Tag: Japanese Film 2017

I’m Underage, But not a Child (Japanese Movie Review)

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Japanese Film 2017

I’m Underage, But not a Child (Japanese Movie Review)

Official Movie Poster

  • Genre: Manga, Romance, Youth, School
  • Based on a Manga
  • Date Release: December 2017

Cast:

  • Nakajima Kento as Tsuruki Nao
  • Taira Yuna as Oriyama Karin
  • Chinen Yuri as Ebina ‘Rinrin’ Isuzu
  • Yamamoto Maika as Saaya Matsui
  • Murakami Shingo as Kuburaki

This movie is engaging.  All the characters are pleasant and the story and script are rather off the wall but watchable once you get used to it being zany!  LOL

The film itself is really good but without reading the manga version, you will be left with some unanswered questions, like why would loving affluent parents allow their pampered child to marry at 16?

Anyway, Karin was on the day of her first year in senior high school, which coincidentally is also her 16th birthday.

She was taken to school in their limo escorted by their butler, Kuburaki.  Along the way, they were stopped by another limo, whose passenger is Rinrin, Karin’s childhood best friend.  He gave her a bunch of flower for her birthday.

When they got to school, the girls were all excited about a prince playing football.

Karin was intrigued enough to follow the throng of girls.

With her ‘opera’ binoculars, she tried to find the prince.  She was really into it that she started walking towards the middle of the playing field.  She was stopped by a ball hitting her on the head and she fell in the arms of the handsomest  guy in school.  She found her prince.

Then came the night of her birthday.  There was a fairytale party.  Her parents then said that they have a present for her and the gift was a photo of the boy she is going to marry now that she is 16.

Karin at first was happy but realised the enormity of the gift.  She’s only 16 and not going to marry just yet but then again she saw the photo and it was her prince from school.

She changed her mind, she wanted to get married.

In the manga, it was explained more why the parents allow their pampered daughter to get married quite young.  The boy, Nao, is the son of their friends in college.  Back then, they were all very good friends.  In fact, Karin’s dad had a thing for Nao’s mum, but she chose a handsome and rich man, who became Nao’s father.  Karin’s father was a struggling student who then met his wife.    They all promised that they will marry their children when they reach 16.

Karin had a very quiet wedding day, only a few were there.  There were no wedding rings and not even the part of kissing the bride.  Nao explained to Karin that he wanted to keep their marriage secret so they can continue to go to school.

The newly married couple then were shown their new house, it was a hovel.  Surprisingly Karin took to it like a duck to water.  She was willing to learn and she learned new things very well.  Nao was a positive influence in her life.  And Nao found her refreshing with her childlike innocence.  She did not even mind that the marriage was a sham, in name only.

Like when she was confronted with an ex-girlfriend of Nao called Saaya at school.  Saaya told her that she must break up with Nao, who overheard their conversation.  Saaya told Karin that she broke up with Nao because she found out that he and his family were up to his neck in debt.  Nao will only be after her money.

Karin said that it was alright because her family has a lot of money, she then asked Saaya if she wanted some as well.

Saaya then asked if Karin likes him because he’s handsome.  Karin said that yes, she likes him because he is handsome and he likes her for her money and she made it sounds like it was the most natural thing in the world.

In the end, Saaya was overwhelmed with Karin’s childlike logic, which made Nao smile in the background with a new respect for Karin’s loyalty.

It was a cute story, with a minor sad part when Rinrin finally got to find out that Karin had married Nao.  He forced them to divorce.  He told Nao that he will announce to the world/school that Nao and Karin are married and this would mean expulsion from school.  Nao really married Karin because Karin’s family will pay Nao’s enormous debt, pay for his tuition and he will inherit the Oriyama’s group of companies as the son-in-law.

Nao really had no choice but to comply with Rinrin’s dictum.  After going on a date with Karin, he told her that he wanted a divorce.

But really by this time they are both genuinely in love with one another.

So Nao went to Rinrin to beg him to return Karin back to him.

Rinrin was not really a bad guy and though he is interested in Karin, whom he thought of marrying when they turned 18, knew deep down that Karin won’t do it and Karin is his very dear friend.

So he said to Nao to make Karin happy because if she’s not he was going to make Nao so sorry.

Five years on, Nao and Karin married once again with all the pomp and circumstance.

Really cute movie and the actress, Taira Yuna was just adorable throughout the film.

 

The 8-Year Engagement (Japanese Movie Review)

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Film

The 8-Year Engagement (Japanese Movie Review)

8-nengoshi no Hanayome: Kiseki no Jitsuwa poster

  • Genre: Romance
  • Japanese Title: 8-nengoshi no Hanayome: Kiseki no Jitsuwa
  • Date Released:  December 2017
  • Based on a book about a real-life romance story of Hisashi Nakahara and Mai Nakahara.

Cast:

    • Takeru Satoh as Hisashi Nakahara
    • Tao Tsuchiya as Mai
    • Hiroko Yakushimaru as Mai’s mother
    • Tetta Sugimoto as Mai’s father

 

I have been waiting for this film like forever.  I love both the leads.  For their young age, they have consistently showed good acting.

The story also sounded really interesting.

This is a gentle melodrama, which has a happy ending.

Hisashi is a hardworking car mechanic.  He had been suffering from stomach ache but still got roped into going to a dinner party, where single available girls were also invited.

During the dinner, Hisashi appeared sullen due to his achy tummy.  One of the girls told him off for being aloof.  The girl was Mai.

Hisashi quickly explained to Mai that he was in pain, with the stomach ache.  Mai understood and they clicked immediately.

They started dating and really get on very well.  Mai introduced him to her parents who liked him as well.

He asked Mai to marry him and she happily agreed.  They quickly book their wedding for the 17th of March which was just a few months away.

Sadly their happiness was cut short as Mai started suffering from forgetfulness and paranoia.  Hisashi brought her to the hospital while she was having her ‘turn’.

She was then diagnosed with anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis, which is caused by a tumour growing on her ovary.

She ended up in a comatose state for a year and all this time, Hisashi remained devoted to her, visiting her in the hospital every single day.  Making vignettes of videos which he sent to her mobile for her to see when she wakes up.

Mai’s mother and father were told that Mai had to have an ovariectomy to cure her illness.  Hasashi agreed to the procedure.  He was told off my Mai’s mother, saying that he was not family and therefore doesn’t have any say.  He was also ordered to stop coming to the hospital to see Mai. They don’t want to ruin his life.  This part was so sad.  I ended up crying.  Takeru was so quietly sad at first and it was heartbreaking to watch.

Hasashi was in bits.  His life was Mai.  Against their order, he went back to see Mai again.

Mai’s mother warned him that she might be comatose forever, and asked if he was prepared for such a situation, in which he answered in the affirmative.

Mai’s mother then thank him sincerely and told him that her daughter found a good man.

Mai finally woke up after a year.

But she was different.  The doctor said that she was like an infant, she is reset to zero, born again.  She needed to be taught everything.

She started to remember everything except Hasashi.

Mai was desperate to remember Hasashi and even went on a rather dangerous mission of finding inspiration to remember.  She started complaining of pain in her head, which alarmed Hasashi.

Finally, Hasashi had to give up.  He thought he had to remove himself from Mai’s vicinity to give her some peace and quiet time.

After some more time, Mai was allowed to go home.  The first thing she found was her mobile phone.

She tried to start it, but she does not know the pass code.  She is back to her cheerful self once again.  She was in her wheelchair visiting places when she encountered the kindly wedding planner who recognised her immediately.in

The wedding planner asked her if she was ready to get married.  Mai found out that Hasashi kept their booking for March 17, paying each year for it.

Mai then tried the 0317 to unlock her mobile phone and it worked.  She then found more than 500 unread messages Hasashi, which were the videos he made.  This scene was so painfully beautiful, I cried so much.

Mai went to find Hasashi (he has been gone for more than a year), who was now working on an island.

Mai confessed to him that she still cannot remember him but she wants to fall in

 

 

 

Love and Lies (2017) Japanese Movie Review

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Film

Love and Lies (2017) Japanese Movie Review

Koi To Uso

  • Genre: School, Youth, Relationship, Melodrama, Futuristic
  • Date Released: October 2017
  • Japanese film

Cast:

 

This film, I thought, is a bit of propaganda for arranged marriage. 🙂 🙂 🙂

Anyway, in a future Japan, it became a task for the government to match up their citizens.

As soon as a girl or a boy turns 16, they receive notification from the government of their most suitable partner.

Apparently, 80 percent of these match-ups work in the long run compared to just half if an individual chooses for himself/herself.  Yap, one is allowed to choose one’s partner and turn down the government recommendation as well.  The government is not too draconian.

Anyway, Aoi was only days away from her sixteenth birthday.  She was giddily awaiting her birthday and partner as her friends have settled relationships already from the government’s match-up.

Aoi had a childhood friend Yuto, who knows her inside and out.  He knew all her idiosyncrasies, what makes her tick and all that.  He was kind and absolutely devoted to her.

On the night of her turning 16, Yuto asked Aoi is she was sure about having a match up partner.  He then confessed that he likes her and why not settle for him.

At that same time, Sosuke, the partner turned up.  He was the son of a hospital owner.

Sosuke was tall, cool, and rather aloof.   Aoi was enchanted.  She forgot what Yuto was saying.

Aoi was really into Sosuke for most of the film.

But she later found out that Yuto was very ill.  He has a stage 3 brain tumor.  She realised that she actually loved Yuto and run away from her wedding to Sosuke (with his consent).

There she went to the airport and reconciled with Yuto.

They had a good life. Very happy.

Then the credits started to appear.

But if you wait out the credits, there is a bittersweet ending.

Aoi was laying some fresh flowers on Yuto’s grave.  while she was praying another person appeared and it was Sosuke with a bunch of flowers as well.

They had a stilted mini-conversation and then Aoi said she was going.

As she was walking away, Sosuke shouted if she wanted to go get something to eat.

Ahhh So the government program works.  Yuto was not paired with Aoi to begin with because he was not healthy.  And Sosuke remained interested in her.

 

 

 

Make a Bow & Kiss (Japanese Film)

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Make a Bow and Kiss poster

Film

  • Genre: Romance, Shoujo Manga, Archery, Teen, School
  • Date Released: 2017
  • Japanese

Cast

  • Elaiza Ikeda as An Kishimoto
  • Masaki Nakao as Yota Mikami
  • Takashi Matsuo as Naoyuki Yoshiki
  • Katsuhuri Suzuki as Arashi Kuwabara
  • Takahisa Maeyama as Katsum Iragashi
  • Minori Hagiwara as Riko Ando
  • Kusei Yuki as Shotaro Endo
  • Hidekazu Mashima as Kaname Mikamai

 

Make a Bow & Kiss (Japanese Film)

I would classify this drama as a mature teen drama because of two things.

Firstly because of the nature of the leads’  relationship and secondly, the story itself.

An Kishimoto devoted much of the last six years as a member, and currently being the president, of  the  archery club in her school.  She is a third year high school student.

She felt that she cannot give anymore of herself into archery, thus she decided to give up her presidency and retire completely from the club.

There was a second year student, Mikami, who was an up and coming archer.  Though he does not attend much of the training, he always win the archery gongs during contest.

An Kishimoto decided that Mikami should be the next president and therefore passed the honour to him.

Mikami had other ideas.  Though, he accepted the presidency, he would not accept her total retirement from the club.

He roughly seduced her with kisses.  The innocent An was quickly beguiled into staying.  After she agreed, Mikami behaved as if nothing had happened.

Poor An was captivated even more.

She was so enthralled with him that she became jealous of ever phone calls he received.  She followed him one day in a hospital.  She was so curious to know who he visits and found him with a boy, who was his adopted brother.

Mikami saw her skulking and asked her why she was following him.

She confessed to him that she liked him. Mikami then said that he likes her too and that she will be his girlfriend.

Despite their official relationship, Mikami would blow hot and cold and told her that they should break up.

Mikami has so much issues, including his adopted brother’s terminal illness.  He can’t accept it and feels disappointed and annoyed that his adopted father has now resigned to the fact.

He reconciled with An but he made her promised that she needs to stay by his side not only now, next year but for the rest of her life.