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Before I have the urge to write and thinking of some good Japanese school-themed films I have watched, I did my homework on the existed lists made by others. I could say that most of the lists are pretty much related to live-action shoujo romance. If you are here for a more distinct kind of school-themed movies with added insightful message then I welcome you on board. Let's make it clear that I am not judging those who enjoy live-action shoujo movies since I do pick up some of them for a cringe worthy ride once in a while.
I love the vibe of Japanese school while watching anime; their uniform, kawaii school bags, tempting bento, the sakura tree and when they are walking or cycling with their friends to school. It looks dreamy in my eyes, I don't have that kind of memories in my high school. If I were to describe myself, I am that silent spectacles kid in the class, not a genius instead is a fan of anime, a pro at collecting song lyrics and spending most of her time fangirling over Big Bang and Super Junior.
Recently, I came across some notable Japanese films with school related setting or characters in my watched list and since I have started this blog I am listing it down for future reference. Some movies are not completely fall under 'school-themed' but they are quite related in some way.
1. Confessions (2010)
For those who have been following me on Twitter, they do realized how many times I have been mentioning this movie. As a big fan of psychological thriller, this film feeds me more than enough. A story of a female middle school teacher Yoko Moriguichi (Takako Matsu) seeking revenge for the death of her four year old daughter. Suspecting her own students responsible for the death, she came up with a detailed payback plan. It is based on a novel written by Kanao Minato and directed by Memories of Matsuko's Tetsuya Nakashima. Astonishing cinematography, great choices of music as it added an intense atmosphere along with different viewpoints of the characters. Received much acknowledgements from film festivals and awards, I would define Kokuhaku (Confessions) as a reflection of Japan's youth and disturbing real world.
2. The Kirishima Thing (2012)
Being a fan of Kamiki Ryunosuke (p/s: do check out his latest project, Keiji Yugami), I have been digging out his works for the past few years and I stumbled upon this one. What a blessing discovery I must say. Team up along with Higashide Masahiro, Hashimoto Ai and Suzuka Ohgo, Kirishima Thing highlights the social boundaries exist in the school. Some of the characters introduce are the mean girl, the nerdy circle of friends, the popular basketball club, bitchy gossip team and we can't left out the high school couples. The film may not be everyone's cup of tea since it differs from the mainstream approach. If you read some reviews regarding the movie it can either be a very good impression or just people calling it blatantly weird. But hey, that's where the uniqueness come from. It centered around the absence of Kirishima, one of the basketball team members and you will find out more about Kirishima in the movie, I can't just spoiled it out here. The ending will leave you with a lot of confusing---- also a long depth thinking. Probably with a statement "What did I just watch?".
Maybe a few of you are more familiar with the Korean remake but I would like to suggest the Japanese version too. The film is based on a novel written by Miyuki Miyabe, begins with the discovery of a young boy body falls from the top of the school building. The police issued it as a suicide until an anonymous letter was sent stating that she or he is a witness along with a claim that the boy was killed by a group of troublesome students. With the reason of trying to protect the students, the school and police decided to hide it. The situation is getting out of hand when a reporter received one of the letters. Follow up by an accident happened which cause another death.
Ryoko (Ryoko Fujino) and her friends who feel injustice by the way the adults treating the incident decided to hold a trial by themselves. Although there are two parts of the movie, do expect some lacking in details and development of the story. Most of you who have watched the kdrama will probably compare the two but I can tell you that the thrill is different. The movie offers more dark and suspense feeling. Since it will be a total of four hours seating through both parts, a long attention span will be helpful. I would not say that it is the best, but it can be worth a try! I am quite fond of the young actors and actresses' acting too.
4. The World of Kanako (2014)
Another film directed by Tetsuya Nakashima, The World of Kanako is a psychological, mystery and thriller that would leave you in awe. I am quite hesitant to put this in the list since it may be too heavy for some people. To be clear, the movie didn't really cover about the school but more about the youth and adults. It depicts a story of a former detective Showa Fujishima (Koji Yakusho), searching over her daughter Kanako (Nana Komatsu) who suddenly went missing. As he continues with his investigation, he faced a twisted tragedy. I went through a review by one of the users in mydramalist and this line speaks a lot about the movie; "All of its characters are some sort of anti-heroes, psychos, sadists, violent pricks and even demons.". It totally received an agreement from me. There are no clear-cut right or wrong, you just can't find it within them. This movie was a cruel ride, a mirror to an ugly society, poignant and violence. Look out for some remarkable performances by its supporting casts; Odagiri Joe, Fumi Nikaido, Satoshi Tsumabaki, Hiroya Shimizu and many others!
5.Linda Linda Linda (2005)
After a wild-confusing films being listed above, Linda Linda Linda is a light-hearted friendship movie that will make you smile. It is a story of three band members looking for a new lead vocalist three days before their high school festival. The plot is rather simple but full of nostalgia. Starring the leads; Yu Kashii, Maeda Aki, Shiroki Sekine and Bae Doona, four of them had a great chemistry on screen. The film centered around the life of high school girls, their motivation and friendship value. I have these specific likes on Japanese movies and one of them is their weirdness. This film moves naturally for me and that makes it feels realistic. There are a few parts where it will be really quiet but when it reached the climax and ending, it's a healing. The soundtracks remain till today.
6. Flying Colors (2015)
Biri Gyaru (translated as Flying Colors) will probably be the movie that will boost up your spirit as a student. The plot revolves around Kudo Sayaka (Arimura Kasumi), a second grade high school student with a low academic grade at school. Her life begins to change when she meets Yoshitaka Tsubota (Ito Atsushi), a teacher at a private institution she attends. Well, that sounds like a typical plot right? But it becomes fascinating since I knew that the story was based on a true event. It is inspiring, a bright light film with a lot of different relationship being covered such as parents and their children, teacher and their students also things between friends. The movie is relatable at some parts and it offers a moving motivation!
7. Waterboys (2001)
Now, this a must for me! A light comedy and might be one of the best Japanese movies produced in 2001. Waterboys is a story of young high school boys preparing for a synchronized swimming performance for their school festival. So, it's basically a story about men synchronized swimming yet the funny parts came when all of them have zero experiences or knowledge about the sport. It is indeed an amusing watch with witty humors and determination.They went over a lot of challenges before finally succeed in performing a professional-like show at the school festival. There is a slight romance included in the movie. Do pick it up as it will give you an entertaining story all through the 90 minutes of running.
8. Hana and Alice (2004)
Hana to Arisu secured a very special place in my heart. Reasons included are because of my admiration for director Shunji Iwai and actress Yu Aoi. I've been a follower of both of them and this proves to be among the finest. The main feature of the movie is the friendship between Hana (Suzuki Anne) and Arisugawa (Yu Aoi). Don't fall over the romance tag on certain websites, it totally offers you more than that. Both of them portray their friendship realistically enough to make me feel that they are genuinely best friend in real life. Displaying the life of two high school girls who develop a crush on the same boy, Iwai then highlights their path of maturity, the confusion that happened along the way and most importantly their friendship bond. Hana and Alice have their similarities and differences, it shows in their interest, personality and even their surrounding. Some scenes will permanently stay in your mind. A sweet dreamy like film that I would like to suggest for you to experience Shunji Iwai's poetic touch.
I have gone to a lot of contemplation while writing this entry and I honestly wish you will find some answers while reading it. I enjoy slow pace movies coming from Japanese cinemas, they are among the best at producing such films. Well, their action and thriller are up to my interest too especially those related to crime or detective like story. I love reading through your words too, you can say hi on Twitter, Facebook or any other social media I am using lol.
Thank you and may all the good things be with you ♥
*Images used are not mine
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