A shame
I saw the trailer for this movie and got so hyped. I literally couldn't wait for it, so I read the entire manga beforehand. I loved the manga and was excited to see it as a series....oh, wait, a movie? Ok movie it is then. In my opinion making a series out of the initial story would've been a better fit, but I digress.
There are both negative and positive points about this movie, which I will get into shortly. But if you'd like a short answer, if it's worth watching: It depends. I could see someone absolutely falling in love with this movie, so at least give it a shot. But, to be honest, it could also be a bit confusing.
As for what I disliked:
- Storytelling & Character depth: hhhh, not to be a hater, but I think with this movie adaption they kinda missed the whole point. What I especially liked about the manga was, ofc, the dynamic between the two leads. Both, respectively, have some fierceness to them. They are both used to being a leader. What happens when two people in charge clash? Conflicting feelings, passion and lot's of emotion. I just didn't see that in this movie from a story telling perspective. (The actors themselves were actually great, more later). That's actually why I was so confused to see this as a movie instead of a series. The lead's feelings built up over a long time and many dance parctises, time you don't have in a movie. I get if they wanted to put the focus more on the dancing itself, but for me it is so closely tied to all of their complicated feelings. They said it themselves in the movie: Only love makes the dance complete. But imo there was no time for love.
HOWEVER, there were some absolute beautiful things about this movie. Namely, cinematography and acting.
- Cinematography: Istg just visually, the whole movie was absolutely stunning. The locations, the costumes, the camera work, the coloring - chef's kiss.
- Dancing: Again, visually, so nicely done. There's always a chance of movies coming of as pretentious when depicting difficult technical skills like dancing, but it was so beautifully done. I believed that they were dance champions.
- Acting: Probably my favorite part. The acting was beyond everything else!! Both of the ML's were amazing portraying the characters, but especially the guy playing Suzuki had me on the floor. I loved everything from his facial to his body expression. Small but: This at the same time saddens me. Because you have actors who deliver, yet because of the story telling, pacing, directing or idk what the issue was, I just didn't feel it. Their chemistry could've been deadly, but somehow it wasn't.
There are both negative and positive points about this movie, which I will get into shortly. But if you'd like a short answer, if it's worth watching: It depends. I could see someone absolutely falling in love with this movie, so at least give it a shot. But, to be honest, it could also be a bit confusing.
As for what I disliked:
- Storytelling & Character depth: hhhh, not to be a hater, but I think with this movie adaption they kinda missed the whole point. What I especially liked about the manga was, ofc, the dynamic between the two leads. Both, respectively, have some fierceness to them. They are both used to being a leader. What happens when two people in charge clash? Conflicting feelings, passion and lot's of emotion. I just didn't see that in this movie from a story telling perspective. (The actors themselves were actually great, more later). That's actually why I was so confused to see this as a movie instead of a series. The lead's feelings built up over a long time and many dance parctises, time you don't have in a movie. I get if they wanted to put the focus more on the dancing itself, but for me it is so closely tied to all of their complicated feelings. They said it themselves in the movie: Only love makes the dance complete. But imo there was no time for love.
HOWEVER, there were some absolute beautiful things about this movie. Namely, cinematography and acting.
- Cinematography: Istg just visually, the whole movie was absolutely stunning. The locations, the costumes, the camera work, the coloring - chef's kiss.
- Dancing: Again, visually, so nicely done. There's always a chance of movies coming of as pretentious when depicting difficult technical skills like dancing, but it was so beautifully done. I believed that they were dance champions.
- Acting: Probably my favorite part. The acting was beyond everything else!! Both of the ML's were amazing portraying the characters, but especially the guy playing Suzuki had me on the floor. I loved everything from his facial to his body expression. Small but: This at the same time saddens me. Because you have actors who deliver, yet because of the story telling, pacing, directing or idk what the issue was, I just didn't feel it. Their chemistry could've been deadly, but somehow it wasn't.
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