I had been introduced to this movie by a friend quite a few months back, but finally sat down to watch it yesterday afternoon. When I first searched around for information on the film, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the super cute Miyazaki Aoi (宮崎あおい) was the lead actress, though I don't think I actually noticed that the male lead was Tamaki Hiroshi (玉木宏) who appeared in the extremely entertaining Nodame Cantabile drama series.
Anyway, the plot has something to do with photography, which is why I'm licensed to post this here. Ha. University freshman Makoto meets an eccentric, child-like fellow freshman called Shizuru on his first day in school. Makoto begins to get fascinated by her and snaps a photo of her stubbornly trying to cross a road where cars never seem to stop for pedestrians.
The first meeting
They soon become friends after Shizuru, the more outgoing one of the two, initiates conversation with him on campus. That very day they both explore a peaceful forest close to their campus. There they found their sanctuary, where Makoto inspires Shizuru to pick up a camera too and start taking photos with him. However, Makoto likes another girl in school, and the love triangle develops...
The photo that made Shizuru's day
Besides Miyazaki Aoi (!!!) there is quite a bit I like about the film. Firstly, the characters get bonded through photography -- they spend many hours taking pictures and then developing the film in Makoto's darkroom at his place. (Photography will also play a part in the climatic ending. ) Crazy as it sounds, I have recently decided to move into film photography and am only waiting for a good deal on the Nikon F6 on ebay now to make that final step. So the film developing part somewhat resonated with me. One of the things I look forward to with film is spending more time away from the computer (post-processing), and the show just added some romance to it for me.
Another thing I like about the film is that there are actually no villains in the show. It focuses on the romance and interactions between the main characters. This may seem to make the plot simplistic but on the contrary, I think it brings out a lot more character development. The relationships built between the characters are sincere and touching. Perhaps it's a common feature of stories from the 純愛 ("pure love") genre. One of my all-time favourite drama series, 世界の中心で、愛を叫ぶ (Shouting love from the centre of the world), which drowns you in its melancholic beauty, also belongs to the genre.
Makoto's best friends from University
The pacing of the film was also perfect. Every scene advanced the plot, and there are no distracting side-stories along the way. While photography is a theme in the show, it never gets technical -- they don't even mention what camera or lenses they use. It's simply something the characters use. What matters is what they do with it, and where it takes them.
Tempted as I am to talk about the ending, I shall not spoil it for anyone who hasn't watched it. I won't say I'm completely happy with it, but I'm sure I'll come to terms with it somehow. Now to find the DVD...
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Note: All pictures were taken from http://www.cinemacafe.net/movies/cgi/17212/
I would have loved to provide a link to the film's official website, but it seems to be down. I'll check again and update if it works next time. The Japanese wikipedia page is here.
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