Oppai barê

Hahaha, this movie is so funny. Group of 6 students in a volleyball team comes up with many crazy ideas, the first of them being if they can see their coach's boobs if they won a game.

Based on a novel by Munenori Mizuno , Oppai Balei or Oppai Volleyball is based on his story he's heard from a real life Volleyball coach's experience. But he's added many more comical and funny ideas into this story.

First I thought, maybe the story would be kind of wooden, but I was wrong in this regard. Actions of members of the volleyball team more than made up for the action needed to make this into a truly great movie.

The story is very original, and the characters are all well developed. This is one of the best acted Japanese movie of all times.

I'm giving this movie 4/5. Which is outstanding for a movie of this budget. Needless to say that this is one of the best movie to come out of Japan.

Sure, the title might have caught the "wrong" type of attention, but it is a very tasteful coming of age movie. I was doubtful at the beginning, since I was looking at Arase-san's cinematographic history.. but still gave it a try without knowing much about it. In the end, it is very "Stand by Me" (1986), which I believe was a very popular movie at the time in Japan (influencing even Pokémon creators, who made a reference at the beginning of the player's journey). Very touching and lighthearted and with a beautiful message, all wrapped in a teenage-centric-world-view. There is little Volleyball (I'm a sucker for sport competition movies/series), but you can tell from the few scenes that actual players were involved in choreohrapgy.

Still, even if it is delightful in it's averageness, it is nothing to praise beyond the basic sentimentality and message (as well as the proper deliverance of it). The old style, colors and atmosphere it gives is indeed VERY 80s, which was also impressive. Watch it if interested, you might like it!!

It is funny movie but full of positive messages and the set is on 1980's. Bring back our childhood memory

Perfect lightheartedness. The basic concept of a young teacher stumbling clumsily into a promise of flashing her boobs to the schools looser volleyball team if they will win, turns like a frog into a prince by a delicate script, sensitive directing and an Audrey Hepburn/Audrey Tautou kind of lead actress. The film doesn't lie about it's simplicity, but it deals with it in admirably good taste. It's by no means a American pie-(or worse)-clone, or even "ecchi", and has even a sort of 50'ish feel to it, which is quite an accomplishment given scene's like: A group of pupils are running uphill behind a bicycling teacher with a whistle, while yelling " tits,tits" as encouragement song. It's a warm hearted feel good comedy. Nothing more, nothing less, but very well done. The only minus point would be that beside the lead actress the other roles stay sketchy: Having an Audrey Hepburn, it misses a Cary Grant. Not as a romantic angle, the film doesn't have nor need that. It's about how to inspire adolescents in a teacher- pupil relationship, and having the heart in the right place.The lather is something the teacher needs to trust more as her core virtue, but she doesn't discover that by counter play based on character development in her pupils, her co-teacher,her ex boy-friend or, her principal, but by a side story about her past. In itself very sweet, but dramaturgically it keeps the film light and nostalgic, where it could have gained some depth. Neverteless it's an truly enjoyable movie. Such a pity that films like that often get underrated.