Hard Romanticker (2011)

Hard Romanticker is set in a hard and unforgiving urban underground world. Every character is a thug. This includes the lead protagonist Gu played very convincingly by Matsuda Shota. The word 'romanticker' suggests the literal version of the word because this film is anything but romantic.

There really is no true plot to this movie. It takes place in the span of a few weeks and encapsulates a time period in this man's life. Unabashed and raw; showing all the nonsensical violence of the world he lives in whether it be by himself, those he keeps company with, his enemies and just about everyone in his sphere.

When I was finished watching the movie it took me some moments to think of what to say here in this review. This is a violent and dark movie and I came away from it having almost no sympathy for any of the characters save one. And it wasn't Gu. I suppose I had a sliver of sympathy for him in certain moments because Shota has impressive acting skill but ultimately the character was undeserving of very much. That said; overall, the acting in this was really great and as unsettling as the film is, the story is well told. They certainly were convincing but it is more than disturbing to think that this kind of world actually exists. Most of the characters showed almost no caring or sympathy toward one another. So harsh.

There are some movies out there where you can watch, appreciate the quality of writing and acting but yet have no desire to ever watch that film again. Hard Romanticker is one of those movies for me.

I gave the re-watch value a 'fair' (6) because even though I might not watch this again for the subject matter I don't want to lower the score unfairly and have people mistake it for bad quality.

The music was fitting. I am not sure what to say about it other than I don't believe this movie is the kind you walk away from even wanting or needing an OST. But the score was right for the film; sometimes comical and sometimes dark.

If you appreciate darker (and I DO mean darker) fare and don't mind intense subject matter than this is the film for you. But you have been cautioned here...it is graphic. And fangirl moment...even at his darkest, Shota impresses me with his ability to absorb into a character for good or ill.

Read More

I present to you one of the wonderful actors in Japan Matsuda Shota. I and some couple of friends were waiting for this movie to be subbed since it's release last year. It got subbed sometime this year.

Here, Shota plays the role of a loner, he was quite cruel and brutal also. This movie has no plot, there's no particular substance to this movie. It just tells a story about the kind of world Gu (Shota's character) is living in and it shows a some particular events that happened to him. I'm going to quote what a friend told me hehehe ''Don't expect a happy ending''. That's what she actually told me hehehe.

Gu is surrounded by gangsters and he's a gangster himself, he doesn't just belong to any gang. In his world, there's the issue of doping, pimping of teenage girls, unnecessary fighting and all.

Some minutes into watching HR, I gave up on the happy ending thing..... then towards the middle, I actually had some kind of hope....... but that got blown away before the end of the movie.
I didn't feel an ounce of pity for the casts in HR, including Gu himself, like the saying goes.... How you lay your bed, that's how you lay on it.

So, if you're a fan of Shota and you want to see how dynamic and versatile he can be, then you definitely need to give HR a shot. For those looking for something light...... this isn't something light, but you can also give it a try.

Read More