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This review may contain spoilers
intelligent coming of age
This begins with exaggerated parody of characters and tropes but develops into real growth for all four. It's clever how they did that. Worth careful attention.
The Japanese style of loud, physical comedy isn't for everyone. I'm not a big fan but through all of this, I could recognise and appreciate the skill and craft which went into it. If it had continued throughout, I might have thought 'not for me' but wouldn't rate it down - they executed a particular style very well. Moments in it had me laughing out loud too.
More importantly, it set up the female lead and the silly situation she'd gotten herself into well. And there were brilliant moments in there, like when she imagined herself standing up to the bullies but didn't actually say anything out loud.
Through it all, they wove in a lot of truths. You do need to speak up, Hatori was in love with her infatuation and Rita was dependent on her devotion. But through a tropey string of events, they did grow and come to love each other in a significant way. That's the heart of the movie - young people growing and figuring themselves out with each other's help.
There are tropes in there I'm not keen on - the claim that love 'doesn't need reasons' (emotions don't, but relationships do), or choosing the boy who keeps hurting you over the one who lifts you up. But both of those are more grounded than we usually see in rom coms. The love they grow into makes sense, and they give time to showing both its deep roots and the relationship, young but real, it's growing into. Rita gets it together more convincingly than most MLs. He wasn't striking out from his pain, just withdrawn. He took her devotion for granted, not realising it until Kosuke pointed it out. He tried to do the right thing in a situation where someone was going to get hurt whatever he did.
Adachi grows too. Her big scene, that was so well written. If you doubt the intelligence of this film, look there. Kosuke got some growth as well, though he already had a head start on the others.
And yeah, it would be great if sometimes the happily ever after wasn't the 1st leads together. This one though, they convinced me. Kosuke and Adachi are going to be alright as well.
For all of their skill with the over the top comedic exaggeration, for me it was the quiet moments where everyone shone. This is well done, there are layers and it needs attention to keep up as it shifts. Japan is amongst the best for intelligent coming of age, this is part of that tradition.
The Japanese style of loud, physical comedy isn't for everyone. I'm not a big fan but through all of this, I could recognise and appreciate the skill and craft which went into it. If it had continued throughout, I might have thought 'not for me' but wouldn't rate it down - they executed a particular style very well. Moments in it had me laughing out loud too.
More importantly, it set up the female lead and the silly situation she'd gotten herself into well. And there were brilliant moments in there, like when she imagined herself standing up to the bullies but didn't actually say anything out loud.
Through it all, they wove in a lot of truths. You do need to speak up, Hatori was in love with her infatuation and Rita was dependent on her devotion. But through a tropey string of events, they did grow and come to love each other in a significant way. That's the heart of the movie - young people growing and figuring themselves out with each other's help.
There are tropes in there I'm not keen on - the claim that love 'doesn't need reasons' (emotions don't, but relationships do), or choosing the boy who keeps hurting you over the one who lifts you up. But both of those are more grounded than we usually see in rom coms. The love they grow into makes sense, and they give time to showing both its deep roots and the relationship, young but real, it's growing into. Rita gets it together more convincingly than most MLs. He wasn't striking out from his pain, just withdrawn. He took her devotion for granted, not realising it until Kosuke pointed it out. He tried to do the right thing in a situation where someone was going to get hurt whatever he did.
Adachi grows too. Her big scene, that was so well written. If you doubt the intelligence of this film, look there. Kosuke got some growth as well, though he already had a head start on the others.
And yeah, it would be great if sometimes the happily ever after wasn't the 1st leads together. This one though, they convinced me. Kosuke and Adachi are going to be alright as well.
For all of their skill with the over the top comedic exaggeration, for me it was the quiet moments where everyone shone. This is well done, there are layers and it needs attention to keep up as it shifts. Japan is amongst the best for intelligent coming of age, this is part of that tradition.
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