Shibito no koiwazurai (2001)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Kazuyuki Shibuya

Writers:

Junji Ito (comic)
Naoyuki Tomomatsu (writer)

Release Date:

24 March 2001 (Japan)

Genre:

Horror

Plot:

Teenager Midori's family moves back to the city where she lived as a child and is relieved to discover that her old friend Ryusuke still lives there...

Plot Keywords:

Based On Comic | Manga

Cast

Kumiko Akiyoshi	...	Kazuko
Mao Asami	...	Satou Naoko (as Nao Asami)
Risa Goto	...	Fukada Midori
Shuntaro Hani
Hirotaro Honda	...	A doctor
Yuki Inomata	...	Suzuki Tamayo
Miki Itô		(as Miki Itou)
Kazusa Matsuda	...	Yamada Sanae
Ryuhei Matsuda	...	Shibayama Ryuuhei
Asumi Miwa	...	Tanaka Suzue
Hitomi Miwa	...	Enomoto Haruka
Yoichiro Saito		(as Chihiro Saitou)
Yôsuke Saitô	...	A teacher (as Yousuke Saitou)
Takahashi Shinji	...	Tejima Koutarou

Also Known As:

Love Ghost (International: English title) (USA) (DVD title)
Lovesick Dead (International: English title)

Runtime:

Japan:95 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | UK:15

Company:

Art Port

Okay, At Best

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Well, since no review currently exists for this film on IMDb, I'll provide some insight for those interested. This film is basically a high school ghost story that is strong in visual presentation. The special effects, despite being on a limited budget, are used advantageously to create some beautiful scenes. The acting, for the most part, is well done and the storyline starts off interesting.

Unfortunately, there are too many negatives that outweigh the positives. The storyline degenerates as the film progresses. In fact, some of the elements were way too predictable. So predictable, in fact, that I was able to guess some "plot twists" about an hour before they actually happened. Also, the filmmakers added plot complexities for no apparently good reason.

The pacing overall is very bad; the film simply takes forever to finish. I checked the DVD counter at one point, expecting 50 or so minutes to have passed, but in actuality it was only half of that. Needless to say, it's a chore to sit through this one.

In addition, the lead male character is played by Ryuhei Matsuda. I have no idea what his appeal is. I've seen him in three films now, and he basically stunk in all of them. Apparently, he has a strong highschool girl fanbase, which is inexplicable. I'm sorry Ryuhei, but if there were ever a contest held for the Ugliest Japanese Actor, you'd be one of the frontrunners. With no talent or looks, it's a mystery why everyone likes this guy.

Considering how Lovesick Dead is at heart a horror film, it doesn't provide much in the way of chills. There are a couple of scenes that are marginally scary, but they're nothing to write home about.

In conclusion, I simply cannot recommend this film to others when there are so many other good Japanese horror films out there.