sappitysap

I'm working on a couple of things right now, and I've got the romantic movie いま、会いに行きます ("Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu"...with a faltering English title of "Be With You") playing in the background. This movie is so incredibly sappy...which is why I like it so much, I think.
















The synopsis according to imdb:

"Mio's death leaves husband Takumi and 6 year old son Yuji fending for themselves. Taku occasionally suffers fainting spells, is disorganized, and fears that his health hindered Mio's happiness. Yuji overheard relatives speculate that his delivery compromised her health, and he blames himself for her death. Mio left him a picture book in which she departs for "The Archive Star" but re-appears during the rainy season the following year, and he eagerly awaits her return. Taking a walk in the forest outside their house, Taku and Yuji find a woman sheltering from the rain and immediately accept her as Mio. She has no memory or sense of identity, but comes home to live with them anyway. She asks Taku how they met and fell in love, and he recounts a tale of years of missed chances starting in high school until she encouraged their marriage years later. As the rainy season nears its end, Yuji finds the "time capsule" he hid with his mother before her death. Mio's diary is inside, and its version of the romance holds the answers to the mystery."

Okay, that is...maybe not such a great synopsis. Uh, the gist of it is right. Mio passes away due to health complications (apparently her health was in a decline after Yuji's birth). The year after her death finds Takumi and Yuji still blaming themselves in various ways for Mio's death, and questioning themselves as to her happiness with them while she was alive. Mio wrote and illustrated a little book for Yuji about this phenomenon of passing away and reappearing during the rainy season.
Miraculously, Mio really does appear when the rainy season begins...and Yuji and Takumi are given a second chance to be with her and reassure themselves of her happiness.

It's totally sappy and the whole time travel element they introduce towards the end is a little hard to believe, but for some reason I just really love this movie. Takumi is so very awkward (but not as bad as Mr. Train Man in DENSHA OTOKO), but likable, and Yuji is sooooo cute!
I would watch this movie just to see/hear Yuji say, "Daijoubu yo! Taberareru yo!" And yes, the weeper ending gets me every time.

:) If you are a fan of sappy Asian romantic movies, esp. tearjerkers, you should like this one. Coincidentally, I was looking for the picture above when I came across Nakamura Shidou's filmography, and realized that he's actually the voice of Ryuuk from Death Note, which I just watched recently. Iiiiiiinteresting. (He's also in Letters from Iwo Jima.) And. Yes. Okay I go back to work now.