Reviews

A zero to hero story very delightfully packed, the pattern is almost the same as Mr. Shinobu's previous work, "Waterboys", and I thought it would be the same, it turned out that my expectation that this Jazz Band would be a replacement for the food poisoning school brass band until the end turned out to be broken even before the middle of the film, which made me gape and the Swing Girls members were disappointed while pretending to be strong seeing the members of the school brass band recover quickly and take their place again, I also cried when the Swing Girls members left school crying because I knew they had tried so hard and had even done it with heart, but all in vain.

From there I bonded with the characters, especially Suzuki, Takuo, Saito, Sekiguchi and Tanaka; because they can be called the founding members of Swing Girls who try to live their dreams and passions that grew unintentionally.

In the rest of the film, i just enjoying the jazz performance which is very cool while watching the characters of the young people do it with passion, burning enthusiasm and sacrificed a lot of valuable things in their lives to do jazz.

I've read other user review, and must agree that this film better than Whiplash, despite has the same great jazz performance but this film has kawaii girls who sheds blood, sweat & tears.

Absolutely one of the best film I've ever watch and rank up high there.

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You're gonna say more more more more more and more~
Meomchuji mothae more more more and more~
Geureoni han beon deo~
I wanna have more more more more more and more~
Meomchugi shireo more more more and more~
Geureoni han beon deo~

—————

I was expecting to watch a pink film with silly story but this is actually darker, so artistic.

Twice song's "More & More" somehow pop up in my head after i finished this film, and kinda fit I think with the relationship between Michio and Aki that as the time goes by they're together, what they did also getting more & more weird, crazy and beyond reasonable.

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A classic Korean romantic film, reminds me of the drama series Reply which is almost the same as telling a kind of story in the past, where the story also goes hand in hand with the story of the characters in the present. The difference is, in this film, the character in this modern era, or the child of the flashback character, is made to have a love story that is almost the same as his mother. In modern times, the Reply series is more of a tool to trigger nostalgia and do flashbacks while guessing who will be the husband of the main female character.

What is certain is that this film has qualified actors and actresses to build a good film and indeed there is nothing I can complain about from their acting performance here. They manage to build a good chemistry, injecting enough emotion to feel attached to their characters.

I myself prefer the story of Mother, Joo Hee and Oh Joon Ha because it is more emotional and when I saw their love story my eyes filled with tears, their meeting at the hospital was really heartbreaking, as if they realized that was the end of their story. The story of Ji Hye, who is also played by Son Ye Jin, feels lighter but is actually sweeter, they repeat the story of her mother but in Joon Ha's shoes, and is paired with Jo In Sung as Sang Min which surely makes girls melt.

That's all I want to type. Thanks.

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A hidden gem

I came across this short film after watching Wuliang. I never thought a short film would have much impact and my expectations were low but like Wuliang, I was surprised that a short film like this would be on same level as any good full length film.
The story will have you stay and watch with anticipation. Focusing well is needed to have a better grasp of what it is all about. The acting is excellent, the screenplay was great, and the narration, although theres quite a bit compared to any full length film, is good and necessary. I believe due to the shortness of the film, the narration was necessary. I hope the director of Wuliang and this film continue directing this kind of film. I am out of words for how good this and Wuliang film are. The lack of adequate promotion for these two films caused a lot of people to miss this great hidden gem.

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Stirring, Sad, Emotional

This movie is very well done - adapted from a manga.

The characters really made me feel emotional, although most of that emotion is kind of sad. The ending leaves it up to the one watching to decide what happens at the end. The one thing I didn't like bout the movie was the darkness in most of the scenes. I understand that was part of the setting to make the scenes more emotional, but I think the movie could have been made in better lighting.

I feel like both characters had issues, but they took an emotional and physical journey together. One character had a lot of difficulty in all of his relationships, because he didn't know what love really was, but in the end, he finds himself.

This movie is raw, stirring, sad, emotional and yet somehow not sad at the same time.
Both actors did a fantastic job portraying their characters.

The sex scenes between the two characters are explicit. This movie may not be everyone's cup of tea.

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A standalone film with a lot to offer

I honestly don't understand the negative comments about this film - it's frickin' beautifully written, acted, and filmed and is a very important and timely addition to other LGBTQ+ media being produced around the world at this moment. There's also no reason to draw too many comparisons to its prequel because these characters are not the same people they were much earlier - obviously. We get to know who they are right now, which is more important. And while there might not be fanservice and skinship every five minutes, the characters deeply love each other (that's obvious), they are there for one another when it matters, and they plan their lives around each other. Do they make mistakes? For sure...and they pay for them, in various ways.
I believe that this film is ultimately about the ways we can atone for the selfish mistakes we make in our lives and how they affect those around us. But, (and this is big,) sometimes the mistakes that humans make are because the societies that they're in do not have their best interests at heart, and do not allow for folks to live fully into who they are, (and that includes issues around both gender and sexuality.)
This film gets ten stars from me, and I hope more people watch it.

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Hidden Gem

It’s a fluke coming across this film today. I didn’t waste time and searched where I can watch this with English sub; YT didn’t disappoint me.
This could have been a successful full length film or drama series. I can sense there’s so much to tell within the story. The acting was exemplary and the filming was superb. I am wondering why this short film wasn’t promoted well. At any rate, it will be a worthwhile half an hour and at the end watch out because you’ll be wanting more.
Awesome production here! It lacked promotion otherwise it would have made money!0

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from the beginning i already like the cinematography and the setting. it wasn't anything fancy, but good enough. also, the fighting scenes were nicely done too

the poster making it look like harem. but the romance wasn't shown much.

the pacing were a bit too fast. which resulted in poor character development, plot holes, and makes it a bit difficult for me to keep up. but when i finished the whole movie, it's all connected.

I'm not familiar with any of the actors, but they portray their roles nicely

if you want to watch it, don't think too much and just go with the flow

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emotionally moving performance from a fine actor ,Kamio Fuju

I saw this film in London on 28 05 2022. Introduced on screen by the director Shogo Kusano.
His intro was interesting , comparing audiences to Japan and UK and wondered himself, given the cultural differences , how
UK would view this.
Firstly, I have to congratulate Shogo Kusano on an excellent film , which I could relate to and your choice in casting
Kamio Fuju as Jun was perfect. His serious acting can be quite powerful and believable .
I have to say, despite the obvious culture difference you would expect, I found a lot of similar traits when I was in Japan to an old England i used to know. I could list them but would be digressing from this review. ( so maybe not so different in many ways) There is a hospital scene that i found very moving in which Jun summarises his young life............
I have thought about it a long time since watching the film.
i hope young audiences watch this and empathise with the struggles of young gay life as well as enjoying an entertaining
and thought provoking subject matter.
I think Audiences who don,t mind sub titles here in Uk , would appreciate this excellent film.
(sorry but I dont remember any music for rating )

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A Beautiful Melancholic Film

I watched this movie because I watched first the TV Show version of this. I was enamored by how beautiful, thought provoking and heartbreaking this movie was, seeing two characters sharing the pain of thinking if their love would last was just heartbreaking yet also captivating. The two main protagonists were just well layered, sympathetic and you can easily connect with their characters. Yi Soo, was just fantastically portrayed by Han Hyo Joo, I love that they delved deeper into her character, seeing her trying her outmost best to understand Woo Jin even though it might cause her mental health deteriorating was sad yet touching. I also felt bad for Woo Jin throughout the movie, I could not imagine being in his shoes and he was also trying best not getting lost in the world of love because he was afraid it might affect his lover negatively. This movie was beautifully shot, beautifully portrayed and I was just in awe, crying and smiling all throughout. I also love the underlying message of Pansexuality, especially in the end of the film. Yi Soo did not care about the gender of Woo Jin, because she is attracted/fell in love with Woo Jin's personality which was uplifting to see. All of the A-list actors/actresses that portrayed Woo Jin were also good and I love that they ended the movie in a beautiful scenery in Czech Republic. Overall, a touching movie with great performances from the ensemble cast and a unique concept.

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The comments made me watch this! DX

Ever heard curiosity killed the cat? Well this time curiosity killed my psyche! The comments on this made me so curious to watch it i regret my decision. What TF did i just watch O__O This movie was kind of traumatizing. I dont know how the actors did it i wouldnt ever be able to kiss the way they did.... they looked like cows every kissing scene XP. Just overall disturbing! Not for the faint of heart. If you are on the fence about watching this........just........dont! I promise its not worth the psychological damage. Softcore porn with a side of abuse is what your ordering if you decide to watch.

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Meh

Plot: First half had me guessing, like what actually happened and it had some mystery and horror aura but then felt flat on the last 30 minutes of the movie. Many unanswered questions that will make you confuse as to why was the ending like that, especially to the victim. Didn’t make sense to me, honestly. He was supposed to have this strong personality plus he had to go through all the trouble just to find out the truth but then ‘bam’. Would have been nice if they added something to the ending apart from their ‘supposed’ destiny. It was supposed to be the icing on the cake but turned out to be a styrofoam.

Acting: All did great and convincing.

Music: Pretty appropriate and creepy especially on the first half of the movie.

Rewatch value: I don’t think there’s something to rewatch.

Overall: 5 for acting and great suspense of first half. They didn’t maintain the momentum and ended up with a disappointing ending despite the so-called ‘twist’. It wasn’t predictable but it didn’t have the ‘wow’ factor too. I guess I watched and read too many psychological/mystery dramas and movies already.

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