Netemo sametemo

The main character doesn't seem like a real person. Towards the end of the movie, her actions are wrenching for everyone. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to any particular reason for them.

Other than this, the movie can be boring. There's no reason it could not have been 90 minutes instead of two hours.

Earlier in the movie there was an awkward scene at a party that I could have done without.

I've seen hundreds of Japanese movies. Too often they are depressing and/or harrowing. Lately, opaque characters who are randomly destructive are cropping up.

WARNING: If you do see this movie at a theater, it looks like it might have no previews and starts right on time.

Little strange, weird, lovely, humble, sweet and gentle movie like Koreeda films. Fell in Love. Must watch.

Asako falls in love with Baku, and they live an intense love, until he disappears without a trace. Years later, Asako meets Ryohei, who looks exactly like Baku. I usually like this kind of tragic romance, however, Asako I & II is not consistent enough to leave a mark. The main character, Asako, is very superficial throughout the film, with attitudes that disconnect her from real life events, making hard to the viewer to bond with her. If the goal was to address the moving on issue in relations, and seeing true love through different perspectives, it fails completely. The best that comes out of the film is Masahiro Higashide, who plays both roles (Baku and Ryohei) very competently.

Sleeping or Waking was an odd movie.

The story was good and the romance was really intense. I liked how they presented the relationship and its course. The two had great chemistry and that helped a lot with the progress of the drama. However, the ending twist was really not good. It felt out of the blue and kind of unexpected. Also, it annoyed me how the character did what she did and they didn't explained it properly.

So, six and a half out of ten for sleeping or waking, because of the wierd ending and the not so great twist about the character who went missing.

Interesting premise, but flat characters making infuriating decisions made this one tough to fully appreciate. It's a film that had its moments in the interplay between the friends, but felt too simplistic at the core of its love triangle, and dragged on too long. I liked the idea of exploring the compromises usually necessary in a stable relationship vs. The wild ride our hearts might lead us on, but this didn't feel much like an exploration, perhaps because the central character (Erika Karata) is so weakly drawn.

Maybe if you've been left in the past by a partner you truly loved, someone who if they showed up out of the blue might cause you to throw everything that's good in your life away, it may resonate more for you, but for me I couldn't buy it. Solid performance from Masahiro Higashide in the dual role, and I liked the character of Maya (Rio Yamashita) here - if only her fate had been a little more intertwined with that of Ryohei's.