Wood Job!

Okay, so I was ready to watch a comedy by master Shinobu Yaguchi, famous for his amazing Swing Girls movie but instead I got a sort of coming-of-age feel-good movie about finding one's own roots.

Don't get me wrong, there are fun and silly moments throughout the movie with fun characters- as is usual in a Shinobu Yaguchi movie but this time the tone is a bit more realistic that gives way for emotional and affecting moments to take the center stage in this movie.

The plot is quite simple, a scoundrel city boy decides to work and train in forestry on a whim (decided by his attraction to a girl on a poster, very silly!) and the movie is set around this whole training year where he learns a lot of life lessons including Japanese folklore and the beauty of working for nature.

The movie is shot beautifully, the nature shots stand out the most obviously- I wish this movie would've been made around the beginning of the 00s for that gorgeous scrappy feeling that his older movies have but otherwise it's great!

The actors are fun and play both seriously and comedically with the standout being ruggedly handsome Hideaki Ito as Yoki- however the characters aren't very well-developed that's one of the negatives, a few sub-plots involving the villagers don't get resolved and the movie has a bit of a fakeout during the beginning where we get introduced to Yukis (the main character) classmates only for them to appear at the tail-end of the movie.

A bit of a negative is that it's perhaps a bit too long? It could've used for more efficient storytelling as in his past movies but otherwise it's good- the 1hr 56 mins of runtime still passed by without a hitch!

More than the surrounding plot I find the depictions of Japanese myth and traditions to be really emotional in this movie- it definitely ties it together in a wonderful kind of way.

I'd say this is not his best movie but it's definitely worth a watch- even if the elements of his older movies aren't quite present you can still find something great about his newer films! Check it out!

My godd i dont know where to start Let me just tell you one thing its the best you will ever see It bring you close to nature and the people of the village the liveliness and happiness you get from just watching them live their life so wonderfully Theres a bit of romance but tbh u wont be needing all that its just already sooo perfect on how our main characters pov changes as he lives and sees the way all the village people live trust me its worth it by big shot u should definitely watch it although i normally dont cry much but thus made me sooo hapy it alredy brought me down to tears of happiness for our mc and the villagers i would love to see a continuation of this but i know we wont get its just that too good to be true huge love to this movieeeee.

Among the hero based action movies "Wood Job" is a fresh, exciting and enjoyable movie. Wood Job! is a Japanese drama written and directed by Shinobu Yaguchi and based on the novel Kamusari naa naa Nichijō by Shion Miura. The film was filmed on location in the mountains of Mie Prefecture. With great nature scenes this movie takes you away from the rush of your crowded cities and shows how a simple life can give you happiness.

Yuki Hirano (Sometani), is a student most teachers are happy to see the back of. After he fails his college entrance exams and is dumped by his girlfriend, this boy decides to make a fresh start and join a one-year trainee program for forestry workers, aka lumberjacks after he saw a girl on the brochure of this program.

When Hirano arrives at his destination a village in the forest he quickly tries to go back, but circumstances prevents him,and he soon finds himself in dasai work clothes and a hard hat, being schooled in the basics of lumber jacking.

During the movie we watch Hirano improving slowly, becoming a hero from zero incidentally, gaining the community's respect and sympathy. You feel the naturalness of the life if you give up your provisional desires, passion for more.

Take your time and enjoy this movie. You won't regret.

This is simply a great film! Fine acting, especially the children. It is educational and funny with drama, danger, romance, mysticism, and Shintoism. The film seems to capture what life in a remote mountain community might be like (and why you might want to try to live there for awhile - sign me up!). Fine photography. Score and titles are OK. Viewed at JICC J-Film event. WILLIAM FLANIGAN

Now, I'm not one to claim to be an expert on the forestry industry. But the depiction in this film almost made me want to get into it. Growing up out here in the rurals, this film feels oddly personal to me. Which might explain why I took a liking to it so much.

The characters feel human, with the way they all interact with each other. It gives off a very homely vibe. The kind that makes you want to go back to your hometown. Honestly, I think that's the part that got to me.

It's one of the nicest films I've seen and I think this might be one of my comfort movies now. Relatable, funny, and just enchanting in the natural beauty of the forest. If you're into that sort of thing. I recommend it.