Jen Wang (Miyagi, 2008-09) is a lab tech in Dallas and a staff writer for the Japanese music website Purple SKY. Her love of cosplay and her junior high school students inspired the name for her own Japanese pop culture blog, Hibari-sensei’s Classroom.
Since there have been a couple posts here about JAPAN CUTS film festival in New York, I thought I would write about a Japanese movie I saw at the Asian Film Festival of Dallas last week. The festival was in its 10th year and ran from July 14-21. Among the Japanese films screened was the 2010 live-action adaptation of the popular shoujo manga series, Kimi ni Todoke (in English, From Me to You).
Haruma Miura as Shota Kazehaya and Mikako Tabe as Sawako Kuronuma
Filled with a young actors, the movie seemed like a typical high school romance in which shy loner Sawako Kuronuma, who is made fun of for her resemblance to Sadako of The Ring, catches the eye of class heartthrob Shota Kazehaya. However, it is more a story about Sawako coming out of her shell and forging tight bonds with the people who reach out to her. The muted colors and leisurely pace make the film light and gentle, yet there are moments that remind us that adolescence years can contain heartache. More importantly, Kimi ni Todoke reminds us that a little kindness can go a long way.
For a complete review of the film, click here.
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