April Story (1998)

Just what I expected

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

High school graduate from Hokkaido infatuated by now-graduated senior applies and is accepted at the same university as the subject of her infatuation. Goes to school, tries to fit in, and works up the courage to talk to her crush for the first time.The story has great promise, but at 67 minutes, nothing feels developed and many story lines just end abruptly. It feels more like a TV series pilot than a standalone movie.The movie itself is fairly unremarkable. Many things are suggested but not said. Moves fairly slowly. Lots of sepia tones and misty whites. Ok if you're prepared to just relax and not expect too much in the way of story.

Everything in this movie is beautiful! The scenery is, the actress is, the whole story is. Although it's a very very simple love story, you can feel the internal beauty that the director want to express if you can calm very down to see it. Sometimes while seeing it, I even think the plot is no more important. All you should do is to feel the beautiful things in it. Takako Matsu is famous most because of her lovely performance in many Japanese soaps. However, we can still see her excellent performance in this movie. Meanwhile, Shunji Iwai shouldn't be forgotten. He is a very gifted young movie director. He is simply an artist. You can know more about Japan movies after seeing his works. Frankly, I love this movie completely due to Shunji Iwai and lovely Takako Matsu.

To describe this film as gentle is quite an understatement. It is slightly more interesting (and similar to) a home movie of a girl who moves to the city to attend Uni.Meandering, totally lacking in drama or interest. Clearly, I cannot recommend this film.

This is a delightful film that I fell in love with on a flight to South East Asia. Because it is so short I must have watched it five or six times and consequently I grew to love it more and more.It has a lovely distant calming quality on you, which is reflected in the slow pace of the film, yet the pace does not make the film any less enjoyable, it actually brings you closer to the central character of the girl and makes you feel a part of her life. This film also had a poignant effect on me as I was going to see my Asian girlfriend and as a result brought a lump to my throat at times.In summary an excellent piece of Japanese film making, that captures the mood of going to University, making friends, feeling lonely at times, being in love and happy.I just wish I could find a copy on video!