers wish they could be a part of the story.
Mio and Shun contrast each other. Shun is a quiet novelist who, despite having known his sexuality before Mio, still hasn't come to terms with it. Mio…
Read at the sourceainonnai
Ah yes Umibe No Etranger, a simple yet light-hearted story and now brought to us with a movie. As a manga reader that read this back then, I was beyond excited for this movie. This is labeled as a shounen ai movie but it does have yaoi elements since it is based after a yaoi manga.
Though it's not just boom sex right off the back.
It's about two people genuinely caring about one another, and overtime helping each other grow. Without any spoilers, the characters are like real people, and not portrayed as some stereotype. Giving a more realistic approach. Also the music and art is nice.
Once again it's a simple movie, nothing to special. The movie isn't the greatest, but isn't the worst. It was satisfying finally seeing this animated and it's worth the watch especially if you are a fan o…
Read at the source