Synopsis: Set in 2014, Mallepa is a city for gangsters, immigrants & even vampires. Sho (Gackt) is saved by Kei(Hyde), a vampire who takes on the role of older brother/father as he brings up the orphan. Sho grows up to be a gangster in his town.
During a robbery, they befriend a Chinese, Son (Wang Leehom) and becomes best of pals. Both Kei and Sho fall in love with Sho's sister, Yi-Che (Zeny Kwok).
Years later, there is a turn in the relationships as Sho & Son become arch rivals....
My thoughts: There was certainly much hype about this movie that showcases two of the hottest stars in Japan. Of cos, the themes of vampires, immortality and death are popular issues that the Jap audience are familiar with.
There are further explorations on friendship, gangsterism, romantic love... basically there is almost everything..
But if we were to be specific, the most obvious theme that comes thru has to be friendship. The bonding between Sho & Kei comes forth as realistic, bittersweet and tragic.(Maybe because both are good friends off-screen?) Hyde does a great job in his portrayal of a struggling vampire. No moment is wasted even during the closeups as he reveals his subtle thoughts & feelings towards the different characters.
It's a pity that there was not much development between the rest of the friendships e.g. Son & the rest.. or even Toshi(Taro Yamamoto) who provides comic relief before his death.
On the note of vampires, watching this film reminded me of the classic Interview With the Vampire which starred Brad Pitt & Tom Cruise. Well, i couldn't help but compare the similarities between the two films.
I guess it's hard to do an entire new vampire film without exploring the same age-old issues in most vampire flicks. If not for the romantic love between Yi-che & Sho, Moon Child will really look like an Asian, diluted version of Interview.
Even the final scene where Sho & Kei drive off to the beach in a car is the same! Except that the two leads die in the end, unlike the Hollywood one where they just live on forever...
The pace of Moonchild is pretty slow at times. I am not sure if this is Takahisa Zeze's style or is it just common in Japanese films. (I haven't watched enough to comment on this). If you are impatient, you probably be like complaining as you watch the show.
But if u have a Saturday afternoon to spare and are fans of the actors/singers, you could really try watching it.
During a robbery, they befriend a Chinese, Son (Wang Leehom) and becomes best of pals. Both Kei and Sho fall in love with Sho's sister, Yi-Che (Zeny Kwok).
Years later, there is a turn in the relationships as Sho & Son become arch rivals....
My thoughts: There was certainly much hype about this movie that showcases two of the hottest stars in Japan. Of cos, the themes of vampires, immortality and death are popular issues that the Jap audience are familiar with.
There are further explorations on friendship, gangsterism, romantic love... basically there is almost everything..
But if we were to be specific, the most obvious theme that comes thru has to be friendship. The bonding between Sho & Kei comes forth as realistic, bittersweet and tragic.(Maybe because both are good friends off-screen?) Hyde does a great job in his portrayal of a struggling vampire. No moment is wasted even during the closeups as he reveals his subtle thoughts & feelings towards the different characters.
It's a pity that there was not much development between the rest of the friendships e.g. Son & the rest.. or even Toshi(Taro Yamamoto) who provides comic relief before his death.
On the note of vampires, watching this film reminded me of the classic Interview With the Vampire which starred Brad Pitt & Tom Cruise. Well, i couldn't help but compare the similarities between the two films.
I guess it's hard to do an entire new vampire film without exploring the same age-old issues in most vampire flicks. If not for the romantic love between Yi-che & Sho, Moon Child will really look like an Asian, diluted version of Interview.
Even the final scene where Sho & Kei drive off to the beach in a car is the same! Except that the two leads die in the end, unlike the Hollywood one where they just live on forever...
The pace of Moonchild is pretty slow at times. I am not sure if this is Takahisa Zeze's style or is it just common in Japanese films. (I haven't watched enough to comment on this). If you are impatient, you probably be like complaining as you watch the show.
But if u have a Saturday afternoon to spare and are fans of the actors/singers, you could really try watching it.