Love & Pop

First of all, let me just say that I am appalled by some of the reviews left here.

I can see why one would flinch at this movie ( I did too, a couple of times) and I think that's the reaction it wants.

"Great grief, great joy...I've known neither one."

Enjo Kosai (compensated dating) is nothing new, and if you go to Shibuya, even now there are girls who comes and asks you for your "support" (literally translates to Enjo). There's a market for it as seen on this movie, and it has become easy way for high school girls to gain money.

Four girls are friends at school. Each has reason to go on Enjo Kosai. Hiromi is new to all this, but she first starts with going to karaoke house with middle aged man with her friends. Gradually, she starts to do it on her own. Her parents of course knows nothing about this. Hiromi has a goal of making enough money to buy an expensive ring she saw. She thinks its not so difficult, and gets dating appointments over phone. But reality of life is about to give her a lesson.

This type of activity is very easy in Japan where there are many karaoke booth, and so called love hotels. It's easy to get lost in the crowd and blend in as not to be conspicuous. All the girls take full advantage of the society they live in. But such activities are not without risk, and that seems to be the point if there's any about this movie.

Movies about prostitution has been made before and this is another modern take on it. The movie provides inside look of Japanese society, and is an interesting story to watch.

I have to give Anno a lot of props for making a movie about a topic so sensitive. Love & Pop is about a group of girls that are Juniors in high school (16 and 17 years old) who get hit on by older men and are offered money to be their "play dates" decide to essentially become call girls for lonely men to hang out with as they put up with their loneliness.

Without involving any sex at all, (thank the lord for that) Anno was able to portray these men as people that you can be both sympathetic towards but also creeped the hell out by. For instance, one of the guys has Turrets. But instead of having loud outbursts, he hss a large muscle spasm that makes it look and sound like he's spitting. He explains that this condition made him a social outcast and he has coworkers that look down on him when they think he isn't aware and it really makes me feel bad for him... until he takes one of the girls into a movie shop with him so that she can pretend to be his girlfriend. Then he made her lock her arm with his and purposefully drew attention to the two of them before proceeding to do something vile that I won't be typing here.

This is not a movie that I'd watch again, but it does showcase Anno's talents as a live-actiin director. Sadly my *cough cough* totally legal *cough cough* version of the film that I watched blurred a lot of the images and made it hard to see. But much like in Neon Genesis Evangelion, it's easy to appreciate how creative Anno can get when framing each shot. A lot of thought goes into it and it makes the film so interesting to watch. Plus, the jarring cuts in the film makes me think of the French New Wave which adds another cinematography que to keep my interest peaked. This was a fascinating film, and it makes me appreciate Anno even more than I already do.

Hiromi is your everyday Japanese schoolgirl nearing the end of her time in high school. Her three best friends all have a direction in their lives and know what they're going to do next. Hiromi isn't so sure. In fact, all she's sure of is that she wants a ring; an expensive, bejeweled one. Alongside her pals, she engages in enjo-kosai, or compensated dating, in order to pay for it. For a while, things go smoothly, and she begins gathering the required cash. However, as Hiromi starts going on dates alone, she is exposed to the seedier, more perverted reality of life; from which she may never be able to escape.

Based on Ryu Murakami's story 'Topaz,' Hideaki Anno's 'Love & Pop' is an interesting, affecting movie that shines a spotlight on an uncomfortable aspect of Japanese society: the predilection among many for underage girls. For whatever reason, the mini-skirted, pig-tailed schoolgirl is an immensely popular image in Japan, on grounds both innocent and sordid. Much like Masato Harada did with his 'Bounce Ko Gals' one year before, 'Love & Pop' offers a disquisition on those attracted to the underaged, as well as criticizing the system of enjo-kosai as a dangerous one indifferent to the wellbeing of the girls involved. Additionally, the film could be seen as a critique of the rise of consumerism in Japan, and how anything and everything- even schoolgirls- are products that can be bought for the right price.

Anno's tale- written with Akio Satsukawa- is also a character study about a young person unsure of their future, which many will surely identify with. Hiromi does not have a particularly caring family; they aren't overtly aggressive, merely indifferent. She has no one to get advice from, bar her three school chums, and no real adult influence. Her descent into the world of enjo-kosai is a distressing one, but one that seems realistic and inevitable after seeing the lack of guidance Hiromi has in her life.

'Love & Pop' is shot by Takahide Shibanushi, and his cinematography is striking and unorthodox. Using handheld cameras, fish-eye lenses and shifting aspect ratios, his work gives the film a strange, otherworldly feeling- almost like it's some kind of bizarre documentary, or a dream. It also effectively highlights the eerie, sinister nature of the world of the enjo-kosai, and how Hiromi doesn't belong there. The stylizations may be overblown and gimmicky on occasion- such as the repeated use of a toy train as a dolly- but mostly feels fresh, original and most fitting for the story.

The film also features a fine, emotive score from Shinkichi Mitsumune. A composer who deals primarily with animated features, Mitsumune's work for 'Love & Pop' is reserved and mournful, whilst also being pleasing to the ear. Less impressive is Hiroshi Okuda's editing, which feels rather lacking and slapdash. Though the film has a good, steady pace, some scenes go on just that little bit too long, becoming awkward and losing impact. The film's tone is also hard to pin down, as the proceedings sometimes feel farcical (particularly in the first half), sometimes dramatic and then downright frightening near the end. It's a difficult one to define, but not abhorrently so.

'Love & Pop' stars Asumi Miwa as Hiromi, who plays the part very capably. Introverted, naïve and slightly self-centered, she is a profoundly realistic cinematic creation. Miwa is not afraid to make her ever so slightly boring, which makes her all the more real; and her unaffected, naturalistic performance is impressive. Of the supporting cast, Toru Tezuka and the great Tadanobu Asano stand out most memorably. Tezuka plays Uehara, a seemingly harmless creep who takes Hiromi to a video store, and Asano plays the mysterious Captain E, an eccentric who may not be as benevolent as he initially appears. Both men give intense, unsettling performances that linger in the mind long after the credits have rolled.

Hideaki Anno's 'Love & Pop' is a strange, sad film about loneliness, perversion and a young girl in trouble. Featuring a fine screenplay from Anno and Akio Satsukawa, the film is as unpredictable as it is affecting (even though the editing could be tightened up a tad). With strong performances from the cast and stylish visuals from Takahide Shibanushi, 'Love & Pop' is an insightful trip to the outskirts of dignity that is unpretentious, unnerving and unforgettable.

This film is about pedophilia, perversion and prostitution through the eyes of 15-17 year old high school girls. It was filmed entirely using mini digital cameras mounted in bizarre places (like in a bowl of soup, on a pair of chopsticks and up a girl's skirt).

OK, if that didn't scare you off, then please continue reading.

It's a heavy, disturbing subject right off the bat. That plus the unconventional camera-work rings of "pretentious art house film". But somehow Hideaki Anno pulls it off. I suspect that it's because this is a sort of *tongue-in-cheek* pretentious art house film. Unlike certain snotty Cannes Film Festival contenders who seem to take themselves too seriously, Anno deliberately goes way over the top, as if to say, "Yes, I am a very strange man who likes to put cameras in microwave ovens." As a result, the mood of this film is a cross between CLOCKWORK ORANGE and AIRPLANE 2. Take it or leave it.

You might be wondering why I rated it only 6/10 despite the fact that I seem to be praising it. You see, I've rated it on my special Hideaki-Annometer which grades on a much tougher scale. True, it's a worthwhile film. But relative to some of his other work, this comes across as a bit experimental and fractured.

His later work SHIKI-JITSU is the perfection of what we see here. You'll even notice many recurring trademarks such as train tracks, red lighting and "countdown" intertitles. In the two years following LOVE & POP, Hideaki Anno mastered the style he dabbled in here.

But oh wait I forgot about the music. (I may have to bump my rating up to a 7.) As with SHIKI-JITSU, he matches the perfect doleful piano pieces with poetic voice-over narration. In particular, I recognized a few Chopin sonatas, Debussy's "Claire de lune" and 1 or 2 other haunting melodies. Despite the vulgarity of the subject matter, these classical/romantic pieces provide a very interesting counterbalance. And I believe that is the whole theme of the film: the precarious balance between perversion and innocence.

It's certainly a memorable film. But it requires some patience. Be sure to stick around for the 2nd half when things get REALLY weird.