Based on the web novel “Kanojo ga Sukina Mono wa Homo de Atte Boku dewa Nai” by Naoto Asahara, which was already adapted in a TV drama, “What She Likes…” marks another effort by Shogo Kusano on the youth film, this time including an intense LGBT aspect which unfolds, though, quite differently that is usually the case.
“What She Likes…” is screening at Busan International Film Festival
High school student Jun is a closeted gay who is secretly dating an older man. His effort to fit in is intense as it is clumsy sometimes, with him appearing homophobic on occassion, in order to hide his sexual preferences. His classmate Sae, a cheerful and quite smart girl, does not know his secret, and is interested in him romantically. One day, she stumbles upon him in a bookstore, with Jun realizing that she enjoys yaoi manga (which focus on homoerotic relationships between male characters) and intrigued, starts hanging out with her. Eventually, Sae confesses her feelings, and in a decision surprising even to him, he agrees to date her. His secret, however, eventually comes out.
Shogo Kusano implements a very intriguing narrative approach here, which entails elements of school drama, coming-of-age, LGBT and romance movies, but cannot actually be classified as any of those specifically, as the resulting amalgam is quite unique. This approach becomes evident with the way the two protagonists “meet” in the bookstore, with the combination of the gay boy who stumbles upon a girl who reads manga about gay boys being rather intelligent and amusing at the same time. The same applies to the way the one-sided romance unfolds, since the beginning of their relationship is essentially based on a lie, but it soon becomes evident that Jun actually has very intense feelings for Sae, even if not of the romantic nature of her own. Furthermore, that his relationship with a heterosexual girl is also an effort to conform to a “normal” guy, which, inevitably fails, is also a very interesting aspect of the movie, particularly due to Jun's struggle.
Kusano also deals with a number of other aspects here, including the problems gay men have to face in Japanese society, an issue that extends to the school environment and results in bullying, which is another of the central elements of the narrative. This part, however, especially in terms of writing, does go a bit too far, with the auditorium scene in particular being rather unrealistic in its magnitude, even if it can be justified in manga-like entertainment terms.
The focus on entertainment is actually also quite strong in the film, deriving from both the beginning of the relationship of the two protagonists but also from the way a number of people of their “circle” behave, as in the case of Jun's always cheerful and teasing best friend Ryohei and his rather cool mom. Lastly, the bitter-sweet taste that the ending leaves is also quite fitting for the narrative, concluding the coming-of-age of the movie, although as usual, the finale lags significantly, while the whole penfriend arc is a bit far-fetched.
Fuju Kamio as Jun Ando and Anna Yamada as Sae give very fitting performances, maybe a tad hyperbolic on occasion, while the chemistry is also quite evident, both in the “happy” and the dramatic scenes. Oshiro Maeda as Ryohei is the main source of comedy here and is quite good in his part.
Technically, the movie is on a very high level. Yuta Tsukinaga's cinematography captures the manga-esque but also realistic setting with precision and artistry, with the sex scene, the one in the fun park, the visually extremely beautiful finale, and most of all, the revelation scene being excellently portrayed. Urabe Naohiro's editing implements a relatively fast pace that suits the overall aesthetics nicely, although as mentioned before, the movie would definitely benefit from some trimming.
“What She Likes…” is a very intriguing and entertaining film, one of those that are quite easy to watch, and one that will definitely find some appeal among fans of school dramas, also due to its unique story.
