Twittering Birds Never Fly: The Clouds Gather – Anime Movie Review

Good story

This movie explores the lasting effects of psychological trauma in our two main characters. Doumeki's emotional baggage is addressed early on, but it is Yashiro's pain that really fuels the story. Beneath his bravado and his excessive sex life lies a man so broken that he's incapable of functioning or thinking normally. His views on love, happiness, relationships, and emotional stability are all skewed.

The story was like a slow psychological horror exploring into Yashiro's damaged psyche and the ugliness around him. I felt a heavy burden as the story progressed. The extremely touchy topics made some parts of the movie uncomfortable to watch, but it was also emotionally gripping and I couldn't look away.

If I thought the movie was already this gloomy, I can hardly imagine how much darker and bleaker the manga must be.

Yashiro and Doumeki

I don't know if calling it a romance is the right word, but the relationship between Yashiro and Doumeki was compelling in a twisted way.

On one level, there's the imbalanced power dynamic between a boss and his underling. On another level, there's the emotional trauma affecting Doumeki's sexual potency. On a third level, there's Yashiro using sex to compensate for any emotional voids, even if the sex was futile and could never have a climax. On one more level, it's about Yashiro deflecting Doumeki's feelings and pushing their relationship away to keep himself emotionally unavailable. Phew, and I feel like I just barely scratched the surface with the two of them.

The film might feel like it gets overpowered by the sex scenes, but they also depict Yashiro's desperate attempts to fill the emotional emptiness in his life. The only way he knows how to feel confident is through his promiscuity. Doumeki tries his best to break through these emotional barriers, but it can be tough because he's recovering from his own personal trauma. Their relationship is both sad and compelling since they have so many psychological obstacles between them.

Yashiro and Kageyama

Yashiro's relationship with Kageyama doesn't get much focus, because there's hardly a romance between them. It's more of an one-sided love that doesn't get reciprocated. Even calling it love seems inaccurate. His devotion towards Kageyama is mostly because he was the only one to show Yashiro kindness in his youth. Yashiro misconstrues this as love, whereas the actual feelings Kageyama has for him is pity.

The real insult is that Kageyama starts having a relationship with another guy who isn't Yashiro. So, it isn't his sexuality that poses as the obstacle in their non-starter romance. It's simply because Kageyama doesn't want Yashiro that way, and he will never want to be with him romantically. It's not me, it's totally you.

Are they even friends? I'm not sure if there's enough to classify this as a genuine friendship between the two of them. It seems more like a relationship of convenience between two people who have outgrown each other, but just can't let go of the past.

Great visuals

This anime is very stylish with a distinct atmosphere, which you'll pick up on right away. Some of the key scenes are composed beautifully, making good use of colour and light to create an artistic ambiance. I also like the way the characters are drawn: burly masculine bodies, sharp angular jaws, small suspicious eyes, and faint pastel colours.

It was actually the artwork on the poster that drew me to this movie in the first place. This is the exact type of visual style that I dig in anime.

Yashiro

Definitely Yashiro. Love him or hate him, he's easily the most complex character with layers and layers of meaty psychological trauma. I never really hated Yashiro, because he was always darkly amusing even at his worst, but I did fail to understand him. His character is so beyond damaged that the decisions he make and the actions he take are seemingly impossible to grasp.

It will take weeks, thousands of words, and maybe a couple of therapists to unpack all the messed up crap in Yashiro's life.

Fanservice galore

Oh boy, does it ever. Get ready because you're in for a wild ride. There were copious amounts of nudity and sex in this explicit 18+ yaoi movie. We don't see any full frontal shots, but we basically see everything else. 🍑🍆💦

Every other minute, Yashiro is DTF and he's either taking off his pants or unbuckling somebody else's. In fact, it might be rarer to find a scene in Twittering Birds Never Fly that doesn't feature a naked character in the middle of having sexual intercourse.

Provocative

Oh god, yes. Lots of rape, violence, gore, abuse, and other taboo adult themes. The full extensive list of what's triggering in this movie goes on and on. Most of it has to do with the sex, which could be masochistic or non-consensual or both. Be warned this 18+ yaoi anime is not for the faint of hearts.

The atmosphere

I like the sombre tone and the bleak atmosphere of the anime. The visuals play a big part, but it's also the combination of the storylines, the characters, and the dialogue. These elements come together to create a distinct movie with lots of grit and style.

The minor characters

I'd provide a little more clarity on some of the characters. I'm sure the fans of the original manga won't have this problem, but I had a tough time distinguishing the minor characters because they looked and behaved so similarly. I couldn't tell whether the bad guy in this scene was the same as the last one or if he was another new one that just got introduced. Who are all these people?

The minor characters

This movie ends on a suitably sad, grim, and bleak note. Considering there are two more movie sequels in the works, I'm guessing Yashiro probably lives to see another day? Nonetheless, Yashiro getting shot in the middle of broad daylight somehow feels like perfect way to cap off this dark and disturbing film.

Admittedly, Twittering Birds Never Fly: The Clouds Gather won’t appeal to everyone, who may find the story too slow, the sex scenes too blunt, or the subject matters too heavy. If you are in the mood to watch something a little twisted, this brooding anime offers a lot of psychological complexity for you to sink your teeth into.