trogon

Overall I enjoyed this movie quite a bit. However, in what is otherwise a fairly serious film, the preposterous storyline of the older son felt very out of place. Not that it needs saying, but Japanese citizens residing in Japan can't enlist in the United States military LOL.

The teacher's backstory from when she was in JHS is pretty much the only part of this movie that isn't stupid, and the acting is across the board amateurish. I wonder if the reason this is set in 1979 is to try to excuse the offensive sexism that drives the narrative as being charmingly antiquated (they seem to have forgotten the "charming" part, however).

I don't listen to pop music, Kpop or otherwise, so I can honestly say I went into this film without having ever heard their music. And while nothing here or elsewhere is ever going to change my taste in music, I nevertheless remained interested and entertained throughout the documentary. It gives a glimpse into the soulless factory machine that churns these pop groups out, but also shows that even if they're created and marketed like product, they are real people underneath. The girls' camaraderie really shines through, and their success seems to be hard-earned and well-deserved.

As someone who IS a teacher in Japan, I found this movie grossly irresponsible. I realize it's based on a manga that is meant to play to the fantasies of young girls, but seeing it in live action made for unpleasant viewing. The relationship in this film is not only unethical from the perspective of an educator, it's also illegal in Japan without parental consent. The teacher would have been immediately fired, not transferred, and the reputability of entire staff of the school and possibly the rest of the schools in the city/district would have been harmed immeasurably by losing the trust of the parents, if not of the students themselves. This sort of scandal isn't quickly forgotten. If the film had dealt with the actual repercussions which would have occurred more realistically, it may have had merit. But the happily-ever-after ending is not only pure fantasy, but also a fantasy that romanticizes a socially unacceptable violation of a minor's rights. I'm sorry to sound so uptight, but a teacher's job is to teach and protect their students, not take advantage of them. Nothing romantic about that at all.