I'm a big fan of the japanese declination of romantic movies, and this one tells, in a way, a pretty original story (I won't tell why and how because it would be a spoiler), and I find it very emotional without being cheesy. Hats off.
VIVA LA VINYL
Got to say I'm not one for Romantic Movies, but I'm a sucker for one that's done well and has it's heart in the right place. "Rainbow Song" is definitely one that gets it right. I think down to how well written the two lead characters are. Plus how great Juri Ueno as Aoi and Hayato Ichihara as Tomoya are in the roles, cause in the wrong hands this could have gone all wrong.
I probably watched this for Ueno, as I adored her in Swing Girls (2004). In that film she knocked it out of the park when it comes to comedy, in Rainbow Song she does the same for a Romantic film. She really makes Aoi such a likeable and loveable character, and with the scene at the speed Dating and the following scene on the bridge when Tomoya basically hurts her feelings, she breaks your heart. Without her presence in the last 30 or so minutes, the film isn't quite at the same level as it was when she was on screen.
Hayato Ichihara is excellent as Tomoya, you want to slap him at times cause it's right in front of him how much Aoi wants him. But when it comes to the end you just feel for the guy, as he's probably going to be haunted by the dream girl who got away. His scene at the end reading the letter is fantastic. Also have to give praise to the talented Yu Aoi as Aoi's little sister (although there is only a month or so between Ueno and Aoi in real life) in a small role, also Shoko Aida as Chizuru, who has a small role as Tomoya's older girlfriend.
I find the ending a bit of a downer but it's a great little romantic film.
If you like romantic movies that don't feel 'girls only', I can't recommend this one enough:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2132405/
It's romantic movie in the comedic style of My Sassy Girl, but unless MSG, this one is completely unknown. And Ye-jin Son in this movie it's the cutest thing you can ever imagine. ^^
Thanks for the Recommendation Kuku. I wrote it down on my Korean/Japan movie list, I have to get through.
Ye-Jin Son has one of the better romantic films to her credit, A Moment to Remember. But she's a very good actress and easy on the eye too. I check this one out.
Absolutely, she's far more than a pretty face. In this movie she carries most of the comedy and does it with a perfect tempo (a far lighter role than in A Moment to Remember). And even though, there's a few dramatic moments here and there. That damn girl moves from comedy to drama and back to comedy in the blink of an eye without effort.
...which.... now I think about it, that's something that have become a rare beast in modern western movies. You don't see actors moving easily between drama and comedy anymore. I just can't imagine 'The Apartment' played by modern (western) actors.