Rather than repeat what has been said in other reviews, I want to point out the Toko Miura (Drive My Car) has a small, but important role. Tetsuo is lonely, not looking for an affair when he casually meets Hiroko (Toko Miura,) who drinks too much and becomes too frustrated with arcade games. Her emotional life seems a mess, and Tetsuo empathizes. After a few drinks and some Karaoke, he spends the night with Hirako. When they say goodbye, it is obvious and touching how lonely Hirako is. Sonoko later says loneliness is what drove her to infidelity -only once (one suspects alcohol also played a role.) But even when Tetsuo admits that he has cheated -only once - he does not confess to his own loneliness. Hirako, then, is like a kindred spirit and emblem to their loneliness, but has no one to return to and sort it out. In the hands of a lesser actor, Hirako may have been forgettable. But Toko Miura brings a well-crafted naturalness and humanity to her role, just as she did in Drive My Car. I wish we could have finally heard HER story, in this film too. In a few short scenes, she makes you care about her. Loneliness and reticence can erode love and destroy lives. That is something Hirako, Tetsuo, and Sonoko have in common.
Review of Romance Doll
