Here we have a Japanese adaptation of a remarkable Korean romantic melodrama from 2011 called "Always, Only You". The same movie also spawned an earlier remake from Turkey which people could check out on youtube. The Turkish version is somewhat serviceable and decent, though it looked like a cheap soap opera and didn't have the same gravitas and emotional wallop of the original. The Japanese remake at first seemed to be promising but also suffers from several factors and filmmaking choices.
The lead actor chosen to play the role masterfully acted in the original by underrated thespian So Ji Sub is unfortunately not up to the job. The guy looks delicate and fragile, like someone from a k-pop group and is unconvincing as someone who dabbles in mixed martial arts. At least in the original, So Ji Sub manages a fine balancing act between that of pugilist and broken man embodied in the character of Chul Min/Jang Marcelino. No such acting frisson can be gleaned from the Japanese actor who turned out a very lackluster performance. The other person playing the lead actress, while pretty though a bit chubby, also gave a very average job.
Maybe it has to do with Japanese culture in which showing intense emotion in public is frowned upon in society but this cultural strength is a weakness in the film considering that the original movie was entirely memorable because of the unrestrained and uninhibited emotions conveyed by its two leads. In the original, Jun Hwa played by the gorgeous and stunning Han Hyo Jo gave one of the most riveting expressions of undiluted emotion onscreen while the Japanese actress merely came up with a croak and a whimper. Even the momentous ending of the original is blunted and restrained in this remake, making for an unexciting denouement. Where the film is ultimately good at is in reviving nostalgia for the original film.
The lead actor chosen to play the role masterfully acted in the original by underrated thespian So Ji Sub is unfortunately not up to the job. The guy looks delicate and fragile, like someone from a k-pop group and is unconvincing as someone who dabbles in mixed martial arts. At least in the original, So Ji Sub manages a fine balancing act between that of pugilist and broken man embodied in the character of Chul Min/Jang Marcelino. No such acting frisson can be gleaned from the Japanese actor who turned out a very lackluster performance. The other person playing the lead actress, while pretty though a bit chubby, also gave a very average job.
Maybe it has to do with Japanese culture in which showing intense emotion in public is frowned upon in society but this cultural strength is a weakness in the film considering that the original movie was entirely memorable because of the unrestrained and uninhibited emotions conveyed by its two leads. In the original, Jun Hwa played by the gorgeous and stunning Han Hyo Jo gave one of the most riveting expressions of undiluted emotion onscreen while the Japanese actress merely came up with a croak and a whimper. Even the momentous ending of the original is blunted and restrained in this remake, making for an unexciting denouement. Where the film is ultimately good at is in reviving nostalgia for the original film.