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This review may contain spoilers
Well I will start with the fact that I did enjoy the movie. It was cute and I really enjoyed the characters but...... I read the manga. Character development was the big problem. The Main couple was clearly the focus but I found myself wanting to know more about the support characters. Example I wont say who because of the spoilers but one character was suppose to be an antagonist was barely seen and was more.... gentle than I anticipated.
Storyline was also a problem. There was way to much jumping around. Now movies or dramas that are adapted from manga don't necessarily have to follow the main plot but it didn't seem to flow. It felt more like watching several unfinished movies than one. This was probably because there was no big bad antagonist or climax.
I will think I would of liked it slightly more if I didn't read the manga and didn't have my own expectations. If you are looking for a break from action movies or horror flicks then this movie is for you. If I missed something I would love to hear your opinions.
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It's a story that you are certain on how it would end. One could only hope for something special that makes it different from others, but I found none. In short, it's predictable and ordinary. Everything felt rushed and there were a lot of things happening, but it still can bore those who are seeking for thrilling or heart-moving films. Moreover, there was something in the ending part that isn't logical to happen. (You'll see when you watch it.)
This movie sells itself as a romance film, but the romance itself isn't good. It doesn't warm the heart of a viewer. (Or is it just me?) There is too little interaction between the main characters to explain how they fell for each other.
Fukushi Shota is clearly an eye candy, but his acting is lacking. It didn't feel like he's a guy in love. Kawaguchi Haruna looked awkward all throughout the film. I'm not sure if the problem lies in the writing or the way they were directed or their acting skills themselves, but I agree with what others say: they have no chemistry. Even when a lot of things happened already, they still looked like they just met the other day.
If there were characters I at the very least liked, they were Kenji and Aiko and Masashi. They had their screen time, but even those were only brief moments. The rest of the cast were fine.
The music isn't overly done and is pleasant to hear.
I'd rather watch other films in my plan-to-watch list or re-watch better films than watch this again.
I daresay you watch this just when you have a lot of time to waste or you might mourn over the time you could have spent watching better films or an episode or two of a drama series.
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I should probably start with the story which is very simple a popular guy falls in love for a lonesome girl and things begin to change for that very same reason, but to me there was some gapes in the story that made me confused. there were some moments which were a great opportunity to them to become emotionally portrayed in a better way.the story was moving forward too fast for me so i didn't connect with the movie the way i wished i would. they made it into a silly, simple light romance with no depth at all.
The cast was good, i liked the leads but the acting was not great, i mean the emotions wasn't there, may be the rule or the script didn't allow them to show their real acting skills.
You can watch this movie if you don't have anything else to watch or because you like the cast but for me once was enough sadly.
Still i love the two main leads and i'll see their future works, i really want to see them act with depth and connect with story more..
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STORY:
This was a pretty generic story. Socially awkward, friendless girl meets pretty boy Mr Popular. The story goes through all of the cliches a shojo manga would encounter.
ACTING/CAST:
The acting was decent to good. I think Sota Fukushi did a good job in his role, as well as supporting cast. I can't say too fondly of Haruna Kawaguchi though. I don't know if it was just how the writers wrote Mei to be, but I just felt like she was incredibly awkward throughout the movie. There was no life in her and very little growth throughout the movie. Mei was not an interesting character at all.
Also, as much as the lead actors tried, there was ZERO chemistry. Kisses are usually awkward in Japanese dramas and movies, but this one was ESPECIALLY awkward. They kissed SO MANY TIMES, but they were so awkward that it made me cringe each and every time. Plus, Mei trying to stop Yamato mid-kiss by pushing him/his arm away was just so unconvincing.
MUSIC:
I liked the music, but it wasn't mind-blowing. I liked the nice instrumentals in the background, especially the tracks with the piano. It was calming and set the scene appropriately.
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Say "I Love You" is more than just a romance, though. It also deals with bullying and friendship, which was also wonderfully done. The issues presented weren't too in-your-face, but you can definitely feel the progression.
If you're looking for a sweet high school romance that won't give you a rollercoaster ride of emotions, try this one.
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Nope. Not a chance.
Almost unwatchable, especially for anyone who knows the anime or the manga. Sure, adaptation is not that easy, but when the source material is great, one could hope for something ... not that cheap, because here lies the problem here : Everything is cheap in this movie.From the poor cast choice (while the acting is not really the problem here) to the actual filming, it lacks in every way, and we end up unable to get a good grip to the characters chemistry. Which is a real issue since the story focus especially on that point.
So, don't be surprise if you stop the movie midway because you're bored. That's perfectly fine.
I can only encourage you to watch it again from where you left by 10 min steps each time, then end this torture and actually forget it fast. Really fast.
Too bad, I was looking for this.
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I guess it's because you can't have the whole story and every scene be jumbled into a 2 hour movie. But the overall love story was great, the characters had that nice vibe. Perfect recommendation for those who just want a romantic movie marathon late at night!
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Story | Your typical, handsome boy and quiet girl get together type of story. A very unlikely pair that get together after some misunderstandings. Along with their group of friends, they go through their relationship while trying to understand one another's feelings. Another cliche but again, shoujo. So nothing really special about the plot.
Acting | By the end of the movie I can at least say I somewhat enjoyed Kawaguchi Haruna and Fukushi Sota as the main leads..but nothing more. Their character development was pretty weak in the beginning and middle of the movie. Chemistry could be noticed but it was very dim being that this was a movie instead of a drama. I believe they played their roles fine, though I admit, Kawaguchi's acting is not one of my favorites. There just wasn't enough time for them to naturally grow close. I actually found myself wanting the movie to focus on some of the main characters instead, which is pretty sad. That being said, I loved the cast selected for the supporting roles!
Music | I'm still sitting here stunned that Happily by One Direction was playing during the credits of the movie. I usually hope for new music to listen to through asian dramas/movies so I was surprised to hear 1D. Even with my slight disappointment, it's a perfect song for the ending and for the movie in general.
Rewatch | Maybe, not sure. It was a cute movie for what it was. Not the worst manga adaptation I've seen, but not sure when I'll come back to this movie.
Overall | This is the one time I firmly believe this should've been made into a 9 or 10 episode drama. There was just too much happening even in the movie. Even with them having to cut out so much, there was still too much happening. It went from story to story so quickly I didn't really have enough time to feel a connection with the main couple. Everything happened so fast I kind of just went "..oh okay next.." I honestly felt more with the supporting characters that only had 10-15 of their own screen time. That was the only unfortunate part. For what it was, it was a good movie. So I'd say if you haven't watched or read the story, give it a shot. Even if you have read the manga and watched the anime, at least give it a try. It wasn't completely terrible in my opinion.
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This review may contain spoilers
This is a movie about Mei, a closed-off loner girl, and about Yamato, the most popular boy at her school who falls for her after she kicks him down the stairs, mistaking him for a pervert. It's also a movie about bullying. Mei was a victim of it in elementary school and Yamato didn't stop others from bullying his best friend, also in elementary school, for which he feels guilty to this day.
It's also a movie about gossip and the damage it can easily cause. There's gossip about Mei, the ugly duckling who nabbed the most popular boy, and there's gossip about Yamato because all the girls want him and most guys hate him for it, even some of his friends, and envy turns people ugly.
Mei considers herself ugly and she doesn't understand why Yamato would date someone like her. Yamato doesn't understand why Mei would think like that when she's so cute and strong and she makes him smile.
What I love about this movie is that Yamato dated before and he kissed many girls and he slept with some of them - but he doesn't consider it something to be ashamed of. Yes, it happened and it's a part of him but it's not bad or wrong. He's always kind to everyone, even to his exes, and he treats them sweetly and cares about them and he has no regrets.
I also love that Yamato doesn't really give Mei a reason to be jealous, he doesn't cheat on her, it never even crosses his mind. Yes, he's nice to other girls but they're simply his friends and he never feels even slightly tempted to cheat. All the conflict stems from Mei feeling insecure about being his girlfriend - until she doesn't.
Overall, this is really sweet. I love the whole "Why me?" vs. "Why not you?"
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CAST: The casting for this movie was very well done, and they worked well with how fast paced the movie was. I was unsure of Fukushi Sota as Yamato - having never seen his work before - to me, his look was almost too cute at first when he smiled. As the movie progressed I quickly realized he fit it well because of how well he took on the character and his mannerisms. I found every member of the cast did very well with their roles and I regretted not watching this film sooner. Kawaguchi Haruna was perfect as Mei, she did so well getting into character and doing things subtly. Seeing her upset made me upset. My only wish is that they had extended Kai's role and the situation with him more as well as the Megumi conflict. Final thought, the cast made this go from meh to pretty good.
MUSIC: I didn't pay to much attention to the music in this film, the instrumentals fit well into the background, perfectly fitting the emotions. The final song for the credits was catchy and it took me a moment to realize it was an English song. I surprised by how much I enjoyed it and it stayed in my head for just a pop song, but the lyrics made it apparent why it was used.
REWATCH: I probably will not rewatch this for a while, but not because it isn't good. This is a decent adaptation, I simply want to watch other things at the moment. The story is cute, fast paced, the cast is very good and the film is only 1 hour and 40 minutes. Not even 2 hours! It isn't without fault but it is enjoyable enough to watch when you need a sweet romance and a cute story.
For me this is a 7 overall, not ward winning but definitely not bad. I enjoyed it and I hope you do too. Happy drama watching, everyone! :)
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Story: 7.5
The story features a shy lonely “Plain” girl, who attracts the attention of the most popular, handsome boy in town. Similar to Boys Over Flowers minus the raging confidence and good-girl persona. The story overall was simple and easy to follow, there was less drama, and more of, I don’t think I’m good enough to be near him type of situation. It was mostly just about inner growth and trust in a relationship that led the drama than actual drama. In reality, this story plot seems overdone with many different versions of the sorts, but it wasn’t a horrible attempt at the concept.
Acting/Casting: 4.5
The less than stellar cast was kind of a down fall for this film. The chemistry wasn't really all there, there were sparks, but I found myself wishing that they could have gone with different actors. The main lead girl was boring to watch, and terrible at getting the little emotions out, even though this role, a stoic bottled up girl, calls for an actress that can do those little hints that no one sees.
The second leads were even worse, with dialogue that didn’t quite read what the actors were trying to portray, I often found myself thinking how forced most it was. It felt like some of the actors took this film for a paycheck.
Music: 7.0
I didn’t notice the music throughout this film. So I can’t quite tell you whether or not it helped or not.
Rewatch Value: 2.5
I found myself wishing the film was over before the ending. I am reviewing this on my second watch, and I wished I was reviewing films on the first watch, because the second viewing I found myself bored and slightly upset over some of the concepts and acting.
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