Yumichi (2023)

Please allow me not to mince my words: this "Yudo" is really a freaking M-A-S-T-E-R-P-I-E-C-E!!!
Wow, seriously, I've watched it a coupla weeks ago and I'm still getting goosebumps just by thinking about it, so good it was!
The script is absolutely P-E-R-F-E-C-T, it works like the finest of Swiss clockworks and *every single scene* is a total delight to watch. Even the most minor of side characters feels tridimensional, and the scenes involving them are fabulously deep and brilliant (take for instance the beautiful subplot involving the "haafu" and his mother! Or the fantastically bittersweet one with the old couple!).
The acting is top-notch, as one would expect from such a *stellar* cast!!!
The production value / "packaging" literally reaches Himalayan heights too.
This goes directly in my personal top10 of all times!!!

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The Height of Japanese Spirit

I’ve seen this movie at least 3-4 times in the past 3 days. I adore this movie. What is it.. it has that Je Ne Sais Quoi that is the essence of everything I love about Japan and the spirit it embodies. It has all the beautiful aspects of spirit embodied in Japanese culture and aesthetic, that has its foundation in reverance for nature, all packaged in a heartwarming tale with comedy and heart all throughout. I don’t know any movie that ends with a long rendition of “You are my Sunshine but I realized it was the happiness of Spirit singing throughout the movie. Everything about it has so much soul. The picturesque sceneries are like paintings, and the music is otherworldly. I discovered this famous song “Ue o muite” from this movie as Chris Hart’s character sings in the bathhouse with his mother after being released from prison. Ahh I was a puddle of tears. I can feel so much heart and soul and the Spirit just speaking to my heart in every moment and I had so many moments of tears, and gratitude behind it all. This isn’t just a kiddie pool. Yudo, the way of the bath is as deep as it gets. And it touched the very bottom of my soul. Happiness is not pursued, it is realized!

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