It's complicated... I really like the directing, acting and writing but, there are issues with the way it's shot that I just can't deny. As much as I love the storytelling and the fantastic performance but, there are also certain scenes that didn't need to exist.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

I'm surprised that no one has written any comments on this movie. I'm not really a big j-horror aficionado, although I've seen most of the major releases and their US remakes (ringu, the grudge 1 and 2, rinne, etc.) This movie doesn't really fit into the sleek, jumpy thrills of those movies, but I some parts of it, for example the end, are much less adrenaline pumped and just more chilling and disturbing. I think these sections are quite effective, if cinema is meant to be something that can evoke a response. This movie also took a little more thinking than the really popular J-horror movies I've seen, both in a somewhat confusing plot (although nothing compared to some other movies out there) and some philosophical ideas relating to Japanese culture. The acting was decent, not distracting in any ways, and the cinematography lended itself to the atmosphere quite nicely. Some of the horror effects weren't quite convincing, leading me to suspect this was a lower budget production. Part of the movie also seemed to become one of those action/thriller/end of the world movies were the protagonists had to prevent something in order to save society, a section which wasn't necessarily boring, but which detracted from the metaphysical and strange sections. Overall, not a bad movie, with some interesting sections, and some fairly banal ones, but nothing really standing out.