So, Okada stars as Takuma, who meets his first love Mayu in a hospital stay as a child, during which the two of them discover that he may not live past twenty. They grow up together, and the film marks the new hurdles they face in high school as Takuma's time starts to run out.What I think this movie conveyed to me more than anything else was Takuma's agency. As a boy with a heart condition, he grew up with an enormous amount of restrictions dictating what to eat, where to go and effectively how to live. The majority of the film focuses on the consequences of him beginning to make his own choices - for example, he chooses to go to a boarding school away from the security of his parents, which Mayu follows him to. I really appreciated seeing this film through Takuma's eyes, I found him to be a very compelling protagonist. This was aided in spades by Okada Masaki, who is alarmingly talented. I couldn't imagine the film without him.
I would say his voice was needed in the film - after all, unlike many tragedy films where the protagonist may discover their illness late or die of an unexpected accident, Takuma had seasoned experience with his condition and had already accepted his inevitable death. Being allowed to explore Takuma's headspace is what lent the film the poignancy that the first half would otherwise have missed, since it exposed the depths of his love for Mayu. Not to mention, the eventual switch to Mayu's voice then acted like a punch to the gut, and really sent the tragedy home.I adore Inoue Mao, but I couldn't help making comparisons between her portrayal of Mayu, and that of Tsukushi in Hana Yori Dango. Potentially, this is something I'm constructing - she probably has her own little mannerisms and acting style unique to her, which sets her characters apart. It's also possible that she was still reeling from the popularity of Hana Yori Dango and channelling some of what she had done there? I don't know - she was still very sweet, and I liked the pairing a lot.
On the whole, I think the movie made a good use of it's time - across the two hours, I did really feel like I'd gotten to know the characters, and the pace was pleasantly consistent. The film was graceful and mature; it treated Takuma, and his life, with dignity, like a eulogy. That said, I didn't appreciate the twist that triggered the main conflict, so the last twenty minutes was somewhat soured to me. I was so flabbergasted, I couldn't take it seriously anymore.I also really wanted to draw attention to the sex scene when I decided to write this, because I wasn't happy with it. Previously in the movie, the couple's forays into sexy territory had been pretty adorable, like Mayu attempting to show Takuma her bra and him chickening out. The execution of this scene came across pushy and awkward. Also out of character for Takuma; he really came on strong, basically kissing Mayu hard until she was co-operative, despite her protests that she didn't want to do it in the open space. I wish it had happened differently, because it actually should have been quite an important scene - sex is one of the things Takuma thought he would never experience, and associated it with the idea that he would never be able to marry Mayu like they'd once promised. Anyhow, there's that to note, but it's just one scene in a long and reliably good film.
In conclusion, whilst not a particularly original film, it did exceptionally well with what it had and I found it to be quite an enjoyable watch. I would definitely recommend this to anyone ignorant of Okada Masaki, or looking for a breezy romance.
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