So I’ve been in Japan since the 14th (it was the 15th when I arrived, though), and there is a LOT to write about. But one of the most important things (to me, at least) was seeing the Hana Yori Dango movie! So, here are some random observations~
First of all, my dad. My dad, surprisingly, was the one who reminded me of the movie. Not that I wasn’t reminded enough with the signs hanging over all of the Family Marts, but he said to me, “Wasn’t there that movie you wanted to see? Let’s go see it tonight!” I was kind of shocked that he actually wanted to go see a movie with MatsuJun (more on my family and MatsuJun later) in Japanese, when he doesn’t speak it at all. But with the help of our tour guide, we went to a small theater in Kyoto to finally help me achieve one of my Japan goals!
When we arrived, there was a big HYD poster right outside of the theater. Inside, there were more posters in the stairway leading up to the theater. At the front, they had goods in a small glass counter, like where they’d have candy or something at any other movie theater. It was obvious that a lot of the goods were sold out, but there were buttons, keitai rhinestone decorations, One Love single, soundtrack, markers or something with the manga pictures on it, and the program/photo booklet thing. So I bought the photobook (600 yen) and we went into the theater.
I was actually surprised how similar it was to an American theater. It was only a little smaller, probably due to the location. There weren’t many people there, mostly girls, a few who had dragged their boyfriends along. We were obviously the only foreigners in the room.
The Movie
I know there are a few summaries out there already, and I honestly don’t remember the whole thing. But I thought the cinematography was very well done, aside from the greenscreen. They seemed to use it a lot, like when Makino and Domyouji were driving in Las Vegas, and when they were on the boat in Hong Kong, and when the thief jumped on the helicopter. It kind of stood out too much for my tastes. Also, the F4 Jet looked overly fake to me.
As my dad pointed out, I wondered why they had to stay in such a shabby motel. Maybe it had something to do with the movie, but it just seemed out of place.
But, speaking of the motel…
SPOILER ALERT
I LAUGHED SO FREAKING HARD WHEN [highlight for spoiler] DOMYOUJI WAS HIDING HIS ERECTION! That was one of the golden moments in my opinion, because it seems like everyone in the drama is so chaste, Makino didn’t want to sleep with him at first, he didn’t want to sleep with his fiancee, etc. It makes it seem like everyone is a virgin. And speaking of that…
[highlight once again] I was surprised that Makino got pregnant! I mean, did she and Domyouji first do it on the island? It couldn’t be. Probably sometime between when they got engaged and when they got married. But I loved how Domyouji yelled ARIENAITSUNOOOOO!
So all in all, it was a satisfying movie. My dad didn’t like it, but that was because 1) he didn’t understand it and 2) he didn’t watch the drama. I think for fans of the drama, the movie is just perfect. Maybe a bit over the top, because the drama was very intense at times. But it had all of the pointy shoes, apple throwing, ARIENAITSUNOOOO-ing, and nostalgia that a good HYD film needs.
Oh, and also, I was expecting more One Love than I got. At least it wasn’t overplayed, but they just used instrumental versions throughout and the real version during the credits.
Edit: I forgot to mention the extremely amusing clothes. Of course there were the regular Domyouji shoes, but most of this stuff was over the top. Domyouji wore so much leather, and these hilarious red-and-black striped pants. Rui wore EXTREMELY HOT clothes, like a hoodie and jeans. But the best part about the clothes was on the island, where Domyouji wore a jacket that said on the back (I think) “Shut up and listen to me you asshole!” or something along those lines. It was an authoritative statement (perfectly fit for Domyouji) with “you asshole” in it. And also on the island, Makino wore this shirt with like three English letters strung together, and the word PORN. The O is like a sun or an orange or something. So it looks like this:
AFG
PORN
Incredibly hilarious. Of course, no one in the theater was laughing at that, but it really stood out to me. I mean, if they have someone there to help Jun with English, they should avoid those shirts!
