Yûki Yamato	...	(Director)
Miki Aihara, Yûki Yamato	...	(Writer)
Miona Hori	...	Hatsumi Narita
Mizuki Itagaki	...	Azusa Odagiri
Kaisei Kamimura	...	Subaru Yagi
Shôtarô Mamiya	...	Shinogu Narita
Hiyori Sakurada	...	Akane Narita
Hiroya Shimizu	...	Ryoki Tachibana
Riho Yoshioka	...	Rina Katsuragi

Comments: You are like the universe

I hate it when a dickhead gets a good line like that. The recipient's response is priceless. Pause, and you realize the beauty of the moment is in the way it's filmed.

Yûki Yamato is part of the new school who affirm Japan has colors beyond dark blue and gray. Her focus is on seeing it all as existing on an iPhone screen. Uber-closeups, freaky angles, hyper-editing. The gosh-darnedest, cutest web cam voyeur sexy type thing you can do with a HS girl ... pause, and you realize the beauty of the moment is in the way it's filmed.

I've never seen Japan look so much like Singapore.

What to make of a girl who says to a boy who's interested in her 9th grade, older sister: "I'm younger and prettier"? (For my money they were the real romance. Sigh)

During the first act I was anticipating the day Yamato makes films for the generation she's entering rather than the one she's left behind. But there's the weird Japanese tradition of making films with nominally high school students who exist in a world far more mature than their years. There's never going to be sex or nudity so you feel safe. Yamato makes use of this to comment on the generation she's left behind before moving on. "My heart is broken and confused. Men/boys are really shit. I don't think I can go on". It's silly and yet so pure -- because they're kids.

I anticipate the day Yamato makes a film written by someone whose concerns aren't immediately hers.

At first it was "Be my slave" HS crap, but the cruelty enters a new phase with act 2, the writing leaves setup mode, plot rears its ugly head, finally giving way to drama. All the lines that would be stupid if adults said them are charming, and somehow profound.

Why are you following me? I don't know!

I've never been chosen. How do I know if I have any value?

I hope we stay stupid

I don't approve of the ending. But it's just for today.


Summary: Hatsumi and her family live normal lives until she is used by Ryoki who begins to bully and intimidate her. Azusa is a friend in the area and also good looking. He has the hots for Hatsumi too. They begin to go steady, but soon it transpires that not everything as easy or straightforward. Time to unravel the mystery.