Movie Review.

Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu いま、会いにゆきます. 2004

Genre: Romance/drama with a touch of supernatural events.

Summary: Set in 20th century Japan, a family is devastated by the sudden death of their mother, Mio. Her husband and son, Takumi and Yuji, are left to fend for themselves as they deal with their grief and guilt that their own shortcomings caused Mio’s untimely death. Between Takumi’s susceptibility to fainting, disorganized tendencies and Yuji’s difficult birth, they worry that they caused Mio’s unhappiness, leading to her untimely death. During the following rainy season, however, a miracle happens leaving Takumi and Yuji mystified and reassured of the love they share with each other.  

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I heard about Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu when I watched my very first Orange Range PV back in 2004-2005. “Hana” is one of my all-time favorite songs, and watching the PV made me fall more in love with it (if you haven’t seen it yet, please do!). It’s a song that holds a lot of meaning for me, and inspired me so much that I live my life according to one of its verses. But even after seeing this PV so many times, I didn’t find the motivation to watch the movie it’s tied to until this past summer. Crazy, right? Maybe I was afraid of investing my emotions into something that I may or may not love — “I love the song, but what if I don’t love the movie?” In the end, I mustered up the courage to watch it.

I was not disappointed by any means. In fact, I found myself crying the whole night after I finished watching and woke up with puffy eyes. Now, I’m the sappiest sap you’ll ever meet but believe me — this movie is absolutely beautiful. The bond that Mio, Takumi, and Yuji share is something difficult to execute and convey, but these three actors nailed it. This movie was like a breath of fresh air — it was neither cliche nor cheesy — unlike many Japanese movies/dramas that I’ve watched. Most Japanese films like to act a certain way — as do Korean, Chinese, American, and so on. Some people like it, some people don’t. As for me, I stopped seeing the cast as actors and more like people as soon as the movie started. It’s anything but a cheesy romance, yet anything but overlydramatic and somber. 

 What I like about this movie is that it’s one of those “all the pieces come together at the end” types of movies. The theme of starting vague, and then slowly but carefully placing all of the pieces together is one of my favorite aspects, and definitely gives me a lot more to think about. This is a movie that makes you fall in love with the characters and their perseverance and strength. Though their situation is anything but perfect, they continue to carry on with brave faces and keep Mio’s memory alive. It’s hard to pick one out of many memorable scenes, but a quote I really like is Mio’s revelation, in which she says to Takumi:

“I want to fall in love with you all over again.”

This movie is in my top 10, hands down. :) I’m hoping I can add this to my DVD collection someday.

—cloudsmiling

(Source: lights-and-rhythm)