Year: 1997 / 1998
Rating: 9.0 / 10
Year: 1997 / 1998
Rating: 9.0 / 10
NOTE: This review will contain spoilers.
The sun, sand, sea and those iconic late 90s floppy middle parts is a brief summary of what I knew about Beach Boys before hitting play on the first episode. I think from the title alone you can glean what it’s about in a vague notion. What I expected to be a simple, lighthearted comedy-drama quickly buried itself into my heart and mind.
Beach Boys’ plot is fairly simple: two guys who live opposite lives– Hiromi, a carefree man who just got dumped by his girlfriend, and Kaito, a stuffy businessman who’s feeling like he needs a vacation– both wind up at a minshuku inn and end up working there. A good chunk of the overarching plot involves a will-they won’t-they in if the boys are staying and for how long, but I think they do it successfully instead of tediously.
The story is heavily character driven, which works incredibly well due to how much they were able to flesh out the characters and their motivations. We end up learning just as much about the secondary characters (Makoto, Grandpa and Haruko) as we do Kaito and Hiromi. I also think they bond the characters so well together– Makoto’s light crush on Hiromi feels realistic, even though he seems to only see her as a little sister (which I’m VERY glad about. I was worried that Makoto would be a love interest to either of the men, when she’s a highschooler and they’re in their mid 20s. What growing up on shoujo manga does to a mfer I guess).
I also think Hiromi and Kaito also have such a fun relationship. It really did feel like a BL at many points… But alas, 1998, I knew the score. Either way you want to view it, they really had such a fun bond to watch and it felt like a natural progression (especially as we watch Kaito try and steel himself from Hiromi’s fun loving ways, and we find out he’s envious of him living so carefree; But we then learn what shaped Hiromi’s style of living as well).
I also loved Haruko and her storyline, especially as it paralleled Makoto’s. I think the fact she’s someone who I don’t agree with all her choices makes her an even more interesting character to me. I think she was so well written, you could feel the sadness the actress embodied for her. I loved her relationship with grandpa and how they slowly revealed her storyline and it was absolutely gut wrenchingly sad– especially a later episode that focused on her.
The minor characters were also so well done. Hazuki, a sickly woman from Tokyo, is especially a standout. Being someone with illness that restrains me, her story resonated with me– once being able to do anything she wanted and be as active as she wanted, just for that all to come crashing down. I really liked her storyline and I loved her moments with Hiromi and them being able to find comfort in each other. I’m glad her ending felt optimistic as well.
Yuko and Yusuke were also great, I think they really added a lot of life. I also loved the taxi and postman, they were always a joy to see. I loved Fujiko and her outfits. The only one who I was iffy about was Sakura– her actress was wonderful, nothing wrong there, but I think my feelings of her were tainted by how they did her and Kaito’s story– the only thing alongside the ending I didn’t care much for.
Which, getting to the parts I didn’t care for, let me first talk about Sakura and Kaito. I think this feeds into why I didn’t like the ending as well, but to establish: Sakura and Kaito were sort of courting (not yet fully dating it seemed, but close enough they would probably be considered on the precipice) before Kaito took his leave of absence from his Tokyo job. I think my issue comes with this: I felt like Kaito was extremely happy working there and had fun, but it’s in part due to Sakura (and other people saying things) which made him want to go back to the city. I get that a major part of his story/development was him realizing he couldn’t run away from his life but… He was doing hard work at the inn, debatably harder than what was at his desk job at least in a physical sense, and he seemed so much happier. It felt like an annoying chorus from people of “oh but you’ll be forcing Sakura to be an innkeeper’s wife” ... Okay and? He was happy! I don’t get it! I really didn’t like scenes with Sakura because so much of it was this weird tension of him having to go back to the city because he had “a good job”. I think if they didn’t tie her so heavily to that tension, I would’ve been able to enjoy her more as a character because by all accounts, she was a good person and very sweet and diligent.
This feeds into the ending, which is a big part why it’s not a 10/10 for me. The next section will contain major spoilers.
The 2nd to last episode and the last episode’s main plot points are this: Grandpa begins surfing again and ends up going out alone (after being told not to) and getting killed. His body is never found, but a funeral is held and the boys realize this is the true end of their summer. That plotline alone? I don’t like it, but I think it had a really good showing of emotion from the actors. It felt gut wrenching because I really grew to love grandpa and I was so upset to see Makoto so distraught. However, I really wish this had a nicer ending than literally grandpa dying.
This event then has a ripple effect outward: it’s time for the boys to leave. I also don’t like this because they formed such a strong friendship– not just with each other, but Makoto and the other folks around the inn. I really think even if you were going to kill grandpa off, why should they leave? Haruko takes over which I’m totally fine with, especially given her reasoning... But god, I don’t like this ending at all, especially when it’s obvious this way of life has made everyone so happy. I understand the underlying theme of this series was everyone to find their own path in life and not to run from their own lives, and grandpa’s passing was a symbolic way of ushering in a new season of everyone’s lives… But personally, it’s still not for me, as much as I understand the narrative reasoning and knows it makes sense. Genuinely I would’ve been so much happier if Hiromi and Kaito were like, “man, I have so much fun here I don’t want to leave I want to be a part of this community forever.”
There’s a special that came after this, but I haven’t gotten a chance to track it and the subs for it down. I know it continues from where it left off, but I can’t say much about it without having actually seen it.
The opening is really good
On other points as well: The music in the series is really good. I genuinely really love the opening– it’s so soothing and just feels warm. I think it’s a really good intro for this series– and god do I love those very outdated 1998 graphics. I also really love the fashion in the series– I know especially some of Makoto’s shirts stood out to me. And the setting is just beautiful– it feels quaint and idyllic, and really made me want to go out to the beach every day I watched it...!
I think to sum up, my thoughts on most of the series is a 10/10... But I do think the final episode puts such a dampen on it from my point of view. That being said, I loved every other minute of it and it’s definitely something I’d rewatch next summer as well. Every episode was absolutely engaging and I don’t regret watching this at all. Despite the things I didn’t care for, I think it’s been my favorite (non-tokusatsu) drama to date!
Oh, and. Fujiko and Sakura would’ve been a cute match and would’ve worked out super well. Especially in a world where those two got together and lived a happy life in the city and the boys stayed at the inn working together.
3:58pm .. .. // 01.20.2025