Tasogare Out Focus

Despite a rocky start to their relationship, second-year high school students Mao Tsuchiya and Hisashi Ootomo have managed to find a way to coexist in their dorm room for another year. The roommates swear to abide by three simple promises: Mao must refrain from outing Ootomo as gay and having a boyfriend; Ootomo, in turn, must not fall in love with Mao; and the two must respect each other's privacy when one of them "needs time to himself." While these are simple asks, the school's film club's new project suddenly puts them at risk.

The club's short film for the year is a boys' love story between a class president and a delinquent—a role for which Ootomo is considered the perfect fit. As the principal photographer in charge of composing every scene, Mao oversees all of the intimate moments between the leads, and though he wishes he could deny it, his growing attraction to his roommate is affecting the movie's production. But as things start to intensify—both in the film and in his personal life—Mao is soon forced to confront these complex emotions head-on.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Ootomo, Hisashi Main

Uchida, Yuuma Japanese

Tsuchiya, Mao Main

Matsuoka, Yoshitsugu Japanese

Ichikawa, Giichi Supporting

Nakazawa, Masatomo Japanese

Kikuchihara, Jin Supporting

Furukawa, Makoto Japanese

Yoshino, Shion Supporting

Saitou, Souma Japanese

Inaba, Rei Supporting

Eguchi, Takuya Japanese

Rudy Supporting

Takumi, Yasuaki Japanese

Kujou, Kirito Supporting

Ito, Kent Japanese

Tsuchiya, Isao Supporting

Tadokoro, Hinata Japanese

Kagari, Teru Supporting

Yanagi, Kouhei Japanese

Watanabe, Toshinori Director

Yano, Satoshi Sound Director

Galileo Galilei Theme Song Arrangement

Ozaki, Yuuki Theme Song Lyrics, Theme Song Composition

Reviews

Aug 14, 2024

vascudcrisis

Recommended

Preliminary (3/12 eps)

Review made as of episode 3.

- THEY ARE GAY -
I’ve heard great things about the source material, and now I see why! This is a refreshingly direct BL that doesn’t skirt around the fact that the main characters are, indeed, gay. No more implications, no more “only because it’s you”; they are just gay. It’s nice to see this representation put forth honestly and plainly.

- REALISTIC AND MATURE -
The story so far handles its topics maturely and candidly. For example, when one character finds out the other is gay, the gay character is immediately concerned with the stigma on homosexuality in Japan, and ... brings up how most people would be afraid of him harassing them because he is gay—a common negative stereotype. The fact that the show even mentions this stereotype and acknowledges the prejudices many people have is a big deal to me because it’s realistic. Japan is not exactly accepting of gay people, no matter how much BL they pump out. Tasogare directly addresses that in a natural way, through dialogue that would make sense for the situation.

- ADDRESSING TROPES IN BL & GENERAL ROMANCE -
Additionally, Tasogare addresses a common negative BL and yaoi trope head on: the prevalence of sexual assault or coercion in these stories. Often, SA is treated as a jumping off point for the relationship, excused and justified by “you didn’t hate it”, and romanticized. This isn’t exclusive to yaoi and BL (any anime watcher knows this trope is everywhere), but it is alarmingly common in these works, often in the first chapters. Dakaichi is a prime example of this idea that SA will blossom into true love, and that SA is even a “good thing” because it means the other person just loved them so much and “can’t hold back anymore”. Yuck.

Tasogare presents us with a stereotypical assault scene you’d find in many romance anime, not just BL. A sick delirious person getting confused and pouncing on someone. But the show and its characters don’t excuse it or use it as a starting point for the relationship. The offending party is pushed off and rejected, and they give a genuine apology once they’re cognizant again. They even follow up with ground rules to prevent it in the future. An apology and actions taken to fix the situation. No excuses. That’s far more than just about any romance anime ever does.

As I mentioned, the assault also isn’t the starting point for their relationship. Huge green flag. It is only after a year of building trust, following their ground rules, and building closeness that any feelings develop, and everything is consensual, with permission clearly asked for and clearly given. Again, this should be the norm, but the bar is on the floor when it comes to most romance anime.

- CALLING OUT CREEPS IN ANIME -
One other massive win for Tasogare is that it actually calls out pedophilic relationships, specifically the teacher student dynamic that is romanticized in so many anime. Even the classic romances, like Fruits Basket, have multiple teacher student or adult minor relationships, and it’s fully normalized and acceptable in those stories. Tasogare shows a much more realistic and grounded picture of what these relationships usually look like. It’s not cute. It’s usually adults preying on troubled children. And one of the main characters calls the adult a pedophile, to his face, which we NEVER see in any anime with these kinds of “relationships”. It was incredibly satisfying to watch a spade be called a spade, especially after decades of anime normalizing this behavior.

- THE ROMANCE & CHARACTERS -
Aside from that, the romance itself feels natural and organic. The characters have genuine reasons to like each other, rather than just being shoved together. There’s also no “will they, won’t they” type of nonsense going on. Instead, we get actual clear communication! I’m excited to see how the relationship dynamic develops and to learn more about the side characters, who actually seem interesting!

Each character has hobbies and interests outside of their romance, and I loved seeing how one character’s hobbies motivated his partner to try seeing the world differently. It’s such a real interaction and shows how they pay attention to each other while still being their own people. It’s early in the story, but I already feel like the characters have more development than many other romance anime.

- MUSIC -
The background soundtrack of the show itself isn’t anything special, but it’s serviceable and not distracting. I feel like the OP and ED (both fantastic btw) should be switched.

- ANIMATION -
This has some of the best animation quality we’ve seen a BL get in a long time. Fingers crossed that this level of quality keeps up, and we don’t see another Cherry Magic situation.

Overall, I greatly appreciate the mature treatment of this show’s characters and themes. That’s usually a good sign that the overall story will be handled thoughtfully and intentionally. Let’s hope future episodes are just as great!

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by vascudcrisis (2)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Aug 9, 2024

kozad

Recommended

Preliminary (4/12 eps)

TL;DR – if you’re a gay man who loves anime, or like any romance-oriented anime, watch this.

So, this is gonna be a long review peppered with a few lolz and some nuance. I’m approaching this anime with a few perspectives – I’m a gay American man who loves anime, and I’m fully aware that being a gay or trans person in Japan is taboo AF.

This taboo leads gay men and trans characters in manga/anime being portrayed in weird relationships (I’m in high school, and he’s nearly 30, uwu!) as fetish/fantasy material for young girls, or as over-the-top flamboyant characters who are meant to be non-threatening ... and silly or very sinister and predators. We don’t get to see a gay Goku or a trans Major. Not that these should be forced into anime, they shouldn’t, but they absolutely have a place in anime to organically exist.

Shounen ai and yaoi have devoted audiences, but let’s be honest, neither genre has a large catalog of good anime to guide a gay anime fan to. We have Given, Yuri on Ice, Bakuman, and that’s kind of it…? Surely I’m missing something? Certainly not much. Sure, you have older examples which are also popular, but are they really good or were you just happy to find any anime at all with someone like yourself? Because that was younger me. “Omg! This anime has gay characters and they are in love?! Not single?! Wow!” *uncomfortable laughter* Yup… I was there too.

The other perspective I am approaching from? This is rumored to be the show which caused Sony to remove all commenting from Crunchyroll – people are *that* bigoted, so naturally I had to watch it to see what made Twilight Out of Focus more edgy than something like Mnemosyne. With that in mind, I’m honestly disappointed. The opening is meh, nothing offensive, graphic, edgy… Heartwarming in a lightly cringey way? In fact, this isn’t anything we have not already seen in other shows such as Bakuman, Yuri on Ice, or Given, which is not a bad thing, but seeing similar plots repeatedly does grow tiresome. It’s 2024, Japan, give us the gay anime which our parched souls are crying out for!

Aside from Hana in Tokyo Godfathers, I have yet to see either a gay male or trans character in an anime where they are just another Spike, Vash, David, or Edward. Personally, that’s what I’d love to see, but alas! I shall continue to wait because *this* anime, Twilight Out of Focus, is a slice-of-life oriented romance.

Now, hold on. I must be fair! This show opens with a character being acknowledged as a closeted gay man. Yes, “gay” not “uwu he’s cute and I don’t know why I feel this way! Wait, where are you putting that, senpai?! uuwwuuu!!!” This alone feels very groundbreaking to me, and I actually skipped the video back to hear it a second time. “Wait, did he just say he is…?!” Yes, and that alone is actually applaudable. Baby steps are still steps which have been taken.

Nothing is implied, hinted at, or just left to be explained in a manga we’ll never read. It’s right there in the open. I believe this is the first time I’ve seen an anime character saying, “I’m gay” vs. them carrying on with men, but never saying the obvious, or finding themselves bedding a woman back in “real life” when they step away from their male lover escapade (pretty sure I’m looking at you, Gravitation or Junjou Romantica!). It's a very nice change.

As another reviewer pointed out - this show is also refreshing because it portrays the traditional BL/anime SA/PDF File relationships for what they are - gross and wrong. Gravitation and Great Teacher Onizuka, this is *not* (and let's be real, GTA wouldn't be able to air today). While I was tempted to point to a manga by an artist named Mikiko Crash'n'Burn as a point of comparison to Twilight Out of Focus or Given, it also opens with some light SA which is a very unfortunate trope, especially in BL. Tops are not just grabbing up waiflike men off the street and laying the pipe, FFS.

I have not read the Twilight Out of Focus manga so I’m walking into this show blind aside from the controversy which was manufactured by the outrage machine, though I might read the manga if this isn’t picked up for another season. From what I’ve seen thus far, I am genuinely hoping for more seasons.

The English voice acting is very well done. I’ve decided to do the dub instead of the sub because. It’s less jarring to jump back and forth between the two for me personally. I am currently four episodes into the show at the time of writing this, and I already see some familiar patterns which I feel are unfortunate. From the trailer, I know that we will see multiple couples, which is kind of a trope with this genre. I’m not a huge fan of that, I’m happy with one couple vs. the entire cast suddenly tripping and landing on a chopstick, but it is what it is.

The animation is well done, though it definitely has vibes from a previous era of anime radiating through.

Thus far, the story itself is fine. The presentation is a little out of order as is traditional with a backstory being revealed, and perspective transitions can be abrupt enough to make you do a doubletake. But overall the story itself feels wholesome, with some of that "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" angst in the viewer akin to Nana going on re: Dammit, just *say* something to him already! (watch Nana, you'll know exactly what I'm ranting about)

I am honestly looking forward to the entire season, and from I’ve seen thus far, I would very much like another season. This show feels like it's just starting to cruise along and the characters have their entire lives ahead of them to explore. I suspect we'll see about 2-4 episodes each of the other two couples discovering that D is great, but I hope it's more nuanced than the typical "Gosh, why do I feel like *this* towards a man?!" we always see in other BL. Judging from the opening episodes, we'll get something more complex than that.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by kozad (6)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Aug 12, 2024

Serious_Sloan

Not Recommended

Preliminary (4/12 eps)

Spoiler

As a gay man: no.

I had watched the first four episodes like a train wreck in slow motion and thought I'd finish the show before reviewing; but after even one day of not watching I don't care about finishing the show.

They packed so many toxic troupes into the first two episodes. I was stunned and disgusted, and even if these guys go on to have a nice relationship, why the hell did I have to watch that??? I don't want to see pedophilia, step-sibling incest, and assault in a PG-13 romance.

The premise of the show: in the trailer, in the description, in episode ... 1: is a gross idea of just because someone is gay then the straight person near them is a potential target for their love. So they make a "promise" to not fall in love with the straight person. Even thought the gay one is in a relationship. Later, when they immediately drop all pretense of not just wanting to make this about seeing these gay characters naked together, the now formerly straight one says something about "people don't really believe they're a target for gay people, do they? that sounds like a zombie movie". This isn't to make this about overcoming subconscious homophobia, it's just a random line. And the gay character didn't point out how the promise the formerly straight one had him make about not falling in love with him is part of this bad mentality.

I might not articulate this right, but that type of homophobia really messed me up as a kid. And probably did for a lot of other queer people with conservative parents. We couldn't be ourselves because of how villainous the people around us made queerness out to be. To watch it be treated like this for no reason in the first half of the show was a slap in the face.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by Serious_Sloan (1)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

gay and gay adjacent sh!t

by CrisGH

39 Entries · 45 Restacks

₍ᐢ. .ᐢ₎ ❤️All the canon gays, all countries, all flavors ( づ🏳️‍🌈⊂ ) 🐇

by aedeann

38 Entries · 143 Restacks

Best of Boy's Love Anime!

by Mushrooms18

28 Entries · 59 Restacks

Summer 2024 Simulcast List [Update 6/6]

In this thread, you'll find a comprehensive list of television anime acquired for simulcast release during the Summer 2024 season. Anime series licensed for hom...read more

Jun 28, 2:58 PM by Snow | Discuss (15 comments)

Summer 2024 Preview

In this thread, you'll find a comprehensive list of Summer 2024 titles with an accompanying promotional video, commercial, teaser, or trailer. This post will be...read more

Jun 21, 8:56 AM by Snow | Discuss (5 comments)

	Poll: Tasogare Out Focus Episode 3 Discussion ( 1 2 ) IzanaSolos - Jul 18	56 replies	by KittyxChan »» 8 hours ago
	This anime is the reason Crunchyroll comments were removed ( 1 2 ) Buttanuggets - Jul 11	51 replies	by KittyxChan »» 8 hours ago
	Poll: Tasogare Out Focus Episode 6 Discussion IzanaSolos - Aug 8	13 replies	by Jokuc »» Aug 12, 4:55 PM
	Poll: Tasogare Out Focus Episode 5 Discussion IzanaSolos - Aug 1	19 replies	by aedeann »» Aug 6, 11:21 AM
	Poll: Tasogare Out Focus Episode 4 Discussion IzanaSolos - Jul 25	30 replies	by Lapiz_Shadow »» Aug 4, 2:48 PM