Aichaku

In 2023, I participated in the crowd funding for this and Max Emerson's novel. I was a bit worried because it felt like there was a long wait between the end of the campaign and the release of the movie. They apparently sent out an email with download codes for the movie in 2024 for people who purchased it from the crowd funding and I must have missed it.

I was really happy to see the finished movie and I'm glad to say it was worth the wait. They said that they were mainly using the money from the crowd funding to help with post production and it really shows. The music they got for the movie is really good and I was surprised to find that most of the songs are original.

Originality really is what makes this movie special. There's so many things that are different about this movie, it's hard to write it all with out giving a lot of the movie away. They way they play with language, the setting, the flow of the characters all felt really fresh and made you want to see more of it. Also, as a mom I really liked the way moms were portrayed in this movie.

I hope there's another movie or something else. Aichaku ends in a way that all of the questions are answered, but the characters are all moving on to new things. You want to see how that works out.

I was a bit worried when I first started watching this because it looks less like a normal BL movie than I was expecting. Having said that, I think this movie kind of got the balance right.

The romance in the movie is lovely. It was very cute, but still felt realistic enough that non-BL fans could enjoy it. The starry sky scene and the cafe fantasy were for sure for BL fans. I don't know if there was ever a foreign lead in a BL movie before, but this might be the first. It was very interesting to watch and added some elements to the movie that I hadn't seen before in BL.

If someone is looking for a LGBTQ+ movie that has strong social messages attached to it, I'm not sure if they will be satisfied with this. It certainly has a message. For a BL movie it almost has too much of a message. (Do you see what I mean about getting the balance right?) I thought that the main message was about love in general and how important it is. What I really liked was that Aichaku was about all kinds of love, so it was easy to feel attached to the world of the movie.

Since Aichaku means "attachment," perhaps that was the goal. If so, they certainly accomplished it.

I'm not a foreigner and I'm not gay. I don't understand everything in this movie. I liked that it still made me feel like I was not an enemy when I watched it. It didn't make fun of Japanese people and straight people were not the villain. It was about life conflicts and all kinds of love. The villain is just situations the characters are in. They have to figure out what is moving forward.

Was it a perfect movie? No. Was it an interesting movie? Yes. I recommend it. It is worth checking out, especially since it's free on prime video. If it was not free, I am not sure what I would think or feel. For something free though I felt like it had a lot of value, so maybe I would not mind.

Aichaku is one of those quiet, emotional films that really sticks with you. What unfolds over just a few days is a touching story about identity, connection, and finding where you belong.

The acting feels really natural, The cinematography is beautiful too; the countryside setting adds a peaceful, almost meditative vibe to the whole film.

The 1950s-inspired soundtrack is a nice touch, and you can tell a lot of heart went into making this, especially knowing it was partially crowdfunded. It's not flashy or fast-paced, but if you're into character-driven stories with emotional depth, Aichaku is absolutely worth a watch.

This film took me back in time, as I've experienced similar situations to what it portrays. The two actors played their roles very well, moving the viewer. The ending wasn't predictable, and in fact it was moving. Definitely worth watching again.

And yes, i love Japan and hope one day visit the country!