Be with You

A few years ago, Korean romances took over the market for the romance genre which had been held uncontested by Japan. While at least half a dozen made it big in the Pacific region, the most successful worldwide has to be My Sassy Girl (2001). The onslaught however soon ran out of steam, even for works by MSG's director Kwak Jae-young. His still widely acclaimed Classic (2003) had in fact faded somewhat, and not even bringing back Jun Ji-hyun from MSG could save Windstruck (2004). In the meantime, Japanese romances are making a come back. "Poetic" director Shunji Iwai brought a breath of fresh air with Hana and Alice (2004). It is Ima, ai ni yukimasu, however, that is the best romance coming out of Japan and Korea in the last ten years.

The movie starts with a quaint little house nestled in the most idyllically beautiful, lush green countryside, where a shopkeeper of a cake shop delivers a birthday cake to a young man Yuji, who is making breakfast. We are then taken back to the time when Yuji is six, a year after he has lost his mother Mio through illness and is living a life of mutual support and love with his father Taku. Before her death, however, Mio promised her husband and son that she would come back after a year and stay with them during the rainy season.

When the rain starts, Taku and Yuji find in the woods a woman looking exactly like Mio, who has apparently lost her memory completely. The father and son naturally have no problem believing that it is Mio coming back from heaven, and bring her home. Although in a way she is still a stranger, she seems to accept that she is Mio, and asks Taku to tell her the story of how they first met and fell in love. Through that process, they fall in love a second time (I am assuming at this point that she is indeed Mio). As we share the joy of the family reunited as well as the love story of young Taku and Mio through the flash back, the six-week rainy season is mercilessly coming closer and closer to the end.

All the time while watching the movie, alongside with emotionally becoming more and more identified with these three people whom I came to care for, I found a rational part of me that kept assessing how the story would go. Is it really Mio coming back from heaven to fulfil a promise? Is it a woman who happens to look like Mio but has a story of her own? Or is everything just the imagination of the father and son? The revelation came, not in the form of a super twist dropped like a like a bomb, but through the last twenty minutes' gentle unfolding of past events that provide answers not only to the mystery of Mio's appearance, but also to many things we have noticed throughout the movie that register subconsciously (only subconsciously) as questions. Even more important, we saw another layer about the entire story that deepens our understanding of and care for this family.

But all this would not mean a thing without the wonderful, wonderful performance of Yuko Takeuchi as Mio. Shido Nakamura and Akashi Takei as father and son complement her performance perfectly and, together with the beautiful photography and heart-warming music, make this film the best in it genre in the decade.

The English title of "Be with you" is not devised haphazardly, but has a meaning.

This has to the most romantic and beautiful movie that i have ever seemed. On my round trip flights (19 hours each way) which i can say that i'm totally exhausted and nothing would matter if i can get to my destination now. Though exhausted, i still managed to watch this movie 4 times (It's a 2 hr movie and i don't even want it to end) and wished that the flight would be longer for me to view a 5th time. Without giving much to the story, i must say that for a guy who's has never shed a tear (except those beatings during the young and playful), this has to be the one. I woke up thinking of this movie, working thinking of this movie and wonder if i will see anything come close to this. I think not and wish not.

The performance by Takeuchi Yuko, Nakamura Shido and Takei Akashi are totally awesome and wonderful. The entire crew did a superb job here and hats off to the director. The theme song "Hana" - Orange Range and the music are just so heart warming, so touching and so amazing.

Don't go read up reviews with spoilers. It makes an even sweeter experience.

Watch it and it's worth your time.

Spread the words!!!

Reading the summaries and reviews of the film, I had several expectations of what would happen. The grieving husband and son of a woman who died at a young age struggle with her loss. Miraculously, she comes back to life ( returning from heaven or some other place) for 6 weeks, one year after her death, during the rainy season, only to leave again after the season is over.

Considering the "coming back to life" plot device isn't without precedent, the American film "Ghost" (with Demi Moore) is but one example, I expected the characters to display the usual gamut of emotions - initial shock that the person has come back, joy that they get to relive their moments together, and ultimately grief that he/she must depart again. This film was not without those moments, but the quality of the acting and the beautiful scenery and photography put it a cut above the rest. However, what puts this film into "classic" status is the ingenious weaving of past, present, and future to deliver a stunning finale that will put every missing piece of the puzzle into place while leaving the audience simply awestruck with emotion. There are few films which I would tell a friend or associate that they "must see this now." This is one of them. Just see it and be amazed.

I have seen this movie in cinema twice already, a thing I rarely do as most movie could be available in DVD very soon. But after I learned that the DVD only be available after 24/6 in Japan, I have no choice but to go see it again as the urge inside me is so strong. Every time when I think about the movie, I almost shed tears every time when I reasoning what a decision Mio had been made. It is such moving that I wish it will be happened in real life.

The second view was still amazing, despite that fact that I know the plot already. There are still a lot of subtle things which are hard to notice during the initial view but reveal to me now. Every single dialog of Mio talk to Takumi and Yuji during the latter half revealed a deeper meaning to me after I understand the rationale behind. But I wont give out the plot of Mio as I felt it is a shame or guilt to do so, people should watch it themselves, feel touched and moved and being heartwarmingly satisfied when the end credit rolls. Only thing I can reveal is that I have paid special attention of what Mio wear during her first appear…… I immediately search all the stores after first view and bought the sound track and the CD that contained "Hana" sung by the band Orange Range. I have watch the MV of Hana too that song is amazing and that the lyric meaning is so touching that I nearly cry when I watch the MV alone.

I recommend all who happen can come across with this movie to view it. It is not a movie to be missed. However the initial DVD produced in Japan have no other subtitle other than Japanese, which is bad as I want to sent a copy to my American friend. This film is indeed a miracle and should be seen by as many people as possible, not just Asian.

I do not consider myself to be in the target market for this kind of movie (male, late 20's). However, I bought this movie off an online site due to some reader recommendations. After finishing the movie, I was obsessed!!! I couldn't stop thinking about it and couldn't stop raving about it.

The acting and the direction is great, although a bit cheesy at times, but it works well. Yuko Takeuchi is such a beautiful actress. What I mean by beautiful is not her physical appearance (although she is pretty), but by the way she conveys her emotions and makes the viewer believe that she really is Mio. Everyone else does their role perfectly too, and the soundtrack really does a great job, especially the overture towards the end of the movie.

Overall, anyone who has a pulse will enjoy this movie. Personally it affected me a lot and it has turned me into a Japanese movie fan. You will struggle to find a negative review about this movie anywhere, and I really encourage all the males to watch it especially so they can get in touch with their emotional side (haha...). I've seen it seven times within two months and it still affects me each time I watch it. Some of my friends thinks I'm crazy but they don't understand the relationship I have with these characters (hahaha...I can't believe I'm typing this..my friends will laugh at me). Undoubtedly in my books, the best movie ever, and a moment to cherish with loved ones, or even by yourself (so the guys can cry and not feel embarrassed that anyone is looking at them).