Now that I've watched this movie, I understand why it swept many titles through the numerous movie award ceremonies for 2005.To be frank, the story isn't that outstanding if you are looking for drastic developments or tense moods. That's because the entire journey is somewhat melancholic, nostalgic and very heart-warming that 2 hours go by so quickly as you get emotionally drawn into the lives of the people living along that street. Being set in those days before Tokyo Tower was built, you can see many things that are no longer available these days and get a different viewpoint of the various points for consideration. For example, for us in this modern era where almost everyone has a TV set, those people in the olden days were like in a carnival mood whenever one household gets one. It's hard to imagine their joy but when you see it through this movie, it somehow brings across the message to you.
Another point which I remember was the purchase of the fridge by the Suzuki family and the ice vendor was looking so sad at the sight of the old fridge which cooled stuff by using ice-blocks. With the improvement in our lives, old things get thrown out and with that, emotions of the past and the reliance we had for them all goes out of the window.
Besides the story, another winning factor was the cast. Personally, I thought that Tsutsumi Shinichi, Yoshioka Hidetaka, Yakushimaru Hiroko and Horikita Maki were very outstanding and deserved to win the accolades they received for this film.
Tsutsumi - He's really mesmerising as this typical old-fashioned oyaji who can get really heated over little things. However, when he realises his mistake, he's not afraid to admit it and that's what makes him really likeable. In addition, his concern for his family and neighbours despite his sarcastic way of speaking just shows how kind this character is.
Yoshioka - Wow, although he looks like a goner with that image and an equally bad personality, he's really very good to others especially to Junnosuke who's not his son and yet he takes him in. He takes it out on others whenever he fails to win any writing contest and doesn't think twice about copying Junnosuke's ideas for his stories to the extent of trying to justify his actions. To balance the detestable and likeable sides of this character takes quite a bit of effort and of course, the acting skills to carry this off.
Yakushimaru - She practically has this motherly aura that captivates viewers. One of the most memorable scenes was her putting some cash and a note in her son's old sweater for emergency uses. Just like what a caring mother would do...
Horikita - This is the first time where I'm totally convinced that Horikita has what it takes to give Sawajiri Erika and other fellow young uprising female stars a run for their money. In Nobuta wo Produce, her reticent character didn't stand out that much while in Kurosagi, the lousy story made it hard for her to shine. However, her potrayal of the character Roku-chan is so brilliant that we can see various sides of her be it angry, sad, happy which gives entirety to her performance.
Before I forget, the young actors playing Ippei and Junnosuke put up very good performances too. Well, for Koyuki...I still find her acting quite awkward so that's why she sticks out like a sore thumb in the movie and the award ceremonies.
In conclusion, I would give this 9 marks out of 10 and recommend it to those who have not watched it yet.
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