The acting and the production value was great, as it often is with Japanese films -- but this one doesn't have the tight writing I've been accustomed to by other Japanese productions.
The script wasted time on several love stories, but couldn't develop them all, and then proceeded to use cliches for additional drama. Cliches, I might add, for the women only. I was most diappointed by the mother's reason for "retiring", which is one of the most overused trope in films and dramas.
These tired plot points distracted from the two story lines that should have been at the centre of the movie: The love story between Takeshi and Johyun and the preparation for the tug-of-war. It could have been a sweet, community-focused slice-of-life. It could have been a love story of a man who struggles between his own dreams and expectations or between old dreams and new ones.
There were also hints at other stories: A man who's single misstep at high-school overshadows his whole life, a mother whose life has been dedicated to family and the family business, a divorced single mother who constantly is at odds with a sexist society; the list could go on and on.
And even though the film took the time to explain about the tug-of-war in several dialogues, I didn't even understand what was exactly happening during the tug-of-war. What is the purpose of the disruptors exactly, what was that about the loops, why does the rope have to be cut at the end?
The film gives us tantalising glances into a fascinating cultural event as well as into interesting plot lines -- but none of them is ever developed to a satisfying point.
All in all, I would have rather watched a documentary about the Sendai Tug of War.
Was it good? -- Everything was great -- except for the script.
Did I like it? -- Not really. Script and characters are at the centre of a film for me, and here they frustrated me.
Who would I recommend it to? -- I'm not sure. To people who want to know about Japanese culture maybe? But then there's not enough explanation fo it.
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