Korean(. ) Movie Opinion #8: 1 million Yen Girl (2008)

by Kurt Johnson

Starring: Yu Aoi (Suzuko Sato), Mirai Moriyama (Ryohei Nakajima), andf Ryusei Saito (Takuya Sato). Created and you can directed by the Yuki Tanada. Within the Japanese having English subtitles. 121 times. Accessible to see on the web here.

Which last times recently been insanely hectic for me, that have family members, bosses, and you can magazine writers most of the conspiring to store me personally away from writing here. Very, it absolutely was having a specific jealousy that i in the end sat down to watch One million Yen Girl, about a great 21 seasons-dated lady (Suzuko) which escapes her very own difficulties of the randomly swinging round the The japanese, saving 1 million yen (US$9730) at unusual perform ahead of shifting to another place. If only I’d a similar versatility.

The movie reveals which have Suzuko completing a-two-week phrase in the jail, on backstory trying out the initial 15 minutes. Being employed as a waitress immediately following graduation, and you can managing their own parents and you may twelve-year-dated sister Takuya, Suzuko was certain because of the an excellent coworker to go out and acquire a place with her. When they signal a lease towards the a location even though, not only do the newest coworker demonstrate that their boyfriend is actually joining their particular, however, she breaks with him towards moving big date, leaving Suzuko to reside that have a stranger. She in the near future chafes at their palpable sense of entitlement with the brand new agreements.

Currently, it is very simple to blame Suzuko getting their unique later on difficulties: she need to have become a lot more cocky with her coworker. She must have gone out instantly, and stuff like that. Confrontation-avoiding is, after all, one of the many templates of the movie. It is stressed repeatedly since their particular fleeting exposure in almost any locales compels their own in order to always shy regarding public activities, having Yu Aoi’s waif-like looks further adding to their impact of meekness. (Or is one history simply a label from mine?)

(Source)

However, on top of that, very watchers might sympathize having Suzuko’s vulnerability after making family, and additionally their particular required reluctance to go back so you can their own parents, hopes for freedom stalled. Plus, while it’s an easy task to overlook towards the a primary viewing, she happens to be an amazingly tricky reputation, exhibiting their mettle towards multiple selection era.

The original, when their flatmate places out an excellent kitten she will bring family, leaving they to acquire stepped on in the pub, to which she responds by all of a sudden moving out and you can putting all the their possessions out. As he states this million yen was between those individuals, and you can fees their particular which have theft, she won’t prevent jail because of the saying that they slept to one another, whereby this new charge would-have-been dismissed since a great lovers’ quarrel. (Sadly, she seems a lot more retired than simply defiant right here.)

Including a lot of the film regardless of if, this is extremely abrupt, and you will might have benefited of more times regarding seeing its relationship deteriorate earliest. But it does help us to know their own impulsive move.

Right back together with her family unit members and dealing again (partly to greatly help shell out an additional 2 hundred,000 yen okay), its very first loved ones dinner to each other is a great jarring scene where their own moms and dads in the near future begin screaming at each and every https://getbride.org/da/blog/osteuropaeiske-kvinder-vs-amerikanske-kvinder/ other concerning close-issues these include each which have, if you’re across the them their particular precocious brat out-of a sis berates Suzuko having (allegedly?) damaging their likelihood of getting into a good college. No wonder she solves immediately to go out of, albeit maybe not before beating-up certain former classmates which label-name their in the street, and you may slow home heating in order to her sibling while they reach discover they’ll miss one another. Unbeknown to help you their unique, also, it is showed that he is being bullied in school.