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I'm left with Questions...
First of all I don't normally wrote reviews.. But this one was so messed up I have to. Okay so.. for me to begin I debated on watching this movie after reading the mixed reviews.. But I am typically one that ends up deciding that I will watch it and for my own opinion.. Which I ultimately did. Now here are my thoughts..I feel the story could have been an interesting one.. I as I was watching I was left with more WTH is going on then with understanding.. I feel that there is so much missing from this it's not even funny.. I would have loved to see more interactions between the ML and FL.. what we get here leaves me empty. I was not even sad when they broke up. It's like they almost never had good dialogue between them. I was able to understand the relationship with the FL and the 2ML a lot better... There are quite a few repetitive scenes (flashback) that seem to be out of context. You are left guessing what just happened. Is the relationship between the ML and FL Toxic I can't truly determine that within the few scenes. There are issues for sure.. she is in love with him he likes her but after she is almost rapped his whole demeanor changes my guess is it's because he is angry he wasn't able to protect her.. but who knows. he becomes a bit colder towards her after that. She wants answers from him and At some point she must have been blind because she asked why he didn't fight him off of her hello... He got beat up... Now the ending What the heck was that?? She was attacked a 2nd time a I am just trying to figure out is this in her head or did it happen.. she's yelling at him to kill the guy.. okay I get it but at the same time what....??? Then final scene It's a scene from a movie the FL is in with another character on a bike and then the ML is there with her I am so freaking lost ...
The acting was decent.. I could tell their emotions.. But I wants drawn into feeling them almost side the actors. Now the camera angels have got me not wanting to watch this again. It reminded.me of something someone shot on their phone.. so many scenes shot at a distance then multiple scenes gave me a head ache with the camera shaking so much.. Not to mention so many scenes just linger ..
All in all this Movie has potential to be so much more and where it is it has fallen flat.. Definitely has amateur vibes. I will Not watch it again. But if you are looking for something.on the wired o meter that makes you want to puzzle everything together I would attempt to watch this one.. if you are looking for a solid story like that is understandable you are at the wrong place.
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Story: 5.0
The story follows a young model who moves to a small town in order to help take care of her ailing grandfather’s business. The story itself was slightly complicated for me to follow, just because it was slightly all over the place and didn’t quite have a flow. The spine of the film was there, with the relationship, they meet, something happens to split them apart, they met again, then break up spine, but what we got was a slight mess. What the story lacked in terms of dialogue or even a good plot it tried to make up for with Shock value. This story isn’t for the faint of heart, if you don’t like films that include attempted rape, some emotional damage, or the couple doesn’t gets together in the end, this story would not be for you.
Acting/Casting: 9.5
What the story lacked in flow and choppy editing, it made up for in casting. The chemistry between the two leads is what really made this film stand out for me. If anything, without the chemistry between any of the characters, this wouldn’t even be worth the watch.
The only casting choices or not even acting choices, mostly having to do with the character, (so this can go under story), has to do with the second female lead. She wasn’t really all that important in the end, and seemed to be there just to either push the two together, or break them apart. There was never any diving characterization of her character and at times I thought she was simply a figment of imagination, the ghost pulling the strings in the story plot.
Music: 6.5
The music is usually a hit or miss with me. For this one, it's in between. At times I thought it had the right instrumental background, at others, I wondered why the music was playing when silence would have been more beneficial. Knowing when to put in music and when not is a choice that most filmmakers make for a reason. I think in terms of music, this film didn’t quite hit the mark, but it wasn’t a great performance of the use of the art.
Rewatch Value: 1.5
This film isn’t really a happy go lucky, and if i were to rewatch it, I would skip the parts in between. For me, in my own opinion, this is one of those that you should see at least once, to get an idea of how talented the actors can be with not so good storyline.
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So here are the things I really loved about the movie:
- The characters were portrayed well, as an adaptation the characters physical appearance as well as traits were not changed much. The lead actors (Suda and Nana) totally draws you in, the way they looked at each other and interact, the chemistry between the two is strong so to speak.
- The ocean/under water scenes are breathtakingly beautiful. The film itself was taken in a way that captivates the audience and makes you go "ah I want to go to that place".
- The story is not too simple and not too deep. Its a perfect balance for those who are sick of the usual mushy love stories.
And the part/s that could have been improved:
- Details, if you haven't read the manga you might be confused at some part or think that the pace is quite fast. It could have been better if it was more detailed.
All in all its a movie worth watching!
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One thing I think is good to keep in mind going in is that the story of Drowning Love occupies the physical and spiritual realms equally. (The "spiritual" here refers to the Japanese Shinto faith, and the spirits and beliefs it contains.) In Drowning Love, the abstract, the liminal, the spiritual carry just as much weight as what "really" happens - if not more. This movie works through a tragic, life-changing experience in a really nuanced and thoughtful way - poetically rather than logically, if you will. The main couple has so much chemistry, and their relationship has so much weight to it that I find I can never take my eyes off of them. In that vein, this movie is incredibly sexy, not because of the amount of skin shown, but because the characters and their bond grab you in unexpected and breathtaking ways.
I feel like the second time through I have finally figured out the ending. The movie does feel like it ends in the abstract, rather than the concrete, but I want to reassure someone fearful of wasting their time that the ending isn't nonsense - I was able to understand it better when I paid attention to the transitions between the scenes.
The music was the only let-down in this film. It was like the only leave-over from a stereotypical shoujo film - upbeat rock music that just didn't fit the story. The rock only plays rarely, though, and I want to give full kudos for the auditory richness here - the sounds of water running, the main character breathing, the beating drums at the festival. When you're in this movie, you're really in it with all your senses, and that's a great accomplishment on the part of the film-makers.
In conclusion, this movie was clearly made by a group of skilled people who were putting deep thought into it. The results are stunning, and a second watch or a few rewinds will clear up any confusion experienced the first time around. I want to give a shout-out to the actors, as well, who are incredible - and especially the second male lead, who is compelling without being pitiful or saccharine. This is definitely one I will be coming back to re-watch again and again.
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The story albeit confusing was beautiful. I did not read the manga prior to watching this, and now, I feel as though I should in order to see a better glimpse of the plot. In the two hours of screentime this movie had, I'm a bit disappointed that the story was rather unclear. Even so, the story was captivating from the beginning, making me want to keep watching to see what was going to happen next. I find that it was slow around the middle of the movie, and fast paced at the beginning and end. Even in those slow moments, I felt immersed. This one was a heart wrenching tear jerker overflowing with love. The assault that was depicted made it very difficult for me to watch, but I did regardless. If you are not comfortable seeing sexual harassment and a bit of gore, I recommend that you not watch this movie, as assault was a big part of what was shown.
The cast! I loved Masaki Suda's performance. He captured the melancholy of Kou well and he made me want to break down in tears myself seeing Kou breaking down. His light hair and slim build seemed to suit Kou. In Nana Komatsu's previous works, she generally plays either a submissive or a cold character. Here, she depicts Natsume who is driven. I think that she did a wonderful job portraying Natsume. I admittedly had a bit of second lead syndrome, but Masaki Suda truly won, in my heart, anyway.
The music and sound effects were totally top notch. A+! The music added a sense of realism to the movie and made me feel as though I was there, experiencing everything happening.
I'm not sure if I'd ever watch this movie again, but I feel as though I will at some point.
I enjoyed watching this movie. I was waiting for it for ages and when it finally came out, I was a little bit disappointed. Nonetheless, it was definitely not a waste of my time, and I am glad I watched it. It made my eyes leak for quite a while.
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Drowning Love
The story does a fantastic job of framing the game of pushing and pulling that follows Natsume's run-in with Koh. This game still has a lighthearted element, but it also subtly reveals that it is harmful because it involves playing with people's emotions. In addition to the humor, the story excels at capturing the childishness, possessiveness, and insecurity that falling in love results in. Note that Natsume requires Koh's presence. Although the first half of the story is obviously somewhat exaggerated.Was this review helpful to you?
I could feel THEIR Drowning Love…
I have been wanting to watch Drowning Love for a while and i am glad i finally gave it a shot. In my honest opinion, it is a dark,complex and very heartbreaking story. The female lead and male lead are very young, they are also portrayed by two very amazing actors Nana Komatsu & Masaki Suda (who also married in real life). These two could literally speak with their eyes, their chemistry natural and clearly portrayed the violative, vibrant and passionate youth of their love, i could sense them drowning in that love. We get several symbolic scenes combined with the harsh and glittering nature, Masaki`s character as untamed and carefree as the big glittering sea and the flying windstorms. He absolutely adored her in which you could see in his small actions in reflectivation to his unbidden nature.Despite being filmed by a female director i felt no sense of female gaze, or even romantization. Its a raw, naked and deep form of art in its uniqueness, quite disturbing as well at times. This film clearly showed so well that two broken souls cannot heal each other.Was this review helpful to you?
Don’t be put off by people saying it’s confusing.
Don’t be put off by the other reviews. Go for it, and watch this. It’s an amazing movie and will totally put you in the feels. Amazing acting, and amazing scenes. Strangely nostalgic and shows a passionate but short lived and messy romance. The ending is sad, but somehow comforting. Overall think that this movie shows good things don’t last forever. Also shows the female leads struggles with fame and her changing lifestyle, and the boys almost opposite free spirit and deep sense of longing to protect her. Acting is amazing, from both mains and you’ll definitely love this movie. also, search ‘million dollar man drowning love’ amazing video. million dollar man fits this movie perfectly, such an amazing song. if you want to decide whether to watch this or not, watch that video. it has some scenes. Have fun watching drowning love!Was this review helpful to you?
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I was hooked!
Drowning Love hit different IMO. At first, I was loving the vibe with the soft, detached mood, but then things went bad fast — and I wasn’t ready for that.The return of the attemped rapist character? Mate, I had to pause the movie. It made me SO mad. But honestly, that anger just added to how intense the movie is. It drags you through everything, even making you feel all the rage and heartbreak. Also the casting was really good! The characters are both fine and I love how they made the attempted rapist character more ugly than them 2 😋
The whole time, you’re drawn to Kou — he’s this intense, almost like yk mysterious presence that you can’t stop watching. The fire dancing scene, where it’s unclear if he’s even really there. It’s like you’re feeling the emotional chaos more than actually seeing what’s happening.
and the thing with Kou, man… by the end of it, you’re left wondering if he actually died. The movie doesn’t outright say it, but the way everything shifts after that makes it feel like he’s gone. Natsume’s whole tone in the end, how she’s reflecting, almost like she’s mourning someone who isn’t coming back — it hits hard.
The OST was another highlight. The music fits perfectly with the vibes — it really complements the emotional intensity of the film. It adds to the dream-like atmosphere while also pulling you back into the harshness of reality when it needs to. I even downloaded Chasing Kou!!!
I’m not someone who usually sits through an entire movie without getting distracted, but this one? It had me hooked the whole time. The story is really clear and easy to follow, even with all the emotional stuff. And even though I was angry, confused, and sad, it still gets 10 stars. That’s how you know it’s a good film...when it makes you feel everything, good and bad.
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not that as good as it could've been...
After seeing the rave reviews, i've decided to finally give this movie a go- but i can't help but think i've wasted my time...The premise seemed promising, but the camera work and overall editing style seemed messy and ended up throwing me off. It feels as though the director was trying too hard to make the movie seem aesthetic that the story became almost chaotic. Scenes were either abruptly cut or drawn out for far too long, making the story stagnant and disrupting the leads relationship. If the flow and pacing of the movie was much smoother, i think i wouldn't have questioned the character's relationship- and over all chemistry as much as i did.
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The music, I am obsessed. There is this one song that is played a few times during the movie, it's called ' Kou wo oikakete' and since I have watched the movie I can't stop listening to it. So the ost is good in my opinion.
Overal it was a pretty good movie.
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I may be a little biased by the acting of Suda Masaki and Nana Komatsu, but I don't think it was just that haha.
Also, the scenery was really beautiful and the way it was captured really refreshing, making me want to go back and watch it again.
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