Product: Boys Be..., Vol. 3 - Autumn
Rating: 5.0
FEELING ALONE
Kyoichi is still reeling from the breakup with Chiharu after he caught her kissing another guy, but he's trying to make a comeback, whether he knows it or not. He begins to hang out more and more with Shoko, a wanna-be pop idol, who actually might have the talent to make the bigtime. Even though she seems like a tough girl, Kyoichi finds out that maybe her confidence isn't as great as what she projects outwardly. The two slowly find themselves slipping into a kind of relationship, but will it last? Next, Makoto supposedly finds his soulmate by using a computer software program and gets the girl's friend, the bespectacled cosplayer Yumi, to introduce him to the girl, named Erika. When it goes badly, Yumi sets out Pygmalion style to educate Makoto on how to act and talk around Erika to make a good impression. But is Yumi really spending time with Makoto to educate him, or because SHE likes him? Things get a tad boy-lovish in the last episode as Kyoichi has a dogging loneliness that is keeping him awake at night and he cannot for the life of him figure why he is feeling so alone. Could it be the loss of Chiharu, or is it something more cosmic? He meets a handsome pretty boy named Takaya at the videostore where he works part-time and bonds with the guy because he too feels like something or someone is missing from his life. Even though Takaya is really handsome, he is trying to work up the courage to ask a classmate to go out with him. Even though Kyoichi is kinda lost at the moment, maybe he can find his way by encouraging Takaya.Boys Be is a real gem and one of the best shows out this year. Even though it is simply about human relationships, the episodes are like microcosms of the human heart and reveal great truths. Every character that appears in the show gives the air of having a complex past, or should I say, a REAL past with their own ambitions and motivations. The honesty of the writing is awesome. People do dumb things for love and sometimes you can't figure out who you really want. Kyoichi isn't stupid. Humans have to go through a trial and error process to figure out their desires sometimes. This is a classic show.