The Shortest Distance Is Round poster
#13219 This Week

The Shortest Distance Is Round

The Shortest Distance Is Round  ·  2019, Japan
5.4
1,761 ratings
1
Film
0
Watchlisted
● Completed 🕑 2019

Haruto spends a lonely high school. The new teacher, Aoyama, cares about him and starts an exchange diary. Haruto gradually opens up, but one day, when he was resting because of a cold, he was kissed by Aoyama who came…

Synopsis
Cast & Crew
Episodes
Reviews (5)

In the lonely halls of a Japanese high school, Haruto drifts through his days as an unseen wallflower, burdened by a quiet desperation that no one notices—until a new teacher, Aoyama, extends a simple invitation: an exchange diary. Through handwritten confessions, Haruto tentatively opens his heart, finding solace in Aoyama's unexpected kindness. But when a fever confines him to the nurse's office, Aoyama's visit takes a dark turn with a kiss that shatters all boundaries of trust. From this single transgression, Haruto is pulled into a world of yakuza debts, prostitution, and blackmail—a ruthless cycle where intimacy becomes currency and survival demands submission. This Pink Film challenges viewers with its raw, unflinching portrayal of coercion and twisted affection, blending eroticism with harrowing psychological tension. A story not of romance, but of power, trauma, and the desperate search for connection in the most brutal of circumstances.

Episode data is coming soon.

5.4
out of 10
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220
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165
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385
DR
dark_romance_junkie
March 2024
7/10
I know it's problematic, but the chemistry between Haruto and Aoyama is electrifying. The way Aoyama's tenderness turns into possessiveness gave me chills. Not a fluffy romance, but if you like your love stories with thorns, this one's unforgettable.
PH
plot_hole_patrol
August 2023
4/10
The plot jumps from a diary exchange to yakuza prostitution with zero logical buildup. Characters make baffling decisions, and the 'romance' feels less like a story and more like a checklist of shock value scenes. Disappointingly shallow.
LA
lens_and_light
January 2025
8/10
Visually this is a hidden gem. The grainy film texture, the cold blue-grey palette, and those tight close-ups during the kiss scene—every frame screams despair. The Pink Film aesthetic is used masterfully to enhance the mood even when the script falters.
EM
ethically_minded
November 2024
3/10
I couldn't get past the student-teacher foundation. Aoyama is a predator, plain and simple, and the film never condemns his actions—it eroticizes them. Glorifying coercion under the guise of 'dark love' is harmful, no matter how artistic the delivery.
SM
source_material_snob
June 2024
5/10
I read the original manga, and the film cuts out key character development to rush into the explicit scenes. The emotional core of Haruto's loneliness is diluted. It's a faithful adaptation of the sex, but not of the heart.