mindy
california
The story albeit confusing was beautiful. I did not read the manga prior to watching this, and now, I feel as though I should in order to see a better glimpse of the plot. In the two hours of screentime this movie had, I'm a bit disappointed that the story was rather unclear. Even so, the story was captivating from the beginning, making me want to keep watching to see what was going to happen next. I find that it was slow around the middle of the movie, and fast paced at the beginning and end. Even in those slow moments, I felt immersed. This one was a heart wrenching tear jerker overflowing with love. The assault that was depicted made it very difficult for me to watch, but I did regardless. If you are not comfortable seeing sexual harassment and a bit of gore, I recommend that you not watch this movie, as assault was a big part of what was shown.
The cast! I loved Masaki Suda's performance. He captured the melancholy of Kou well and he made me want to break down in tears myself seeing Kou breaking down. His light hair and slim build seemed to suit Kou. In Nana Komatsu's previous works, she generally plays either a submissive or a cold character. Here, she depicts Natsume who is driven. I think that she did a wonderful job portraying Natsume. I admittedly had a bit of second lead syndrome, but Masaki Suda truly won, in my heart, anyway.
The music and sound effects were totally top notch. A+! The music added a sense of realism to the movie and made me feel as though I was there, experiencing everything happening.
I'm not sure if I'd ever watch this movie again, but I feel as though I will at some point.
I enjoyed watching this movie. I was waiting for it for ages and when it finally came out, I was a little bit disappointed. Nonetheless, it was definitely not a waste of my time, and I am glad I watched it. It made my eyes leak for quite a while.
Was this review helpful to you?
Gladly, these expectations were met for the most part, and I was left generally satisfied. As this movie was based off of the manga, of course the story would be wonderful. Since this is a movie adaptation, it is inevitable that some beloved moments in the manga will not be included due to time restraint. Nonetheless, I feel as though the scenes we were able to see did the manga justice.
Admittedly, the acting seemed a bit awkward, unnatural, or corny at some points. That is my only complaint. Otherwise, the cast did do a great job representing the characters and I truly felt for them. The older actors gave this movie a mature feel, which I believe is suiting for this story and the ambiance of the movie.
The soundtrack was amazing. I have it saved on my Spotify to listen to before I go to sleep. It is so soothing and accompanies the scenes and events at the perfect moments, and each and every song was beautiful.The music adds depth to the movie. I commend the composer, Yuki Hayashi, for the wonderful music.
No matter what, I always come back running to this movie a few times a year to get my romance and tear jerker fix. I have rewatched this movie countless times for the fact that I just love it.
Overall, I would give this movie a 9.5/10. It hits all the marks, but there are a few things I feel as though could be improved and polished up. Nevertheless, it was amazing.
Was this review helpful to you?
