Koi no mon

Of all the countries whose films I've seen (see my comment history) I've gotta say only the Japanese seem to be able to create art without seeming pretentious and stuffy. I think it comes from their great cultural tradition of humility, subtlety and, perhaps most importantly, a wacky sense of humour. Here we have a film that explores the most profound philosophical ideas an artist can ever encounter; yet it doesn't come across all dry, heavy and ponderous, the way a Kieslowski film would. And for the record, Kielsowski is one of my favourites.

Where is it written that all cerebral films have to be humourless dramas? And where is it written that all comedies must completely vapid and devoid of philosophy? KOI NO MON is the perfect example of how to get it all in one very entertaining package. Don't let the hilarious opening scene throw you off track; there's a lot more beneath the surface of this insanely goofy flick.

As I said earlier, this film jumps into the fundamental conundrum of all artists (including writers, musicians and chefs also): What do you do when no one understands your art? How do you present a truly revolutionary concept when everyone laughs at you? And in the resulting vacuum, how do you deal with your loneliness and isolation? Heavy stuff. Tarkovsky would have us crying in our beer. But leave it to the Japanese to present the idea every bit as profoundly but in a crazy romantic comedy.

Much like my other favourite underrated Japanese films (University of Laughs, Cutie Honey, Summer Time Machine Blues) this film can be enjoyed by philosophers as well as people just looking to be entertained. It's the ultimate answer to the question "How do you present a truly revolutionary concept when everyone laughs at you?" The answer is: laugh with them. Coat it in comedy, and they'll swallow anything and like it. I sure did.

I saw "Koi no mon" at a film festival in Geneva, Switzerland, with my mother and a friend of mine; there are almost no words to describe the impression that this film made on us!!! Let's say that we were almost breathless from non-stop laughing and admiration: this film really rocks!!! At the beginning of the film, I was thinking (because I knew that it would last 114 minutes) : is it possible to maintain the same pace for such a long time without boring the viewer? I wasn't expecting such a performance from the director, but he really did it!!! Until the very end of the film, the three of us were totally filled with non-stop enjoyment. Besides, I have to say, without spoiling anything, because it would really be a shame for a future viewer, that 'Koi no mon', although some of its aspects (the depiction of some characters or certain situations) might seem a little bit 'over-the-top', is really far from being stupid; the humour is in fact quite cleverly conveyed, never considering the viewer a fool: there are many different issues explored, all of them in an original, absolutely unique way, making 'Koi no mon' a truly original and completely unpredictable gem.I would also like to add, and I think that many people would agree with me on this point, that it is in fact very difficult to make a very good comedy: most of them are somehow 'formatted' in a way or another, which makes them somehow 'cliché'.There is nothing like this here; you go from one surprise to another. I never gave a 10 to a comedy, this is the first time today, but this one really deserves it.Finally, i would really like to say: Bravo, Mr Matsuo, you have really made a true masterpiece, which will remain in my heart forever!!!

An otaku, for anyone who doesn't know, is basically a comic geek, and manga comics and anime are treated very seriously in Japan. Otakus are freaks and misfits of course, but they are young people too, despite this unfortunate affliction. Their problems with sociability however make it rather more difficult for them to fulfil basic adult functions such as finding a job, earning a living and interacting meaningfully with the opposite sex. This is particularly a problem for Aoki Mon, a young 'manga artisan' whose medium is rather unconventional, the young man working with rocks instead of pen and paper.

Incredibly, despite his complete lack of social skills, a young woman called Akashi Koino is attracted to this loser, meaning that Mon might even lose his virginity. Koino clearly isn't a "normal" girl then, and in fact, she might even be more of an freak than Mon, indulging in cosplay (dressing up as your favourite manga character) and drawing and publishing her own fan manga. There's inevitably some exaggeration of the characteristics of otaku, but not much. (Sadly, I have to confess I got a kick out of seeing Koino's mum dressed up as Maetel out of GALAXY EXPRESS 999). There's not a great deal of realistic social observation of this phenomenon in OTAKUS IN LOVE, but it might be an eye-opener for an outsider to this world and it is at least very funny.

Great and often below average action based manga adaptations getting their breaks in films I have seen plenty of times, but a story claiming to equally deal with romance and the art of manga making I had to witness with my own eyes.

After recently watching Cutie Honey, which provided little consideration to the realism of our everyday world, I was wondering how much fantasy this film was going to surround itself with. Fortunately this movie burrowed more from life than I could ever expect from the initial look and subject matter.

As we meet the two leading characters, at first they seem to have few things in common, but the problems which arise between them share similarities with many newly formed real life relationships. Although these issues are layered behind the oddball characters and extreme desires of cosplay, for the most part they feel authentic. I'm sure many of us have encountered a situation where the person we were attracted to didn't share the same interest in things we had a strong sentiment for, whether it was religion, politics, music or art (as it is in this case).

With such premises set up, these two characters go through various shake ups that test their feelings for one another, as well as their identities as manga artists. Keep in mind that the first half of the film is heavier on comedy than the second half. While that sometimes signals for a downfall in Asian comedies, Otakus In Love manages to avoid the lethal dosage of post comedy melodrama by preserving the humor and at the same time offering romantic symbolisms and benevolent dramatic sequences.

All in all this film was a nice surprise, as it is becoming hard to find quality films in the ever growing pool of Asian comedies, which for the most part just settle with providing formulaic experiences.

Koi No Mon is an eccentric romantic comedy. Romantic comedies are predictably rubbish, but this Japanese effort is surprisingly good. The use of vibrant colours, much like Jean-Pierre Jeunet's work (shamelessly ripped off by 'Wacky Show' Pushing Daisies), avoids the pastel shades and dreary atmosphere of the typical English-language RomCom. The acting is, perhaps due to its nationality, much more interesting, and director Suzuki Matsuo (whom you may recognise from Iichi the Killer) does an entertaining job; also appearing as passion-competition Marimoda. Also of note is the abundance of celebrity cameos. One of my favourite Manga authors, Naoki Yamamoto (Believers, Arigatou) makes an appearance, as do legendary anime staffer Hideaki Anno and the world-famous Takeshi Miike.

The plot concerns strangely attractive virgin Manga nerd Mon Aoki and mental CosPlay fanatic Koino Akashi. Mon is a confused artist who is bent on artistic merit over marketability; thus doomed never to achieve Mangaka fame. Koino is just weird, and claims to have made 10 million Yen (something like £100k) with her girlie Manga. The two meet, get drunk and fool about. Mon wakes the next day dressed as a character from Soul Caliber 2 and duly vomits. The rest of the film follows his efforts to succeed at love and Manga.

Deadpan acting and a plethora of Manga jokes makes the film, whilst the jibber-jabber of the love story bobs to the surface only when necessary. RomCom it may be, but it certainly isn't Shōjo (specifically for women and feminine males), so I can forgive it.

The comedy style reflects Hunyunyuu's original Manga and as such is unsurprisingly very Japanese. Comparisons can be made with Naoki Yamamoto's brilliant Dance Till Tomorrow Manga in terms of comedy style, and Mon's house-mates bear some relation to the residents of Rumiko Takahashi's seminal Manga RomCom Maison Ikkoku.

The set-piece song and dance at the end is a mixture of a West-End musical and a YouTube parody, but it all works quite well. Nevertheless, the last two or three scenes did make me feel kind of guilty for enjoying the film at all. The jump from the almost first-person, self-conscious style of storytelling to the misty-eyed dishrag outlook was a bit nauseating. The film purports to not take itself too seriously - there are several references to its own cheesiness - but at times it still feels like a film for flannels. Is that a bad thing? Well, yes. But it's still much, much better than any RomCom Richard Curtis has come out with. Whilst Curtis will pretend until the stupid finale that the happy ending isn't coming, and then make a massive show and dance of the Big Kiss between the Successful Composed Woman and the Total Incompetent Tosser of a love interest, the outcome is always obvious here - what is exciting and entertaining is the decoration of the given plot-path. The relationship of the two leads is typical Manga - head scratching and awkward bumblings on behalf of the virgin male - and is more of a background, perhaps, to the talented storytelling and acting, the cameos and very funny moments. Pretty good.