FRINQ 131K
Art Portfolio
Category C: Northwest Film Festival
02/23/16
Ana Plugatar
100 Yen Love
(Masaharu Take, Japan)
百円の恋
100 Yen Love is a Japanese sports drama, directed by Masaharu Take, screenplay
by Shin Adachi, music composed by Shogo Kaida, starring Sakura Ando and
Hirofumi Arai.
Synopsis:
An ambitionless 32-year- old slacker Ichiko (Ando) still lives with her parents in a
small crowded apartment above a family owned café. Because of the dysfunctional
relationship with her sister, after another spontaneous fight, Ichiko is forced to
pack her things and leave in search of her own place. She gets a job at a store that
sells every item for 100 yen. It is not the nicest place, but nevertheless- it’s a start
and a turning point for her. Every day on her way home she passes by a local
boxing gym, to lustfully watch an amateur boxer Kano (Arai) train. She starts an
awkward romantic relationship with him after they spent a day at the zoo.
While observing Kano fight, Ichiko is mesmerized by the sport and they way
boxers pat each other on the back after the final bell. After the fight, her creepy co-
worker Noma acts irrationally under the influence of alcohol and decides to
express his long interest in Ichico. This leads into some very unpleasant
observations that, alongside the cheating boyfriend, lead her into a life changing
decision. She begins her training from the bottom, making her way through pain
with the memories of a lifetime of physical and emotional abuse, all the way into a
professional debut in a boxing ring. However she never gets her perfect win, even
after a hell of a fight.
The film is following the classical Hollywood narrative of an abused,
underestimated individual struggling through personal and social misconceptions
for a better future and true love. It is filled with cliché moments that are still
strangely appealing, like a slow motion medium shot she follows out to a final
debut.
Shooting a rape scene in close- up made for a fantastic effect- it is so deeply
disturbing and appalling I held back a gag.
Overall, it is a well made, well acted out motion picture with a great idea of the
position of moral values and self worth in a society. The non- diegetic sound
resonates perfectly with humorous remarks and shifts in the narrative, and an
extraordinary performance by Ando gives the picture a real flair.
One of the most interesting aspects in film analysis is character development.
Ichico starts out as a complete mess, given up on any hope of proving useful or
starting a successful relationship. The director decided to link her personality with
the choice of specific art direction in her hairdo. In the beginning of the movie her
hair is all in her face, covering most of it, unkempt and dirty, hanging loosely in
the air with no order whatsoever, much like herself. She is shying away from any
form of human contact, especially with the people closest to her, like parents or
siblings. She is wearing her pajamas while walking the streets. It was about when
she got recruited, after filling out a resume right there in front of her employer, that
her appearance began to change. She is still not the chattiest type, ignoring any
form of small talk, but she is dressed in a professional uniform and a bit more of
her face is noticeable.
Most dramatic change happens when Ichico begins to make progress in her
training. She cuts off her long disoriented locks and starts wearing a ponytail. That
is when we realize this reoccurring motif has been a metaphor for her self-sabotage
and coping with social abuse and, like a veil or a curtain, is finally being lifted to
reveal her full potential.
