Girl in the Sunny Place (2013)

This movie was very... well, interesting as far as story goes. The overall theme of the story is that, if two souls belong together, they will find each other no matter the circumstances. Many moments of the two main characters falling in love together I found very touching. As the story progresses, though, things get weird. I will not spoil it, but it just... it gets weird. It didn't make me too horribly uncomfortable, but about 2/3rds of the way through the film, you will realize what exactly is "wrong". It doesn't deter from the feel or the message of the film, but it's just... an interesting concept. I'll leave it at that. Overall, it's a good love story with a rather interesting plot twist thrown in.

Acting was great. I love MatsuJun, it's always a treat to see him. Juri did extraordinarily well with him and I felt they both had a lot of chemistry. Also, her hair style is adorable. The minor characters were good actors as well, but the main two were great, as expected.

I have to say that the cinematography, lighting, and overall feel of this movie is exceptional. It's truly beautiful from start to finish, it fits the film's message, it makes you feel nostalgia for these characters that you've only known for 2 hours. It's just fantastic. If you have no other reason to watch this movie, watch it for the shallow reason of "It looks so goddamn pretty".

The music is pretty good, but I don't recall anything from the OST that stood out. With one exception. I swear, whenever I hear "Wouldn't It Be Nice", I am going to cry.

Overall: watch if you like love stories or any of the actors in the film. It's not for everyone, but it's definitely worth it to give it a shot. Or, if you're shallow and love movies that look pretty (like me), definitely watch this movie.

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My daughter has been encouraging me to see this movie for quite some time. I finally did so because she'd recently sent me a photo of herself with the love locks, very excited that she had been in the same spot as Matsujun (she lives in Japan). I know previous reviews most people liked it, even if somewhat reluctantly. I really liked it! No spoilers, but it is a sweet film and you will need some tissues. I am used to watching dramas, so the movies always seem so short to me. If you enjoy films with a romantic/soulmate theme, with a bit of a twist, you must watch this film.

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I'm not even sure how to go about reviewing this movie without spoiling it, but I loved it so much that I felt I had to. It starts off looking like the typical "boy meets girl, boy likes girl, boy gets separated from girl, boy reunites with girl years later" type of movie - and it is that - but it has a interesting twist that I completely didn't expect, as I went into viewing this totally unspoiled. It really took me by surprise - total "shift hard to" kind of surprise, but it's not a last minute twist so there's plenty of time left in the movie to come to terms with it (unlike the "surprise we're really gods being punished" ending I heard about in one of the dramas I was considering watching). Matsumoto Jun is adorable in this and makes a lovely couple with Ueno Juri. If sweet romances aren't your thing, you might go into kawaii overload with this one, but if you like fluffy, romantic, heart-warming stories (with some tear-jerking moments), give this one a shot, I think you'll enjoy it.

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Update: Go to the official website here for the pretty, pretty pics from the movie - http://hidamari-movie.com

Reason for Watching - Ueno Juri and Matsumoto Jun. I love them both. So naturally, when I found out that they have recently acted in a movie together, I had to watch it immediately. But I admit that I usually skip movies in the drama and romance genre. I prefer light-hearted movies. They're easy to watch and don't need any energy.

Opinion after watching - Must watch for romance film lovers and those who like a little mystery(don't read the spoilers for this drama!!).

Story - Basically, a guy meets the girl he knew in school days and falls in love. It's a romance movie with a mystery element mixed in. And this is one story where I can't analyse the plot without giving everything away.

Cinematography - The movie is beautifully shot and the locations were wonderful.

Acting/Cast - I think Ueno and Matsumoto are really good actors. They carry their roles well. They had great chemistry too. I really loved her hairstyle. Short hair suits her so well lol. As for the supporting cast, I liked Mao's parents.

Music - Beach Boys' Wouldn't It Be Nice suits the story and it's theme very well. It made me feel the turmoil of the characters and when it was played towards the end I wept. It's that kind of a song.

Rewatch value - I don't usually rewatch movies. Even though I liked watching this movie a lot, I don't think I can go through it again. It stirred up so many emotions in me.

Overall - While it's true that I wouldn't have watched if it weren't for Ueno and Jun, I'm glad I watched this. This movie makes me feel inexplicably melancholic and will stay in my memory for a long time, I think.

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I was pretty much expecting a typical love story when I first watched it. There is a big plot twist, (can't really consider it as a twist because somehow, I felt like it would turn out that way) and the story was quite unique on its own. The overall feel of the movie and how it was presented suited the story very well.
It is hard to explain how I felt during the movie and at the end of the movie - somehow soothing and sweet, and yet expecting a dramatic change while I was watching and at the end of the movie, i was more like waiting for a miracle to happen.
The acting was great as expected from Matsujun and Ueno. I have liked Matsujun since Gokusen and I would always like him although his acting career is not very active compared with other same-age actors. I have to say it was a great choice for him and Ueno and they have a good chemistry there.
And the music, the ending song ("Wouldn't it be nice?") hit me so hard. It was exactly how I was feeling at that moment.
I would love to rewatch it a few years later as one of the great love stories I have watched.

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It's interesting but gets a bit weird

So first of all. I wanna say that I'm stillnot the best at writing reviews. So im sorry in advance if it doesn't make sense...

*Story*:
Ok so the basic plot starts off with a normal guy working for an advertisment company and he ends up meeting his old friend (mao) from junior high. They start to fall in love again and runaway together and get married. So up until now everything is still normal. But than the Fantasy in this movie starts....
So it turns out that mao was actually the cat that scrathed him on his hand. (You'll see if you watch it). And she wanted to become human, but in the end of the movie she dies I think and everyone forgets about her. But at the very end he meets her again in a park.
So if you like romance with a bit of a weird twist than you'll enjoy it.

*Cast*
One of the reasons I watched this movies is because of Jun Matsumoto. I love his role in Hana Yori Dango and really wanted to see him in other movies too. So his acting was great. As for the Mao actress. I think this is the first movie I've seen with her, but her acting was good too.

*Music*
The english song they played was good. I think the other music is nice too.

*Rewatch Value*
So even though the story was a bit weird. I definitely don't regret watching this and If I ever am bored or something I might Watch again. But I think once was enough. So give it a watch.

*Where you can find it*
So I thought I should add this in, because a lot of people probably wonder where to watch. So if you don't know. You can download or watch on Kissasian or on dramacool too.

See you <3

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