I only worked yesterday morning, so I got the rest of the day free. And because of that, I had time to binge-watch some anime from my list. I was browsing through my bookmarks on MAL and checking whether some were available on Netflix. And to my surprise, one of the BL anime I've been eyeing was there! It's called Tasogare Out Focus or Twilight Out of Focus.
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The anime focused on three different stories. Though the characters are all connected, they have their own issues to solve and stories to tell. Allow me to talk about each story.
♡ ♡ ♡ Hisashi X Mao ♡ ♡ ♡
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They're roommates at the dorm where they're staying. They didn't have that great of a relationship at first until Mao discovered Hisashi's secret. When he did, they made three promises.
One of them is that Mao shouldn't reveal to anyone that Hisashi is gay and has a boyfriend, and in return, Hisashi shouldn't fall in love with Mao. The third one was just to respect each other's "private" time.
Mao who's a member of the Film Club was asked by the club's director to persuade Hisashi to act in their film. However, it wouldn't be easy for Mao because the film they were making was BL.
♡ ♡ ♡ Jin X Giichi ♡ ♡ ♡
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Jin is a senior and is the Film Club president. He's a happy and go-with-the-flow type of person. The exact character that Giichi, the club's second-year director, despises the most. He's a perfectionist and has extremely strict principles when it comes to filming and directing.
The two would often clash and having them together in the same club room brings chaos every time. However, things changed when due to some unexpected family incident in Giichi's household, he was forced to live in the dorm with Jin as his roommate.
♡ ♡ ♡ Rei X Shion ♡ ♡ ♡
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Rei is considered a legend in the film club because of his works. He's someone who couldn't care less and prioritizes his work more than anything. He doesn't have the best social skills compared to his childhood friend Jin.
Shion, on the other hand, was a freshman who decided to join the film club. As he introduced himself, he announced that he was gay and the reason why he joined the club was to find himself a boyfriend. This statement was immediately refuted by Rei who asked him to leave the club.
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This anime is healing... <3
Well, from a fujoshi's point of view, that is!
Each story portrayed in the series has its own charm, but for some reason, I like Rei and Shion's story the most. I might be biased since Rei is the type of character that tends to be my favorite. I just love eccentric and gap characters. They seem so charmingly mysterious to me. And the overly honest Shion is so likable, too!
I do like Giichi, too, though. I'm also a fan of tsundere characters. And aside from him being a tsundere, he's a man of principles. He's the kind of person who never wavers! And his constant bantering with Jin is so annoyingly fun to watch.
The first story, although it was supposed to be the main one, was my least favorite. I don't dislike it, but it's too generic and plain. (at least for me) But both of them are also cute.
I tried checking the manga after watching the anime, but it turned out that I've already read it way back in 2019. hahaha It was just short with 7 chapters and the rest were spin-off stories or side stories. It's funny how I don't remember it, but then again, I read hundreds of short BL comics almost every day. xD
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The art style, though... UGH!!!! It's s good... T_T It's even improved compared to that of the manga.
The OP and ED were also great and fitting to the anime. They're the type of songs I don't want to skip. haha
BL isn't everyone's cup of tea and this one does have some sensitive parts for non-BL fans. (though heavily censored --- fujoshi friends, read the manga for more action. JK). However, the stories were entertaining. They didn't only focus on romance, but also on their club activities which is filmmaking. It was enjoyable to see both rivalry and camaraderie in one club. Seeing their struggles and success was also pretty heartwarming.
I hope my fujoshi and fudanshi friends enjoy this as much as I did. And for those non-BL fans who are interested to give this a shot, I hope you enjoy it with an open mind.
Thanks for reading! See you around! (^^,)/