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IMDbPro

Ai to makoto

  • 20122012
  • 2h 13m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
768
YOUR RATING
Ai to makoto (2012)
  • Musical
  • Romance
Troubled high school student Makoto arrives in Tokyo to exact revenge from a past incident. He then falls in love at first sight with Ai, a daughter raised in a wholesome family. Around Mako... Read allTroubled high school student Makoto arrives in Tokyo to exact revenge from a past incident. He then falls in love at first sight with Ai, a daughter raised in a wholesome family. Around Makoto and Ai are Iwashimizu , who has feelings for Ai and Gamuko , a gang member who eyes Mak... Read allTroubled high school student Makoto arrives in Tokyo to exact revenge from a past incident. He then falls in love at first sight with Ai, a daughter raised in a wholesome family. Around Makoto and Ai are Iwashimizu , who has feelings for Ai and Gamuko , a gang member who eyes Makoto. Also Gamuko's leader, Yuki have eyes for Makoto too. Who will get Makoto?
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
768
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Takashi Miike
  • Writers
    • Ikki Kajiwara(manga)
    • Takumi Nagayasu(manga)
    • Takayuki Takuma(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Satoshi Tsumabuki
    • Emi Takei
    • Takumi Saitoh
Top credits
  • Director
    • Takashi Miike
  • Writers
    • Ikki Kajiwara(manga)
    • Takumi Nagayasu(manga)
    • Takayuki Takuma(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Satoshi Tsumabuki
    • Emi Takei
    • Takumi Saitoh
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 7User reviews
    • 36Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 1 nomination

    Photos7

    Satoshi Tsumabuki and Emi Takei in Ai to makoto (2012)
    Emi Takei in Ai to makoto (2012)
    Satoshi Tsumabuki in Ai to makoto (2012)
    Takashi Miike in Ai to makoto (2012)
    Satoshi Tsumabuki in Ai to makoto (2012)
    Ai to makoto (2012)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Satoshi Tsumabuki
    Satoshi Tsumabuki
    • Makoto Taigaas Makoto Taiga
    Emi Takei
    Emi Takei
    • Ai Saotome childhoodas Ai Saotome childhood
    Takumi Saitoh
    Takumi Saitoh
    • Hiroshi Iwashimizuas Hiroshi Iwashimizu
    • (as Takumi Saitô)
    Ito Ono
    • Yuki Takaharaas Yuki Takahara
    • (as Ito Ohno)
    Masachika Ichimura
    Masachika Ichimura
    • Shogo Saotomeas Shogo Saotome
    Yo Hitoto
    • Miyako Saotomeas Miyako Saotome
    • (as Yô Hitoto)
    Kimiko Yo
    Kimiko Yo
    • Toyo Taigaas Toyo Taiga
    Seishirô Katô
    • Makoto Taigaas Makoto Taiga
    Sakura Andô
    Sakura Andô
    • Gum-koas Gum-ko
    Tsuyoshi Ihara
    Tsuyoshi Ihara
    • Kenta Zaôas Kenta Zaô
    Ken Aoki
    Ayano
    Ken Maeda
    • Teacheras Teacher
    • Director
      • Takashi Miike
    • Writers
      • Ikki Kajiwara(manga)
      • Takumi Nagayasu(manga)
      • Takayuki Takuma(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Filming begins July 5, 2011 and finishes August, 2011.
    • Connections
      Version of The Legend of Love & Sincerity (1974)

    User reviews7

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Japan's Miike takes on the Romantic Musical - Really!
    "For Love's Sake" is director Takashi Miike's take on musicals; but Miike is known for his genre-bending films, whether he's skewering the Western ("Sukiyaki Western Django") or Japanese horror ("One Missed Call") or historical epic ("13 Assassins," his most straightforward film I think). So "For Love's Sake," as you might expect, isn't like any other musical you've seen.

    Ai (Emi Takai) is a wealthy schoolgirl, attending a posh private high school where she is first in her class for everything; Makoto (Satoshi Tsumabuki) is your quintessential Bad Boy, from the wrong side of the tracks and reeking with a bad attitude. All Makoto wants to do is sneer and fight, and he's completely indifferent to who he fights - boys, girls, old people, he'll take on anyone who looks at him the wrong way. Ai and Makoto have a secret history, one that means that Ai will do anything to help Makoto, but she wants more than anything for him to stop fighting. Of course, he won't and he very quickly is sent to reform school; Ai pulls some strings (via her father) and gets Makoto out of juvie and into her high school, where he lasts all of five seconds before heading to the nihilistic trade school, run by girl-gang boss Gumko. Makoto gets himself into hot water there too, but what he doesn't know is that Gumko isn't the true leader of the school, and when he gets on the wrong side of the *real* leader, he's really in trouble....

    But yes, of course, it's a love story - aren't all musicals? A love story with very catchy J-pop tunes circa 1972 (when the film is set), including amusingly choreographed song-and-dance numbers, and with numerous breaks for extreme violence. The violence is so over-the-top, though, that you don't believe it for a second and instead it becomes funny, in a slapstick kinda way. Except when it doesn't - there are a few scenes here where the tone shifts from melodramatic hyperactivity to something darker and less fizzy, if I can use that term. At 133 minutes running time, I felt it had perhaps two or three more fight scenes than necessary and, sadly, fewer songs than I'd have liked, but the actors are all fine (fine singers too!) and that slightly surreal sense that seems to accompany Japanese films make "For Love's Sake" the perfect start to FantAsia 2012 here in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
    helpful•8
    2
    • alisonc-1
    • Jul 19, 2012

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 16, 2012 (Japan)
    • Country of origin
      • Japan
    • Official site
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Language
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • For Love's Sake
    • Filming locations
      • Odawara, Kanagawa, Japan
    • Production companies
      • Concept Film
      • Excellent Film
      • Horipro
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross worldwide
      • $342,330
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 13 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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