About the Pink Sky (2013) Japan

Finders keepers! Is that so!!

Original title:

Momoiro Sora o (Japanese)

Genre:

Drama.

Length:

Approximately 4-minute read.


Review:
     The modern black and white film. Probably first for me from the Japanese film. As usual I wondered why they chose it that way to make, then once watched it, actually while watching it, I realised it was so perfect tone for such narration. Because this is a teen film, but not the common one with commercial value. That does not mean it is so boring. It's still very much gives a normal cinematic experience like watching of the old film. The characters, events, all were developed constantly. So even though it ran close to two hours, thoroughly engaged that anybody can hook up with it undisturbed till the end.

     Firstly the cast. Like usual, I know no one. But they all were great. Especially the lead girl. The film took time in the initial stage to give the impression what kind she's, when it comes to society. She's not a self type, but always makes the decision carefully after investigating the matter. On one such situation where this tale takes place. That one day she finds a wallet on the street with big amount in it. So like a good citizen, she decides to return, but it takes a twist, then the sum ends with someone who needed it the most.

     The real twist follows after that when her other two friends come to know about it. Putting her in a tight rope walk position. After all, she decides to cope and then the tale taking many unexpected paths, till coming back to where it all had started. By that time it has been a hell of a ride for her in the past few weeks. Still, she looks to make things right, and so the narration reaches its finale by revealing the remaining thing that what has to be told.

 Dirty money getting dirtier. 

     Apart from the actors, the writing and direction are the next best. I totally did not expect such story. It was youthful, as well as realistic. Kind of inspires, but only to see in this film. Because of the Japanese cultural difference from the rest of the world. For their kind of mindset, when one finds a wallet full of money, their average thinking what to do with it was completely different than most of the remaining world. So such tale possible only here. Could be I'm being a Japanophile, I might find every bit related to Japan is charming. Hence saying all these.

     For such a wonderful title name, the film being a black and white is a shame. Especially in the end scene. At least that part should have been colour. You would know what it is and why I said that when you watch the film. That was not the best part of the film, yet would have been a much awesomer. Coming back to the story, not completely the best script. There were too much happened in the middle sect. Even the twist was not that surprising. As well as the sentiments.

     I expected the end to be as much as possible a tearjerker. But it was too realistic, and when under-developed character, plot makes into the mainstream narrative, such thing happens. I mean compromising, to end like nothing had happened. So if a few those who saw it was not satisfied, then that could be because of the way it had concluded. Not that the overall film was bad. Even though the film was long, it lacked depth on the other side.

     Anyway, the film was focused from one character, so they had to keep the rest of the film same way. In a way, that's how the real life happens. So, this is a good film. I did not immediately liked it either. I think it is worth a watch, but only some people would realise that. If you are a fan of drama films, then you could be one those who might enjoy it.



Suitable for:
Tween, Teen, Adult, All


Final verdict:
Ignore, Bad, Average, Good, Excellent


Similar movies:
A Yell from Heaven, Hana and Alice, Swing Girls, Yellow Elephant, Himizu.


External link(s):

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Flying Colours (2015) Japan

The hard work always pays off.

Original title:

Birigyaru (Japanese)

Genre:

Comedy, Drama.

Length:

Approximately 5-minute read.


Review:
     I love Japanese film and have seen all kinds of them. Yet discovering one more wonderful film like this made my day. Now this is one of my all time favourite. The reason is it is a very inspiring tale, based on the book of the same name, which was originally based on the real life event of the author. Despite it dealt with a serious issue, the story was narrated with lots of fun. You know, if you are telling a most important story that does not mean it has to be slow, dull and artistic presentation. The film looked like some kind of commercial film with an awesome background score, but at the end, it accomplished everything it wanted to tell its viewers quite smartly.

     This is a couple of year old film that I somehow managed to check it out now. Only regret is that I'm watching it so late. No need to be confused that it is not an out and out chick flick. It should be watched by all, especially the students and their parents, together. A beautiful message regarding the importance of education. That's not it, it also focused on parenting issues, teaching methods and friends influence. Not everybody born with a gift to do good at education, but it can be developed with proper care and coaching. That's the film's notion which finely presented on the screen.

     Sayaka was born in an average family. Her father was keen to make her elder brother a pro baseball player since his childhood. So her mother took care of her and her little sister's childhood. Being frequently changing school, she never made friends, but finally when she did, her education doomed. Now on the edge of finishing school and entering college, she has not learned anything, just to pass the entrance exam. From her teacher to her father, very sure that she has no future. That's what she has to prove them wrong. With her mother's everlasting back, she takes up the biggest task of her life which is going to impact her life forever.

 If you call a student a loser, they believe it. They lose confidence. 

     The film had lots of inspiring lines. I felt this was one of those films must be shown in the schools. Apart from the education, the parenting failure was another highlight of the film. It was not like the child was completely abandoned. It was the split parenting. It happens when parents failed to unitedly treat equally all their children. One of the reasons could be the field of interest they share with them. Or maybe forcing on them with their failed dream. A kid's family influences his/her beahaviour out in the society, as well as society's in the house. These two to balance, one must have good parents and teachers. And not to ignore the friends.

     The music was so good. I think OST is worth a buy. It helped the film to keep the pace in check. Apart from colourful and fun narration, it also gets us with sentiments. Maybe that part seems too intentional, but as for the Japanese standard/culture that I've learnt through watching films, it was natural. The shocking part was the domestic violence which is rare in Japanese films, particularly among those I have seen. The education system varies in different part of the world, but the effort, the hard work are same. No pain, no gain is the motto. You can't just attempt and win. The path always filled with ups and downs. The one who faces them with the right attitude earns right result.

     The basic platform was so common, even though the overall film was well told. From the writing to direction and music, a one. All the cast was excellent too. The runtime was just below the two hour mark, but a story like this, nothing bothers. To achieve cinematic result, the story kind of lost the realistic touch, but we must not forget that as I said it was based on the real which simply adjusted to two hour film. The young lead actress won the Japanese Academy Awards. For such an important message film, this is an under-noticed film. I'm not excited just because being a Japanophile. Definitely a must see film and recommend it to all!



Suitable for:
Tween, Teen, Adult, All


Final verdict:
Ignore, Bad, Average, Good, Excellent


Similar movies:
Hana and Alice, High School Debut, Swing Girls, A Yell from Heaven, My Rainy Days.


External link(s):

WCA geolocation:
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Little Forest: Winter/Spring (2015) Japan

The art of cooking while living among different seasons.

Original title:

Ritoru Foresuto: Fuyu Hen/Haru Hen (Japanese)

Genre:

Drama.

Length:

Approximately 6-minute read.


Review:
     The second part of the manga based film, 'Little Forest'. One of the best duologies and one of the best food films I've ever seen. Literally, it was a four part film series with the seasonal topics like summer, autumn, winter and spring, but you would see it is like two episodes from each film which opens with the same intro. Which briefs about the place where it set in, and then go straight to its business.

     Basically, you can call this a mini-series, that's how in the west they call such film concepts. There's already a Korean version is in the making, due in the mid 2018. It was simply outstanding as the previous one. And one should watch them both continuously as the opening statement says for your better understanding.

     Winter, what do you think the farmers would do in this season. I really don't know. I haven't come from such place. All I think is skiing, building a snowman or slippery roads. That's why this film impressed me. Something letting us know what we never knew. Ichiko had her own plan. I guess most of her counterparts in the Japan would do the similar task to counter the harsh weather. That the art of preserving the fruits and vegetables, as well as making the seasonal dishes using them.

     Not everything is just the indoor activities, but utilising the outdoor gifts like the snows to preserve the precious ingredients and growing vegetations are admirable. Cultural significance, like gathering and sharing their produce/harvest, totally give another glimpse of how the Japanese do. On that aspect, this film quite stays away from Ichiko in a few sections. The other characters take over for a brief. That remains a bit mystery. The film never went deep digging her personal life, particularly what happened between her and her mother. So it never cared to say further as the narration proceeded towards the end.

 I'm pretty lenient when it comes to cabbage white butterflies. But I show no mercy to caterpillars. 

     Spring, you can call the season for rebirth of all plantation. The white visuals would be replaced by the green everywhere. Not just the plants, but also the zoological lives like butterflied et al thriving. There's one problem with that despite they are considered beautiful, those are pest according to the farmers. Ichiko reveals her own experience with her mother when she was a kid. But when it comes to her in the same position as her mother, what is her counter measure can be observed.

     As for the food theme, it was a complete satisfactory film. But the story, the personal life of Ichiko was not explained well. I believe the original source could be well detailed, particularly about her mother. I always wondered about her mother, being an average mother, but an excellent cook who really inspired Inchiko to follow the same path. Remembering from her childhood and trying to recreate the same dish with the taste, in some cases, experimenting with the new ingredients, once again you will be mouthwatering.

     I loved both the film, and I wished for another installment. Gosh, why do it has to be only two films. It was a great direction. It was beautifully written for the screen and the locations, mind blowing. All the four seasons very pleasing to see on the screen. From the hot summer to autumn, cold winter and the spring. One year cycle of the seasons, as well as how the humans adapted to cope with the changes in the nature was well picturised. Beside the sub-topics, other than the film's notion were nicely placed in the parts of the narrative.

     I've said almost everything about the film(s) in the previous review. Because I did not expect anything different in this part. Just the same flow, but different season and dishes. Also the farming, according the seasons was the highlight of the film. The performance was great, though, as I said it all looked like a documentary film of the real lifestyle in the countryside.

     I haven't seen many documentaries about the Japan, so that's one the reasons why I overjoyed it. I know a couple of people who love cooking and they are indeed good at it, despite that's not their profession. I'm thinking to gift them this Blu-ray. You might have seen many food flicks, but this is different and a must see. So don't miss it!



Suitable for:
Tween, Teen, Adult, All


Final verdict:
Ignore, Bad, Average, Good, Excellent


Similar movies:
Little Forest: Summer/Autumn, Sweet Bean, Midnight Diner, The Ramen Girl, Soup Opera.


External link(s):

WCA geolocation:
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Little Forest: Summer/Autumn (2014) Japan

Farming, cooking, culture and the nature.

Original title:

Ritoru Foresuto: Natsu Hen/Aki Hen (Japanese)

Genre:

Drama.

Length:

Approximately 7-minute read.


Review:
     I like arts, but not an artist or a crazy collector. Whenever I visit art galleries or the photo exhibitions, I keep staring each one of them for a very long. Not that I'm looking for something as everybody says they do like the meaning or hidden message/contents et cetera. But I'm an observer. I observe every corner, every detail. Not just me, anybody who prefers to be left alone (private persons) would have developed such skill.

     The point is what if the same art has a motion. I'm talking about this film. I've already mentioned several times for such films I've come across that they are true art, a motion art, with an audio commentary. The 110 minutes of pleasure, where man and nature connect. I did not move for a second, and at the end, I felt it was too short. But I'm not expecting the same result from anybody else who give it a try. Since from a person to person, the taste and anticipation vary.

     This is not the first time I was overjoyed for a film. Despite it came a couple of years ago, I was very impressed with the recent films like 'Midnight Diner' and 'Sweet Bean' which led me to this flick. There are many other films too. I've been a film fanatic for close to two decades, I've seen many world cinemas, but it's just the Japanese who are the best at  this kind. At least that's what I've seen so far. To the west, it's always the Italian food, but nothing is healthier than the Japanese food. That's a well known fact. This film is not just about the food, but also about farming and other related things. From the fresh perspective about our food. The food we make and its root.

     The nature provided us food for the past 200 thousand plus years. Full of natural and nutritional. But the art of preparing our own food using those items was not that ancient. As the time passed by, we the humans discovered many new ingredients and methods to make very healthy food by removing unwanted parts. From untasty natural food to tasty cooked food. We developed such skill over thousands of years. There are unhealthy foods too, like perhaps sugary, oily and fried items.

     Everybody has to eat, so everybody knows to make at least one dish. It could be just bread and jam for some. Why I'm saying all this! Because the people from the cities use most the ready to use ingredients. Even in the off the season they get what they want. Those were preserved using the chemicals, which's bad for health. That's one of the highlights of this film. How to make your own from using naturally available items around you. And to prepare the food according to the season.

 Cooking is a mirror that reflects your mind. 

     Very inspiring. Makes us to see carefully what we're eating. Besides, there are experimental cookings, as well as myth buster. The difference between someone expert and ours cooking. The taste and methods. Most importantly the assumption that we think the dish is our family's or the local or the nation's, but the time will come you to learn the truth. Maybe because as a kid, we had believed everything what the elders had said to us, while making fun out of us.

     The details were awesome. More like you are watching a documentary film. The majority of the film was a background narration like a documentary film. When the direct dialogues between the characters appeared occasionally, it was like the narration shifting its phase. Such change was good, particularly moving on to other topics.

     It was based on the manga of the same name, and from the genre called slice of life. Truly a perfect, most realistic slice of a rural Japanese life. This is the first part of two films called 'Summer/Autumn'. The other one called 'Winter/Spring'. The story begins at the end of the spring during still the atmosphere was foggy and the lands are wet, when it is a good time to cultivate the rice. The next half are the summer, maintaining the crops and following the harvest takes place.

     In between these periods, there are many sub topics, the topics about each dish that prepared according to the season and availability of the items, I mean the seasonal ingredients in a remote place of Japan called Little Forest. If you are a food lover, you will be mouthwatering for several times in your watch. But there's no detail on how they are prepared like that shown in any cooking programmes. If you are good at cooking, luckily you would get most of the procedures.

     The actress was brilliant. The locations were amazing. For every few minutes the film picks a topic in the form of a new dish and makes progress on that. So the lead character, Ichiko, was like a mystery. But as the story goes on, reveals enough about her to us. I'm expecting more in the next part, as seeing how the film had ended. I meant the final scene that gave a fresh hint about some earlier life events of hers.

     She was alone, and that's the best part of this story. Because everything she said were directly to us. Not that two people having a conversation. Besides, cooking for two or two plus are always hefty job. Sometimes the life will be very joyous when you live by yourself. I mean not for the entire life, but for some period, like when you are set to discover yourself. On that aspect, in many ways the film boosts our confidence to go for what we desire to do in our life.

     There's no story in it. You should not expect one. As I said earlier, it was a semi-documentary and all you would witness are like the real life, real thing. The nature documentaries are always best, but while watching it, I thought this flick was much better than those. You know, most of the todays nature documentaries are not truthful. If they see a lion wondering, they run out of patience and put a zebra, so they can capture a most magnificent lion hunting a zebra.

     This is not a BBC, Nation Geography or a History Channel programme, but you can compare it to that level. Except it was all pre-planned. Cooking, farming, culture and the nature, this film was a whole pack. All in one as what those tv channels produces. Not a history, but as I said in the very first paragraph, an art. This is not like a must see film, but ignoring it even after learning about it will be a mistake, especially if you are a film fanatic or a Japanophile.



Suitable for:
Tween, Teen, Adult, All


Final verdict:
Ignore, Bad, Average, Good, Excellent


Similar movies:
Little Forest: Winter/Spring, Sweet Bean, Midnight Diner, The Ramen Girl, Soup Opera.


External link(s):

WCA geolocation:
Right now we're in