''Tokyo Park'' or is a 2011 Japanese

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Shinji Aoyama was a Japanese film director, screenwriter, composer, film critic, and novelist. He graduated from Rikkyo University. He won two awards at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival for his film '' Eureka''. Biography Shinji Aoyama was born in Kitakyushu, ...

. It is based on the novel ''Tokyo Koen'' by Yukiya Shoji. It was released in Japanese cinemas on 18 June 2011.

Plot

Miura Haruma was a Japanese actor and singer. He made his acting debut in the television drama ''Agri'' (1997) and rose to popularity after starring in the film ''Koizora'' (2007), winning Newcomer of the Year at the 31st Japan Academy Prize. In the follo ...

takes on the role of Koji, a college student aiming to become a professional photographer. One day, he receives an unusual request to shadow the client's girlfriend and take pictures of her; this assignment leads to subtle changes in his relationships with the women around him.

Nana Eikura is a Japanese actress, model, and occasional radio show host affiliated with Ken-On Group. Biography She was born in Izumi, Kagoshima, and raised in Sagamihara, Kanagawa.

plays the ex-girlfriend of Koji's childhood friend, while

Manami Konishi , also known as KONI-TAN, is a Japanese actress, singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. Career Konishi appeared in Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 2006 film '' Retribution'', which was screened at the 63rd Venice Film Festival. She also appeared i ...

plays Koji's sister after one of her parents remarries, and

Haruka Igawa is a Japanese actress and a former gravure idol. Career Igawa appeared in Kiyoshi Kurosawa's 2008 film ''Tokyo Sonata'' and Shinji Aoyama's 2011 film '' Tokyo Park''. Filmography Film * ''Filament'' (2001) * '' Tokyo.sora'' (2001) * ''Dog Star ...

plays the woman that Koji is photographing.

Cast

Haruma Miura was a Japanese actor and singer. He made his acting debut in the television drama ''Agri'' (1997) and rose to popularity after starring in the film '' Koizora'' (2007), winning Newcomer of the Year at the 31st Japan Academy Prize. In the foll ...

as Koji Shida *

Nana Eikura is a Japanese actress, model, and occasional radio show host affiliated with Ken-On Group. Biography She was born in Izumi, Kagoshima, and raised in Sagamihara, Kanagawa.

as Miyu Tominaga *

as Misaki Shida *

as Yurika Hatsushima *

Shota Sometani is a Japanese actor from Koto, Tokyo. He is known for his protagonist roles in ''Himizu'' and ''Parasyte''. Career Sometani was a child actor. He has worked in both film and television, gaining his first leading role in ''Pandora's Box'', ...

as Hiro Takai * Yo Takahashi as Takashi Hatsushima *

Takashi Ukaji is a Japanese actor. Early life Born in Tokyo, but raised in Hiroshima Prefecture, Ukaji was the leader of one of Japan's largest bosozoku groups before becoming an actor. His mother is Shizue Ukaji, a prominent Ainu poet and artist. Career ...

as Kenichi Haraki

Release

''Tokyo Koen'' was showcased at the 64th

Locarno International Film Festival The Locarno Film Festival is an annual film festival, held every August in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narrative, documentary, ...

to compete for the

Golden Leopard The Golden Leopard () is the top prize at the Locarno International Film Festival, an international film festival held annually in Locarno, Switzerland since 1946. Directors in the process of getting an international reputation are allowed to be ...

award in August 2011. The film was awarded a special Golden Leopard to honor Aoyama's career.

Reception

Mark Shilling of ''

The Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched b ...

'' gave the film a rating of 3.5 stars out of five. He noted that the film was "a new outlook and approach" by the director

. He described the character Koji as "an amiable, passive empty slate on which the more aggressive, knowing types around him can write their own dramas". Neil Young of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...

'' said ''Tokyo Park'' was Aoyama's most mainstream, conventional film. He cited "the insipid blandness of a daytime soap-opera, lacking anything resembling urgency, edge or originality", saying that the cinematography was "picturesquely banal" and the score was "jauntily intrusive". Jay Weissberg of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' felt that the film existed in an airless state despite its outdoor sequences.

References

External links

* 2011 films 2011 drama films Japanese drama films 2010s Japanese-language films 2010s Japanese films {{2010s-Japan-film-stub