The original story went by like this - Hachiko, an Akita dog born in 1923, formed an unshakeable bond with his owner, Professor Hidesaburo Ueno, in Tokyo, Japan. Every day, Hachiko would faithfully accompany Ueno to Shibuya Station in the morning and greet him upon his return in the evening.
Tragedy struck in 1925 when Ueno passed away unexpectedly at work. Unaware of his owner's passing, Hachiko continued his daily routine, waiting for Ueno at the same spot in Shibuya Station every afternoon. This loyal vigil lasted for over nine years, until Hachiko's own death in 1935.
The film is a Chinese retelling of the story of Hachiko, the loyal Akita dog. Like the American film 'A Dog's Tale (2009)' starring Richard Gere, this movie explores the unwavering devotion of dogs to their owners..
While the dog here isn't an Akita, the premise of the film remains the same - dogs will always be loyal and devoted to their owner. I personally found this movie very touching.
As a little piece of trivia - Hachiko is derived from two words "Hachi" meaning 8 and "ko" meaning prince. In this film, the dog was named "Ba Tong" derived from a tile in the game Mahjong that has 8 circles.
Anyway, the film has managed to cut a lot of onions for me.
Maybe another decade I'll get to see a retelling from another country of Hachiko - the world needs to be told of such undying love.
