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The actors did a good job and I especially liked Kaneshiro's performance. He did a great job switching between this funny, absent-minded, music loving guy to a Shinigami who is unfazed by death and yearns to see a clear blue sky just once. The scenery with all that rain created a very fitting atmosphere! And the jokes were woven in beautifully - they didn't disturb the overall serious tone of the movie but served as a welcomed cheering up. There were some scenes which made me laugh so hard! XD What I espcially liked about this movie was the ending which I found rather emotional and deep - with hardly any words, the events and scenery pretty much speak for themselves! The main reason I gave it such a low rewatch value is because I hardly ever rewatch a movie. But I also think that the element of surprise plays an important part in this movie which is another reason why I most likely wouldn't rewatch it.
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This review may contain spoilers
This is not a simple Grim Reaper movie
At first glance, this movie looks like a remake or adaptation of Meet Joe Black. But no, it is more. It is much better than the Hollywood movie (Kaneshiro is also more handsome than Pitt...) in terms of the characters, plot and theme. You get the feeling that if you would meet a Grim Reaper for real, he is probably someone similar to Kaneshiro's version. It is more realistic.Without giving away too much, the story is about the Grim Reaper, Mr Chiba, and 3 of his intended victims. Pay attention to the stories, as they would be interwoven into a meaningful finale. It isn't that hard to see how they are related to each other. But the rainy skies part, you might have to watch the movie twice to understand it.
The cinematography is reminiscent of Japanese manga. And the dialogues as well... Feel like I was reading a manga while watching the movie. Because of this, the movie lost 1 point for me. I feel the director has not fully utilized the camera to give us a 3D view of the movie. I particularly love the 1st story, the story development is engaging and innocent. But the 2nd story is a bit boring for me... while the 3rd story (finale) more than made up for it. Its final message is especially meaningful. Throughout the movie, it also has a message of not judging others too hastily. What seems like harassment, might not be harassment; what seems irresponsible, might actually be a painful decision. The movie theme is the biggest plus for me, really love its message.
The acting is good enough, it is a quiet movie hence the acting is very subtle. No big action scenes or big emo scenes. Just a few points here and there, that could be better done. Kaneshiro's smoking scenes. It is evident that Kaneshiro is not a smoker (fingers posture was convincing, but when he blew the smoke out of his mouth... that was a dead giveaway). I understand the director wants the scenes to be convincing, but why is it mostly Kaneshiro smoking? He could have just smoked 1 cig and let the rest do the smoking. And the robotic helper. I don't see how the inclusion of a robot was necessary. Was it to set the scene that this is many years into the future? If so, how about the barbershop,... the items used are quite 2000s. It is unbelievable that in 2050 (estimated time of the setting) we would still be having the same fashion, same type of houses, same haircut tools, etc. and the only technology advancement is robotic helpers.
In conclusion, Sweet Rain is an above average movie with very good theme and social messages on life and death. It is not a very heavy movie, as it has some comedy and play with words, especially in the first half.
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