Atashi no! (2024)

Don't judge a book by its cover

From the poster, synopsis, and the fact that Masaya is playing the lead, I thought this movie would be just another cheesy, run-of-the-mill teen idol rom-com, and while that does make up part of its DNA, I was shocked that it was much more a story of female friendship than anything. Maybe it's unfair to rate this so highly just based on how severely it managed to subvert my expectations, but it really made me so giddy how unlike this movie is from others in this genre.

I think the key here was the very stripped-back production that gave it an almost indie-movie feel. Usually, these movies are full of poppy visuals, slow-mo glamour shots, and resolution so clear you can see everyone's pores, but here, everything has a slightly grainy filter to it, and while it is colorful, it has a much more natural, moody atmosphere. So while they aren't reinventing the wheel with the plot, thanks to this more restrained directing and cinematography, the story feels a lot more grounded and substantial. And yet, it still manages to be just as funny and charming as a true rom-com - Akoko's confession scene, her chasing around Narita to get him to help her, Mitsuki activating battle mode by adjusting her top to be off-shoulder...good stuff !

And backing up the strong visuals of the movie were the strong performances of the cast! Masaya holds his own despite this being his first lead role and manages to give his character some depth beyond Hot Guy™, even if it wasn't the performance of the century. And I've been very critical of Jyutaro's acting before, but this is EASILY the best role I've seen him in yet. He does so well when he's not trying to be all cool and handsome like he often has to be, and this movie gave me hope for him yet. Watanabe Miho is a sleeper talent for me after seeing her in Yukari-kun wa Gap ga Zurui - she brings a lot of charisma to a character that could very easily veer into annoying territory - and Saito Nagisa showed more well-rounded acting here than in the other roles I've seen her in. Not only did everyone put in work individually, but they also had great chemistry with each other, which was so crucial to making this work as well as it did for me.

It's not a perfect movie by any means - there were some plot contrivances and I can see how people might be put off by two girls fighting over some dude - but it was a true breath of fresh air in a sea of cookie-cutter rom coms, and I would highly recommend for anyone looking for something a bit more unique!

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