Learn Japanese Through Movies #1

Hello, my dear souls! ♡

I feel so motivated for writing today that I could write around 10 blog posts haha :D

I hope you're all doing great and enjoying warm autumn days.

Today I'm here to show you my #list 1 of Japanese movies that I've watched so far.

SWEET BEAN (あん)

'Sweet Bean' was released in 2015.

I've decided to watch it, simply because I liked the poster's background - Sakura. Movie itself is not for people who like action and some dramatic scenes happening through the whole movie.

It's a movie about dorayaki shop owner Sentaro who is searching for a co-worker. I don't want to give you any more details, because I want you to watch the movie by itself. But, I want to mention that Sweet bean was the first Japanese movie that I watched and I liked it right away, because it shows the life of people and their struggles. There is no 'perfection' like we can see in American movies, where everyone are living a happy life or are hunted by ghosts, there is no in between haha.

SHOPLIFTERS (万引き家族)

At first, I didn't know how to feel about this movie. I understood the non- biological family at some point but at some point I also didn't. I had mixed feelings about the whole situation, but movie itself is great! Every person on this picture has its own story and background from which they come from.

We can see a couple (woman with tight orange-white dress and the only man on this pic), grandma and 3 kids. They come from families that were not able to show their kids love. The whole movie is emotional and you can feel their suffering while watching it.

LIKE FATHER LIKE SON (そして父になる)

'Like father like son', is a 2 hours long film about successful architect Ryōta, his wife Midori and his son Keita. Family lived their live like all normal families do, but one day a call from a hospital change their lives forever. Again, I'm not going to tell you what happened, you need to watch it alone. But, don't read the plot info on the internet hehe.

It's an emotional and sad movie, but I have to tell you that I love it and I really suggest you to watch it! I also really liked the acting of Masaharu. He did an amazing job playing a father. And oh, he's an Aquarius like me, maybe that's why I was so impressed by his acting skills ;)

DEPARTURES (おくりびと)

Another great movie, which follows a young cellist who returns to his hometown after a failed career. He starts working as nōkanshi-a, which is a traditional Japanese ritual mortician. While watching a movie, there were a lot of thoughts running through my head like: "How emotionally strong, people have to be to work as mortician?". Movie is 2 hours long, so make popcorn, grab a cola and start watching :)

BATTLE ROYALE (バトル・ロワイアル)

And here is the movie for all my horror lovers out there! 'Battle Royale' is an older movie, compared to others on that list. It was released in 2000. The movie is really scary and I don't suggest you to watch it at night haha. I was surprised how people can turn their back to people they actually love in order to survive and save their 'asses', but that's exactly what is happening between children in today's generation. It's a movie about a group of junior high-school students that are forced to fight to the death. It was banned in South Korea for being far too graphically violent. Another interesting fact: While I was searching for the movie to watch, I saw an article that says: 'The Hunger Games' copied 'Battle Royale' and after watching the movie I saw that it's true. Such a disappointment.

TRUE MOTHERS (朝が来る)

'True Mothers' is the newest film, released in 2020. It's a story about a couple who couldn't have children and later decided for adoption. It's not in common that couples meet with biological mothers of kids they want to adopt, but in this movie couple decided to meet with the biological mother Hikari, who makes troubles later on.

The movie is great, and I suggest you to watch it. :)

LANGUAGE BENEFITS

SWEET BEAN: The speech pattern and language use are emotional and less complicated. Through the whole movie you can learn about Japan’s prejudices, history, and reconciliations. You can also learn new words connected to food and how to build sentences when you're telling someone a story.

SHOPLIFTERS: I can guarantee you that this movie with help you with NAT Test - https://www.studyfrenchspanish.com/japanese-nat-test/

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON: Daily conversations between family members.

DEPARTURES: The movie offers a great way to learn Japanese colloquialism.

BATTLE ROYALE: Includes many bad words: like: idiot, killing, death, etc.

TRUE MOTHERS: Words and sentences suitable for daily conversations.

So, my dear souls, we came to an end. I hope you like my new post. I didn't want to give you much information about the plots, because there's more chances that you'll watch it ;)

Thank you for being always so supportive and reading till the end. See you in my next post!

With love,

Anja