An: Sweet Red Bean Paste captures both the slice of life/drama genres in such a heartfelt and poignant way that the movie will stay with you for a long time after watching it.
Through its long, artful scenes, few characters and thought-provoking themes, the film depicts many aspects of Japanese culture- the good and the bad- in a way that is sure to leave an emotional impact on the viewer.
I watched this movie simply going off the short summary provided, and it brought far more than I would have imagined. What starts off feeling like a safe and secure story develops into something much more enriching and thoughtful. It touches on themes such as societal stigmas, the value of work ethic, finding meaning in life and appreciation for nature.

The story is brought to life with a fantastic cast. Each character feels so real due to the great acting in this movie, especially in Kirin Kiki's portrayal of Tokue the old lady.

The beautiful soundtrack is a perfect companion to the constant nature imagery and compliments the main message of the movie.

In terms of rewatchability, I felt like re-watching it immediately after it finished in order to grasp more of the deep-rooted messages it leaves you with. But with only one viewing enough is absorbed to leave you feeling thoughtful.

Overall, this was a wonderful inspiring film that I'm so happy to have watched. It's made me consider aspects of both Japanese and modern society that I otherwise wouldn't have though about. It's no wonder that it was featured in the Cannes 2015 film festival. I would highly recommend this film if you feel like watching something touching and deeper than your standard drama or movie, or are interested in seeing more sides of Japanese society/culture.

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I was hesitant to watch this movie as it sounded pretty generic to me, but gosh I was wrong!
This charming movie was really entertaining; it combined comedy, slice of life and drama genres effortlessly and was a very sweet movie.

The 5 main characters all have very different personalities, stories and struggles, and each one is developed really well, I enjoyed watching the antics of each character. The acting from all 5 members was pretty good, being early days in their acting careers.

The music perfectly reflects the rock/rebelling feel of the movie. The contrast of these rock themes with the schoolyard songs is again reflective of youth against maturity.

I definitely feel this is a movie that can be re-watched over and over due to its easy pace and interesting storylines.

It very well embodies the average life struggles, highs and lows of teenage boys as they move inevitably towards adulthood.
For an Arashi fan this is a must-watch, but even non-fans are sure to get something out of this movie!

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