User:8thSin

Tenten (roughly translates to "rapidly changing (scenery)") is a road movie about a law student with over $8000 in debt being dragged into a long walk around Tokyo with a loan shark for a chance to clear his debt. Destination: Police station in Kasumigaseki. The film provides comedy and drama, as well as various scenes of Tokyo, which has the characteristic of rapidly changing scenery (therefore the title).
Official website for this film is named "tokyosanpo.jp" ("stroll around Tokyo"), and that's exactly what they do for majority of this movie. On the way, they encounter many strange people and events (most occur in real life Tokyo, though severely exaggerated for comedy).
This is my 7th film starring Odagiri Joe, and he's just such a versatile and talented actor who you can always count on. He doesn't have a strikingly good looks, but his acting is just so good that I can really connect with his character almost every single time. Miura Tomokazu, who plays the loan shark also acted very well in his usual scary/powerful role.
It was a comedy film, but what I really loved was how well the characters developed. I can literally feel those two main characters bonding. [SPOILER]Although Odagiri's character really hated this idea of going out on a walk with his enemy at first, he slowly became interested in this loan shark, and didn't want this walk to ever end. This was such a well-made film that it made me feel the same way. I especially loved that rollercoaster scene near the end, where Odagiri's character began to see the loan shark as a father figure and others in the make-believe family as the family he never had. It was just so touching, and I was so connected with the main character at that point that tears started to well up in my eyes too.[/spoiler] I just can't stress enough how good an actor Odagiri is, and this was a perfect film for him. No one can act the average joe roles better than Odagiri Joe.
Unlikely (and disturbingly simple) plot for movie, family bonding, journey, discovering self-identity, countless cameo... it has almost everything I love seeing in movies. Even if you're not into all these things, I can guarantee watching this film is a time well spent.

Koizora is another one of those Junai movie that showed a lot of promise, but flopped miserably.
The first 20 minutes of this film was a terrific love story. Aragaki Yui was really cute as Mika, and although the male lead's character was a bit too outgoing for a Japanese high school student, I enjoyed watching it, and wanted to have a sweet relationship like that one day. But then, cheesefest began [SPOILER]after the Mika got raped outdoors. The story and character development after that point was more like a soap drama than Junai film, filled with cheesy lines and inconsistent character behaviors. It was corny, but I loved the whole "Koizora" and "I'll watch over you" idea of this movie and the way it ended, but the mid-section of the film was just so poorly executed that it was impossible for me to cry watching a movie like this.
There was also too many plot-holes in this film, such as Aragaki Yui in her usual innocent role, yet she goes around having sex everywhere. What kind of person takes out a dying guy at night then have sex with him outdoors and gets knocked up twice? And this character happens to be played by the idol of ultimate innocence, Aragaki Yui, who didn't even kiss in 2 kiss scenes in this movie (using camera angle manipulation). And is it even possible for someone under cancer treatment to reproduce? I also don't see how Miki could so easily forgive a woman who ordered her rape and killed her baby. There were too many inconsistencies and questionable character behaviors that I find it hard to believe this story is really based on a real story.[/SPOILER]
It's a really poorly made chick flick, but I must admit it was very visually pleasing. Scenery in this movie was beautiful, and it was perfect for an Aragaki Yui fan like me since she was on screen almost the whole time, cute as ever. The male lead Miura Haruma was abnormally good-looking in this film, in fact, he looked totally like an anime character. I'm not gay, but he was damn hot. He definitely didn't look like that in 14sai no Haha. Although the blond hair seemed really out of place, the makeup artist for this movie did an excellent job.
Overall, horrible story and direction, but a treat for fanboys and girls.

Personally, I'm not a Miike Takashi fan, and I usually dislike these Furyou (deliquent high schooler) genre films, but it was surprisingly enjoyable film even for me.
The plot is quite typical of high school movies. Genji (Oguri Shun), a son of yakuza boss must achieve an unprecedented unification of notorious Suzuran High School (AKA: Crow's High School) in order to take over his father's position. Genji soon finds out the strongest guy in the school is Serizawa (Yamada Takayuki), who was also set to conquer all other classes. Genji challenges Serizawa to a duel, but of course, being a newcomer that he is, wasn't taken seriously at first. Genji then seeks help and builds up his own army while defeating other minor 'bosses', and eventually a showdown with Serizawa in his journey to the top of Suzuran High.
The story for this film is extremely well-designed, with excellent flow from beginning to the very end. What I especially liked about this movie is that it was more than just random violence by bunch of kids trying to look badass. Although it IS action packed, the main theme of this film is school politics and friendship. Oguri Shun's character developed very well, from a clueless kid to a leader backed by many trustworthy friends.
Cinematography for this film was extremely well-done, from school to the streets, you can tell the production crew paid attention to the tiniest detail in every single scene. Action was also very well-directed for an exciting 2 hours. I thought it was even more visually pleasing than Miike's Ryuu ga Gotoku.
Casting for this film is absolutely incredible. I recognized so many faces, many who established themselves in yakuza or delinquent roles, but the most pleasant surprise was Yamada Takayuki, who had his share of dark roles in the past, but never a violent one such as this, and possibly the first as a villain. I've never thought him as a wild type, but he was so cool as a villain and gave his character really big presence in this film. I'm still not convinced with Oguri Shun's acting or his role as a violent punk student, but he seemed to be less out of place as he was in Hana Yori Dango dorama series. All the other cast did what they do best, and a very high level of acting overall.
Although I haven't read the manga series, this prequel was very easy to follow. It's impossible to take away the cheesiness associated with manga-adaptation or high school violence, but it was an extremely well-directed action movie with a meaningful message.

Hannin ni Tsugu is a suspense film about a police detective's search for a serial child killer.
The film itself was quite exciting and had me on the edge of my seat for most of the screen time, but in the end, the arrest came way too abruptly, and although I thought the questioning before arrest was witty and interesting, the criminal had no real motives and he was just suddenly caught out of nowhere. It was a real let down.
The quality of acting in this film is very questionable. Although everyone look the part and I thought the casting was really well-done, it was generally over-acted and lacks spontaneity. Cinematography was also very poor, and it felt like watching a made-for-TV movie (in fact, it was produced by a satellite TV station).
There were also too many loose ends that were never explained. I'm uncertain to whether they wanted to leave it to our imagination or planning a sequel, but it was an exciting film with very unsatisfying final 20 minutes.

This movie is like 3 different films mixed in one. The first half is hard, wacky comedy. Nakatani Miki and Abe Hiroshi's chemistry was great, and I was laughing the whole time. Most of the second half, however, is straight up drama. There was a long reminiscence sequence that I found to be a bit too draggy. The last 15 minutes of this film is inspirational tear-jerker.
Although the ending really moved me, I wish they just stuck with comedy for this manga-based film. They tried to make it a bit too deep for a comedy with the drama section, and it just ruined the whole film. The ending features an epiphany scene that I enjoy very much, but it just wasn't enough to save this film. I am once again impressed with Abe Hiroshi's versatility though, he just seems so natural in every role he takes. Nakatani Miki also did very fine in her rare leading role. Not great, but a film worth watching.

It's been more than 10 years since I last saw Uchida Yuki. She was still singing Komuro Tetsuya's songs back then, a Jpop-idol. She is still as beautiful as I remembered, but never in my wildest dream did I expect her to deliver this amazing performance in this masterpiece of a film in such a dark role.
Quiet Room is about a magazine writer (Uchida Yuki) getting sent to a psychiatric hospital after an accidental drug overdose mistaken for a suicide attempt. There, she was forced to spend two weeks of her life with other mental patients.
This film has the atmosphere of Fight Club with a similar protagonist, an insomniac on drugs, in a very different story. A large portion of this film was an exceptionally well-made dark comedy that had me laughing at 4AM (yes, I may have insomnia too). There are MANY big-name actors who I was really surprised to see in such minor roles. It was very well-casted film where everyone was perfect for the role. Uchida Yuki though, was best of them all. Not only was she very visually pleasant, her sharp looks and sometimes messy hairstyles were perfect for this character. Her acting (and everyone else) was fantastic as well, I knew I was about to watch a masterpiece after only 5 minutes into the film.
Quiet Room IS somewhat of a comedy, but it is also very deep and inspirational film that explores what it means to live, to be free. Great story set in an isolated environment that's very promising for a movie, and the production staff had done an excellent job. An extremely well-directed movie that's very artistic, but the type everyone can understand. Music in this movie is very scarce, but extremely touching and suit each scene very well. This film is flawless in every aspect.
Without a doubt best Japanese film of 2007 and my new favorite Japanese film out of almost 200 I've watched so far.

It has been quite a while since I've watched such a horrible high-budget Japanese film. This movie is inspired by the lyrics of DREAMS COME TRUE's masterpieces "Mirai Yosouzu" and "Mirai Yosouzu II", which roughly translates to "Future Plan".
Matsushita Nao is well-known for being a poor actress, but the male lead, Takezai Terunosuke is in a whole different dimension. This guy literally puts on a fake smile and READS his line for EVERY single scene. It's so incredible that he makes Johnny's actors in dorama look like Japan Academy Award winners. The leading couple's acting, especially in the first half where they talk to each other many times, was so embarrassing that _I_ actually felt embarrassed watching it. In addition to having the worst acting lead couple in history, the script for this movie is extremely poorly written. The "persuasion of firework master" scene was so horrible that it made me laugh. Such poor story development is rare even in low-budget Japanese TV-dorama. It's a shame this movie had a really nice message for the workaholic Japan, that some things are more important than work, but its sheer cheesiness made it impossible for me to take it seriously.
At least they had enough sense to use "Mirai Yosouzu II" instead of the theme song "A.I.Shi.Te.Ru no Sign ~Our Future Plan~" for the last scene. That one scene was somewhat touching. Another positive thing about this film is that the scenery in Spain was very beautiful, and all the scenes there actually weren't cheesy. This movie is exactly opposite of typical Japanese films in this respect...
Although her acting is horrible (as usual), Matsushita Nao is beautiful as ever in this movie, and gets considerable screen time. I was able to watch the entire film because I was watching it solely for her, but for anyone who's not a huge Matsushita Nao fan like me... Avoid this film at all costs.

After watching this movie... I can kind of understand why Sawajiri Erika was in such a bad mood during the movie premier. I personally am a big fan of Japanese "Junai" ("Pure love") genre films, but this is among the worst Junai movie I've ever watched.
The setting of this movie is very promising, and I love the idea of tracing another person's life through a diary, but the story ended up grossly predictable with a series of cliches and corny lines. Even worse, character behaviors and story development in this film are extremely unnatural. It is true there were many touching scenes, but there were way too many plot holes and elaborate plot devices required to fit these scenes into the story. All the characters' behaviors were totally erratic... Why did Ishitobi bring Kae flowers and couldn't give it to her if he didn't love her at all? How did the notebook end up behind the mirror if Ibuki died in an accident with it? And worst of all, how can Kae's character start reading that letter in the art exhibition in that situation? That is exactly what Japanese people call "KY", not being able to read the atmosphere. It was just impossible for me to watch this movie without sneering. I'm sure Sawajiri Erika didn't expect this movie to be a so corny when she signed up to star in a Yukisada Isao film.
Another thing that really bothered me was how draggy this film was. I have seen and enjoyed couple of films that are longer than its 2:20 duration, but this one felt MUCH longer. There definitely wasn't enough material to cover such a long play time and it was so poorly directed that it's hard to believe it was produced by the same person who made SekaChuu.
It was a disaster as a film, but acting in general was decent. Takeuchi Yuuko, especially, managed to shine. The mysterious teacher role suit her very well, just like in ImaAi, and she didn't seem out of place like in every other role she's been in. Scenery in this film, especially the river scene was quite beautiful and relaxing, though colors overall were slightly over-saturated. I also liked the transitions from the present to the past events recorded in the notebook. Unfortunately, these small bits of successes were not enough to save this film.
I expected much more from Yukisada Isao, I'm sure Erika-sama felt the same way. The ending of this movie was very empty and unsatisfying considering it was a Junai film. What this movie really lacked was intensity, especially since YUI's great theme song for this movie was so intense.

Maximum relaxation. This movie is one of those SLOW and SUBTLE Japanese movies. It's a simple movie about a lady professor going to an island for an off-season vacation. The crazy residents on the island and subtle humor in this movie was very enjoyable for me and there were some really beautiful scenes of the coastline. Acting in this movie is very solid. Not many things are said in this film, but it's very easy to connect with all the characters and tell how they're feeling. We live in such a fast-paced society today, it's nice to be reminded that it's important to take a break once every while and that once again, beauty and happiness can be found in simplest things.

Though slightly cheesy, this is probably THE ultimate seishun (youth love) film. Houtai Club is about a group of teenagers tying bandages around the city to heal emotional wounds for anyone who requests it in their website. Of course tying bandages in random places don't do anything, but it's true knowing someone cares do help. This film explores the idea that by healing and understanding other's pain, you can heal your own.
I usually hate this kind of cheesy Utopian ideas, but it was presented extremely well. The story is very interesting and very well directed. I've seen Ishihara Satomi in many TV drama series, but this is by far her best performance (not to mention cute). Although I thought the 2-hour length was a bit too long for this movie and there were couple of cheesy lines, it was a great life-altering film.

FujiTV's HERO aired in 2001 is my favorite conclusion-per-episode dorama series of all time and I had an extremely high expectation for this movie. Long story short, it met and exceeded my expectations, unlike the SP aired in 2006.
What I love most about this movie was that after 5 minutes, it felt like I was brought back to the world of HERO dorama series. This movie was directed well enough for cinema, yet it retained all the great qualities we HERO fans are familiar with from the TV series. A lot of dorama SPs (including the HERO SP) and movie adaptations have failed in this respect. Many others also failed to make it to silver screen standards (i.e. GTO, Saiyuuki, even 1L no Namida felt like a made-for-TV SP) but HERO staff succeeded in this movie where so many others failed. The producers of this film didn't forget about the fans by providing some information for unanswered questions from the dorama series and SP, and connects the stories in dorama, SP, and the movie in a convincing manner.
All the main character's funny habits still makes me laugh, and the interactions between Kuryuu and Amemiya were great as usual. The chemistry between all the main cast was perfect even after all these years. It must be this bond that united ALL the original cast even after 6 years, in which time Abe Hiroshi has become a major presence in film and dorama, yet still returns in supporting role.
The cast in this movie is absolutely incredible, with KimuTaku, still popular as ever; Abe Hiroshi, as mentioned; Kohinata Fumiyo, who has also become a major presence in cinema and TV, though in supporting roles; Ayase Haruka and Nakai Kiichi in same character as SP; Matsumoto Koushirou, multiple-award-winning stage actor, 9 years since his last film appearance; Tamori, the great MC of Wratte Iitomo and Music Station, 17 years since his last film appearance; even Korean actor Lee Byung-hun and many other recognizable faces in supporting roles.
Not only did this movie made me laugh and was a star galore, there were also many moving and inspirational scenes. The story was very well-written and it was very well-directed. The ending completely caught me off-guard. I absolutely loved the dorama series' leave-the-rest-to-your-imagination ending, but the movie ending was just as good, surprise ending fitting for this great franchise. The only thing I didn't like was the lack of Utada Hikaru's "Can You Keep a Secret?" as theme song (understandable, but it felt like something was missing), and a few unnecessary scenes to recreate the greatest scenes in the dorama series.
I've seen MANY dorama series and movies since HERO in 2001, but watching this movie once again reminded me that Kuryuu Kouhei is one of the greatest character ever created by Japanese live-action writers. I Recommend watching the entire dorama series before the movie.

Not much to say about this movie, a typical Japanese "Furyou" (delinquent) movie. It was exactly what I expected, bunch of kids trying to act tough, lots of random fights, and excessively corny. There were some interesting enemy bosses though, and there were some touching scenes, but way too cheesy for my tastes.

This is by far the worst Junai movie I've watched thus far. The acting in general was disastrous and very predictable story. Various scenery in Hawaii and Australia were very beautiful, but this movie is just too cheesy for my tastes.

I love racing movies, but this one was just horrible. Cars were awesome, but the CG was so fake. The whole movie was just so cheesy and stupid, I was just laughing at it the whole time. And for some reason, Nakamura Shunsuke looked like Nagase Tomoya, and the villain looked like Katori Shingo. I had no idea what the hell Kitano Kii was doing in that movie. Some car intros were cool and m.o.v.e theme song was nice though.

I had absolutely zero expectation for this movie, in fact, I was expecting an idol movie from Aragaki Yui, who had been disastrous (though cute) in all her TV drama series I've watched so far. Boy, was I wrong!
The beginning of this movie is like a typical subtle Japanese film with very limited dialogues. It really surprised me how it was still drawing me into the story despite the fact that I had a very negative impression of Gakki and Matsushita Ryuuhei being one of the actors I disliked the most. This film was exceptionally well-directed by the rookie director.
It was also very interesting that this movie slowly picks up its pace, and gets pretty intense near the end. I also loved the humor in this film, which was kind of wacky for this type of seishun films.
This is another flawless film I've seen this year. Well-directed, well-acted, great music and nice, touching, deep conclusion. Aragaki Yui's performance was very impressive, I was able to really connect with the character... I can now see why Japan Academy Awards gave her the Best Newcomer Award.
Extremely strong film.

A low-profile film (though I'm hesitant to call it a B-movie), SAI-REN is a typical seishun film about 3 girls in different kinds of love, trying to figure out their paths. There are quite a few actors I recognize (though all previously in supporting roles), and it has a nice pace. Pretty funny too. Not that bad for a limited screening film.

This film had an unnaturally high user ratings in Yahoo! Japan Movies, but it turned out to be a huge disappointment for me. The movie is divided into two parts. First half is "Yuunagi no Machi" ("Town of Evening Calm"), about a family of nuclear bombing survivors in Hiroshima, 13 years after the bombing. The second part, "Sakura no Kuni" ("Land of Cherry Blossoms") is set in present day Japan, where descendants of the family trace back to the past.
The first half presents a nice atmosphere and a touching story about Minami, a female survivor still trying to cope with the death of her sister in the bombing. Asou Kumiko was phenomenal as Minami, the female surviver. Her control of emotion was right on, and her acting was very convincing. The second half though, is nothing short of a disaster, where it turned into a cheesy game of tag between a father and a daughter. I was quite surprised at how the 3 main characters were all actors I disliked; Tanaka Rena, Nakagoshi Noriko, and Sakai Masaaki. Nakagoshi was actually alright in this film, but the other two were absolutely horrible as usual and completely out of place. Change in atmosphere and style were far too abrupt, which contributed to the horrible flow of story in this film. In addition, corny lines like "I chose to be born into this family" was not exactly what I expected from a movie with such a serious theme.
Another thing that really bothers me is how this film feels like a post-war propaganda that places Japan solely as the victim of evil and completely ignores their own responsibility in WWII, with lines like "Bombs didn't just drop, it was dropped by someone", and "I wonder if the people who wanted us to die are happy now I'm dying, even though it took 13 years" etc. Still, it would've been a decent movie if it was just "Yuunagi no Machi".

Another movie depicting the goodness of simple life in the countryside and the innocent love of a teenage girl. They should not have been able to make such a beautiful film without big name actors and a lot of money, but they did. A miraculously good film, just like Josee.
I have seen the lead actress Kaho in many dorama series before as a minor character, and I didn't have much expectations for her in this movie, but she was phenomenal. She was very cute and pure, had a great control of her emotions, and just fit perfectly into the role. Cinematography and camera work were equally wonderful, a proof that big budget CG isn't necessary for stunning scenes. What I loved most though, was how well this film was directed. It had a very straightforward story of a shy and earnest girl falling in love, and it didn't have any scenes that were overwhelming memorable and dramatic like most masterpieces, but I was totally drawn into the story. I totally connected with all the main characters.
It shows that beauty lies beneath ordinary things and emotion through subtlety, a true Japanese film. Everything was perfect, I can't come up with a single flaw in this movie. As I mentioned before, a miraculous film.

Yeah, this movie was pretty bad. They shouldn't have wasted so much money on CG and extras, and just released this as a dorama SP. It felt like watching a cheap dorama the whole time. While it was really entertaining and touching at times, it was definitely not worth paying and watching in the theaters. The fighting sequence was a great improvement over the dorama series though.

Other than SABU films, I haven't really liked any Japanese dark comedies, and I generally dislike any films with cult movie qualities... This one is a huge exception.
Funuke Domo... is the story of a countryside family struggle. The movie begins with both parents dying in a car accident. The elder sister (Satou Eriko) comes back home from Tokyo because they are no longer able to send her money for acting school. The other 2 members of the family are the little sister (Satsukawa Aimi), an asthma-stricken aspiring manga writer and older brother (Nagase Masatoshi), who abuses his wife. Now that the frustrated elder sister came back (and eager to leave again though have no money), tension within the family hits an all-time-high. Every member of the family has a dark secret and it leads to one event after another.
This movie is unbelievably well-casted. I have seen Satou Eriko in couple of dorama series before, but she had never been my type of gravure idol. This movie totally converted me. She is just so HOT and fit perfectly into that demonic personality. Her chemistry with Satsukawa Aiko was really good, and there were quite a few interesting interactions between the sisters. I have also seen Satsukawa in a few dorama series before, but she had previously failed to leave any impact on me. Her performance in this film was solid, excellent portrayal of a seemingly innocent but dark-minded girl. Nagase Masatoshi, the only experienced actor of the three, gives the most impressive performance in this movie. His character was concerned and frustrated the whole time, and his subtle acting enabled me to really sympathize with him. Nagasaku Hiromi was recognized with many awards for her supporting role in this film, and she was very funny and expressed her character's feeling exceptionally well. Her acting felt very natural and sincere. Casting was really well-done, but not only that, the director was able to draw out the best out of every one of them. This film is pretty fast-paced, but it still feels like a true Japanese film with excellent mix of wacky and dark humor with subtlety. The country landscape is very beautiful and calming, and there were some pretty advanced camera work that were really impactful.
An exciting movie that explores family conflict. It's a movie that made me think "This is what a great Japanese film is supposed to be like." One of my favorite Japanese movies of 2007.

This movie won the Grand Prize in Cannes Film Festival. I didn't get it, as usual.
Discovering your true self through a journey is in fact my favorite plot for movies, and this film at first seemed very promising with interesting characters and beautiful sceneries of the forest. However, as the movie progressed, I became more and more confused. I'm sure this is one of those movies that's supposed to make you think, but way too little information was given even for audience to use their imagination.
I actually went back to read the plot synopsis after I finished watching the film (all confused), and realized for the first time the nurse had previously lost her child. There was a scene where an unknown man saying it's all your fault. Now that I think of it, he is probably her ex-husband blaming her for the dead child. No matter how you think about it, any movie that requires the audience to read plot synopsis to understand the plot is unacceptable as a film. There were many other things in this film that was just outright puzzling, but the movie ended without even attempting to explain any of it. I absolutely did not connect with any of the characters. While this film had an extremely beautiful cinematography, that alone is not enough to make it a great film as a whole.
I actually really liked the female lead actress Ono Machiko, but the male lead had too much age difference that I just couldn't see them as a couple. That "campfire" scene was completely incomprehensible for me.
It is very well-known that Japanese films which win prizes in Cannes rarely fit the typical Japanese tastes. I guess movies, especially at film festivals are considered to be art, so perhaps truly amazing works are not meant to be understood by an average viewer like me. Or maybe Western audiences simply see the Japanese as mysterious group of people, and liked the mysterious couple in this film behaving erratically in the enigmatic forest.
This film, like many other Cannes prize-winners, had disastrous user review ratings in Japanese movie sites. I really need to start heeding their advice and not expect too much from these films and never again watch a film that is produced in conjunction with other countries.

What a disaster of a movie! They tried too hard to make this movie funny, but failed miserably. Although this movie was very star-studded, it felt like nothing more than a typical B-movie comedy. The concept of this movie, though pretty common in Japanese stories, showed promise but extremely poorly executed. I don't even know why the novelist showed up in the very end in modern setting. It provided nothing to the story and was just so random.

This teen comedy movie has a very well-structured story. It's funny in a stupid way like most teen movies, but the story is really unique, and all the little details are pieced together in the end. The ending was also very deep, nice break from serious drama movies.

A very, very interesting mystery film with a nice flow. Unfortunately, some character behaviors are too unplausible in addition to inconsistent acting by the two up and coming actors. Overall, the story from novel was very well written and there were many memorable quotes and plot devices, but something was off about this movie.

A self-remake of multi-award winning 1982 film by director Oobayashi Nobuhiko, Tenkousei is about two junior high student switching body. This plot has been done many, many times in film already, but this is a very unique, experimental film. First of all, every single scene is tilted in random angles between 5~45 degrees. It took me a while to get used to it, but it was able to create some incredible scenes. The cinematography on this film was the most beautiful I've seen in any movie, including American and other Asian movies. Music was equally touching, and accompanies beautiful scenes very well. This movie is 2 hours in length, but it is very fast-paced, and has an excellent flow.
The lead actress, Renbutsu Misako had an extremely weak presence in Battery, but she did an excellent job here. She is very attractive and has a big potential. I will definitely be closely following her career. Both actors did a very convincing opposite sex, especially considering they are still child actors.
Although this movie is such a cliche in so many ways, it was still able to really connect with me and moved me. I have not seen the original, but I absolutely loved this movie, a masterpiece IMO.

This movie is a very hard one to rate... Takeuchi Yuuko totally seemed to be out of place as a "wild" girl, but there were some nice scenes and memorable quotes. Mimura is just such a horrible actress, nothing can work for her.
I enjoyed the story, about a fond childhood memory, from the perspectives of a child (I guess that's why so many things remain mystery, especially about Takeuchi's character). Over all, I loved parts of it, absolutely hated other parts. An interesting story and a nice message, but lacking a dramatic scene vital for this kind of film. I would watch again though, maybe it will grow on me.

Funny, funny, funny movie! Kisaragi is a hilarious comedy about a 1-year anniversary memorial party for a D-list idol Kisaragi, attended by 5 men from a fanclub website. The idol is said to have commit suicide, but one of the attendee suspects someone in this group is the murderer, and finger pointing begins!
The entire movie is the arguments between these five men in the same room, with couple of imaginary reenactments scenes. It almost feels like watching a stage play. I don't want to spoil, but this movie has one twist followed by another, and the ending is pretty deep, though there was an Otaku-dance that was really stupid and unnecessary.
What surprises me most though, is that the scriptwriter actually came up with a story as unique as this one. The setting for this movie is so crazy, and so are the characters, yet completely feasible in real life and their arguments are constructive. The characters' gradual developments were really entertaining for me, and their love toward this D-list idol was beautiful. All five actors played their parts very well.

This is an unique movie that really delivered. This film explores the power of the human imagination, ambitions, and desires. The story was so well-organized and gives us a conclusion that makes perfect sense with the information given. I hope to see another surprising movie like this in the future.

I never thought a Japanese comedy movie could be so good... Especially on a field (Geisha) which I had absolutely no interest in. The lead, Abe Sadao is simply amazing. His face is so disgusting, yet he can express so many kinds of convincing emotions, perfect this Otaku role. It's amusing Yamada Takayuki cameos in this movie, because Abe Sadao would've made a waaay better Densha Otoko.
This is a really silly movie, it's a story that can NEVER happen in real life, but it's executed so well that it's not cheesy at all, unlike many other Japanese comedy movies I've seen that failed. The story and script for this film is really something.
The cast for this movie was really impressive. So many established actors and popular actors who could be in leading roles participate as supporting cast.
This is a really well-directed movie that had me teary eyed after around 30 minutes. Mostly from laughing too hard, but some scenes and plots near the end though, was really touching. Easily the best Japanese comedy movie of 2007.

Highly recommended film for all those who liked Heavenly Forest.

Ryou (Narumi Riko) is a girl deserted by everyone else in her class, she doesn't even have a cell phone because no one would call her anyway. One day, she suddenly starts hearing voices of Shinya (Koide Keisuke), who lives in a different prefecture. Kimi ni Shika Kikoenai (literally "Only You Can Hear Me") is a fantasy film about the long-distance love between these two characters through telepathy. I have seen both How to Become Myself and Shindo, but Narumi Riko is by far the most beautiful in this one. Her acting in this was up to par as well. She's the most promising actress in Japan in my opinion.

[SPOILER]This is a very well-directed film, though I thought the cinematography was a bit too dreamy thus unrealistic. One other thing I disliked about this film was the fact that the whole telepathy thing worked EXACTLY like cell phones. Ringing and "hanging up" was totally unnecessary that only made the whole concept cheesy. Even if there was such thing as telepathy, it would never work like that. What I love most about this film is that there are so many twists. First, you think it's a magical cell phone, but turns out to be telepathy. Then Shinya turns out to be deaf-mute. Then "Harada" turns out to be Ryou herself from the future (although I figured this out when I saw the accident), and the sign language message at death... This movie had a fantastic story.

The ending theme song by DREAMS COME TRUE was absolutely fantastic. Although this is not the best DCT song I've heard before, it was a great song written specifically for this movie. Those lyrics really hit me in the end, and although I didn't cry during the movie, the theme song made me reflect the whole story and made me teary. This was a film that really had a kick in the very end. I'm sure I will like this movie more and more as I re-watch it.

This film was not as good as its predecessor. The documentary style filming didn't work for me, and there was way too much camera shaking even for this type of film. Horikita Maki's acting was weak as usual, but it's definitely getting better. She did very well in the last scene on the bus. The story was so-so, BUT! There are 3 scenes in this movie that were just phenomenal: 2 bicycle scenes and the last bus scene (you'll know when you see it) were so touching and well-directed that they totally made up for everything else. Music in this thing really matched the story too. A film worth watching for experienced viewers.

This movie is extremely similar to Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu (Be With You) and Tada, Kimi wo Aishiteru (Heavenly Forest), based on a novel by the same author, Ichikawa Takuji. In fact, the stories are so similar that it's almost self-plagiarism of past two movies, developing the story through rare and possibly imaginary illnesses. Unlike the other two movies, I felt some scenes in this film were cheesy. Why then, did I rate it 10/10? Because it follows the proven formula for a Junai (pure love) genre movie, while adding refreshing twists.
The first film of TBS Junai Trilogy: Sekai no Chuushin... (Crying Out Love...) (2004) started the Japanese Junai film craze, but it was the second of the trilogy: Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu (2004) that perfected the ultimate Junai formula of an unknown girl appears before a guy, reveals a fatal illness, and most importantly: climax with a narration/flashback/epiphany sequence by the tragic heroine, and ends with a feel-good/inspirational afterthought for the dead. This formula has since been implemented in 1L no Namida and major 2006 Junai films such as the last of the TBS Trilogy: Taiyou no Uta, Nada Sou Sou, and Tada, Kimi wo Aishiteru.
What astonishes me, is how this film managed to gather a main cast made up entirely of actors who previously starred in these notable Junai films. Yamada Takayuki was in Sekai no Chuushin TV drama series, Nagasawa Masami of Sekai no Chuushin movie and Nada Sou Sou, Tsukamoto Takashi of Taiyou no Uta. Even Kohinata Fumiyo, who played a doctor in Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu appears as the protagonist's father as a doctor again.
It's impossible to watch this movie without being reminded of previous "pure love" movies. What really separates this movie from the rest, [SPOILER]is that a traditional Hollywood happy ending is used for the very first time. For 3 times after the 75th minute, I thought this movie would end. Each time, it would've ended in a tragedy, but in the very end, the two main characters got together, and damn, it works! The last 20 minutes of this movie was designed and executed exceptionally well through twists, which turned out to be practically abuse of the fact that most Japanese love stories of this kind end in tragedy. Some lines and scenes from earlier part of the movie (including the title), was reused in a very touching manner.[/spoiler]
Despite its shortcomings such as repetitive theme and weak/inconsistent acting of Nagasawa Masami, which led to partial cheesiness, I consider this movie almost as good as ImaAi and TadaAi, as it touched me the same way, and had almost equally impactful story, cinematography, and music/theme song.

This film is directed by Matsumoto Hitoshi of Japanese comedian group Downtown.
Nice setting, documentary style directing was good. Unfortunately, the monsters were too disgusting and the story was way too stupid. There were couple of quite funny scenes, and it would've been great if it was a Lincoln skit or something, but I can't say it's a great movie. A lot more watchable than Kantoku Banzai! though.

Just by making a film like this shows that Kitano Takeshi has way too much ego. A completely worthless movie, it's hard to believe a crap movie like this can actually win awards in Cannes. A very unique idea for a movie, but executed extremely poorly. It's sad to see that they give out awards just because the director is famous, despite the fact that it's crap and that most people who saw this movie didn't enjoy it at all.

This movie is a Japanese culture film about "Rakugo", traditional Japanese verbal comedy. This is a really well-directed movie with very high level acting. Kokubun Taichi of TOKIO was surprisingly good in this film, excellent control of his emotions and very entertaining Rakugo performances. Karina is ever so beautiful and handled the role of an anti-social woman very well. The kid in this movie was SO good, it's not even funny. His Oosaka dialect is just so much fun to listen to, and he's just so cute. He will be big one day.
This is a solid movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat and you will learn a lot about the Japanese culture.

B-movie. Follows the life of a girl who leads a hard life and nothing goes her way. Not very remarkable, though I can really sympathize with the main character, and liked the final scene. Those who love dark films may like it a lot.

This movie is a better version of Nada Sou Sou. I was surprised how little happened in this movie, yet I was emotionally drawn by it. Acting by Miyamoto Nobuko in the role of the mother was phenomenal. I would've liked to see more of Oosawa Takao, but we got very long screentime by Matsushima Nananko, which totally makes up for it. This movie is a must-see for Matsushima Nanako fans and advanced J-film viewers.

I really enjoyed UDON, so I was looking forward to this movie. It's definitely not as good, but it was still very enjoyable. Yamada Yuu was really hot in this, and the actors did a very good job for a comedy movie. The story could've been a bit better, but the main characters were really interesting.

A stupid as hell movie, but still pretty enjoyable. I used to read Manga when I was little, and I have to admit I was a bit disappointed with CG, but the characters were pretty interesting. Acting and story were below par, but there are few touching scenes. Inoue Mao is pretty cute, but her acting is poor as usual, and nobody can escape the extreme cheesiness of this movie. Expect to see a kiddie Halloween party-ish movie.

A life-altering movie about a girl Juri AKA Kotori instructing Kanako AKA Hina how to live her life through emails by cell phone.

The story itself is actually quite close to Nobuta. wo Produce, but done in a completely different setting. This movie has a very nice flow, one thing happens after another, and there are no filler scenes of any kind. Very well-acted by two (visually pleasant) new-generation lead actresses Narumi Riko (Juri) and Maeda Atsuko (Kanako). It took a while to get used to it, but it's directed in a very unique style that works very well. The music (OST) for this movie was outstanding. It's the first time "Sasaki Yuri" is in charge of music for a movie, everyone remember this name, she'll definitely be back! The only reason this film is not 10/10 is because there is a ten minute sequence that I felt were a bit over-sentimental, but still, an excellent, life-altering film.

This is a movie I wish I watched 10 years ago.

This is exactly what one would expect of a piano movie. The setting of this movie is very nice, a piano prodigy and a wanna-be pianist tackling their problems. Unfortunately, I felt there was something missing in the story and somewhat lacking the development of characters. But the two leads, Narumi Riko and Matsuyama Kenichi were brilliant and there were many touching and memorable scenes. Dramatic yet spontaneous ending also worked very well for me. Overall, a nice film to watch.

Another movie about importance of family (mother, as with Bizan), this movie has a similar feel with ALWAYS series, and equally good. Odagiri Joe was given the opportunity to show his acting skills this time, and man, does he deliver! Extremely good casting, Odagiri portrays a convincing Lily Frankie (author of the original novel this movie is based on) and looks exactly like the mother, who looks exactly like the young mother played by another actress. Although I felt it was slightly draggy at the very beginning and the end, this is a solid movie, well-directed with extremely nice scene transitions, touching music (OST). Great movie.

I guess not all 'nostalgia' movie work for me. This movie just failed to touch me like the ALWAYS series or Tokyo Tower. There were a few nice scenes, but the acting by ARASHI members in general was just too unimpressive... Actually, the story didn't really give them much chance. It only felt like an idol movie, a failed attempt to inspire.

To sum it up in one word... Boring. This is one of those movies that could've been so much cooler, but ended up being really draggy. Odagiri Joe, a great actor, wasn't given enough chances to show his talents. Scenery is very beautiful in this movie, but so are hundreds of other films.

Great movie, although it is a slow-paced traditional Japanese film like Linda Linda Linda. A touching story of bitter-sweet loves in high school that brings nostalgia to anyone who ever went to school in Japan. Well directed, excellent new-generation actors, great music. Recommended to advanced Japanese viewers.

This movie was totally wasted by a newbie director. The story is somewhat interesting, and the cast is quite powerful, but the direction, cinematography, music... The whole production was a big mess. Acting was also extremely unconvincing, even from multiple award winners like Yakusho Kouji and Suzuki Kyouka.

This is an awesome movie despite the fact that it's based on a video game. Directed very well with lots of action. This is the funniest Yakuza movie I've seen. It was star-studded for a movie of this kind too. Very fun to watch though not very deep.

Samurais, ninjas, spaceships, aliens, zombies... Sounds weird, and it IS a weird movie. They were aiming for "so bad it's actually good", and only partially succeeded. It's a hilarious movie that makes absolutely no sense with really crappy CG and weird villains. The biggest surprise is that well-known dorama actors like Abe Hiroshi and Hasegawa Kyouko are in this film.

Extremely well-casted, extremely well-acted, extremely good movie! There were so many hilarious scenes, yet the very next second, the setting created by comedy suddenly turns into an extremely moving scene. This movie is one of those movies where you can really laugh and cry. Ootake Shinobu fit the role of the tough mother perfectly, and Ishida Takuya also did a really good job. He is the most promising next-gen actor at the moment. Yoshida Yasuhiro, the rookie director did a VERY good job, very good flow to the story, and made me cry couple of times.

A must see movie for all baseball lovers. "Battery" is a Japanese baseball lingo meaning the pitcher and the catcher. Being another sports movie, I was expecting it to be another cheese fest, but it turned out to be a very touching movie without getting too cheesy. Child actors were fantastic, and extremely well-written story (I guess it's because this movie is based on a novel...). Importance of friendship and what it means to play baseball.

A girl travels to year 1990 to find her mother, the inventor of the "Laundry Machine-Type Time Machine" to stop the "Burst of Bubble Era". It's a really fun movie, well written plots. I was very surprised this movie wasn't as cheesy as it sounded. I wasn't a fan of Hirosue Ryouko's acting, but she was pretty good in this and fit for the role. Abe Hiroshi delivers great acting as usual.

Letting a photographer direct a movie... BIG MISTAKE! It's painfully clear all effort in this film was directed toward cinematography and very little attention to everything else. Most obvious mistake is the miscast of the entire female cast. Many of them are very experienced and capable, but they all seemed out of place, and having an amateur director certainly didn't help.
The story is a very common Geisha story, and characters behaved very inconsistently, thus making it extremely difficult for me to connect with the heroine. This movie's theme is "modern prostitution", but still, it was annoying how Tsuchiya Anna's lead character kept talking like a female motorcycle gang member while everyone else spoke in old Japanese fitting for this setting.
This movie has very vibrant colors, similar to Zhang Yimou's Hero, but viewers can easily tell it's filmed in an elaborate movie set.

The two sequences with Shiina Ringo's insert songs were really nice though, in mid-section of the movie. I actually really disliked her music before, but they fit perfectly in this movie. Although Ninagawa Mika is a complete failure as a film director, she has a major potential in PV production.

Tonarimachi Sensou (War Against Neighboring Town) is a fiction about Kitahara (Eguchi Yousuke), an ordinary employee of a traveling agency turning into a spy for his town's war against Town of Morimi, a neighboring town in a dystopian society. Eguchi Yousuke did an excellent job portraying a confused man getting caught under the war. Harada Tomoyo was even more fantastic, with her almost mechine-like gestures to portray her role of a blind/emotionless coordinator of the war.
I usually find these "cry for peace" films to be too corny for my tastes, and while this one does have its share of corniness, it was very well-executed and kept me interested for the entire duration of the movie. The movie begins with dark comedy, where the confused protagonist slowly grasp what is happening to his town and gets dragged into taking a "reconnaissance" duty and eventually escalates to becoming a full-time spy. The film then gradually gets more and more serious, presenting the audience with realities of war. I liked how this film openly questions many real elements of the war in humorous ways, such as "border lines being drawn", ambiguity of reasons for the war, responsibilities of participants and civilians, and justification of killing/casualty.
This film presents the social issue of wars from another perspective. I found it disturbing how simply downscaling countries to towns so clearly shows the absurdity in waging wars and killing each other. I guess most of us are completely oblivious to what's happening in the world.
I'm still skeptical about these Utopian ideas of a world without war, but it really challenged my values and prompted me to find out more about current events around the world. A life-altering film.

Another one of those 'battling a disease' movie... Not very impressed. The acting in general was absolutely disastrous, typical story and characters, average story.

Based on a manga by Tezuka Osamu, Dororo is about a man's quest to get back 48 parts of his body sold to Demons before birth. Once said to be impossible to be made into a live action, is made possible by heavy use of CG. Unfortunately, the CG was very disappointing for me as it seemed extremely cartoonish, but cool action sequences directed by Ching Siu-tung totally made up for it. Tsumabuki Satoshi, Shibasaki Kou, and Eita reunite from Orange Days for this action film. Their performances were flawless, and the action is very cool, with some memorable scenes. The story is very well written though not very deep. It's one of those action films that you watch and enjoy, but shouldn't expect anything deeper.

Average, somewhat predictable seishun film... Until Mr.Children's theme song scene at the very end. Although I like regular version of Kurumi better, the tone and lyric of this song was ABSOLUTELY PERFECT for this movie and that particular well-shot long scene and message of "going forward".
I didn't like Kitano Kii in Speed Master, but she did very well in this film, Katsuji Ryou's acting also far surpassed my expectations.

A man falsely accused of groping fights for his innocence. groping leaves no evidence, and the Japanese courtrooms are heavily biased against the offender.
Soredemo is one of the greatest Japanese film I've seen to date. This movie deals with the horrifying truths behind the Japanese court system. Life-altering and inspirational movie. I don't recognize the lead actor for this movie, but he handled this difficult role perfectly, excellent control of his emotions. The supporting cast is filled with actors I consider to be the most talented in acting skills, and they all gave great performances. Casting was incredibly well-done.
This movie was directed by the same person who did "Shall We Dance?" and the lead actor in that movie, Yakusho Kouji appears as the main lawyer. Direction, screenplay, and the story were absolutely perfect.Must-see.

There is an old Japanese saying: 「終わり良ければ全て良し」"As long as the ending is good, it's all good"... They were talking about this movie.

This movie is about a pair of twins who loves each other finally starts acting on it. The first 1:30 of this movie was incredibly slow. Of course, this is very typical of many Japanese films, but it was extremely difficult to watch because all the characters seemed emotionless and it felt as if they were reading lines off a big board behind the camera. I was about to give this film a mediocre rating like 3/10 at this point, then the last scene started... The long shot starting with rock/paper/scissors in the last scene is probably the most amazing shot I've ever seen in Japanese movie or drama so far. All the monotonous dialogs, long silences, emotionless acting were buildups for this very last scene, where the emotion finally erupts. I've never been a believer in Matsumoto Jun's acting skills, but I've been proven wrong in the very last 10 minutes. The ending was very deep, [SPOILER]as the two main characters, without words exchanged, realize their relationship will never reach anywhere, and 10 the last steps were taken, lass kiss was exchanged.[/SPOILER] Although some of the character's actions didn't make sense early in the movie, I enjoyed it a lot thanks to the great ending and the cuteness of Eikura Nana.

Recommended for patient Eikura Nana fans and extremely experienced J-film viewers.

A story about two young adults exchanging letters in a park. A Japanese version of "You've got mail". Virtually unknown director, unknown actors, lack of profile in IMDB... I wasn't expecting anything from this 1 hour long movie, but it turned out to be surprisingly good. The music is great, every single scene looks so beautiful, and fairly well directed. The story is somewhat ordinary, but told in an unconventional way. Overall, a fun movie.

This film is one of the big budget Jidaigeki films in recent years. The story was so-so, and cinematography was great, but I couldn't help but feel something was lacking in the acting. Especially Nakama Yukie, who seemed very tense as usual.

This sequel to NANA is such a disappointment. The new cast is very weak compared to the first movie. Ichikawa Yui didn't have the energy and cuteness of Miyazaki Aoi, and her acting was by far inferior in comparison. Hongou Kanata also seemed really out of place when he was with other band members. The story wasn't that impressive either. The only improvement was Nakashima Mika's theme song.

Another Jidaigeki film by Yamada Youji, another film I really enjoyed. Bushi no Ichibun is an intense drama with limited sword action, but has a very nice pace. The movie deals with the pride of a samurai (Kimura Takuya), who lost sight after tasting a poisonous clam on duty. It is also a truly beautiful love story between the samurai and his wife, who wishes to help in whatever way she can, but the samurai's pride forbidding acceptance of such mercy. A well-directed film, and the actors were all very convincing except the lead, KimuTaku, who at casual scenes simply turned back into his normal self of 21st century. He did fit into the role with his mature look and fierce glare, but I think he needs to stick to his modern hotshot character or more stage experience for these Jidaigeki roles.

Tegami is about the struggles of Nao (Yamada Takayuki) whose brother (Tamayama Tetsuji) was convicted for murder. In an extremely civilized country like Japan, only people with really twisted minds are considered to be capable of murder. This movie follows the obstacles and challenges Nao faces because he shares his blood with a murderer, with help of a friend Yumiko (Sawajiri Erika) in the span of approximately 10 years. The title "Tegami" (The Letters) comes from the letters Nao and his brother exchange over these years.

Yamada Takayuki and Tamayama Tetsuji's acting were extremely good in this film, Tegami is worth watching just for Tamayama's scene in the very end. This movie is beautifully directed with perfect background music.
Out of about 80 Japanese films I've seen so far, Tegami has the best ending scene of all. I don't expect everyone to cry, but your heart is frozen if it doesn't at least touch you, especially if you understand Japanese. I personally got goosebumps as soon as Oda Kazumasa's timeless masterpiece, Kotoba ni Dekinai started playing.

This is a movie that deals with contemporary issues and problems in Japan. Definitely a must-watch movie of 2006.

A romantic comedy from the creators of Densha Otoko, this is an enjoyable movie. Acting is fantastic with Nagatani Miki and Oosawa Takao, along with many recognizable faces from doramas. The script and setting is great, and it has a unique style (for Jmovies). Although it reminds of Korean romantic comedies a little at times...
Like every Christmas movie and most romantic comedies, it's really cheesy at times, but a nice light film.

Based on a novel written by the same author as Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu, inspired by the film Renai Shashin. Miyazaki Aoi plays an 'underdeveloped' and strange girl falling in love with Tamaki Hiroshi's character in a university. This movie features very beautiful nature of Japan, excellent cinematography, and very touching story. Overall a BEAUTIFUL film. Acting was SUPERB! Miyazaki Aoi's character is very memorable, and one of the scenes with Tamaki made me cry. Great twist in the ending as well. It's one of those movies that really connects with you, especially if you ever experienced a lost love. The music for this movie is also incredibly good, matches perfectly with each scene, which gives the story a nice flow and makes them twice as emotional.
WATCH THIS MOVIE!!

The cat and mouse game escalates in the second half of Death Note. There is far more action, more complicated plots, and more deceptions and twists compared to the fist movie. Toda Erika is VERY hot in this movie and puts up a great performance. This is the best manga based live-action movie or dorama I have seen to date. *EDIT* Extremely re-watchable movie series.

I actually gave up on this movie the first time after around 10 minutes. Mostly because I just saw Tenshi no Tamago starring same lead actor. I'm glad many people recommended this movie to me, making me watch again. I don't think it can be denied it starts pretty slow, but things pick up and you just get drawn into the movie. This movie is very well directed, high level acting with interesting story. A very beautiful romance movie.

You can say that this film is the ALWAYS Sanchoume of 2006. Also starring Tsunami Shinichi. A man travels back in time while riding the Metro. The story is not as touching as ALWAYS, but it has many twists and the impressive acting by all the stars in this movie is just fun to watch. This movie shows us the importance of family.

Not much to say about this movie, other than it's a crappy B-movie and the whole production style and some characters/scenes reminded me of Blue Gate Crossing, except nowhere near as touching.

This movie is inspired by the Natsukawa Rimi song "Nada Sou Sou" written by Moriyama Ryouko, composed by BEGIN, sang by all three of them. It's been sang in multiple Kouhaku Utagassen, and now known as THE Okinawan song.
I must say, this movie could've had a better story, but it's still pretty interesting. I guess there are limitations to the story because they have to follow the lyrics. Tsumabuki's acting was incredible as usual, even Nagasawa fit very well in her role. I will definitely continue following their careers. Their chemistry in this film was just wonderful, and they really showed the comfort of just living in the countryside. Yes, I cried during the ending credit, when the song started playing. One of those love it or hate it movie.

This is one of those movies that I would've never even imagined I would like that much, but ended up totally surprising me. Dance in past setting is about as far as it gets from my typical preferences, but it was surprisingly touching, and acting was fantastic! The characters developed nicely, and it drew my attention to the very end. Matsuyuki Yasuko was still so very hot, and her acting was great as usual. Japan Academy Awards grand prize winner impresses me once again. I cried in this movie, not because it was sad, but because it was one of the most inspirational and touching movie I have ever seen. Great OST as well, very rewatchable film.

This is one of the best Japanese school movie I've seen so far. A truly touching story of a High School's annual "walk festival", where a band of friends spend their last moments of High School life together in a day and night long 80km walk. Based on a novel of same name, the winner of "Bookstore employee's choice award". Roughly based on a real life annual 70km event of a high school the author attended. Very interesting main and side characters, all develop very nicely in this film. It shows the importance of friendship and how simple things can bring happiness. Nostalgia-inducing film that has the feel of a Japanese film, mastery in story telling.

The only thing this movie has to offer is Sawajiri Erika. Although there are some fun and touching scenes, very poorly written story overall. Just another typical Japanese romance movie.

This is certainly a unique movie. Acting by Narimiya and Oshinari were very good, and some cool action scenes by Yamada Yuu as well. The story is a bit predictable, but overall, a fun movie. Recommended for Densha Otoko lovers.

This is probably one of cheesiest movie ever made. Characters are such clichés, and the story, the yoyo weapon, the whole movie makes no sense. The only thing that saved this movie from absolute disaster was the action, which was kind of cool.

A parody of Nihon Chinbotsu AKA Japan Sinks. It's a very well done MAD TV-style comedy. Somewhat racist, but by joking about it with exaggeration, we often realize our own behavior and try to better ourselves. Good to see movies with these issues are being made in Japan. You'll have a good laugh at it if you have an open mind.

Another dance movie, but a lot less cheesier compared to Hollywood dance films like Step Up and You Got Served. I was very surprised to see Hirayama Aya and Saeko dance at such high level (although Saeko's performance was a bit poor compared to rest). Very good to see Hiro from SPEED in action again. The only thing this movie was really lacking was a "decisive battle" with a special routine like most dance movies.

Another sports film, inevitably cheesy ending... The film was actually quite interesting up to the middle, but ending was very predictable and undramatic. Not one of better Nagasawa Masami movies. Her character really reminded me of Aki in Sekai no Chuushin though.