Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Japanese mini-series ‘Life Senjou no Bokura’ also known as ‘Life on the Line’ is a cute little love story about two teen boys – an over-imaginative Nishi and the more restrained Ito. It charts their relationship from their high-school days to adulthood and is a slightly unconventional romantic show.
When I started watching ‘Life on the Line’, I had no idea that it was based on a manga. But when you watch the first episode, as a viewer you get the sense that this series a literal adaptation of a comic book. It starts off with Nishi taking careful steps on the white markings on the sidewalk on his way to school. He likes to imagine he is treading on a dangerous pole, one wrong-step and he could fall into the jaws of sharks or something more sinister that would result in instant death. His life gets more interesting when he bumps into Nishi, a boy from a different school who likes to walk on the white markings too. What starts off as a strange friendship, soon evolves into more.
While some stuff borders on being unrealistic, most of the story-line is believable and doesn’t have the usual exaggerations of Japanese dramas. The only thing I didn’t really like in ‘Life on the Line’ was the hair-style of lead actor Raiku who plays Nishi; while he is quite adorable, the hair is just ‘ugh!’. Shirasu Jin who plays Ito, passionately portrays the role of a young man who is pining for something more serious with the boy he falls in love with.
The two eventually start a relationship in earnest and live a largely happy life. I loved the fact that ‘Life on the Line’ unfolds over several years, depicting then two men in a steady relationship. Nishi & Ito start living together after finishing college and spend years in relative peace & bliss.
But obviously it cannot be all hunky-dory forever, as they get older Ito finds himself torn between his love for Nishi and his parents who expect him to marry a girl & give them grandchildren. So, some of the climactic moments explore the conflict arising from societal expectations and how both of them have different outlooks over the matter.
The pace of ‘Life on the Line’ is great, I have seen some users complain that it was too short, but in my opinion it was near-perfect. There weren’t any needless sub-plots, or unnecessary scenes for comic relief. The focus is on the lead couple and the highs & lows of their relationship. Their story will tug at your heart and make you want to root for them.
If you are looking for a short romance series to watch, ‘Life on the Line’ is just the thing you need for some weekend watching.