First off, the art in Umibe is insanely beautiful. The shots are breathtaking and the compositions are dynamic. Not once did I feel like any frame or scene was lacking. Throughout this one hour film, it is consistently aesthetically pleasing.

Umibe is, that's right, a gay romance film focusing on our protagonist, Shun and Mio, his lover. Both characters are designed simply - they look like actual, normal people. And that's the best part.

As a guy, who uh, likes guys, there is nothing more annoying than seeing so much queer couples and characters be blatantly fetishised. I'm pretty sure that's where the negative reputation of Boys' Love comes from. Because of female-dominated spaces, gay couples are depicted in a way with just sex in mind. This means making it clear who the bottom and the top is by feminising one of them and making the other one a big hunk.

You don't see that in Umibe, which felt like a breath of fresh air.

The film shows Mio and Shun who act like every other couple, they fight, they laugh, they flirt a little and treat each other with respect. You can tell that these two have chemistry with each other. There was no weird fetishy bits thrown in. It really just felt like I was watching a day-to-day couple, the only difference being that they're both male. And that should be how queer couples should be shown.

It's sad how the bar is so low in lgbt spaces that seeing two normal looking dudes is a huge plus point.

Other than that, a point that really stuck out to me was how the film touched a bit on exploring your sexuality. This is something almost every queer person has gone through - dating or sleeping with people of the same gender and of the opposite gender. For Mio, it adds onto what he did during the 3 years he was away and how he really did think his feelings through. For Shun, it was more of his way of making sure.

Umibe also does an excellent job in atmosphere. It really felt like I was in there with the characters, by the sea and living their seaside life. It's a relaxing place and a good look into how Japanese rural life is actually like.

The voice acting was also good, I mean you have Yoshitsugu Matsuoka. Dialogues can get a bit stiff but the voice actors still pulled it off.

Now, the real problem here is the inconsistency and also plot points that made no sense to me.

As mentioned, Umibe does a good job at not fetishising its gay characters. But it does romanticise age gaps. I don't really think that cancels out.

Mio and Shun met at ages 17 and 24 respectively. Now, I know, I know, it's just one year below the legal age, but it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I get that meeting Mio at near-end of highschool is important as that's the stage where you're thinking about your future seriously, and it's his meeting with Shun that gives him that resolve to do so - but, you didn't really have to show Shun being attracted to a highschooler at the age of 24, you know?

The whole thing could still work with maybe keeping Shun as the older, supportive figure Mio didn't have and the one person who resonated with Mio. So, I really, fail to see the reason why they had to have such a big age gap other than yeah, this is normal in Japanese media.

Adding onto the age, I wish Shun's seniority and 7 years of experience was shown in other ways other than sex. Because the way he dealt with his conflicting feelings of Mio irked me. It could just be his characterisation of being a little childish and petty at his big age, but really? I don't know, maybe people are into that. Gap moe or something.

Since it's a short movie, plot points are of course, rushed. Which isn't bad, you kinda get what you ask for. The problem is just how stiff and awkward the dialogues can be. Also how the characters' actions can feel a bit out of place. Numerous times, I went, "What? What was the point of doing that?"

Sometimes, details are said rather than shown. Like with the exploration of their sexualities, it was just a passing comment. It's not so bad, I guess this is more of a personal preference for wanting a bit more visuals.

Umibe no Etranger is good enough to be rewatchable. Despite its flaws, if you accept the fact that it's alright at best, then this is a good show to watch when you're a bit bored or just want your quick fill of romance or mlm that isn't just straight up smut.