What a surprise!
Sometimes it's best not to read reviews or know anything about a show before watching it. I happened upon this gem completely by accident and I enjoyed it fully. It's a very calming story. Strangely, while watching it, it made me feel like I was sitting on the porch on a beautiful spring day, watching the world around me. Low angst.Tabe Mikako as Sawako. Now, one of the problems that I tend to have with Japanese shows is that the FL always has her head down, speaks haltingly, and apologizes for absolutely everything. At the outset, I thought this was going to be the same, but here, it worked perfectly. She didn't fit in and was all alone, until she was able to make some friends. I liked the way she portrayed her shyness, her loneliness, but finally learned to speak up, at least when her friends were being trash talked about.
Miura Haruma - (It was sad watching him from a RL standpoint. All I could think of was that beautiful smile hid his true self. The world lost a sweet soul. My mind goes off on a tirade of the importance of seeking help, of speaking up, of not suffering alone.) He did a wonderful part with this role. Tall, gangly, friendly, popular, handsome. The last person you'd expect to come to the aid of Sawako. I adored the voice over when we first hear about his feelings for her.
A plus for me was how this movie didn't just focus on romance, but on the importance of friendship. How opening yourself up to an unlikely alliance can bring such happiness and completion. I enjoyed watching Sawako's change over time (her trying to kick a soccer ball was so funny!). She realized the importance of those friendships and was willing to totally come out of her shell to defend those friendships.
I felt that this movie flowed very smoothly, and I was along for the ride. There were no jarring moments to make the ride bumpy (except for the guy playing the homeroom teacher - WAY overacted!), and we are treated to Mikako's beautiful smile at the end of the movie. I found myself smiling as well. I'm really glad I took this journey.
Then, to find out that there's another version coming out on Netflix March 30th - I hope they don't screw it up!
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The cast in this this movie was spot on! They were exactly like they are in the anime/manga (except, maybe, Kazehaya). It was uncanny how much they matched! The only exception was Kazehaya. But I like the movie Kazehaya better. He's cuter ;) The acting was pretty good too.
Though I felt the story dragged on, it had some important lessons on friendship and love. Sawako was so innocent and sweet! You couldn't help but like her. Her friends were really nice, I would really like friends like them! The side stories were nice too. Like Chizu and Ryu's almost-love-story.
The humor was pretty good. The movie made me LOL at times. But I think in this aspect, the anime was better.
Kazehaya is the perfect boyfriend! He's so nice and sweet and caring. He's an all-around nice guy. And he has the cutest smile ever! I would love for him to be my boyfriend! No wonder girls liked him so much. And it's so sweet how much he trusted Sawako. How much all of them trusted her.
Sawako was a unique character and I really liked watching how she grew. Maybe I'll read the manga to see what happens next :)
My favorite scene was the last one when Kazehaya finally "reaches" Sawako. Yup, they used the title! And I love it when they do that! =D Oh and when Kazehaya angrily grabs Sawako's hand and takes her outside the gymnasium. Love me some jealous boy!!
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My thoughts about the characters:
Sawako is such a cute girl, I have to admit that at first I found the fact that she couldn't stand up for herself kinda annoying and frustrating, but luckily we see her grow a lot trough the movie, and at the end she becomes a new person, much stronger and happier.
Chizuru and Ayane are amazing friends, and I love how much they value their relationship with Sawako. Their friendship is definitely one of the best.
And about Kazehaya... don't even get me started on him! He's soooo nice and kind and handsome! I swear, it's not even humanly possible to be that nice, he must be an angel! I love the fact that he really cares about others and that he's thoughtful, which sets him apart from the usual "bad boy" from other rom coms.
A few things that I would have changed/added:
- the relationship between Chizu and Ryu (I would have loved it if they had ended up together)
- in my opinion Pin is a bit strange: he really didn't act as a teacher
- the ending (not that it was bad, it just missed a certain thing)
Other then that, I didn't find any flaws in this movie. I highly recommend it if you're looking for a light and sweet love story with an happy ending.
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The movie did an amazing job showing the viewers the same innocent, beautiful story of Sawako and Shouta. And that's because they kept the characters the same. Sawako is such a sweet, kind girl, if more people were like her, the world would be a better place. She is selfless, lacks self-confidence which leads her to be insecure and have a hard time expressing her opinion. She is this type of person who cares more about others than herself. Basically the sweetest person ever. She, of course, has an amazing character development; she finds good friends who help her gain self-confidence and make her life more colourful and better. Our main lead is also one of the reasons for Sawako's development. Shouta is, first of all, boyfriend material. He's caring, he is kind-hearted, he is careful and at the same time, he is cheerful and always wears this beautiful smile on his face.
The truth is, the movie mainly focuses on Sawako's growth as a person and not her romantic relationship with Shouta. I guess that a lot of people wanted more romance between them and felt disappointed when that didn't happen. But, the thing is, before loving someone else, you should be able to love yourself and before accepting someone else's feelings, you have to accept yourself. And we could see that well in the anime, but here, we only have 2 hours because it's a movie. If they wanted to show more of their romance, things would have been way too rushed and would have felt unnatural and awkward.
Of course, some things felt a bit too rushed, e.g Sawako and her relationship with Yoshida and Ayane. But that's unavoidable in this situation. The acting was amazing. Tabe Mikako did a good job playing our sweet Sawako. Miura Haruma was perfect as Kazehaya Shouta, but seeing this smile on his face was painful.
Overall, an incredible movie which I would definitely recommend to pretty much everyone. But you should not expect to see romance only.
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KAZEHAYA THE ULTIMATE GREEN FLAG I LOVE YOU WITH ALL MY HEART AND SOUL
Wow. This movie was such a pleasant surprise. I have to admit that I watched most of it with bated breath and I really shouldn't have because all my nervousness was self-inflicted; all those Asian dramas and cliches had trained me to recognize all my most hated tropes: evil second female leads, misunderstandings...and it turned out that this movie didn't have any of those stupid issues.This movie actually wasn't dramatic at all — it's really just a heart-warming, adorable story about a shy girl who comes into herself, makes friends, and happens to fall in love along the way. There are no evil villains, the side characters are kind-hearted and fantastic, and the development just felt natural; I kept thinking that if this was a full-length drama we could've gotten even more time dedicated to character development and the forming of friendships (meaning I'll probably be watching the anime soon).
Speaking of which, the way they emphasized friendships in this was so refreshing as well. One of my pet peeves is when romance is treated as this "personality fixer" and I absolutely loved that it was friendships that started to bring her out of her shell and not a crush.
Honestly, Sawako as a main character is still much too suppressed and shy for me; I don't really relate to her and at times her social interactions and decision-making got very frustrating, but ultimately I understand it and the way she started standing up for herself and communicating was delightful to watch. She's quiet but not weak by any means.
And now...my favorite part of the entire film. KAZEHAYA. I loved his character so much; this is one of the moments where I wish we got more about his backstory or development but at the same time I don't even mind that we didn't because it was perfect the way it was. The way he not only treated the FL kindly in secret but also openly stood up for her and spent time with her...he was so respectful and it was beautiful to see the part he played in Sawako's story.
Anyways — adorable movie, I suggest watching this film with a light heart and optimism.
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I can't say I didn't love the actors, cause I did. Both of the main leads portrayed their roles beyond what I originally expected while going into this movie, as did many of the side characters. Their acting greatly contributes to how you perceive the story and just makes you fall in love with it even more. I mean, Miura Haruma flashing his "Kazehaya smile" is one of the reasons I fell in love with his role and his acting.
The music was more of background noise to me as I was so focused on the story itself but it was still pleasant. It goes pretty standard in terms of music in Japanese movies. That's just based on what I consider as nothing memorable but nothing horrible. Of course, my music tastes differ so you never know.
From Me To You is a movie I would watch over and over. It's got that stroke of something that just draws you in, at least it did for me.
To end, as always, I implore you to watch this movie for yourself and make your own conclusions. I will say that if we were to go off of lists on movies revolving youth, romance, and friendship, "From Me To You" it would be this movie.
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This review may contain spoilers
This is probably the most sickly sweet movie I have EVER seen... and I really want to unwatch it just so I can watch it all over again. I was hesitant to watch this especially since it was 2 hours long but once I saw Haruma Miura played in it, I knew I *HAD* to watch it, he was such a beautiful actor (I don't think there was anything he couldn't do).I loved everything about this movie because of it's complete uniqueness. Tell me I'm wrong. (I'm not, btw)
The romance in this movie was more like side story to the movie even though it was a main thing. Lol I freaking LOVED how this movie went. I'm so used to seeing the outcast getting bullied and pushed around but here, while they weren't nice to her, they really just avoided her. When they did give her a chance, I'm glad more people saw the good rather than to stick up their noses. I really really realllyyyyyy loved the friendship between her, Chizuru, and Ayane. Dude, their friendship is freaking GOALS! If I can't have a friendship like that, I don't want it. The movie mostly focused around their friendship which I found interesting and new.... fresh, actually. I wish more movies did like this.
And can we talk about how they managed to make the perfect budding of romance and friendship without a single hug or kiss? That is what made me shocked the most. We all know every movie maker is like "okay this HAS to happen to make the movie worth watching" meanwhile the writers for this movie were like "lol bet." They deserve a standing ovation. They did what hasn't been done before........... Okay okay, I'm sure it has been done before and many times, I'm sure. But what matters here is that I haven't seen it. This was my first and I couldn't have picked a better first than this one. Lol
The characters. THE!! CHARACTERS!!!!! There was a little bit of everything here. The popular guy, the outcast, the sporty girls, the popular girls, the broody guy, the hyper one, the silly teacher -- just... everything was here. How in the hell did they manage all these characters with no clashing? eogheohgoher My inner fangirl is activated. Lol This whole movie is the prime example of "don't judge a book by it's cover." More people need to be like this.
I want to keep talking about this movie but I know if I do, I'll keep giving more away and I don't want to do that, but I do hope more people watch this movie.
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Beautifully captures the essence of innocence, friendship, and the blossoming of love
"From Me to You" is like a warm hug on a chilly day, a comforting tale that gently unfolds with innocence, friendship, and the blossoming of young love. From the very beginning, it draws you in with its muted yet inviting palette, creating a visual world that mirrors the delicate emotions of its characters.The heart of the story lies in the painfully shy Kuronuma Sawako, affectionately nicknamed 'Sadako' by her peers. Her resemblance to the horror movie character might set her apart, but it's her journey toward breaking free from isolation that forms the beating heart of the narrative. You find yourself rooting for her, leaning forward almost involuntarily, silently urging her to find her voice and break through the barriers of her own introversion.
And then there's Kazehaya Shota, brought to life with an enchanting smile by the late Haruma Miura. It's not just a smile; it's a radiant sun that lights up the screen, mirroring the genuine kindness and warmth that define his character. Miura's portrayal is so perfect that it's almost as if Kazehaya was crafted with him in mind, making you fall in love with the character just as Sawako does.
The film masterfully captures the beauty of cherry blossoms, not just as a visual spectacle but as a symbolic representation of passing moments and the promise of renewal. The high-angle shots of Kazehaya and Sawako at the zebra crossing under a cherry tree, with sakura petals gently falliing around them, become metaphors for the blossoming love between two seemingly opposite souls.
What makes "From Me to You" stand out is its portrayal of friendship. The romantic storyline, though sweet, feels almost secondary at times. Instead, the film excels in depicting the intricacies of relationships forged through sacrifice, strength, togetherness, trust, and love. Yano-san and Yoshida-san, Sawako's friends, add depth to the narrative with their own quirks and struggles.
Sawako's sincerity toward her friends is palpable. Her interactions with them are heartwarming, demonstrating that bonds are formed not just through shared joys but also through navigating challenges together. The film beautifully captures the essence of unconditional love, as seen through Sawako's parents, who see her as their precious jewel despite societal misconceptions.
The pacing of the film, often described as slow, is deliberate. It allows the audience to savor each moment, immerse themselves in the characters' emotions, and appreciate their growth. It's a deliberate choice that pays off, making the story more immersive and the characters more relatable.
The soundtrack, though not the that of aattention, complements the narrative seamlessly. While you may not consciously hear it over the heartfelt acting, it works subtly in the background to enhance the emotional resonance of the scenes.
In conclusion, "From Me to You" is not just a movie; it's a journey. It's a journey through the complexities of adolescence, the sweetness of first love, the warmth of enduring friendships, and the beauty of self-discovery. It's a celebration of the quiet ones, the misunderstood souls, and the transformative power of genuine connections. And for fans of Haruma Miura, it's a testament to his ability to breathe life into a character that lingers in your heart even after the screen goes dark. A true cinematic gem that leaves you with a smile, much like Kazehaya's, engraved in your heart.
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