Halfway through the first episode of “Soul Mate,” a queer-themed limited series from Netflix, 21-year-old protagonist Ryu Narutaki (Hayato Isomura) lies down on a pew in a Berlin church dramatically engulfed in flames.
Just moments earlier, Ryu had sputtered a few words of guilt in the confessional. His sin? Clamming up in response to a romantic overture from his male classmate and fellow hockey player Arata (Koshi Mizukami), who later jumps from a college dormitory window.
A conventional narrative would hone in on the dynamic between Ryu and Arata, teasing the viewer with the shifting borders of a friendship that may or may not blossom into something more.
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