Hana and Alice (Hana to Arisu)
cast: Yu Aoi, Anne Suzuki
The good: funny, cute and distinctly Japanese
The bad: some dragging moments
When friends Hana (Suzuki) and Alice (Aoi) develop a crush on the same boy, they soon get entangled in a series of events which may just break their friendship. And incidentally, their crush gets amnesia after banging his head against a low hanging shutter. Hana, sensing an opportunity, decides to fool the boy into thinking that she is his girlfriend.
While the plot could have been made in Hollywood, everything else about the movie could not. From the gorgeous Japanese backdrop, to the silly humor, and a style which just screams "totally Japanese!", you'd wonder how you are able to watch the same old, same old Hollywood romcoms.
Anne Suzuki plays admirably as a desperate teen desperately trying to keep her crush on her side through desperate means which often plays out in desperate scenes. However, Yu Aoi steals the film from under her nose not just because she is utterly beautiful, but because her cute, innocent candor warms my heart. The movie is clearly geared towards the female audience but boys should not be left out if only to see Yu Aoi. The movie is really very unique and different from what you've accustomed to and its done in a very polished manner.
That's not to say that the film is without fault: the film suffers from a dragging middle part when you see only Hana for an extended period of time and then only Alice. Also, the script is ripe with references to the boy's amnesia and the girl's attempt to create a false past. The girl's say so many "this is where we first met, remember?" lines that the boy would have guessed already what's going on. These are pithy gripes though and the film as a whole performs charmingly. The ballet scene at the end alone is worth watching the whole movie for. (4/5)
*Fun fact: Yu Aoi is now officialy my crush. If you happen to find a copy with english subtitles of this film, contact me immediately please!
The good: funny, cute and distinctly Japanese
The bad: some dragging moments
When friends Hana (Suzuki) and Alice (Aoi) develop a crush on the same boy, they soon get entangled in a series of events which may just break their friendship. And incidentally, their crush gets amnesia after banging his head against a low hanging shutter. Hana, sensing an opportunity, decides to fool the boy into thinking that she is his girlfriend.
While the plot could have been made in Hollywood, everything else about the movie could not. From the gorgeous Japanese backdrop, to the silly humor, and a style which just screams "totally Japanese!", you'd wonder how you are able to watch the same old, same old Hollywood romcoms.
Anne Suzuki plays admirably as a desperate teen desperately trying to keep her crush on her side through desperate means which often plays out in desperate scenes. However, Yu Aoi steals the film from under her nose not just because she is utterly beautiful, but because her cute, innocent candor warms my heart. The movie is clearly geared towards the female audience but boys should not be left out if only to see Yu Aoi. The movie is really very unique and different from what you've accustomed to and its done in a very polished manner.
That's not to say that the film is without fault: the film suffers from a dragging middle part when you see only Hana for an extended period of time and then only Alice. Also, the script is ripe with references to the boy's amnesia and the girl's attempt to create a false past. The girl's say so many "this is where we first met, remember?" lines that the boy would have guessed already what's going on. These are pithy gripes though and the film as a whole performs charmingly. The ballet scene at the end alone is worth watching the whole movie for. (4/5)
*Fun fact: Yu Aoi is now officialy my crush. If you happen to find a copy with english subtitles of this film, contact me immediately please!
posted by NaCl at Monday, May 02, 2005
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