Love Stage – Movie Review & Analysis

Dumb story

I don't wanna diss the manga before reading it, but honestly, I thought the premise in Love Stage was pretty dumb. We're supposed to believe this famous actor is still hung up on a childhood crush from ten years ago, although he only met this girl once and didn't even realize she's a guy. After meeting each other, Ryoma develops such intense romantic feelings for a stranger he barely interacts with. I just find the whole set-up of this love story so bizarre. 😓

The plot is already shaky to begin with, but it doesn't get much better as the movie progresses. It's hard to immerse myself into the perplexing fictional universe of Love Stage, where all the characters are weird as hell. They have unrealistic reactions to everything that happens around them. I don't mind wacky humour and ridiculous antics when they are done right, but Love Stage is not funny enough to pull off the offbeat comedy, making the movie feel awkward instead.

I guess I kinda liked the storylines with Izumi's manga and Ryoma's kissing scandal, but these plots were never explored deeply beyond what you see on the surface. Love Stage gives us a very shallow take at repetitive stories that we've seen so many times before. There are no delightful surprises or unexpected twists in this movie. The narrative in Love Stage just feels linear, predictable, and completely flat.

Ryoma and Izumi

The relationship between Ryoma and Izumi is just too shallow to be believable. I'm just not convinced these two characters have developed feelings for each other based on the scenes we've seen. It doesn't help that Ryoma comes across as either really creepy or really preposterous. I don't find him endearing when he's trying to kiss a sleeping Izumi or getting nosebleeds after seeing him naked. No, dude, that's just weird behaviour.

I don't understand Izumi's random attraction towards Ryoma either. At least Ryoma had that whole childhood crush as an excuse, no matter how ludicrous it might be. Izumi just caught feelings all of a sudden, seemingly because Ryoma showed an interest in his manga. Their whole relationship has such a flimsy foundation, making it difficult to immerse in their scenes as a couple.

Rei and Shogo

I kinda like the relationship between Rei and Shogo, but it's hard to tell when this couple barely got any focus. I guess they seemed okay from the few seconds that I saw them together. However, there just isn't enough content to build a ship.

Personally, I'd like to have seen more of Rei and Shogo over the main couple, because at least these two boyfriends had a healthier relationship dynamic.

Exaggerated acting

I didn't enjoy the over-the-top acting in Love Stage, which consisted of exaggerated expressions, wild gestures, and eccentric behaviour. I know this is supposed to be a manga adaptation, but it's strange watching these human beings behave like cartoonish caricatures. This cast isn't skilled enough to pull off the comedic acting and they made the scenes really cringey to watch.

I also don't sense any chemistry between the main couple. Part of the problem is the casting. Ryoma and Izumi are supposed to be a bit closer in age, but it's evident that Ryoma's actor is older than Izumi's actor by a lot. Even looking past the age difference, these two mediocre actors just aren't strong enough to sell a poorly written romance.

Happy ending

There's a happy ending in Love Stage, where Ryoma and Izumi openly admit their relationship to the media. This ending is okay and I like the courage it takes for a famous celebrity to come out in public like this. I also liked that there wasn't too much agony over the decision. Ryoma and Izumi simply announced that they were dating, and the paparazzi happily asked them fluffy softball questions. There was no drama over an actor coming out, and that's the way it should be in an ideal world.

The problem is that I didn't care about what happened to these characters all that much. Their relationship sucked, it didn't build up enough momentum, and there wasn't a lot at stake. I wasn't interested in the plot or the romance for the entire movie, so it's hard to give a damn about the ending.

Izumi

Although stereotypical, Izumi is a lovable otaku with charm and likability throughout the movie. He went through a relatable journey about publishing his manga, and I was rooting for him even when he failed. It's nice to see a character work towards his dreams.

Shirtless scenes

Izumi has a few shirtless scenes in the Love Stage movie, although you don't see much other than a few glimpses of skin here and there. Supposedly, there's a scene where he walks out completely naked from the bathroom, but none of it is shown on screen.

Nonconsensual encounters

There were a couple of incidents where Ryoma acted inappropriately around Izumi. First, he tried to force Izumi to kiss him, even though no consent was given. Then, there was a weird scene where Izumi fell asleep and Ryoma sneaked in a couple of kisses. Afterwards, there was one other scene where Ryoma tried to get Izumi to return home by intimidating him sexually.

Ryoma is constantly tiptoeing around ~the line~ throughout the movie. His behaviour would've come across as creepier if the character wasn't already so ridiculous. Half the time, this guy doesn't even act like a normal human being, so his offensive behaviour isn't all that different from his ordinary behaviour. I was weirded out by him throughout the entire movie.

Izumi's storylines

Some of Izumi's storylines were decent. I enjoyed watching him work on his manga, along with the various struggles in his publishing journey. Even though the story is pretty basic and generic, I still found it engaging enough to watch.

One of the interesting scenes in the movie occurred after Izumi got negative feedback about his manga. He was upset, discouraged, and feeling really down on himself. At his lowest moment, Izumi told Ryoma to do whatever he wants sexually in bed, because he doesn't care about anything bad that happens to him. However, Ryoma doesn't go through with it and just leaves him alone in the end.

This was perhaps the most emotionally complex scene in the movie, exploring Izumi's self-esteem as he hits rock bottom. The moment was rife with tension and it might be one of the few times that I actually paid close attention to the movie. That scene was very successful and I liked it a lot.

Tone down the acting

I really wished they dialled down the over-the-top acting by several notches. Just have the actors speak and behave normally, because none of them can pull off the intended comedic effects. It's really jarring when a character would suddenly make some OUTLANDISH EXCLAMATION in a cartoonish way. I already had difficulty immersing myself in the dumb plot, and this type of theatrical acting made the viewing experience even more difficult.