April Story

April Story is all about how simple and sweet a movie can be. You will be at total calm, quite and emotional while watching this movie. As a university student Uzuki Mireno has done a great job. She brilliantly potrays the character in the movie.

This movie felt like something unfinished. It surely deserved to be developed into something bigger. But what's there is fascinating, sweet, and somewhat unique. The way it portrays the first days of college for a girl who's alone in a big unknown city, with unfriendly and opportunist people, is just awesome. I really felt sorry for this cheerful, shy and friendly girl who couldn't manage to get a decent social relationship in this new environment. The lead actress was really good and always had that "sweet and awkward" aura that's just perfect for the character. Some great scenes in this movie, but who's familiar with the work of Shunji Iwai shouldn't be surprised about that: this guy can pull off memorable stuff.

High school graduate from Hokkaido infatuated by now-graduated senior applies and is accepted at the same university as the subject of her infatuation. Goes to school, tries to fit in, and works up the courage to talk to her crush for the first time.

The story has great promise, but at 67 minutes, nothing feels developed and many story lines just end abruptly. It feels more like a TV series pilot than a standalone movie.

The movie itself is fairly unremarkable. Many things are suggested but not said. Moves fairly slowly. Lots of sepia tones and misty whites. Ok if you're prepared to just relax and not expect too much in the way of story.

This is not a movie for everybody. It is very slow-paced and takes a long time to establish its main characters, their behavior and their feelings to each other. The movie observes the first days of a young Japanese girl after she has moved from Hokkaido, the Japanese equivalent of Kansas, to Tokyo to attend University. At first the girl is very insecure and nervous about her new situation, but gradually she becomes more secure and falls in love with a fellow student. That's all the Plot there is, but this movie is not about a big story, it is about a person. Over the course of the movie we feel and share the girls insecurities, loneliness and finally opening up. Seldom has a movie so masterfully and with so much passion for its characters captured the problems of leaving home, being lonely in a unknown mega city and to be for the first time on one's own feet. I can fully recommend this movie for everybody who likes films about life and people, that move at life's speed.

"Shigatsu monogatari" (aka April Story), is one of those rare films which concentrates deeply on the feelings and personality of a character. Takako Matsu displays brilliant acting as Uzuki Mireno, a university student who experiences life on her own. The film shows the ups and downs of Takako's life at university. Despite the fact that I am an action fan and that the movie has a "strange" ending, this film did not fail to please and entertain me. I highly recommend this film for people into quiet, beautiful and emotional films.