This review may contain spoilers
A great movie but not a 1 to 1 adaptation.
My Broken Mariko as a manga is heartbreaking and hits a chord about strained relationships, love, loss and guilt. The movie adaptation follows through but loses some of it's balance that the manga had.
One stark difference is the Character of Shiino. In the manga she's much more animated and hot headed. In the movie she's more down to earth and more appropriately human. This change is good for the movie as it makes her grief aspect stronger. It does change the overall tone of the original work but the more grief driven Shiino was probably a better choice for the subject matter. Speaking of which, this movie delves heavily into the subject of self harm,suicide, rape and abuse. It may trigger a few people because of this. This is why I think the tone is more cohesive in the movie. The manga uses humor to help soften the blow before these harsh scenes. I think that's why there might be a little unhappiness with the adaptation for some.
Despite that however Mei Is basically soloing this entire move on her own. I think she carries the devastating emotion so well. Her facial expressions and tightness in body language really help sell Shiino. When she does need a few good yells it comes across well. The bar scene was not as good as the manga as I pictured it more combative but in context to the movie it was fine. Mei had some of her best scenes here with her emotional outbursts. Mariko's actor shows off a hauntingly childlike demeanor which was pitch perfect. As the two leads, they felt natural and fully realized.
A bunch of the scenes were also 1 to 1 of the manga panels which was admirable. I liked the placement of the additional extra in the movie. The feeling of loss was present through many of the scenes framing and lighting. The climax of the movie was well executed. They picked a beautiful space to recreate the scene. Kudos to the person who found the spot.
So while this wasn't a 1 to 1 adaptation it was really well done and great just as a standalone movie.
One stark difference is the Character of Shiino. In the manga she's much more animated and hot headed. In the movie she's more down to earth and more appropriately human. This change is good for the movie as it makes her grief aspect stronger. It does change the overall tone of the original work but the more grief driven Shiino was probably a better choice for the subject matter. Speaking of which, this movie delves heavily into the subject of self harm,suicide, rape and abuse. It may trigger a few people because of this. This is why I think the tone is more cohesive in the movie. The manga uses humor to help soften the blow before these harsh scenes. I think that's why there might be a little unhappiness with the adaptation for some.
Despite that however Mei Is basically soloing this entire move on her own. I think she carries the devastating emotion so well. Her facial expressions and tightness in body language really help sell Shiino. When she does need a few good yells it comes across well. The bar scene was not as good as the manga as I pictured it more combative but in context to the movie it was fine. Mei had some of her best scenes here with her emotional outbursts. Mariko's actor shows off a hauntingly childlike demeanor which was pitch perfect. As the two leads, they felt natural and fully realized.
A bunch of the scenes were also 1 to 1 of the manga panels which was admirable. I liked the placement of the additional extra in the movie. The feeling of loss was present through many of the scenes framing and lighting. The climax of the movie was well executed. They picked a beautiful space to recreate the scene. Kudos to the person who found the spot.
So while this wasn't a 1 to 1 adaptation it was really well done and great just as a standalone movie.
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