Always san-chôme no yûhi

While Takashi Yamazaki may be guilty of manipulation in wringing out the nostalgia-induced sentimentality off his viewers' hearts and eyes, it's not like those potential tears are totally undeserved in the oh-so romantic rendering of a bygone Tokyo. "Always - Sunset on Third Street," adapted from Ryohei Saigan's manga, has all the adornment of schmaltz as it follows a number of the Tokyo working class in 1958 as, following the war and backdropped by a being rebuilt Tokyo Tower, they steadily struggle through their lives to a better future. Yamazaki, though, roots his film in an innocent glorification of the community striving for a common goal as seen through warm sepia tones and golden hues.

Among the multitude of the characters, Mutsuno Hoshino (Maki Horikita, who I just have to say remains as one of my favorite Japanese actors) is a recent junior high graduate who goes to Tokyo dreaming of a job at a prestigious automobile company only to find herself working as a repair woman in a car repair shop owned by Norifumi Suzuki (Shin'ichi Tsutsumi). Across the street is Ryunosuke Chagawa (Hidetaka Yoshioka), a candy shop owner struggling to make it as a serious novelist and makes up for his literary shortcomings by regularly submitting juvenile stories for a boys' magazine. Hiromi Ishizaki (Koyuki), a sake bar owner with a shady past, receives Junnosuke (Kenta Suka), a boy abandoned by his single mother, to be left in her care and, in turn, she leaves the boy to Ryunosuke.

Taking place in a broadly idealistic and exaggeratedly whimsical parallel reality, Yamazaki may often succumb to contrived melodramatic trappings and a few missed comedic notes, yet his relentlessly effervescent tale possesses absorbing set pieces and a contagious joie de vivre none so more affectingly displayed by the film's closing shot. An unabashedly giddy fairy tale, "Always" is an ode and a love letter to the city's halcyon days as shared by its inhabitants who are slowly rising from its past and, slowly but surely, to the age of TV, refrigerator, and Coca-Cola.

The emotions I had while watching the movie warmed me up. Even though ordinary events happened, it was very nice that the movie told about it. I'm very excited about the manga and other movies in the serie. it was a great movie with its acting and artistry.

This movie is like a folk tale about the '50s Japan when it was experiencing rapid recovery from the carnage of WWII.

Roku-chan (Maki Horikita) is a newly graduate of high school. She's coming to Tokyo to find a job from Aomori. She finds a job at Suzuki automobile shop where she meets Norifumi, and Tomoe. Ryunosuke Chagawa is an aspiring novel writer. He's aiming to win the prestigious Akutagawa award, but for the time being, runs the candy store he inherited from his grandmother and writes novels for the boy's magazine. The story revolves around Roku-chan, the Suzuki family, and Chagawa, in the back alleys of downtown Tokyo.

This is the best made of the trilogy (so far) in terms of story, and production. Acting is the most natural, and special effects and props, most restrained.

Based on a comic by Ryohei Saigan, the story is about people's life in the Showa period of Japan. It's like watching a museum of that era with live people moving about it.

The actor who was doing the role of Chagawa seems to be over acting, and all the characters seems to be just wearing the Showa mask except for Hiroko Yakushimaru who played Tomoe. I can feel realism from her acting. Shinichi Tsutsumi was also over acting, and Maki Horikita didn't convey flesh and blood country girl who came out to Tokyo no matter how much she spoke the Tohoku dialect.

So I couldn't shake the feeling that I was watching a museum display in action. Everybody tried too hard to make it look like the Showa period which made it look unauthentic.

But out of the three movies of this title, this one is the best made of the bunch.

ALWAYS SAN CHOME NO YUHA is a warm-hearted, good intentioned story of Japan after the world war as a group of characters deal with the wonders and disappointments of the day. A young girl (Maki Horikita in one of her most winning roles) is good at bicycle repairs, but it seems she's been hired to fix autos; a struggling writer finds himself saddled with having to raise of orphaned boy who has few expectations or dreams; a bar hostess saddled with debts has an uncertain future;; and a doctor is haunted by memories from before the war, when his family was still alive.

The children in the story seem to be the focus of the screenplay, a real-life symbol of the future Japan.

The movie almost seems to glow from within, giving a feeling of optimism and warmth in spite of the small crises that appear from time to time. The film can feel a bit slick as the plot moves from one set-up to the next - but it's also carefully written and quite artfully composed. In the background, we periodically see vistas a Tokyo Tower being built in the background - a symbol for the growth of a new Japan- and its this hardy spirit of survival that animates the story.

This piece of great film work took Japan by storm, and once I saw it realized why it had turned out that way. The film is immensely nostalgic and filled with bits of memorable moments that would send you bursting out with laughter while tears are still continuing to fill up your eyes.

The plot is austerely simple, yet the characters are smartly introduced and thoroughly elaborated. It's ultimately easy for us to believe that the Third Street community and those characters are real. The relationships between them are reasonably developed and eventually leads to a powerful and heart-wrenching-yet-warmly ending.

This is not a regular tear-jerker. Emotional scenes are not forced in as in any other movies, but effectively and strategically put into the right places, resulting in a gradual and natural emotional building.

The music and photography are flawless, and tremendously help with the holistic ambiance of the film. Acting is also impeccable.

Truly a worth-seeing gem for movie lovers. Another delicate Asian craft which has all the qualities that Hollywood mainstream movies still lack of.