Love My Life (2006)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Kôji Kawano

Writers:

Hiroko Kanasugi (screenplay)
Ebine Yamaji (comic)

Release Date:

9 December 2006 (Japan)

Genre:

Romance

Plot:

Ichiko and Eri are two beautiful Japanese Uni students who are in a lesbian relationship. Ichiko comes...

Plot Keywords:

Lesbian | Lesbian Relationship | Lesbianism | Lesbian Scene | Coming Out

Cast

Rei Yoshii	...	Ichiko
Asami Imajuku	...	Eri
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Naomi Akimoto	...	San Senba
Miyoko Asada	...	Professor Saeko
Kami Hiraiwa	...	Yukako
Hiroyuki Ikeuchi	...	Kengo Tachibana
Ira Ishida	...	Ichiko's Papa
Chiharu Kawai	...	Customer at CD Shop
Kyôko Koizumi	...	Ichiko's mother
Shôichirô Masumoto
Takamasa Suga	...	Akira
Issei Takahashi	...	Takechan
Ken Teraizumi	...	Eri's Father

Directed by
Kôji Kawano

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Hiroko Kanasugi		screenplay
Ebine Yamaji		comic

Original Music by
Noodles

Cinematography by
Jun Fukumoto

Film Editing by
Hiroaki Morishita

Sound Department
Koji Yamada	....	sound

Production Companies

• Love My Life Partners

Distributors

• PRO-FUN media Filmverleih (2008) (Germany) (all media)
• Taki Corporation (2007) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Trinet Entertainment (2007) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Open Sesame Company (2007) (worldwide) (all media) (sales)
• Wolfe Video (2008) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Bad Music Group  original soundtrack
• Kenek  title design

Runtime:

Japan:96 min

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Japan:PG-12 | Germany:6

Filming Locations:

Japan

Company:

Love My Life Partners

Dealing with the consequence.

Isn't what life is all about? Dealing with decisions made without regret? I don't know about others, but I find this completely refreshing and utterly different from all Western takes on Lesbianism.

There isn't one villain in the entire story, all conflicts and all problems are internal, making it completely realistic and real. No one is there to 'seperate' them, but they have to deal with the consequences of leading a gay life.

I am Asian, and can completely understand the perils of coming out and frowns of society in Asia.

About the story. This is an adaptation from a manga of the same title, Love My Life. It stars Yoshii Rei as Ichiko and Asami Imajuku as Eriko, who are two university students deeply in love. Ichiko decides to come out to her father, and finds out that her parents were both gay, and got married to start a family. This serves as the first consequence of the decision she made.

Like in the film, Ichiko narrates that "When you make a decision, you have to deal with the consequence, and it would be like dominoes falling, a chain reaction that seems never ending". She meets her deceased mother's lover, meets her father's lover, meet with the disapproval of Eriko's father and on top of it all, has to deal with school and her job.

The cinematographer seems very interested in the voyeuristic aspect of life, as if the audience are a fly on the wall in the everyday lives of Ichiko and Eriko. With this in mind, it doesn't really matter if the lighting is a little off sometimes, or that there are parts that are blown out. Or even if the edits are not too perfect... These are not important stuff. These are minor... The story is the gem...

Speaking of story, Manga, though branded a lot of times as juvenile and childish, sometimes has the best stories, they don't have to keep up with pretenses, they tell a story the best way they know how, and this is reflected in this film.

Nice, fluffy, realistic, romantic. It doesn't have the melodrama of Western films, doesn't have the angst and problems of other gay (western) films... it has a sincerity that is very rarely reflected even in other Japanese film.

I think it is great, and probably if you are not too concerned about it resembling anything like Hollywood or American Independent movies, you will understand the Gem that is hidden away in Little Japan.

I give it an excellent grade. And will now go hunt for the manga.