A concise synopsis of gay-themed movies and gay interest films. Click on the photos to enlarge.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Taiikukan Baby (2008)



















During the summer high school preliminary swimming trials, senior ace swimmer Shibahara Jun (Nakamura Yuichi) loses to his rival Murai Naoki (Takahashi Yuta). Jun's father (Watanabe Ikkei), who is the team coach, says that rather than swim, he should concentrate on studying for his college entrance exams instead.
Naoki asks Jun to coach him in preparation for the Inter High, and Jun accepts the assignment. Though feeling disappointed and uncertain, Jun puts his heart into helping train swimming rival and teammate Naoki. They are attracted to each other. Spending countless hours together at the pool, the two form a close relationship. But their time together is soon cut short when Jun decides to quit the team, and Naoki plans to move to the United States. That night, at the swimming pool, Naoki suddenly kisses Jun.

This drama of forbidden love between two young men is an interesting coming of age film. Teenage love or infatuation is a strange, wonderful, frustrating experience, full of hope and despair, and we see it all in this movie. It has a nice ending. Based on the novel awarded the first prize at "The First Junon Love Novel Grand Prix", a Japanese magazine novel contest, youth romance films "Doukyusei" and "Taiikukan Baby" were released in Japan as a double bill. Set in the same world with the same cast and characters, the two films begin at the same point and spin into two different stories of young love. D-BOYS member Nakamura Yuichi of Princess Princess D and Kamen Rider Den-O leads both films as high school swimmer Shibahara Jun. Co-starring Prince of Tennis Musical star Takahashi Yuta and Kubo Sho. The boys love film "Taiikukan Baby" follows the confused and romantic triangle that develops between Jun and his two friends. The DVD includes a "making of", deleted scenes, outtakes, an interview, a press conference, and the trailer. Keiko Kanome and Yoshihiro Fukagawa wrote the screenplay, and Yoshihiro Fukagawa directed. In Japanese with English subtitles. The alternate titles are "Gymnasium Babies" and "Tai Iku Kan Baby".

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