That was an excellent one.

hyped garbage

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

It's smart to drive type stories through unconventional characters. As it turns out, as long as it is done properly, traditional themes can be unconventional. The more intense the depression, the more transparent the catharsis, therefore, when Sakura Andô appeared on the screen, the film had already succeeded in half. However, I think that the ending part is a bit long, in addition it may be better if the ending is bolder.

Poor Ichiko! She's self-indulgent and grungy. A humorous Million Dollar Baby (you know...that female boxer trained by Clint Eastwood), but still dramatic and sad as well. It's dramatic because of the ending which I *loved* because it was so intense wondering if she'll win or lose. But no, it's not this boring boxing film.It's closer to Girlfight with Michelle Rodriguez actually, even though Ichiko's just as angry but in the beginning way less inclined to boxing, which makes her heroic when she starts getting better! OK to be honest the reason I adore this film and laugh and cry all throughout and sometimes both at once is because I literally AM Ichiko; only difference is, she actually went to become a boxer when all I did was approach the owner of a gym to my mother's chagrin as a disgruntled teenager. Ichiko also starts dating and living on her own after a very similar family dynamic to my own: A thin crow of an older sister who antagonizes couch potato Ichiko with nasty insults and instigating fights; there's a small child in the house, an indifferent dad and a stout, bespectacled, hard-working, sort of worry wart mother. And then the cave-woman that Ichiko is, who over the years has clearly let herself go in complacence. So her mother forces her out on her own, after too much dysfunction and sibling rivalry and entitled negligence of chores in the household.However, the climb (especially sudden climb) to independence as an adult on her own reveals (in a hard to watch but also very funny way) Ichiko's clumsiness, loneliness, insecurity, and her lack of social, professional, fashion, and dating skills! That summary up there ^^^^ is literally my life. So I laughed because I related but also cried because I related. I was rooting for Ichiko all throughout because she ran into predators of men, horrible bosses, found no friends, a basic job, with a fringed relationship to her family. Yet the ending blasts viewers (at least me) with a realistic ass ending that really should remind you: It's not about winning; it's about trying!!!!

I really liked this movie, If by chance you're worried this is some type of Japanese Hollywood spin-off cliché' movie - I'd say it's actually quite a ways away - like in another planet from that, so no worries there.In fact it was so un-typical, un-what I would normally expect - all the way to the very end - that it was shocking to me.I really appreciated that quite a bit about this movie - certainly a unique journey for sure. They way they set it up - felt like an elaborate set up from one minute to the next.If there's some type of moralistic or main message in this movie - good luck pinning it down and figuring it out. (as far as I'm concerned, that's a great thing!)I watch a ton of movies - including tons of out there ones (mostly actually). This one certainly stands on it's own. Like another reviewer said - you've got a full range here. I found myself laughing out- loud from the extreme absurdity - and then truly depressed/almost going straight from one to the other - and then everywhere else in the same fashion.If you're looking for comedy and light hearted laughs and that's it - I would suggest skipping this one. This one's pretty intense, and in my opinion extremely realistic somehow.At the same time I'd say don't expect too much - I'm going on and on but it's not some ground breaking/earth shattering flick - it's just it's own thing.If you're looking for something different, unique, you like quirky humor, can handle movies that show really serious subject matter, and maybe if you're a shut-in and feel like taking a break from the noise even - I'd say give this one a try. It might be the new rare gem you've been looking for - even if you're having a hard time really knowing what you actually think about this movie afterwards - like I am right now. Good luck! haha :)

100 Yen Love (2014 Japanese movie)… Premise: A lazy and aimless woman in her thirties finally finds her passion for life through amateur boxing.SPOILERS AHEAD!Our story begins with our heroine to be (Ichiko) living at home with her parents. She's slovenly and lethargic, and she's also jobless, never had a boyfriend, and has zero ambition or desire to accomplish anything. She's portrayed as a shut in type that mostly stays in her room eating junk food and playing video games. Her mother is fed up with this routine, and she and Ichiko sort of mutually agree that it's time for Ichiko to start experiencing life on her own. With a few bucks in hand, Ichiko sets out to find a place to live, and takes the graveyard shift at the local convenience store she frequents where everything costs 100 yen. On her way home from work each morning, she passes a local boxing gym that soon begins to draw her interest. She eventually approaches this gym for some boxing lessons one day, and from there, she's off on her journey from awkward un-athletic girl to a more confident and fit woman. Along the way, she finds herself, and a boyfriend (sort of), and generally starts to emerge from her shell overall while experiencing life's ups and downs.I suppose one could compare this movie to a female version of the original 'Rocky', or something similar. This isn't really a sports themed movie though, as the boxing aspect really serves as just a metaphor. More than anything, this movie is one of those meandering life growth stories that the Japanese film making industry specializes in. And although the boxing element does eventually play a big part here, this film is more tonally aligned to other semi-recent films from Japan such as 'Breathe In, Breathe Out', 'Sawako Decides', 'Funuke, Show Some Love You Losers'. None of these films are the same by any means, but they all share similar dramatic elements with '100 Yen Love', and they all tend to progress at a very unhurried pace which are occasionally punctuated by periodic instances of humor, quirky characters, weirdness, and pivotal moments, until they reach their climax.Sakura Ando plays the lead as Ichiko, and, everybody else is basically a supporting character. I've seen Sakura Ando in a number of roles over the last decade, and she's always gotten the job done quite well in my opinion. This is a head turning performance though, and one that is well deserving of some best actress consideration. She doesn't really say a whole lot throughout, as she mostly lets her expressions, mannerisms, and body language, do the talking instead; she utilizes these physical traits to speak volumes though, and this is one very effective portrayal of emotional and physical development within the framework of the story.This is somewhat of an odd and uneven film, and at times, it almost feels like two entirely different films smashed together. It can be equally as dull as it is exciting, annoying as it is funny, heartwarming as it depressing, and so on. I'm not sure I would've even liked it if the lead actress wasn't so imminently watchable (regardless of what was happening on screen). This is a front & center role that requires a good deal of nuance and subtlety until it's time to let it fly athletically, and Sakura Ando owns every bit of it from start to finish. And although I suspect there was some early use of a body double and/or prosthetics (in order to make her initially look a little more out of shape than she actually was), it's obvious she put in some serious workouts in order to get lean and toned when the time came to step into the ring. If you tuned into to watch only the first and last 10 minutes, you'd have a hard time reconciling the fact that it was the same actress playing the same role in the same movie… I'm really not sure if that's a good or bad thing, but it is a decent indication of both the lead's incredible diversity, and the movie's ambition. PROS: This film is pretty solid and enjoyable overall, the lead actress is outstanding in her role, the movie is very appropriately scored to suit varying moods & themes (including the insanity inducing background music that is perpetually played at the 100 Yen store, which perhaps explains why every employee & regular customer there is a bit "off"). It features a simple, and often easy going, story w/o any frills, and it utilizes a minimal budget effectively in order to produce an entertaining life growth /semi-boxing movie that's also fairly well shot, written, and directed. So, not much to dislike here!CONS: This story won't work for everyone and many people may find this film to be a bit boring (particularly during the first half), the movie is disjointed on occasion and the transition of the lead from shy dork to determined boxer girl could have been smoothed out in order to be a little more seamless & cohesive (so that the movie would not appear to be broken down into two distinct halves quite as much), and there was one early scene regarding the lead character's virginity that did not seem appropriate to the tone of the story at all (although I suppose one could consider such an event to be an entirely relevant possibility under the circumstances).Summary: I loved it for the most part! Clearly not the best movie I've seen from 2014, but definitely one of my personal favorites from that year. Be forewarned though…it pays to have a lot of patience and/or some prior positive experiences with these types of Japanese movie productions in order to get the most mileage out of it. Worth it alone though, just to watch Sakura Ando's mesmerizing performance.Bottom Line: 8 out of 10 stars.