Little DJ:Chiisana koi no monogatari

This kinda reminds me of the PV of the M-Flo's Lotta Love.

There were two reasons why I wanted to watch this movie. First of all is of course, Hirosue Ryoko. I'd watch anything with her in it. Second is Fukuda Mayuko. Of the 3 alumni from Jyoou no Kyoushitsu, I think she has the most potential. Sure Shida Mirai seems to be getting more jobs but Fukuda Mayuko has much more potential. She's got the ability to act and convey emotions with just her eyes. In other words, she doesn't need to overact to get her character's emotions across to the audience. Little did I suspect that Kamiki Ryunosuke would end up stealing the show.

Hirosue Ryoko in (sadly) a very minor role.

There are two parts in this movie. The first is the DJ story. Taro (Kamiki Ryunosuke) is a kid who likes commentating on baseball games and listening to radio broadcasts. He is struck with an illness and has to live in the hospital. The hospital plays music through the PA system and the head of the hospital comes acroos Taro's talent and proposes that Taro be the DJ of the hospital. This short lived part is the most fun to watch as we see not only how Taro connects to people with his DJing but also how people respond outside to him.

Its been 3 years since Jyoou and she looks the same...

The second part is the sekachu part. If you've seen, you'll know ilness Taro has. Like sekachu, this part of the movie is too long. Maybe its just that it took too much time from the DJ part. Maybe its just that I didn't like how Fukuda Mayuko was grinning like an idiot most of the time. Can't her acting skills though. The short scene with her an Taro's mom outside the hospital entrance is gold. The biggest fault lies with the script. Too much sekachu and not enough DJing.

The innocence of youth! :)

Like the dorama, Little DJ was great when it was about other characters and their relationships/past. There's no point spending so much time on the main characters and the inevitability of the ending. Its like this writer has a cool idea for the DJ kid in hospital story but the producers said that they wanted it more like Sekachu to attract the chicks. A bit too much effort into tear jerking IMO but its not as bad as it sounds. My gripe has to do with what the movie could be instead of what it actually is.

Hot nurse alert!!!!!

Kamiki Ryunosuke really stole the show. He's been in so many shows but I remember him the most from Wedding Planner. His potrayal of Taro is masterful. From his convincing DJing to his internalisation of emotions to his akwardness with Tamaki. Its a shame the script doesn't allow the rest of the great cast to show their acting skills much.

I'd like to live in a Japanese hospital when I grow up.

In summary, I'd still have to recommend this show. Its not that memorable but still highly watchable. And lets not forget the excellent music. Thanks to 8thsin for once again subbing another Japanese movie!