[J&Kmovie] Hatsuyuki no Koi – Virgin Snow

Starring:
Lee Joon-ki as Min
Miyazaki Aoi as Nanae

Min is a Korean high school student who has moved to Japan with his father, who is a pottery teacher. Riding his bike around Kyoto, he accidently crashes and is cleaning his wound at a shrine where is meets Nanae, who works there. Min doesn’t understand a word of Japanese, and Nanae doesn’t know any Korean. At first, the two communicate through hand gestures and broken English. After enrolling at the high school is father will be teaching at, he chases after Nanae who coincidentally is also a student there. He pursues her pretty aggressively and slowly the two overcome the language barriers, but unfortunately that’s not the only thing that is destined to keep them apart.

[Jmovie] Gimmy Heaven (Synesthesia)

Starring:
Eguchi Yosuke as Hayama Shinsuke
Ando Masanobu as Nohara Takashi
Miyazaki Aoi as Michiki Mari
Kojima Hijiri as Detective Shibata
Torihada Minoru as Konno Soichiro
Matsuda Ryuhei as Picasso

This film centers around people who suffer from a disorder known as Synesthesia. People who have it will, when sensing one thing, will also sense something else. It’s kind of hard to explain theoretically but easier to understand in examples. Someone with Synesthesia might see a letter or number connected with a color. Or maybe they would associate sounds with colors. It’s a very interesting concept to use in conjunction with a murder mystery, which is what Gimmy Heaven (aka Synesthesia) essentially is.

[Jmovie] Gaichu

Gaichu (Harmful Insect)

Starring:
Miyazaki Aoi as Kita Sachiko
Seiichi Tanabe as Ogata
Sawake Tetsu as Takao
Amamiya Ryo as Tokugawa
Ishikawa as Kyuzo
Aoi Yuu as Natsuko
Ryo as Kita Toshiko

Miyazaki Aoi stars as Sachiko, a trouble middle school student in Gaichu or Harmful Insect. The film starts with the scene of her mother attempting to commit suicide, setting the melancholy tone. And although Sachiko always wears her school uniform, she has stopped going for a long time. Suffering from loneliness, she searches for some kind of peace anywhere and for awhile finds solace with others who don’t confine themselves to society’s rules. Eventually, her only friend at school convinces her to come back to school. But things just don’t get better for her.

Mini movie reviews

Waters

Starring: Oguri Shun, Hirayama Hirouki, Morimoto Ryoji, Kirishima Yusuke, Matsuo Toshinobu, Suga Takamasa, Katsurayama Shingo, Narumi Riko

Seven guys who need money start working at a host club. When they all get there, they discover that the manager of the club has run off with all their desposits. But the owner is kind and says that they can stay and work as hosts if they also run the entire venue themselves. With nothing left to lose, they decide to accept his offer. Also in the story are five women who are now successful entrepreneurs. Oguri Shun’s character knows the CEO and they had one of those friendly acquaintances/almost-lovers-but-not relationship.

[Jmovie] Su-Ki-Da

Starring:
Miyazaki Aoi as young Yu
Eita as young Yosuke
Nishijima Hidetoshi as older Yosuke
Nagasaku Hiromi as older Yu
Sayuri Oyamada as Yu’s older sister
Ryo Kase
Maho Nonami
Nao Omori

High schooler Yu is in love with her friend Yosuke. He is often at the riverbank playing a song repeatedly, but when Yu comes to sit with him, he always puts his guitar away. Recently, he gave up sports and took up the guitar, deciding to (hopefully) make a living out of music. The two often walk together in a comfortable silence, though sometimes this silence is broken by Yosuke asking simple questions about Yu’s older sister.

[Jmovie] Tada, Kimi wo Aishiteru

Starring
Miyazaki Aoi as Satonaka Shizuru
Tamaki Hiroshi as Segawa Makoto
Kuroki Meisa as Toyama Miyuki
Aoki Munetaka as Shirohama Ryo
Koide Keisuke as Sekiguchi Kyohei
Oonishi Asae as Yaguchi Yuka
Uehara Misa as Inoue Saki

I watched Miyazaki Aoi in NANA; she was great and I was interested in her other works. And I do love Ai Otsuka’s ballads (the movie’s theme is Renai Shashin), so when I found subs for Tada, Kimi wo Ashiteru, I had to watch it.