Sakamichi no Apollon

Loved the movie! It really is different to all the other movies and it just makes you fall in love with Jazz even more! It's not only about fun and love which makes the movie even better. 10/10 ^^

The movie's main premise is primarily the relationship between the 3 main protagonists, and how Jazz brings them together. The title 'kids on the slope' refers to their high school being situated on top of a hill where each day they have to walk and down the steep slope- which is pretty tiring for them.

I was hoping for more Jazz scenes but it is more of a relational story. The 2 boys come from broken families and music is their main outlet. Along the way there are love triangles, love rectangles, mis-communication, family issues, etc.

The 'hooligan' is actually a nice guy at heart, the other boy really reminds me of Frodo Baggins from Lord of the Rings! His height, mannerisms, looks.

What I like about this movie: -the movie is set in the late 60s - and all the nostalgia that goes along with it- old record stores, telephones, vinyl record player, vintage cars, etc.

-The music scenes where they jam, performed with each other-the spontaneity and communication between them ( I think in total maybe around 5 main jazz scenes in the whole movie?- 1st basement jam, 2nd basement jam, bar scene jam, school hall performance, church jam).

-The chemistry between the 2 boys.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie about two totally different characters becoming friends and bonding over music. I usually dislike jazz, but watching it being played live so you can appreciate the craft is always fascinating and the music scenes are so well choreographed, it's really uplifting and captivating. To round it off with some feminine energy and a little romance, the third friend in the mix is a cute and really charming girl. I also liked how the movie (very briefly) addresses the conflicts brought by the American occupation, its undisciplined, disreputable soldiers and the sad effects of people from two different ethnic groups having children, basically creating a person who doesn't know where they belong because they aren't really part of either group. All the protagonists are very likeable and charismatic and they have great chemistry. Definitely worth watching!

...This movie is good for a nice Sunday afternoon. Have plenty of cliches and try to focus on the ingenuity and warmth of the ´60s to tell the story. Do not know if it can work on other scenario. The story let you a bit in sadness; you know what the plot shows occurs a plenty in real life; I mean, for a reason or other sometimes you cannot bring or tell what is inside you and the relations just pass or you let it go and the Life continues... The actors seem that they can play the instruments but the acting is not spot on. The girl is more convincing than her partners. The movie is not a 10 points movie like the other commentators have been noting. I checked what they watch and they never watched a Cinema film so they observations are from a sided point of view.

This movie is a little version of Whiplash But it is rather sweet ( kawai ) and the story is little long but those who like Jazz you will enjoy watching it, when the three of these character meet and if you like Japanese then go for it.......