Moteki the Movie
Riisa Naka, Kumiko Aso, Mirai Moriyama, Masami Nagasawa, Yoko Maki
I have been following this show since the beginning of 2012 (this year) after I discovered the main actor played in 20th Century Boys (a somewhat recent popular Japanese movie series). The Moteki Television series was originally a manga, which TV Tokyo decided to film as a live action drama. The comic aspects incorporated into the movie are entertaining, but there are deeper elements embedded into the movie. Concepts about love, how people who society deems as misfits live their lives, and even how people are having to redefine their journey at discovering love in a modern world. Moteki is a Japanese term for a special time period in a man’s life where women find him irresistible and this movie shows how a ordinary geeky guy named Yukio deals with this new found attention that he has been longing for so long.
Japanese dramas have increasingly become a part of my weekly television viewing. For the most part, I feel as though I can relate to many of the characters being portrayed in these j-dramas, more so than k-dramas or c-dramas. One character (Yukio) in particular is from this series. Though I am not someone who is in pursuit of a sexual encounter, the way he carries himself and thinks are some characteristics that I can definitely relate with. The movie has many memorable moments, quotes and amazing music. In fact, the music that is played throughout this movie is tremendous. I have never heard such an epic collection of J-Pop/Rock ever in a single movie. Moteki- Love Strikes is a definite must see for anyone who desires a deeper understanding of Japanese pop culture.
Scene from the movie with J-Pop group Perfume
Like I had previously stated, this movie has great music. The Japanese pop group known as Perfume (a popular otaku favorite) even appeared in the movie and performed. There are plenty of unique storytelling genres embedded throughout Love Strikes. This particular scene above with Perfume was when the movie took a brief musical aspect to exaggerate the determination and infatuation Yukio-kun had come to realize for Miyuki-chan.
DVD Cover
「愛することに関しては女はプロで、男は素人である」三島 由紀夫
In other words…
In love, women are pros, and men are amateurs. -Yukio Mishima
This quote represents the drastic change in the modern world in redefining the roles of men and women. Many guys often struggle with this cultural shift that has spread across many 1st world nations where women are developing a more assertive personality than themselves. Men are therefore trying to discover how they can maintain their masculinity while not looking socially awkward or weak. This movie is special to me for more reasons than I can express here on my blog, but I really appreciated this peek in how certain cultural shifts concerning daily interaction for Japanese culture is affecting relationships between men and women.
N’夙川ボーイズ or N’Shukugawa Boys have a particular song that is played several times throughout the movie. In fact, it would probably be safe to assume this song is the theme song for Love Strikes. It has become a personal favorite of mine and I am looking forward to discovering more music by the N’Shukugawa Boys. I hope you all enjoy this group as much as I have, as well as this cultural/ different review of the Moteki Movie.
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