It's not quite "third time's the charm," but it's a "passable." And good news? The director of this work has previously helmed two films starring Ranmaru Fujii: specifically, "For a Raise, the Old Manager..." and "Waking Up on a Saturday Morning at a Male Friend's House..." Both works shared a common flaw: excessive use of long shots and poor camera angles. As a result, I started watching this one with caution, thinking "what happens twice will happen a third time."
Indeed, the director's bad habit of using long shots appeared here and there, and there were not a few scenes where the camera angles felt questionable. However, compared to past works, the frequency of close-ups increased, and the sense of distance from the subject had improved considerably. I believe that effectively using close-ups is key to maximizing an actress's appeal. In that regard, this work barely passes the mark. That said, Ranmaru Fujii herself always delivers a perfect performance regardless of the work's evaluation.
Some may find my assessment harsh, but as someone who has watched many excellent works from the An Mitsumi (planning solo actress) era, I can't help but compare. Now, as for why I wrote "Good News?" in the title: on August 15th, Miss Ranmaru Fujii posted on X, "How are you? This photo is from a shoot for a new maker." This suggests she might move from being a FALENO exclusive to another maker's exclusive, or become a planning solo actress like in the An Mitsumi era. As someone who strongly supports Ranmaru Fujii, no matter which path she chooses, there's no better news than this. I can't stop being excited from now on. I sincerely hope to see excellent works again, packed with her charm, like those from the An Mitsumi era.