Bit weird // Kinda funny?
If you can ignore the horrendous age gap then this is actually an enjoyable movie. I found myself laughing audibly several times!I know it's based on a manga (which I have read) and unfortunately in the world of Japanese mangas it is almost encouraged to explore the taboo. Isaku and Keiya have a 10 year age gap which isn't a bad thing except that she is 16 and he has quite literally raised her. I found the romantic scenes were a bit awkward to watch and I found it hard justifying why a 26 year old FULLY GROWN MAN is interested in a teenager. To give Keiya some credit, for the bulk of the film he does say he doesn't quite know what these feelings are that he's experiencing. I dunno, it's still feels weird to me.
Very reminiscent of "18-sai Niizuma, Furin Shimasu" so if you could handle that then this would be maybe the PG version.
It was refreshing to see Jesse in a serious but gives-me- butterflies role (although he does briefly break character and honestly I loved it). The pierced ears and dark hair really suit him. Fukumoto Riko's acting isn't amazing but it's a big improvement on some of her previous performances I've seen. Bonus points for cast because they had Sugimoto Tetta and Sasaki Nozomi. And Kanon & Matsui Haruna played their roles as Isaku's friends perfectly! So cute.
Music... I am heavily biased as a fan of SixTONES, but I do think "Barrier" is truly a great and catchy song. It matches the tone of the film well and it got me through the last little bits.
Was this review helpful to you?
Icky romance but kind of entertaining
This Japanese movie is centred around the romance between a young highschool yakuza family heiress and her adult bodyguard disguising himself to protect her at school. If I did not find it boring, I for sure also found the romance icky from start to finish...I certainly can watch and enjoy a wide variety of romances : from very cute and fluffy to ultra dark and taboo... However, unfortunately it did not work for me here. The romance took the regular shojo road of pretending that problematic stuff are adorable and charming when in fact they were just not. I have nothing against age gap story per se, but here the following combination :
- 10 years gap between the main lead (26 years old) and the female lead (hypothesis of 16 years old as she is in her first year of high school)
- grooming
- overpowering main lead yakuza
was a bit much to sell as "cute". The fact the male lead is also a real jerk sleeping around while pining for the heroine certainly also did not help...Overal that's a lot to take in for the viewer to root for them !!!
Acting was overall average, with male lead being simply a big block of wood! Honestly, if I found him more handsome maybe I would be less severe but well, he is not exactly my style so better acting chops would definitely have helped. Female lead is better but nothing extraordinary...and definitely looking too old for the highschooler role... However, given the plot, I guess it is for the best because otherwise the romance would have felt even more unpalatable.
I would not recommend this to people as I feel there are better high school romance movie out there. In order to work better, the storytelling should either have remove the gap age aspect, either the tone of the movie should have be much darker without the classic shojo style to showcase properly the relationship, the gaslighting, the imbalance in power.
Was this review helpful to you?
disapointing
acting and cast is not the same because we have a pretty cast with bad acting and a weird script, the start the plot is good but im confused by the direction it took. very cliche and almost a filler. with a movie every word should be important, but this feels like fluff. also the cinamtogrephy wasnt very impressive considering the tech japan has. they should have done better. howveer beautfiul fl and ml.Was this review helpful to you?
Adorable and funny
I love light Japanese romcoms, especially if well-acted, they are too fluffy and cute and help melting all your stress away ... At least for me.This one tops the list.
The chemistry is great, the leads look good together and they looked their age in the movie, great casting choice, their interactions are nice, they seem like two people raised together, instead of being too stiff, their touches were too normal which is a plus.
Story, let's be honest, manga stories are just too simple, they don't need you to challenge your brain or anything, so it was very light and fluffy, the comedic touch was nice, I had a few smiles here and there, no over the top cringe acting which is rare in such stories.
Overall very light and entertaining ~
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
“Protective, Possessive, and Unexpectedly Sweet — My Take on A Girl & Her Guard Dog”
IsakuWhen I first saw her, I honestly thought this movie would be like every normal romance series. But no — this one surprised me in the sweetest way. Isaku gave me a fresh, soft perspective that I didn’t even expect. She wasn’t dramatic or annoying; she was calm, cute, and easy to root for. She made the story feel light and warm instead of stressful.
Now… let’s talk about Keiya.
Oh. My. God.
Be serious.
This man is fine — like dangerously handsome — and he knows it. But it’s not even just the looks. He is protective, possessive, obsessed, clingy, and STILL cute at the same time. How does that even make sense? I don’t know, but he did it perfectly.
I also love that the movie didn’t drown us in the usual Yakuza danger and violence. Considering the genre, I expected more bloody scenes or heavy drama. But instead, we got a surprisingly sweet, high-school style romance that felt refreshing. I didn’t even know it was going to be that type of vibe, but it worked so well.
Keiya’s character especially carried it — the smile, the flow, the quiet intensity… everything. The way he could literally shape his whole life to fit hers? Too sweet. At first, I thought he was just some older brother figure or senior guiding her, but realizing he had been protecting her for years made it even better.
Honestly, this movie had me grinning the whole time. It was cute, warm, romantic, and unexpectedly addictive.
I’m giving it a big high-five and a big heart from me. 💗👏
Was this review helpful to you?
EU AMEI ISSO
Eu amei muito isso e preciso urgentimente de um segundo filme para ser feliz. Eu não vou ter paz de espírito enquanto não ver eles vivendo como um casal.Eu tinha altas expectativas para esse filme antes mesmo de lançar, mas quando eu vi que a classificação era para todos os públicos eu confesso que desanimei e acabei enrolando meses para assistir, mas eu finalmente cedi e me arrependi de não ter feito isso antes.
Eu amo essa coisa de guarda-costas e sua protegida, a vibe é muito gostosa, eu adoro essa temática e tudo que ela traz como perigo, possessividade e um amor intenso.
Por conta da classificação ser livre muita coisa foi feita de forma superficial e esse definitivamente é o ponto negativo, mas é tudo tão bom e tão legal que eu acabei aceitando e só segui em frente kkkkkk
O roteiro é ótimo mas como eu disse, eu preciso de um segundo filme para ver a dinâmica deles de casal, questão de vida ou morte.
A química é excepcional e tudo ao redor é cativante. Fizeram um ótimo trabalho.
Was this review helpful to you?
