Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai: The Clouds Gather

Look, I don't want to be that asshole who says "the manga was better" but in this case, use that previous statement as a fair warning if you're even remotely interested in watching Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai: the Clouds Gather. Because man, the awful production value alone is enough for me to tell you to just skip this movie and read the manga. Animation 2/10 Going right into this review, let's start off with the weakest aspect to Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai: its sloppy animation. Now usually, I'm not picky of art in anime-- yet for this movie, I simply could not turn a blind eye tohow abhorrently unready it looked! One of the main issues was how unrefined the characters looked when put against ultra-detailed and high contrasting backgrounds. You see, the animators decided on a very simplistic style to draw the characters in (flat designs, blocky shading, sharp outlines, and dull color palettes) which would've been fine EXCEPT for the fact that they practically pasted these characters onto garishly colorful and precisely intricate-looking backgrounds that didn't mix well together at all! So instead of having beautiful backgrounds that blend seamlessly into the scene, they only acted as a jarring distraction to the viewer. Simply put: the characters and backgrounds just don't look like they belong in the same anime. To further illustrate my point, I have to comment on the laughably bad lack of movement in this anime! Because my god, the body movements (even down to basic walking sequences) felt so stiff and awkward-- as if this was made by a bunch of amateurs from ten years ago! More so, what's up with the emotionless, and, there I say, deadpan fish faces? Such a shame because the manga had so much content to offer: subtle looks that convey a lot of what a character is feeling, but we lost all of that to monotonous facial expressions. Because in short, these characters just move, look, and feel like robots! To me, this was the worst offender of them all because what's the point of even making this into an animation if these were the results? The whole point of the animation medium is to bring life to the characters, to give them movement and dimension, so it defeats the whole purpose when they reduce their characters to mere mechanical automatons! Soundtrack 5.5/10 If I were to judge the soundtrack entirely on its own, I would've given it a pretty high rating. I absolutely adored the ending song "Moratorium" by Omoinotake and the ost background music alone are some really strong and memorable tracks. Therefore, the problem I had with the soundtrack isn't its quality, but rather, its placement throughout the movie. Basically, the overall mood of the soundtrack is kind of peppy and jazzy which doesn't fit with Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai's more or less somber atmosphere, so certain scenes had way less of an impact due to how conflicting and out-of-place the music felt. In the end, the soundtrack served to nullify my enjoyment of the movie, instead of enhancing it. Plot and Characters (6/10) Alright, so I presume this adaptation is the first installment in a series of upcoming movies because this movie only covers the first 8 chapters of the manga. It stays fairly close to its source material so not a lot of complaints here, except that nothing really takes place in these 8 chapters! At most, you get introduced to the main characters, Yashiro and Doumeki: who they are, what they're like, and what their backstories are. And while I think the script executed in writing the characters well enough, the movie still felt too meandering and directionless because nothing else happens! This problem could've been fixed if only the writers would've uncovered more of the chapters from the manga because as of now, this entire movie could've easily been condensed in 30 minutes or so. Ultimately, I just didn't see the point of making an entire movie that dragged on for 1 hour and 25 minutes long from only 8 chapters with not a lot of, well, anything. Final Thoughts 5/10 This movie just didn't seem finished. If they had just pushed the release date to do polish some things (cough, the animation, cough) then I think Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai: the Clouds Gather could've had the potential to become a really great movie! Although, that was definitely not the case since it fell rather flat in its execution (to put it lightly). I just hope the upcoming movie(s) will learn from these mistakes. Overall, if you're a fan of the manga then check it out to your own demise, but if you're a completely new viewer interested in the story, then I would strongly advise you to just go and read the manga.

*NO SPOILERS* Where do I even start? Maybe here: To simply slap a BL label on this and leave it at that feels downright criminal. I’m very grateful that I stumbled upon this without any prior knowledge or pretext. Had I read a synopsis or character description, I doubt I would have given it a try. Almost everything I found on this movie and manga fails to capture the essence of this story and its characters. It very much sounds like one of those cliches where BL is predatory and abuse is strangely romanticized. But I can promise you, that thisis not the case. At all. I should preface anything else with a bit of a warning. This manga/movie is without a doubt 18+. No, it isn’t hentai. No, it’s not all just about juicy sex scenes. BUT the story is heavy-laden with crime, violence, sex, abuse, rape, and abuse of minors. But let me say it one more time for the people in the back: In no way, shape, or form are any of these heavy topics romanticized or fetishized. They are merely used as tools to depict what (unfortunately) is reality for many people. Generally, it could be said that mentally healthy and sound individuals with a normal childhood don’t end up in the Yakuza and that’s where this story unfolds… Yoneda Kou is the author of this journey, that started in 2008 with the one-shot Don’t Stay Gold. The focus is split between the main characters Kageyama & Kuga and character development of Yashiro, the main character of the movie/manga series. In 2009, the story continues with the one-shot Though They Drift, They Do Not Sink, But Nor Do They Sing, where the focus is on Kageyama’s (one of the mains in Don’t Stay Gold) and Yashiro’s Highschool years, though the focus is again on character development of Yashiro. Since 2011, Twittering Birds Never Fly has been serialized in HertZ magazine. It depicts Yashiro and Chikara Doumeki (first name, family name) and their struggle to make sense of many difficult feelings in an environment that is ruthless and unforgiving, all while suffocating in profound trauma. Both characters are immensely complex, Yashiro especially so, using his hyper-sexual facade as a tool - both weapon and shield - to navigate the choppy waters of a harsh, men-only crime syndicate. Doumeki, a newcomer to this lifestyle, quickly becomes Yashiro’s anchor, grounding him and pulling him under at the same time. Their affection and fascination with each other is both, tragic and hopeful; twisted, yet simple. But this story is about more than just two people’s attraction. It’s a deep, dark, and intense dive into the Japanese underworld. You can absolutely watch the movie without having read any source material, just as you can read the main story without the one-shots first. They may all be connected and will absolutely give you a much deeper understanding of all the characters involved, but hey are all stand-alone stories at the same time. I started with the movie and then couldn’t rest until I had found the manga! The movie adaptation Twittering Birds Never Fly - The Clouds Gather was released in 2020. The adaptation follows the manga very closely and the art is identical to the source material which is a huge plus in my opinion. The movie score has jazzy undertones and fits the whole “mobster theme” well. The ending is a beautiful song with poignant lyrics, and having watched the music video I wonder if the interpretive dance is foreshadowing the storyline? The same year, a sequel The Storm Breaks was announced, but has yet to be released. A third, still untitled movie has also been announced. All three films were licensed by Sentai Filmworks for screenings & releases in North America, so I remain hopeful that it will happen. When it comes to the voice actors, I have nothing but praise! They infuse Yashiro & Doumeki with so much character and really bring them to life. The acting is truly superb and gives the whole story yet another layer of depth! If you have read the manga and are now watching the movie, you will be amazed by how perfectly they were cast for their respective roles! Likewise, if you’ve just watched the movies and are now diving deeper into the manga, having experienced their “voices” will make reading their story that much more exciting! There are currently 8 volumes spanning 56 chapters with the next chapter release scheduled March 29, 24. Yoneda sensei announced that the story will conclude within the next 2-3 volumes, so we may be looking at many more years of waiting to see where life will take these two amazing characters. I hope I could convince you to give this a try and I hope you won’t be disappointed! If you are a fan like me, consider buying original works to support not just the amazing author, but to guarantee the next two movies! If you are still reading, thank you! I’ve said as much as I could without spoiling anything and now I’d just like to give my opinion: I’m an avid reader (of literature) and have also watched anime my whole life. Considering that, I want to say how profoundly complex this story is. I occasionally re-read the manga and continue to see more connections, meanings, and interpretations. It absolutely blows my mind that Yoneda sensei pulled this off with the limited medium that is manga, where you don’t have pages upon pages to explain all the details and plots. She has a real talent to convey complex emotions like suspicions, fears, as well as hopes, dreams, and longing (sometimes all at the same time) with a mere sketch of a few characters. It translates very well in the movie! Though the ending definitely leaves you wanting more. If I’m honest, I’m very unsure of where these two characters are headed. It’s so hard to imagine a happy ending given their background and environment, but at the same time it would utterly wreck me if they didn’t get that redemption in the end.

I know that all these other reviews are pitching this anime as 'not as good as the manga', but I'm wondering if they've ever seen any other yaoi anime adaptations. The budget is always much lower than more mainstream genre animes, so no, it's never going to be as slick as something such as Death Note. RELATIVE to yaoi animes though, this one is pretty gosh darn impressive. They more than compensate for low budget with clever framing angles and techniques; some shots really took me out of the anime to just appreciate how it's been made as a piece of art. The story, characters,and atmosphere carry the whole thing in a fashion that, for me, doesn't leave anything feeling lacking. I damn near cried several times. The manga is one of my all time favourites, so I'm absolutely someone who could be disappointed by the adaptation. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys the subtle, slow-burn pacing of the manga, the scorching tension that comes to fill in the space left by that gradual pacing, and anyone interested in how a low budget anime can still play with cinematography to grasp an audience. Side note: several reviews found the music lackluster, and whilst I completely agree that it's nothing mind-blowing, I found the understated tone of the music suited the anime's other aspects really well. Outro song slaps in a heart-ruining way too.

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