the_evenstar04

Sample Screencaps: 
   

Rating (out of 5):

The General Idea:
Hopeless romantic Sayuri Honda likes to imagine herself as a shojo heroine about to meet her Prince Charming. He'll sweep her off her feet and bring her to the most perfect place- July 24th Avenue in Lisbon, Portugal. In reality, the clumsy, homely Sayuri is a typical office worker residing in seaside Nagasaki, far from Lisbon and even father from romance. As Christmas nears, she runs into her high school crush Satoshi Okuda, who has just returned from Tokyo, Sayuri decided that this time, she can't love pass her by. Can she create her own miracle on 24th Avenue? 

The Good:
It's plays out just as you'd expect any classic holiday cindrella tale would. Though I have mixed feelings about it, I really enjoyed the first half of the film. Sayuri's awkwardness that always seems to be getting her in trouble is charming. The manga refrences and CG effects are cute. Some okay preformances are given by Abe (Sayuri's brother), You (Sayuri's father's girlfriend), and especially Sato as Yoshio, Sayuri's long time friend who has a secret crush on her. There is one perticularly touching scene when Yoshio shows Sayuri a flipbook he made of them and asks her to come up with the ending. Murakami, who directed "Densha Otoko" earlier (about a geeky guy who gets the girl), seem to be flipping the tables this time making a geeky girl the heroine of the story.  

The Bad:
It feels forced, like they were just trying too hard to make it work. Nakatani (Sayuri), and Osawa (Satoshi) have very little chemistry together, as a result the romantic scenes fall flat. I found myself rooting more for Yoshio than Satoshi, and it was rather fustrating when he didn't try harder to win her over. Throughout the movie we a reminded over and over again about how Christmas is a "lovers holiday" and no refrenences to the other more important meanings of the holiday are made. Also it may just be the feminist in me, but I disliked how Sayuri had to completely change her whole image in order to gain the attention of her "prince". Finally, the pair of Sayuri's dream characters, the Portugese Grandfather and Grandson, pop up at the weirdest times and I found them extremely annoying. 

Overall:
If you're looking for the cliche, you've got it. Too many things just fell through for me to give it a full 3 in rating, but i gave it a 2 & 1/2 for effort. As holiday movies go, cheerful carols, humor, and a happy ending make it an watchable season treat. 

Where I Got It:

jdramas

the_evenstar04

 
Year: 2005
Director: Takeshi Minamoto
Writer: Takeshi Minamoto 
Genre: Romantic Drama
Cast: Tsuyoshi Abe, Chikage Awashima, Tomoyo Harada, Kanata Hongo, Haruka Igawa, Yu Kashii, Koji Kikkawa, Tomoko Tabata, Tomorowo Taguchi, Shinobu Terajima, Etsushi Toyakawa, Ken Utsui
Sample Screencaps:
   

Rating (out of 5):



The General Idea: 
The latest film from director Takashi Minamoto (best know for previous films like Tokyo Tower, and Akihabara@DEEP). Inspired by the August 13, 2003 blackout across New York City, Minamoto presents an original tale about the Christmas that neon-tinted Tokyo went dark! Amidst this backdrop characters struggle to find their own place, help each other, and fall in love.

The Good: 
The plot follows twelve people, paired into six story lines, most are searching for something they have lost which in many cases is love. Takeshi's vision suggests that sometimes people can't find what they are looking for until the lights that blind us from what really matters go out, leaving us in the dark on our own. Once you strip away those things that we hide behind and depend upon daily, we are left to face reality. I like this symbolic meaning, and I think he played it well throughout the movie. Alot of themes are represented like redemption, love, friendship, rebirth, etc. Edventually the storylines start to cross into one another mostly by accident, which i also found interesting. It reminded me of how the storylines in the British film "Love Actually" worked. There are alot of heart clenching moments throughout the film, which i won't go into detail about it because it will ruin them for those who haven't seen it. One of my favorite scenes is between Shota and Maiko as they view the stars, which normally would be impossble to see through the city lights and pollution, at an abandoned observatory. I felt like it encompassed alot of what the movie is about. I loved the set of the Nozomi's small candle shop and Shinichi's bar across the street from it. There is just something very romantic about things being lite in only candle light. It's a great ensemble cast, with actors and actresses that i recognized from other movies and tv dramas i had seen before, it was nice to have familiar faces. 

The Bad:
The conclusions, with no clear resolves reached, leave you wanting more. But this is common in Japanese storytelling, the audence is left to draw there own conclusions. Also, the pace may be slow for some people. With the lack of new ideas and repeative themes, the story may appear too familar and overdone. 

Overall:
Despite that, i was very pleased with it. It's a perfect sentimental holiday film, about the joys and sadness that come hand in hand in life. Despite the bittersweetness, the overall feel of the movie is very calming. Something that is close to "nostalgia" or as it is called in japanese  "懐かしい (natsukashii)." I'll definately be watching this on again and again every christmas season. 

Where I Got it: 

jdramas