I Wish I Could Meet You Again on the Hill Where That Flower Blooms (2023)

Not a love story!

If you are watching into this movie expecting a sweeping romance, you might walk away a little disappointed. While it’s marketed as a love story, the real strength of the film lies in its portrayal of pre-war tension,not just from the soldiers, but from the families quietly bracing for what's to come.

One thing I actually liked was how the movie didn’t go all out showing war scenes. Instead, it kept most of that in the background and focused more on the emotions like the stress, fear and uncertainty building up before everything goes down.

The romance unfortunately, didn’t really land for me. It felt rushed and kind of half-baked. The connection between the leads is supposed to be deep and intense, but there just wasn’t enough buildup to make it believable. They have a few sweet moments here and there, but not enough to make me fully buy into the idea that they would risk everything for each other. It felt more like the movie told us they were in love rather than actually showing us.
The romance had potential, especially with the emotional backdrop of war and separation, but it needed more time I guess to feel real.
It didn’t ruin the movie, but it definitely held it back.

There are a few moments of light comedy sprinkled throughout, but they come and go without leaving much impact.

As for the performances, the acting is serviceable. Nothing groundbreaking, but nothing terrible either.

Overall, it’s a decent watch if you are into slow, emotional war stories that focus more on vibes than action. Just don’t go in expecting some epic, soul-shaking romance.

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This is not a romantic film

If you are planning to watch this, thinking it's a romantic film, turn away. This is far from a depiction of a blossoming romance in the middle of an ongoing war, with the lead actors having a tug-of-war over who's right and who's wrong. You might well be disappointed in the first 30 minutes of the film if those are your expectations.

Having said that, I encourage everyone to give this 2-hour-long film a try. Different parts in the film will tug your heartstrings, but it still manages to give viewers relief to ease the tension.

As always, Haruka Fukuhara (Yuri) delivered a magnificent performance in the film, conveying her emotions not just through her dialogue but through her expressions as well. Mizukami Koshi (Akira) did well portraying a military man awaiting his orders on when he can face his destiny. The supporting casts did an amazing job, well, supporting the leads. Honorable mentions to Matsuzaka Keiko (Tsuru), Ito Kentaro (Ishimaru), and Deguchi Natsuki (Chiyo) for adding different colours to the movie.

I liked the whole premise of the movie, how each characters were portrayed, and how each person who was given a dialogue played a role in the growth of both the lead actors and the decisions made by the supporting cast. The cinematography was well done; no camera angles were wasted, and each scene meshed well with the previous one. I almost disliked the film and would've given it a 5 or 6 because of that one scene, but luckily, what I had in mind didn't happen. It played out beautifully up to the end, and I wasn't left with questions, nor was I looking for any answers.

I would've given this film a 7 because, like most of you, I assume, thought it was a romantic film. After writing this review, looking back, 8 sounds about right. Enjoy the film, everyone, and prepare some tissues.

じゃあね

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