Fuku-chan of FukuFuku Flats

Fukuchan (Miyuki Oshima) has a generous heart, helping out his neighbours and co-workers with friendship and laughter. But he won't let his best friend (Yoshi Yoshi Arakawa) set him up on blind dates; in fact, he won't have much to do with romance at all. (It seems that his heart was badly broken when he was a fat school kid, and he never recovered.) All that changes when Chiho (Asami Mikukawa), a former businesswoman, now unemployed would-be photographer, comes into Fuku's life, bringing with her a whole new way of seeing....

This Japanese gem is light-hearted for the most part, although there are moments of whimsy and even pathos here and there. It is anchored by Miyuki Oshima's performance - she is a well-known comedienne in Japan, and playing a male role here allows her incredibly expressive face to carry the emotions of the picture beautifully. It is also very, very funny, and worth the price of admission of the curried rice scene alone; highly recommended!