very sweet movie
I absolutely loved this movie. I saw a gifset of a scene on tumblr and it looked right up my alley, so I hurried to watch it, and tbh I'm going to recommend it to my friends, because this movie was greatThe romance is very sweet and caring, and the ML is one of those types said to be cold and unfeeling but is actually quite tender. The FL's growth feels very natural -- her confidence takes steps forward and backward at times, and I really appreciated how it was both affected by and affected the plot. The climax scene was amazing, and the ending was very squee-worthy hahaha
The visual effects of the powers are super cool, it never disappointed me. Also the colors of this movie are gorgeous, be it the scenery or the clothing, just an overall beautiful movie
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Well done adaptation, should have been a series not a movie
Not gonna lie, my fav thing about this movie was Lord Kudo's glorious hair. And his uniform.I jest but if you are looking for a quick watch with a bit of romance then this hits the spot. If you have read the manga/watched the anime, just watch it for the hair and don't care about the MASSIVE pieces of story missing from this. I understand that while condensing this into a 90 min movie give or take , you would have to cut some things, I feel they cut way too much and because of that, I didn't really care about any of it, I just sat there, thinking ' Yeah, I would fall in love with that hair too, girl'. Because so much was cut, there were so many payoffs that didn't land. The step mother and sisters comeuppance was a one line throw away voice over. And it didn't matter cause cause you didn't really see the absolute depth of Miyo's mistreatment and bulling by this family. Or the extent of her PTSD.
It was all just not there. I can't imagine what watching this having not read the manga or seen the anime would be like as I felt it was so disjointed. The only thing I enjoyed that perhaps not present in the other forms of this was the absolutely creepy, chilling vibe the film had.
I'm making it sound like this film was bad. It wasn't but it is not as amazing as other reviews on here would have you believe. It was always going to be hard to adapt this into movie. The story really demands more time and it shows. The actors and all the team were done dirty in my opinion. Go watch the anime. Its got much more in it.
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Casting choice of main leads
This live action of the manga pleasantly surprised me. I have seen Meguro Ren in Silent but I wasn't as captivated by him as when I've seen him in this film. He was mesmerizing. The charisma he was giving off was fabulous. The long hair along with his sharp jawline takes the cake as it made him more masculine and captivating. Imada Mio was such a refreshing sight as Miyo. She was perfect for the role. Great chemistry from both. Superb casting.The movie couldn't cram everything from the manga so I hope there is a second movie. The story gets more interesting especially for Miyo.
I get that some may wish for this to be a series instead but I'm content with how the movie was done. Execution was great, could've polished some scenes that the non-manga readers may not understand. But all in all, one of the best live action film currently.
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Might have been better as a series
Usually, I prefer movies because they leave out all the unnecessary filler. In the case of this movie, I would have preferred more information. I have not read the manga or watched the anime, so maybe it's my own fault. The biggest thing missing for me were the emotions of the main couple. When and why did he fall in love with her? Didn't see that at all. They spent time saying that he was a terribly mean person, and multiple women had already run away from him, but he was nice to her from the beginning, and I could never feel why he liked her specifically.It was about time for some niceness to her, after the horror of the family that she had to live with.
The special effects in this movie were really good. There was a lot of action packed into it as well. I also liked the feel of the movie regarding the time frame. I tend to not like historical dramas, but here, the time frame was somewhat blurred, with the women in beautiful kimonos, and the men in suits. Shout out to the costume designer for the military uniforms and kimonos. And whoever was responsible for hair and makeup - the long silver hair was so effective on the ML, as well as the "tattoo" markings on their faces when they used their powers.
So, while I didn't absolutely love it, this movie has a lot going for it and it was time well-spent to watch it.
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It could have been 4 hours and still not boring.
Lets begin with what I said on the headline.Don't get me wrong, a 2hours movie of this kind is still quite long, but...
..considering how rushed the content was with a bit too much plotholes, it should have been longer or even divided in 2 movies. The holes were a bit too big to pass.
You dont need to go line by line from the original story but there are certain keynotes that by taking out, cuts the overall experience.
I think even if I were to watch this without have read the manga or watched the anime, Id still feel parts were missing.
It began well up to 30minutes in, then the rush began and it went downhill.
The story is still beautiful but I wished the actress played Myio even more humble and puny.
In the alternative media I kept the feeling MUST PROTECT HER BY ALL MEANS but in the movie I really didnt felt as moved. The maids had a quite impact in the story but the were cut off rather short because, again, there was no room for anything else.
This is what lowers the score.
Fx wise I was happy. It was flashy and yet not as much to ruin it. I find it was kinda subtle and fitting for film and the music felt just right.
All in all, it was an adaptation that went its own path. I missed a lot of things from the story.
I recommend watching the anime (on Netflix and has finished airing) or reading the manga (that is not finished).
I still recommend this but Id say, watch the movie first then the other media otherwise you might be as disappointed as I was.
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This review may contain spoilers
interesting premise undercut by misogynistic narrative
I have not interacted with any of the source material, so this is purely based on the film as its own artistic work.This movie was cute and had some fun ideas, but ultimately felt very hollow. I wish women weren't accessories in the film, and the characters had some sort of nuance. Miyo has no discernable traits and is a clear self-insert for the audience. This movie is a poster child for the Madonna-Whore complex, where women are either virginal, naive, and moral or selfish, vapid, and evil. Miyo's entire characterization is based on things that happen to her instead of any sort of internal journey. At the beginning of the film, she has no confidence and is willing to give all of herself to the point of self-harm. At the end of the film, she is slightly more confident (not because of any intrinsic motivation, but because a man loves her) and is still willing to give all of herself to the point of self-harm.
Kiyoka says that looks and gifts don't mean anything to him, but the audience will never know if that is true because Miyo is both beautiful and gifted. I wonder what would happen if, once she healed from her abuse, she began to act more morally grey. Would he still love her if he couldn't project perfect morality onto her? I have no clue why Kiyoka loves Miyo. Not because she doesn't deserve to be loved, but because we, as the audience, know nothing about who she is or her values.
Miyo is by far the most interesting character in the film, yet her character is not explored at all. All we know about her is that her mother died, as we are reminded every five minutes with a "We Bought A Zoo" - level flashback to her perfect, beautiful mother who is entirely moral and could never do wrong. Does she seriously hold 0 resentments for her family? Does Miyo seriously not care about how her partner treats her? Their love story is cute, but seeing as she is deeply traumatized, the fact that Kiyoka keeps their dynamic so ambiguous feels almost cruel. In addition, the fact that Kiyoka is the one who is interested in her gifts instead of her felt ridiculous. Why was she not asking questions about her past? Why did she get 0 say in where she would be living? Kiyoka gets manipulated by her cousin, but also this 100% would not have happened had he just asked her what she wanted and communicated effectively. Kiyoka has 0 incentive to be toxic towards her after she has made it abundantly clear she has no power and no ulterior motives.
What's really sad is the plot of this film can not happen without the subjugation of women. I was somewhat alarmed at the lack of female soldiers and villains (other than the stepmom and sister, who are otherwise useless to the main plot). However, I realized there could never be large amounts of women fighting with men because that would mean that women were treated as equals with any sense of autonomy. Given that the catalyst for this story is Miyo being sold off to marry a stranger, it is clear that women are pressed in this universe. The narrative never says that this is wrong. In fact, Kiyoka is a hero for caring for her even though she has no autonomy in his household. He hurls abuse towards innocent women who are sent to marry him, likely with similar levels of autonomy to Miyo, but it's treated as some quirk of his. I don't think we ever find out why he is so awful to those women. Kiyoka controls how Miyo is introduced to her gifts, and even after realising something is wrong, he doesn't bother to tell her he thinks she has powers. The whole movie is filled with Kiyoka actively participating in patriarchal behaviours, and he is treated as a hero for it.
Overall, the premise is kind of interesting, but the film shoots itself in the foot for bad character writing, particularly regarding its female characters. I wish Miyo drove the plot, instead of being used as a plot device to move Kiyoka. She's literally the main character.
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Meguro Ren !!!!!!!!!!!!! I am a fan WOW !!!
I don't even think I've ever watched a movie like this before. It was as if this was a mind trip lol. Was it an anime? Supernatural-ish? Quite honestly it was hard to follow. Meguro Ren is a STAR !!! Electric and so much charisma in every scene. He is IT !!!! It's almost as if he jumped out of anime? He was insane in this !!!I was not even familiar with him prior to this but he gained a fan in me .Loved the Female Lead acting as well. Im rating this high because the Lead actor was everything, cinematography was amazing and I loved the special effects as well. It was well worth the wait ( we were waiting for English subtitles forever lol so thank you to the kind subbers).Was this review helpful to you?
Very Interesting Story
I quite enjoyed this movie and would be good as a series with even more details. At its core, it’s a romance and although subtile, it was very sweet and drew you in. The FL was just the sweetest thing and definitely made you root for her happiness. I would have loved more details and clarity on the grotesque and each families gift but only so much can be squeezed into a film. The acting was done well, the cinematography, along with the CGI was decent. I recommend this as a watch.Was this review helpful to you?
High budgeted jdrama historical, I’m not too well experienced in jdrama historicals and the ones I’ve seen are always so, budget friendly to say it nicely, poorly expensed would be more accurate
not saying they weren’t good but yeah it felt like they used pocket money to make the set and outfits
Anyway, this felt nicely expansive, good setting and everything
Ml, tho I only watched one ep of the anime, he wasn’t as cold here, more like reserved out of shyness cuz he never dealt with women and he seemed well social with the guys, so ml just felt cutely naive rather a cold jerk
The bad, too much too little, so many things happened yet it still felt so rushed, not enough setting grounds, suddenly ppl wanted revenge and suddenly a new character with his whole backlog came up
The fl, dang is it a kink? I mean I get the Cinderella effect, but man this chic was a mouse
so self loathing, so much inferiority complex, yeah she had “background reasons” but it’s also the writers weird fetish
tbh I would’ve loved something like queen charlotte, there’s no reason she couldn’t have been smart cuz she studied alone, there was no need for her to be a genius but everything felt like an excuse “I’m not smart enough for you, I’m not pretty enough for you” that’s disgusting
And yeah that’s why my rating kept going down
Like I came from stories like The Awakening by Kelly Armstrong (?), and the whole setup of dumb blondes later realizing they’re the most powerful person ever, I mean we can even say Bella from Twilight. Anyway but this girl I swear I wanted to punch her so bad
And by the time one reads this for there’s no need to mark spoilers but even if she was strong, dang that girl fell so much like she was made of glass
So yeah if there’s a second season I want a drama not a movie, cuz hopefully she “grows up” and atleast becomes a zootopias Jody
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This review may contain spoilers
I absolutely love the anime. I plowed thru all the episodes in 2 days and was upset it was over. Then I found out there was a live action and I was like NO WAY!!YES WAY!! The movie is not a good as the anime but good. I took points off because I didn't really like the ending that much and the scene where Lord Kudo tell Miyo to stay at her granfather's house seemed weird or rushed. Overall an enjoyable film. I am always in the mood for romance and this hit the spot. Meguro Ren, is excellent as Lord Kudo. No wonder he won the award for Best Emerging Actor Award at the 15th TAMA Film Awards Ceremony. I liked Imada Mio as Miyo as well.
I found my new crush in this too Watanabe Keisuke played Arata and he is totally my type. And it was nice to see my favotite anime voice actor, Tsuda Kenjiro in a small role.
12/4/23
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Review of 'As Long as We Both Live' also known as 'My Happy Marriage' / わたしの幸せな結婚
I first watched this in October of 2003. Later I watched the anime, then I read the first two light novel volumes covering the events of the anime and the movie, and then watched the OVA, which covers the final chapter of the second light novel. Finally, I rewatched this movie. I can tell you that it's a lovely story.I wrote the following in my thread in X last year after watching both movie and anime:
'@akm_ag先生の「わたしの幸せな結婚」がとても好きです。
Both the movie and anime are one of the best things I've watched this year. It's basically patterned after Cinderella, but what I like about it is discovering midway that it's also an Ugly Duckling story. ....'
see https://x.com/patkarunungan/status/1741487343046119869 for more)
It is a very emotional story. It is touching how she later discovered her gift and became the beautiful swan that she is instead of the ugly duckling the people around her thought her to be.
I believe many people have already written on the merits of the movie itself. I will just list some of the differences between the mediums.
*If you first watch the movie, which was the case in Japan — the movie was released before the anime — you might get confused about what's really happening, but it's good enough as an intro.
On a rewatch, you will appreciate some of the details that you missed on your first watch, but you will inevitably get annoyed at some of the omitted material.
*Whilst the voice actors of the anime did well, the chemistry between this movie's couple is better. It's worth watching just for that alone.
*The ending of the movie is cinematic and in my opinion better than what actually happened in the anime. Both the anime (first season and OVA) and movie covered the events of the first two light novels. I reckon that the producers of this film made this as a stand-alone and that no sequel will be made, which is probably why they made such changes in the film.
*Since the movie had to delete certain scenes and did not elaborate, I recommend that anyone who loves this movie and wants some more start over at the beginning of the anime and/or the light novels.
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Good Enough
Japanese Movie " My Happy Marriage " is a fantasy melodrama based on a popular light novel.The movie does a great job pacing the story and presenting it wholly, even though the ending needed more time to properly develop, leaving the viewer to believe that there might be a second movie to follow this one.
The film also fleshes out the characters, giving them time to properly unfold and giving them enough background to make it easier to sympathize with.
Also, the CGI was perfect, without awkward special effects that would have ruined the mood of the movie. Rather, they were nicely arranged along with the action scenes. The costumes were also great.
Finally, the performances were enjoyable by everyone in the cast.
So, overall, eight out of ten.
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