If you want high drama or pretentious cinema, this isn't the movie for you. If you want to see a nice, quiet love story with some superbly realized, if flawed characters, this provides a nice way to pass a Sunday afternoon. I thought the actors were exemplary - they were all very believable, so you can't help feeling for them even when you know they are wrong. There were lots of nice comic relief touches and small twists to keep you interested and make the movie entertaining. The Hollywood-style ending spoils the overall effect which is still not bad although women, my feminist-leaning wife included, may not be pleased with the finale. Provides good insight into contemporary Japan and Japanese communication styles, too.
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