The Stranger by the Beach

Umibe no Etranger, for starters is a visually dazzling anime which had a good plot and an okay storyline, if good.

At 58 minutes, the movie fell short and there was sudden change in pacing (time skip of 3 years) after few minutes the anime started. There could have been a little more space for proper character development. The animation by Studio Hibari was top notch and the beautiful setting as well.

It's a good attempt to show a genuine, innocent love between 2 boys and I appreciate it, but it would have been more better if there was some sort of depth in the story and a bit more exposure of the side characters as well.

Nonetheless, the movie explores the Shounen Ai genre decently and was well made, if not brilliant. If announced, would love to see a sequel with a bit stronger story and development.

My Rating : 6/10.

What a great movie!! Just a nice "slice of life" experience with an adorable couple. I'm not usually a fan of Yaoi, but this move literally had me from start to finish. I definitely plan to rewatch it again,but the only sad thing is I can't see it for the first time again....

I had been eagerly waiting for this movie for a long time, and I finally got to watch it yesterday. By far, one of the best BL stories I've ever seen. It doesn't fetishize their relationship and shows genuine romance between the two characters, neither of them being bland in personality or too pushy like in a lot of BL stories. What really made it for me was the concept that it's not always easy being lgbt, and sometimes it is very difficult to accept and it's not always going to be sunshines and rainbows in terms of accepting that about yourself. The art style was also gorgeous, there wasn't a single scene that felt sloppy or lacking; some of the scenery left me in awe. I heavily recommend this movie, not only for the cute romance but also for a breath of fresh air if you're looking for a new type of story. I definitely plan to watch it again.

As someone else said, it doesn't feel as if it was written by a clueless straight person.

The only thing I would say is that it's a bit short and thus fast paced. I think we could've seen more character development and more background. I would love to see more content, maybe even a second movie. But I think that might be because it is so well portrayed.

The scenes were beautiful and the romance was pure and serious. The story felt mature, not as prudish or perverse as some anime are, especially within the BL/LGBTQ genre. It was easy to follow even though it sometimes felt pieces of the story were missing. Overall a great watch.

The animation is excellent, the cats are delightful and it feels like it isn't written by a clueless straight person as so many such stories are.

But... that doesn't mean it's written *well*. I've not read the manga it's based on, but the distinct impression it gives is of an adaptation that has decided a number of bits need to be cut out, but done so in a way that leaves massive confusing gaps. Time passes and it's not clear what's happened. Characters in it refer to events that we've never seen. People's reactions make no sense and feel like they're missing important context. It's sweet at points, but honestly very incoherent.