is a 2012 Japanese

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...

musical romance film directed by

Takashi Miike is a Japanese film director, film producer and screenwriter. He has directed over 100 feature film, video, and television productions since his debut in 1991. His films span a variety of different genres, ranging from violent and surrealism, b ...

based on the

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

series '' Ai to Makoto'' by Ikki Kajiwara and Takumi Nagayasu. It premiered at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

on May 21, 2012, where it was presented out of competition. Previous adaptations of the manga series had been titled ''Love and Truth'' in English but this 2012 film version was alternatively titled ''For Love's Sake'' in English.

Plot

The film begins with a brief animated prologue set in 1961 in which Ai (

Emi Takei is a Japanese actress and model. Biography Takei was born in Nagoya. Aspiring to become a model, she declared to her parents on her entry to junior high school that she would become a model within three years. In 2006, she entered the 11th Japa ...

), the daughter of a well-respected Tokyo family, is skiing down a snowy hill and crashes into young Makoto ( Satoshi Tsumabuki). 11 years later in Tokyo in 1972, Ai is a senior in high school when Makoto shows up and is attacked by a local Tokyo gang of boys. Makoto fights them off single-handed during the film's first musical number, setting the style for the rest of the film. Ai jumps in to stop the fighting and Makoto recognizes her as the one who injured him and gave him a large scar on his forehead as a child. The police arrive and immediately recognize Ai as the daughter of a wealthy family while arresting all of the boys including Makoto, who is to be sent to a reform school. He is moments away from being attacked by a gang upon his arrival when he is informed that the Saotame family has arranged for his release and transfer to the prestigious Aobadai Prep School, where Ai is a popular student at the top of her class in academics and sports. Ai finds herself interested in Makoto and has convinced her family to sponsor him. The film follows the relationship between the delinquent Makoto and the privileged schoolgirl Ai.
Iwashimizu, president of the student council, is in love with Ai. Iwashimizu shows Makoto that Ai has been breaking school rules working part-time dancing at a club and Makoto attempts to blackmail her parents for 1 million yen. They have him expelled from school and sent to Hanazono Trade School to be with his "own kind". Gum-ko and Yuki, a member and leader of a gang of girls at the trade school, become interested in Makoto.

Cast

* Satoshi Tsumabuki as Makoto Taiga *

as Ai Saotome *

Takumi Saito is a Japanese actor and filmmaker. He directs films under his birthname, , spelled differently in Kanji but pronounced the same. Early life and work Saito was born on August 22, 1981, in Minato, Tokyo. Saitoh's father worked in the film in ...

as Hiroshi Iwashimizu * Ito Ohno as Yuki Takahara * Masachika Ichimura as Shogo Saotome * Yo Hitoto as Miyako Saotome * Kimiko Yo as Toyo Taiga * Seishiro Kato as Makoto Taiga * Sakura Andō as Gum-ko * Tsuyoshi Ihara as Kenta Zaô

Production

Filming took place in the Japanese locations of

Odawara is a Cities of Japan, city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 188,482 and a population density of 1,700 persons per km2. The total area of the city is . Geography Odawara lies in the Ashigara Plains, in ...

, Shibuya-ku,

Shinjuku , officially called Shinjuku City, is a special ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world ( Shinjuku Station) as well as the Tokyo Metropol ...

, Tochigi, and

Toshima is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. It is one of the eight central wards of the Tokyo Metropolitan area. Located in the northern area of Tokyo, Toshima is bordered by the wards of Nerima, Itabashi, and Kita in the north and N ...

Reception

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' gave the film a moderately negative review, calling it overly long and characterizing the choreography and songs as simplistic, though praising the actors. Allan Hunter of ScreenDaily.com wrote that "there is only so much fun to be had from watching people being repeatedly whacked over the head or endlessly punched in the face."

References

External links

* {{Takashi Miike 2012 films Films directed by Takashi Miike Films set in 1961 Films set in 1972 Japanese high school films Japanese musical comedy films Japanese romantic musical films Live-action films based on manga 2010s gang films 2010s musical comedy films 2010s romantic musical films 2012 comedy films 2010s Japanese films Films scored by Takeshi Kobayashi 2012 musical films