FUKUYADO HONPO: KYOTO LOVE STORY
PRO:
CON:
WILLIAM FLANIGAN
PRO:
- Not a silly chick flick.
- Many exteriors shot in Gion district of Kyoto.
- Great opportunity to brush up on modern Kyoto/Kensai dialog.
- Loaded with kimono/yukata.
- OK acting (Hina Miyano steals every scene she is in!).
- Script captures (more or less) the dynamics of characters' emerging/changing thought patterns.
- Catchy opening credits music.
- Worth watching, but in small dosages (a boring candidate for bingeing).
CON:
- "Groundhog Day" rules!
- Overly padded with superfluous episodes (can skip several and not miss anything).
- Acting often limited to mugging.
- English translations flash by at warp speed (keep finger on the pause button).
- Uneven cinephotography (poor inter-scene color matching).
- Same establishing shot used over and over.
- Minimalistic score (limited number of themes and variations).
- Weak closing episode; stretches reality with predicable happy endings.
WILLIAM FLANIGAN