Missions of Love

OK romance & comedy with a positive message - be real, tell the truth to someone you love even if you hurt them - don't hide behind a mask...cute series for younger viewers.

A departure from the usual Japanese drama that usually has an ending that is difficult to understand, at least for me, so glad to watch this one with a clear ending although it was a bit predictable when it got to the later episodes, so reduced the star rating for that. Also reduced the star rating because from a global point of view (am from the US) I guess there is difference in cultures as getting involved romantically with a cousin (fake or real) would be unheard of as it is a taboo. Cousins don't date. I don't see or understand the value in making the 2nd male a cousin. What would have been the difference if he was just a best friend instead? Unless it is a subtitle transcription error - not sure but the transcription I saw said cousin.

#MissionsOfLove.

When you're dealing with a familiar concept, it helps if you can offer something fresh. Take time travel. Done to death, yet the "Back To The Future" movies gave it an entertaining new spin. This little rom-com isn't quite at that exalted level of innovation, yet it's done with wit, warmth and intelligence. Our introverted heroine Yukina ( Tina Tamashiro ) is a web novelist swayed by her fans into adding romance to her work. The problem is that she's never been in love, so she decides to "simulate" romance with the most popular boy in her school. The "missions" of the title concern certain amorous tasks which she thinks will add up to "love". Hence mission #1 is holding hands, #2 is a hug and so on, with kissing playing a part of course. Naturally, we KNOW that her research experiment will not remain strictly logical. So will the script be clever enough to transcend this cliche ? The answer is YES. Based on a manga, there are assorted bits of animation & typically Japanese cuteness which I love, & Yukina's "assistant" is fun. Blackmail, vampires, a love-struck cousin & a writing rival add spice to the mix. The cast are uniformly good, with TT another lanky model ( a la Nana Komatsu ) with real potential. Both photography & direction are good & ditto the finale. The movie is also quite chaste, which suits the material well because anything raunchy would've been jarring. An occasional surprise adds to the satisfaction I think you'll feel come the end credits, & make sure you don't skip them.

I didn't find the main chick likeable, at least initially. She wants write a romance novel but she has no experience in love. So instead of doing what normal people do, looking for a boyfriend, she decides to gain experience by blackmailing a popular guy in her class into doing all kinds of romance related stuff with her just so she can write it into her story. Which makes no sense because she isn't bad looking, so she'd easily find a guy. Now she just comes off as a manipulative psycho. But as the guy starts fighting back against her demands and putting her in her place a few times, a real spark happens between them. That's where the bratty little minx started to become cute in my eyes. Maybe she's just a little autistic and needs some guidance in the emotional department, who knows. Anyway, I ended up really enjoying it. Nice, entertaining and wholesome.

My only big problem with this movie was that everything happened in a heartbeat. Overall, it wasn't bad. The story wasn't something a fan of shoujo manga-movies hasn't seen before, but there were some solid potential for the love story, that otherwise was cute and funny. The acting was okay as well. The cinematography, in addition, was just good, as there were some "manga" moments here and there that were nicely combined with the rest of the plot. Finally, I have to point out that the poster of the movie had nothing to do really with the movie, as that scene never happened (maybe it happened in the mini drama ?? ) So, four out of ten.