Innocence of high school love and maturity of adult love
To anyone who is put off by the idea of student-teacher relationships, this might not be for you. However, I would still suggest to everyone to watch this and keep an open mind. This is far from the casual depiction of that trope. Considering this was Kanchiku Yuri's debut film, it was risky. However, she pulled off one of the most taboo tropes and turned it into a beautiful film. Yuri preserved the playful innocence of high school love while adding in the mature nature of an adult relationship. The development of the characters was a sight to behold. It wasn't forced, but out of pure reasons why they did it.This is one of the best depictions of love in a romance film. Yuri didn't need to write a lovey-dovey, showy, in-your-face couple to make the audience feel love. She showed it through Rio and Kouki; her innocent and cheerful approach to win Kouki, and his mature and reality-driven way of wanting to be with her while tittering along the lines of society-approved and too much. I can go on for hours explaining parts of the movie and what it meant to the whole story, but I'd rather everyone watch and share their thoughts with other people.
Do search what this kanji means (愛染明王). I'd say it is one of the few easter eggs that I loved, and I give props to Yuri for thinking it was necessary to put in the movie. This is a definite must-watch and repeatable film.
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Fairytale without the "fairytale" theme
Hanazawa Hinana (Hashimoto Kanna) is a highschool student whose main focus is to study. They are not a well-off family, so she strives to be at the top of her class, even giving up her hobby of playing the piano. Meanwhile, Ayase Kaede (Katayose Ryota) is an ex-member of the idol group "Funny Bone". Now a famous actor, his face can be seen everywhere. When their school asked for students to play as extras for a movie, Hinana bumped into Kaede. And that's how their love story began.I stumbled upon this movie on Netflix, thinking it would be a fun watch. If you thought it would have a sort of fairytale-like story/vibe like Cinderella, then you might be wrong. It is a fairytale without the essence of being a fairytale. I guess an idol being in a relationship with a regular person is the "fairytale" in the story, but it didn't capture the essence of what a fantastical love story should be. The story progressed too slowly; every scene was essentially the same, just in different locations. It was not a hard watch, but it would be if you were expecting a different type of challenge for the couple when it comes to this trope. The casting was great; even the supporting cast gave colour to the movie. If the story was written differently, I think it would be a better romantic movie.
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Good story, poor execution
A story about the relationship between Takashi and Azusa, and how they navigate the complicated predicament brought upon Azusa. A heartbreaking plot, but beautiful cinematography. Halfway through the movie, I was looking for more. Not answers, but simply a hook, a crutch to support where the story is going. It was slow yet fast-paced at the same time, which added to my frustration of wanting something to grasp upon. Luckily, I stuck through it until the final quarter of the movie, where the crutch I was looking for appeared. The final scenes left me shocked, hurt, cursing, yearning, yet amazed at how the story all led to those final moments in the movie.I am unsure how closely the story was depicted from the novel, but I would assume it had a similar ending. I would say I am not a fan of the ending, hence the overall score of 7.5. Although the ending gave answers, it still left with an open ending, one that needed one or two more answers for it not to leave a sour taste in the audience's mouth. By the end, the frustration lingered longer than I wanted, but I think it's just me who thought I'd finally have the happy ending I was looking for from Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight.
Overall, the actors did well, especially towards the end, and the plot of the story is great, although I wouldn't mind it being longer just to get a few more answers. Also, there were prolonged scenes that could've been cut by a few seconds so that the emotions wouldn't get washed away while the scene is still happening.
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A warm series to watch on a cold winter night
A series where a civil worker who does not want to get married was chosen as the primary test subject in the NEET Protection Law. Tasked to be paired and be married to a NEET named Sawamoto Himari (Kumada Rinka), Akiyasu Shin (Seto Toshiki) starts to navigate his new life and uncovers what the meaning of family is, what falling in love is, and what it means to cherish those around him. All this while revising the so-called "law" that he and Himari were forced to follow.Overexaggeration is sometimes good and needs to be executed properly for it not to leave a bitter taste in the audience's mouth, and Marry Me! delivered quite well. Paired with its proper placement of comedic timing, Marry Me! will leave you wanting the series to keep going past episode 10. The title etched on the book will have its way in the final episode and, just like me, will make you feel satisfied and cozy, like a warm fire on a cold winter night.
Have a go at this 10-episode series. Who knows? You might wish for the law to come true.
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A change of pace from other supernatural romance films
I would say that this was a hard movie to pull off, considering the film deals with changes in time. If not executed properly, the audience would be left baffled, unable to follow the story, and confused as to how the story progresses. However, this movie did a great job with how they explained the whole premise of their time constraint. The change in camera angle to depict whose timeline it is that we're in helps with understanding how we are supposed to view the progression of the story, be it forward in time or backwards.Their love story, albeit bittersweet, left me wondering whether they are caught in a loop or the time they spent together only lasted within that timeframe. The film didn't have anyone dying. However, the story is comparable to other romantic films that have one of the lead actors dying. In a way, My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday showed how to spend the remaining time you have with your loved one wisely, no questions asked, no holds barred, just making memories and cherishing every single moment.
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For anyone who likes a lighthearted romantic movie
I have watched this movie twice. However, I didn't know that I had seen it until 10 minutes into the movie on my second watch. I knew I had seen Araki Yuko (Koharu) before, but I thought I was just recalling her from DOPE. Boy, was I wrong. 10 minutes into the movie, I remembered bits and pieces of the story. But I didn't stop. Though I forgot the plot and the ending, I didn't know I was almost to the end and had gone through the whole movie again.It's not every day you see a movie about a straightforward girl confessing her feelings to a timid and shy boy. I liked how their relationship progressed over time, and we were in it with them, seeing them grow together and expand their perspective of the world around them. The story takes parts from the beginning of the movie and sprinkles them throughout the film, reminding us of how Koharu and Ryota navigated their relationship. A very lighthearted film with a good ending that might leave you wanting more, but later on, be satisfied with how the story went.
I highly recommend this to people who like romantic films that feel real, that have a sense of it happening in real life.
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An emotional rollercoaster of a movie
Yes, you will feel the whole spectrum of emotions while watching this 2-hour-long movie. From happy, sad, elation, frustration, you name it. It is all in this film.I liked everything about the movie, from the casting to the camera angles, and even the theme music was good. I Give My First Love to You is now under my recommendations of movies to watch. At first, it was like your ordinary "I promise to love you forever" type of film, but it quickly shifted to addressing the problem in the movie, which was the struggle of both Mayu and Takuma. "How can I love you if I'm the reason you're hurting?" One of the questions in the movie. "Why don't you just let me love you?" Another question. It's a romance film within a tragic film within a romance film.
I was close to shutting my monitor off halfway through the movie when I thought it would go somewhere I would've hated it to go to. Luckily, my predictions were wrong, and I'm grateful it was because it panned out better than I hoped it would. Inoue Mao (Mayu) at first lacked the sadness I thought she should have, but right at the halfway mark, she showed why she was cast as the lead, especially in the last 30 minutes of the film. Okada Masaki (Takuma) did well to show that chill, laidback attitude of someone who just wants to keep loving the person he wants to be with.
Like in any Japanese movie, symbolism is as important as the cast, and I think it was shown well in the film. The stairs, the rooftop, and the clover all played an important part in showing the dynamics between Mayu and Takuma.
I gave this an overall score of 9, but I would understand if someone gives this as low a grade as 8.5. Any lower than that, well, to each their own. But this film, I would say, should be at least in the top 15%, if not, 20% of movies a person has watched, especially if you like romantic movies. Definitely would watch it again just to see if I missed anything.
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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.
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