L♥DK (2014)

Here is my review for my most anticipated Japanese movie for 2014. Whether you watch this movie or not- just don't watch the trailer. The reason for all the hype and expectations I had regarding this movie was purely the FANTASTIC and very cute trailer. Oh boy! Look where it landed me.

For starters, I am a very big lover of this manga. It isn't exactly a very smart story but what drove the entire plot of the manga had been random cuteness and a swooning chemistry between the leads. While the lead actors here are cute they fail to make me love them and rather came off as annoying. I don't know how old both actors are but I'm gonna be harsh and say they did a terrible job of their characters.

Shuusei and Aoi were unrecognizable to me as characters by the end of the film. With a story that originally hardly had any depth, the script of the film makes it shallower (as if that's even possible). Yes, the sudden romantic moments are cute but before you reach half of the film- you feel like you're watching a couple of teenagers' random romantic moments put together. The characters don't make sense and the flow of the story is practically non-existent.

I understand that not all movies have the same budget but for this the acting really ruined everything and not the lack of glamour. The humour, romance and story- everything failed me. Yet for some very odd reason I didn't hate the movie. There was something addictive about it that made me kept going. I couldn't wait to get to know what happened next nor could I wait for it to end. It was like a tug-of-war happening within me as a viewer.

One of the bright sides of the movie was the presence of Kiriyama Renn. Even his barely-there presence left more of an impact on me than the other actors could do. It was rather a waste of this otherwise talented man.

This is a harsh review and my ratings are all low and yet the overall score is fine. That's because I couldn't hate it being a fan of the manga nor could I hate the cliches in the film. As a one-time watch it hurts nobody but does stand as very forgettable in the long run.

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I loved the manga so much & I have been waiting for months for it to get subbed & I finally watched it last night.

Story: 9/10 because it's something we know & love. I love cohabitation dramas/movies. It's different, but I still loved it anyway. I wished it was a drama instead.

Acting: 9/10: I thought the acting was great. I love the lead actress. I thought she was natural in this movie. I haven't seen the lead actor in a lead role & I haven't seen much of his other works. But I thought he great. I think they were great in the second half of the movie.

music 7/10: The music wasn't memorable, but it was cute.

rewatch value: 8.5/10: I would re-watch this because it's so cute & innocent love story. It put a smile on my face.

Overall, I recommend the movie if you have read the manga or if you are new to the plot. I think you should watch this if you are trying to watch a Japanese movie. I think you should watch this if you are also new to Japanese romantic-comedies.

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