Fairaher
The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.
Nayan Gough
A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
Kayden
This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama
Akira-36
I have watched Always - Sunset on Third Boulevard three times and it remains a wonderful movie experience. It gets better with each viewing like a well cooked broth. It is funny and touching at the right time. The pacing of the movie and some scenes felt like they came out of the manga, although it has so much more to offer. The cinematography and music help set a nostalgic feel of what it might have been like in 1950s Tokyo. It is full of spirit and energy where the country is on an accelerated path in rebuilding and redefining itself. There is hint of the Meiji Restoration, where the denizens of Tokyo enthusiastically absorb Western cultures, from pro-wrestling to Coca-Cola. And the building of Tokyo Tower, itself a smaller replica of The Eiffel, symbolizes the emergence of post-WW II Japan - a dichotomy of Eastern identity that embraces Western advancements.The product design and CGIs were top notch for its time, and I love how they use the different stages of Tokyo Tower's construction and the seasonal changes to mark the individual story arcs' progression.The movie embraces its manga roots with sincerity: all the characters' quirks and social slapsticks remain intact. Horikita Maki's Mutsuko is simply adorable as the country girl (check out that rural dialect) trying to make it in a big city. The uncommon romance between the gorgeous host girl Hiromi and the oddball writer Ryunosuke. Plus many more delightful details make Always, not only a funny snapshot of behavioral comedy, but also a touching ode to a bygone era.How can you not love a movie filled with this much heart?
TheStarWolf
Does a wonderful job of giving the viewer a look at what life in 1958 Tokyo was like. Likable characters, believable situations, and terrific recreation of a period neighbourhood.The atmosphere is spot-on as is the 'mood' of the people, and they must have raided every antiques shop, not to mention more than a few museums to produce several of the scenes. There's what has to be one of the most memorable scenes involving something which doesn't exist that I can recall. Won't say more for fear of spoiling it, but it worked beautifully in context.There's even mostly happy endings, though they do set up the possibility of a sequel and now that I know there is one, I'm very much looking forward to seeing it.
poikkeus
ALWAYS SAN CHOME NO YUHA is a warm-hearted, good intentioned story of Japan after the world war as a group of characters deal with the wonders and disappointments of the day. A young girl (Maki Horikita in one of her most winning roles) is good at bicycle repairs, but it seems she's been hired to fix autos; a struggling writer finds himself saddled with having to raise of orphaned boy who has few expectations or dreams; a bar hostess saddled with debts has an uncertain future;; and a doctor is haunted by memories from before the war, when his family was still alive. The children in the story seem to be the focus of the screenplay, a real-life symbol of the future Japan.The movie almost seems to glow from within, giving a feeling of optimism and warmth in spite of the small crises that appear from time to time. The film can feel a bit slick as the plot moves from one set-up to the next - but it's also carefully written and quite artfully composed. In the background, we periodically see vistas a Tokyo Tower being built in the background - a symbol for the growth of a new Japan- and its this hardy spirit of survival that animates the story.
necesse-1
Beautiful, simple and fantastic movie about everyday difficulties and joys. Saw it twice and wept as much the second time. Although over two hours long there was never a second of boredom. Extra cred for making Tokyo in 1958 so realistic, still without skyscrapers and metros! Characters was very well chosen. Even the kids are real professionals here!The main plot is about two stories waved together skillfully. A young "has-been" novelist meets a young boy who was abandoned and is been forced to take him in for the time being. A girl from the countryside takes a job in the big city, Tokyo, at what she thinks is a big automobile company (Suzuki auto). But nothing is what it seems! It's about love beyond family ties, but never the less easy.
