After Reisei to Jonetsu, the jury was still out on whether director Nakae had any talent. With Sugar and Spice, Nakae is found guilty as charged of impersonating a filmmaker. This is a scandalous waste of good acting talent. Yagira impressed in Nodody Knows, naturalistic Sawajiri is garnering plaudits on both the big and small screen in Japan at the moment, and Natsuki was dazzling in the otherwise disappointing Samurai Fiction. All three fall flat (with Yagira in particular mis-cast) in this embarrassing tale of first love turned sour. And why the hell is it so long?
Yagira is a 17-year-old virgin who defies his parents hopes by taking on a job as a petrol station attendant. He meets and falls in love with the older and more experienced Sawajiri. Their relationship is mentored by his gaijin-loving 'Grandma' Natsuki, whose advanced years do not preclude a few romantic inadequacies.
Where to begin? The film is too long. Yagira is 15 but playing a 17-year-old. There is not much between 35 and 37, but there is a hell of a difference between 15 and 17, and it shows. Yagira just looks 15. The script is trite and sentimental. Natsuki attempts English sometimes and it sets your teeth to grinding (she shouts a lot, too - Nakae should have toned her down somehow). Her Taiwanese boyfriend manages to produce the same result with his pidgin Japanese. Sawajiri just looks lost, and I'll be surprised if her agent still has her job after this bomb. The whole thing plays out like an extended TV drama. There are some clunky cameos for ephemeral local TV celebs that will baffle international audiences, because the scenes they appear in often bear no relation to the story itself. The comic relief supplied by the other petrol station attendants isn't funny. In short, the whole thing looks like an in- house video put together for the Fuji TV office party.
Nakae got some plaudits for Reisei and it seems to have gone to his head. There are some pretty pictures here, but the whole thing is drawn out and self-indulgent. As of writing, this film is bombing at the box office in Japan. I'll be surprised if it travels anywhere else. Some Yagira fans may pick it up on DVD on the strength of Nobody Knows. In which case, don't say you weren't warned...
Yagira is a 17-year-old virgin who defies his parents hopes by taking on a job as a petrol station attendant. He meets and falls in love with the older and more experienced Sawajiri. Their relationship is mentored by his gaijin-loving 'Grandma' Natsuki, whose advanced years do not preclude a few romantic inadequacies.
Where to begin? The film is too long. Yagira is 15 but playing a 17-year-old. There is not much between 35 and 37, but there is a hell of a difference between 15 and 17, and it shows. Yagira just looks 15. The script is trite and sentimental. Natsuki attempts English sometimes and it sets your teeth to grinding (she shouts a lot, too - Nakae should have toned her down somehow). Her Taiwanese boyfriend manages to produce the same result with his pidgin Japanese. Sawajiri just looks lost, and I'll be surprised if her agent still has her job after this bomb. The whole thing plays out like an extended TV drama. There are some clunky cameos for ephemeral local TV celebs that will baffle international audiences, because the scenes they appear in often bear no relation to the story itself. The comic relief supplied by the other petrol station attendants isn't funny. In short, the whole thing looks like an in- house video put together for the Fuji TV office party.
Nakae got some plaudits for Reisei and it seems to have gone to his head. There are some pretty pictures here, but the whole thing is drawn out and self-indulgent. As of writing, this film is bombing at the box office in Japan. I'll be surprised if it travels anywhere else. Some Yagira fans may pick it up on DVD on the strength of Nobody Knows. In which case, don't say you weren't warned...