User Reviews

As a Japanese, I enjoyed this movie very much. I think this movie means so much to Japanese audience (I'm not saying that only Japanese can enjoy the movie). If I saw a movie about rebuilding a foreign country, I would not that get touched, because I don't know about the country very much.

But I know that people in that age did take the biggest part in rebuilding Japan, living in a very hard time. They were Japan's most energetic, hopeful and strong people in my opinion. Having experienced the war, they believed that they can get better and richer, if only they made great efforts. They believed in the future.

But how about the real today? Are we still able to keep the sunset that the Suzuki family saw? Do we smile innocently like them? I thought of the real world, and felt very sorry for the people in the movie.

I know that this movie does not portrait the "real" Japan. Many people aren't so innocent or good, and Japan became richer because they sold weapons to the US at the Korean War. This movie is, in a sense, fantasy. I regard this movie as a theme park; When you're in a theme park, you probably forget to criticize it and just get fooled by the "lies" the theme park shows on purpose, in order to enjoy. I first thought this movie was a tear-jerker, but at the next moment I thought it's too nonsense to say that it's just a tear-jerker, because this movie IS a tear-jerker on purpose. This movie is a emotion-stirrer for Japanese people who have forgotten to show emotions.

I got fooled by the cute lies of the movie, and I cried when Hiromi receives the invisible ring by Chagawa, when Roku finds that her mother loved her staring the letters she got, and when Junnosuke comes back to Chagawa.

I could hear "cry! cry!" from the screen which I usually hate. But this time, I was feeling so gentle and tender-hearted that I forget to criticize. Not only me but everyone in the theater felt the same thing. We felt like we were in the 1950s, and watching our neighbors. We laughed and cried so loud like in older ages (in Japan today, when you make a tiny single noise in the theater someone will stare at you angrily). No one scolded kids speaking or older people eating something, because I think we became gentle while watching people in old days. Indeed, I could feel gentler than usual even finished watching the movie. And at the same time, I felt very sad at that there is no such energy in Japan anymore.

But I just want to say thank you to the directors for making a movie that I can talk with grandfathers about their youth.

In 1974, manga writer Ryohei Saigan created a comic called "San Chome no Yuhi" ("Sunset on Third Street"). The comic revolved around the day-to-day adventures in a Tokyo neighborhood in the period of 1955-1964. The manga is now one of the longest-running comics in Japan, and created an animated series and a trilogy of live-action films, of which this is the first film.

The film works best as a period piece. No expense was spared to recreate the era of 1958 Japan. The people of Japan are most proud of that era: it was after World War 2, when they had been broken and defeated; like a slow-burning phoenix, with hard work, ambitious dreams and their own indomitable will, they rise up to stand tall and proud. The film is filled with this spirit: whatever tragedies they may suffer, they will never give up but keep pushing onwards, filled with the hope of things getting better.

The story and acting is good and solid. The great appeal of this film are its universal and optimistic cast; these are characters you feel you know your whole life: the man of the house who works to feed his family, the kindhearted housewife, the smart but innocent children, and so many others. This film gives a little more detail and background to the whole cast, while the next two films has two main families to focus on (which rather takes away from the ensemble story).

The only real flaw with this film is that it's too intimate and anthological for a motion picture: it works better in a serial format, like a comic or a TV show (which it already was). Also unless you have an interest/knowledge of Japanese culture, it's not really anything interesting (I myself came across this only because of the reputation of the manga it was based on).

The film ends with a sunset on the residents of Third Street, which both signifies the end of an experience and the promise of a new day and new experiences. That is, pretty much, the core of a slice of life work: it's all in a day's work, compiling of both the usual and unusual, the magical and the mundane, but always a day full of incident and adventure.

Who would have thought that director Yamazaki Takashi, the man behind such big sci-fi action films as "Returner" and "Juvenille" was capable of directing such a sweet and heart-touching movie about the importance of family, nostalgia and community.

Set amidst the backdrop of the construction of the Tokyo Tower (1957-1958), "Always San Chome No Yuhi" (Always - Sunset On Third Street) follows a young high school student from the northern prefecture of Aomori, Hoshino Mutsuko (Horikita Maki) a recent Junior High graduate who is now off to Tokyo, having been accepted for employment at a "prestigious" Auto Company. However much to her chagrin and disappointment, Mutsuko discovers that the cozy job of her dreams is merely an apprentice mechanic's position with a small struggling auto repair store. It's owner, the proud and hot-tempered Suzuki Norifumi (Tsutsumi Shinichi) a former soldier and himself a country boy had come to Tokyo with dreams of setting up his own car factory. Norifumi is equally disappointed that his request for a first rate mechanic went wrong (Suzuki had misread Mutsuko's resume which stated that she had taken courses in bicycle "jitensha" repair and not car "jidousha" repair). Conflicts arise as Mutsuko struggles to learn the car repair business from Suzuki. Her only allies at home are Suzuki's kindly wife Tomoe (Yakushimaru Hiroko) and Suzuki's rascally young son Ippei (Koshimizu Kazuki).

Across the way, struggling writer and neighbor Chagawa Ryunosuke is also having a battle with harsh reality. Despite graduating from acclaimed Tokyo University (Todai) with a literature degree, he still can't get descent work as a writer. To make ends meet he frequently submits sci-fi and adventure stories to a weekly "Shonen" (young boys) magazine even though he considers it trivial and unfulfilled work. He just barely makes ends meet through sales of kids toys and candy at his grandmother's store, which he inherited. His world suddenly changes when the local bar madam, Ishizaki Hiromi (Koyuki) a former dancer, asks him to take care of an associate's little boy, Junnosuke (Suga Kenta). Unable to say no to the beautiful madam, Ryunosuke takes in the shy and distant boy. As fate would have it Junnosuke turns out to be a big fan of Ryunosuke's "Shonen Magazine" work and a father-son bond slowly begins to form between the two. Even Hiromi soon begins to fall for the nebbish writer, after seeing how well he looks after Junnosuke.

The screenplay by Yamazaki and Furusawa Ryota was adapted from Saigan Ryohei's Shogakukan/Big Comic Original manga (comic) series "Yuyake No Uta-San Chome No Yuhi" which told various nostalgic stories about different kids, teens and characters living in Tokyo of the 1950s and how they adapted to Japan's ever changing cultural, technological and social climate.

While the movie does take much of it's inspiration from the manga, it also seems very much influenced by Robert Zemeckis's "Forrest Gump" particularly in the way it played with real historical events and characters in its story. "Always..." does something similar though somewhat eschewing some factual accounts.

The character of Suzuki Norifumi is most certainly based on real life founder of "Suzuki Motors" Suzuki Michio, although his rise to fame is different. Ryunosuke Chagawa is most likely based on 1920's author Ryunosuke Akutagawa, the father of Japanese short stories and whose work Kurosawa Akira adapted in the film "Rashomon". While I'm not completely certain, the character of Furuyuki Junnosuke may also be an amalgam based on real life manga-ka (comic artist/writers) Matsumoto Leiji and Ishinomori Shoutaro.

As other have mentioned, some of the performances bordered on the frantic and melodramatic particularly Yoshioka Hidetaka (Tora-San series, "Ame Agaru") as Chagawa and Tsutsumi Shinichi ("Lorelei", "Kyogokudo", "Drive") as Suzuki but it wasn't at all to the point of absurdity, just slightly forced. Yakushimaru Hiroko's role as atypical Japanese mother Suzuki Tomoe follows a long string of motherly roles shes played of late ("Ichi Liter No Namida", "Bubble E Go!" etc.) and is definitely in stark contrast to her Kadokawa idol days in movies such as "Sailor Fuku To Kikanjyu" and "Tantei Monogatari".

Model-actress Koyuki ("Alive", "Last Samurai", "Kairo") is steadily becoming one of my favorite actresses as she always plays interesting characters. As the former dancer turned bar hostess Ishizaki Hiromi, she brings likable charm to the role. Her scenes with Yoshioka are heartfelt and you can't help but be touched by their offbeat but tender romance (similar to "Densha Otoko" in some ways).

Special mention should be given to VFX Supervisor/Director Shibuya Kiyoko for the incredible CGI/miniature work that brought to life the world of 1958 Tokyo. From the architecture to the vehicles to the fashion, I was reminded of Peter Jackson's similar eye for detail for his remake of "King Kong" set in the 1930s. It was absolutely beautiful work and I kept asking myself how they were able to do it (they eventually released a separate DVD showing the production).

Some of the humor and cultural references may be lost in translation by some, such as the mistakes regarding Mutsuko's name (Rokku-chan/Number 6) or the hype over wrestler Rikidozan or the nostalgia of riding the C62 train (before the Shinkansen took over). I kind of laughed at some of the cultural references and jokes that came up concerning House Curry, Coca-Cola, and the "Taiyozoku" (Sun Tribe).

While some have called the movie a bit overly sentimental in its longings and nostalgia, I think that is what made the movie good. Like the classic Tora-San movies, it recalls a time when life in Japan wasn't so hectic, frantic and chaotic. It was a time where everyone in the various communities did really know each other and helped one another as good neighbors should. Even though I'm a child of the 1980s, I still appreciated this look to the past and didn't see it as an overly romantic point of view.

I had the chance to watch 'Always san-chôme no yûhi' at the movies while being on a longer trip to Japan in 2005 and I immediately liked it. The combination of sweet nostalgia coupled with modern CG images works extremely well in this movie, especially since most of the time they don't overdo it with overly schmaltzy scenes.

The one exception being the subplot of 'rich but cold guy tries to take away child from poor but caringly guy', which is also why I refuse to award it the full 10 points.

Still, 9 out of 10 is an excellent score, and this movie deserves it. It's one of those rare movies, that makes you walk out of the cinema feeling happy and a little bit of gooey inside. And it even manages to do so without giving us a complete happy ending!

I saw this film on DVD a few days ago and thought it was very well made. While I agree with the fact that it's a too 'romantic' film version of Japan's economic recovery in the 1950's (paid for by the USA of course), it does have an excellent acting cast, great graphics and a good storyline. I'm thinking of course about the failed writer and the boy he takes in - they're so well played by the actors and beautifully so! It does mention the dark side of the economic miracle such as protistution and abandonment of children. No mention is made of the Americans based in Japan and of course the war is mentioned in parts. It does remind me of a film about France (I forgot the name...) in the 1950's and how things changed such as the introduction of freezers, TVS and of course the black stuff - Coca Cola! I'd still watch it, despite the criticism and I do enjoy a 'romantic' film. Besides the Americans have made over romantic films about the 1950's, so surely it's time Japan made one now!