There was a movie poster that, for some strange reason, I kept seeing everywhere. It was for the film <The 100th Love with You>. When I first saw it, the actor Kentaro Sakaguchi wasn't very famous to me. Now, however, having seen several of his works, he has become quite familiar. The image of him holding a guitar and looking straight ahead with his unique expression and gaze was particularly impressive even before I watched the movie.
After all this time, I finally got around to watching this film, which had long remained just a poster in my memory. Considering it was released in both Japan and Korea in 2017, quite a bit of time has passed. The movie falls into the romance genre, typical of Japanese cinema. However, to be honest, it fell slightly short of the expectations I had built up from other Japanese romance masterpieces I've seen.
The core element of the story is the 'time leap'. At first, I assumed the female protagonist, Aoi Hinata (played by miwa), possessed the ability to travel through time. I predicted it would be a typical fantasy romance where she uses this power to confess her feelings to Riku Hasegawa (played by Kentaro Sakaguchi), the man she has a crush on. This initial setup was certainly enough to pique my curiosity.
A university lecture scene, which appears in the trailer and early in the film, serves as important foreshadowing. Aoi finds it strange when she realizes the lecture content is exactly the same as one she has experienced before. The book she is holding at this moment is Michael Ende's novel, "Momo." This book carries a profound message about 'time thieves', and the cover of the book shown in the film felt very familiar.
It was because the design was almost identical to the cover of the Korean version I had read a very long time ago, with the only difference being the Japanese text. It was interesting how even a minor prop like this was used as a device to penetrate the film's core theme of time. This book seemed to hint at the secrets of time and the destiny that would unfold for the two protagonists.
Aoi has had a one-sided crush on her childhood friend, Riku, for a long time. However, Riku exudes a mysterious aura, seeming almost aloof as if he belongs to a different world. He shows outstanding talent in many areas, including his band activities, but he rarely reveals his inner feelings. Aoi tries to confess her love to Riku, but she hesitates each time, intimidated by his apparent perfection and indifference.
The two are preparing to perform together in a band for the university festival, with Aoi as the vocalist and Riku on guitar. Aoi plans to convey her feelings on this occasion, but she finds herself in danger of a traffic accident. When she opens her eyes again, she realizes that the day she has already lived through is repeating. However, this ability does not belong to Aoi. The movie attempts to connect this time-leap phenomenon not just to fantasy but to 'quantum mechanics', revealing that it was actually Riku who held the secret to this time loop.
Riku had been using a 'life record' to turn back time repeatedly in order to save Aoi from the accident. Eventually, Aoi also learns this secret, and the two confirm their mutual feelings, falling in love within the repeating days. The depiction of them nurturing their love, being the only two aware of each other within the miraculous, looping time, is portrayed romantically.
However, this 'repetitive happiness' also signifies being 'trapped in time'. While this period might feel like an eternity for the loving couple, is it true happiness if this loop continues forever? From Riku's perspective, who endures all of this for Aoi, he is bound to feel a sense of guilt and apology towards her. There is also the realistic problem that even if time seems stopped, their physical bodies will eventually age. The film presents a deep dilemma about what the right choice is for the person you truly love.
It seems particularly common in Japanese films to cast actual singers when the protagonist is a musician. The actress 'miwa', who played the female lead, is also a singer by profession, but frankly, her vocals in the movie weren't very impressive. Conversely, I was surprised by Kentaro Sakaguchi, from whom I hadn't expected much vocally, as he showed quite stable singing skills and guitar playing. Although the film fell a bit short of my high expectations, it was a meaningful watch, as I finally got to see the movie I had only known through its poster for so long.
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