duksoe

This film, like most other Japanese human dramas I've ever watched, is somewhat slow paced but I like its poetic representation. What I liked the most was its brilliant plot that told audiences the greatness of love through surprising turn-over. This film is really deeply touching and heartwarming. Although the story of this film is unrealistic fantasy, I'd like to recommend this film to everyone and even to those who love the realistic human dramas.

One thing that bothered me a little was the casting of Shido Nakamura as Takumi, the male lead. In fact, what bothered me was not his performance but his aggressive images that I happened to built from my previously watched films where his role was a scary karate fighter (in Fearless) or a tough general (in Red Cliff) or a cold blooded lieutenant (in Letters from Iojima). It was a little shock for me that Shido Nakamura was playing Takumi who tended to be so gentle, shy and even wimpy. Despite Shido Nakamura's good performance, I couldn't stop his aggressive Yakuza-like images being overlapped on Takumi and it eventually made the beginning part of the film the Beauty and the Beast-like-fairy tale for me. However, I think all the actors in the film including Shido Nakamura, performed fairly well and it went well with the story. If you had not yet watched Shido Nakamura's acting performance other than in this film, you would surely be surprised by his drastic change in his other films from a shy office clerk to a cold blooded fighter who throws deadly karate chops. ;-)

Comparing to other Japanese dramas that I've ever watched, this film was quite unique. Unlike most other Japanese dramas whose atmospheres are quite refined and reserved, where the characters display their emotions and feelings in moderate and poetic manners that we often regard as a typical Japanese culture, the characters in "Hula girls" are pretty much straight forward in expressing their emotions and rather rough in manners. It reminded me of the atmosphere of old Sicilian village where Toto of "Cinema Paradiso" had spent his boyhood, where people are rough and tough in manners and sometimes even vulgar but still warm-hearted and have good humanity.

"Hula girls" is a heart-warming human drama. It will warm your heart in a little different manners from other typical Japanese human dramas. It makes audiences sometimes laugh and sometimes shed tears. It will make a wonderful family movie. Especially, I loved the last hula dancing scene where all the emotions, the joy, the sadness, the struggle and the overcoming are melted down and sublimated into a beautiful performance. It was really beautiful and touching.

This film is seemingly a revenge story and an extremely violent action film. However, if you are expecting the beauty of finely presented, somewhat realistic violence such as Tarantino's Kill Bill, you may become disappointed. The special effect for the violent scenes of this film is rough and clumsy so that you can easily tell that it's a B rated film. Nevertheless, I'm still quite positive on this film. Due to its clumsy and cheesy special effect, the extreme violence of this film never becomes serious or gross but rather turns into a creative and hilarious comic-like entertainment such as the violent scenes of itchy & scratchy on Simpsons. I even thought the director might have intended this cheesy special effect on purpose. The seemingly unbalanced and awkward combination of extreme violence and a cute Japanese girl in tidy sailor-style-school-uniform also creates a good humor.

If you are a cult film lover, this film would definitely be an awesome entertainment.