MovieChat Forums > 20-seiki shônen: Honkaku kagaku bôken eiga (2008) Discussion > Saw this the other day...

Saw this the other day...

posted 16 years ago by wdpyuri
4 replies | jump to latest

I'm not familiar with the manga at all, but the concept seemed interesting and the TV spots in turns creepy and intriguing. It was also being promoted like it was the second coming, so I went to see it with high expectations.

I was disappointed: I was really fighting to stay awake near the end. It wasn't a terrible movie, but it felt like it always just barely missed the mark. With one more pass at the script and a more inspired director, it could have been every bit as cool as advertised.

Even as people were dying bloody deaths and the airport blew up, I never felt any sense of urgency or danger for the characters at all. The only moment I felt at all on the edge of my seat was the creepy sequence where the cultists turned on one of their own in Kenji's convenience store, which was very well-done.

The other problem was how I never felt any of the characters in the huge cast really got to shine or show much personality. The characters never seemed to really grow past their typical manga stereotype roles, and it seemed such a waste of the much-hyped all-star cast. The only character I really enjoyed watching was Occho, whose actor managed to bring an unbelievable presence and sense of overall badassery to the role. But as he doesn't show until the second half of the movie, it felt like too little, too late.

My interest was piqued by the Tomodachi mystery, and I still thought the storyline was intriguing at its core. But I left thinking I'd rather start reading the manga to see its resolution, rather than watch the rest of the movie trilogy as it comes out.

[–] Zerose 15 years ago

I agree with almost everything you said there. The difference is, I wasn't disappointed. I largely enjoyed it.

I also agree Occho dominated the film with his amazing presence. When the middle started to drag, his arrival woke me up.

The Tomodachi mystery is largely what kept me watching to its end. I still don't understand the significance of Kenji's guitar in the room above the fancy dress shop. Eh.

The robot scene was cool, even though I wondered why it, considering its weight, didn't fall through streets that have subway tunnels beneath. What bothered me is I just can't remember where I'd seen the robot before. The 'eyes-in-the-night' appearance looks so familiar.

I'll watch Part 2 and now that you mentioned it, Part 3. I will read the manga, but not its sequel until I have seen Part 2. I like anticipation. :)

[–] Radalan 15 years ago

Didn't really like the overacting.

[–] UberNoodle 15 years ago

I didn't think that there was any 'over acting' in the film. It's based on a comic so for that reason the characters are larger than life. Also the Japanese style of acting is a lot more exaggerated. It comes from traditional theatre such as Kabuki, No and Kyogen. I don't look at it as over acting because it is a reflection of Japanese culture, and it suits the source material and the approach of the film (it is often quite comical). And it helps that I am a resident of Japan and well and trully used to the style that you see as 'over acted'. Maybe if you can see it from another point of view rather than in comparison to what's Western.

[–] UberNoodle 15 years ago

I was not familiar with the comics either and I too was pulled in by the TV spots and fliers everywhere. I saw the movie eventually on DVD (1800 yen to go to the cinema? NFW!) But I wasn't ast all disappointed. I also didn't go into the film thinking at all that it was a 'second coming'. Nothing is; nothing can be.

I think that the film hit the mark several times, and missed at others; as in the case of any film. However I was certainly pulled into the film and was very involved in the plot and events. The characters were interesting and had lots of character, especially Kenji and his family. It is probably very hard to give so many characters enough screen time but it is so much better than what Hollywood would have done, which is cut half of them out or merged them together.

The cast were great as well. I saw a lot of familiar faces from Japanese TV and film. I really enjoyed the ensemble. Otcho was awesome. I think that that actor is a legend. Big fan.

Anyway, different strokes and all that. I really got into the film and the story, but I am also well and trully saturated by Japan, being a resident here. And, did you know that right now in Japan there is a new political party called the Happiness Realisation Party, or some such thing?! I see their trucks going round all the time. That and all the terrorism posters in the subways with the Omu cult's picture. all made the film that much more relevant to me.