Film review about "Lovely Complex"

When dealing with manga-to-movie adaptations (or any adaptation for that matter), the director and his staff have to be very careful with the material that they have at their disposal. When all is said and done, and the film is released, the reaction to it can lead numerous paths. For instance, the film could be a disservice to the original fan base, displeasing hardcore fans alike. On the flip side, the film could also follow the route of being a faithful adaptation that could win over new fans as well as please the existing fans.

The film’s storyline is the reiteration of the manga “Lovely Comlex”. The main quirk of the manga is its two protagonists, Risa Koizumi and Atsushi Otani, who although with their considerable height differences, begin to fall for one another. In the film version, Risa is played by model Ema Fujisawa while Atsushi is played by singer and drama star Teppei Koike. The casting was a highlight for the film, with each of the lead roles, as well as the supporting cast, providing an accurate outwardly depiction of the manga cast. The use of vibrant colors throughout the film as well as the creative costume designs were also highlights of the film. Where the film falters though is the incredibly overreacting acting from the cast. Each character is so widely animated it gets to be a little irritating after awhile. I understand the use of facial expressions in order to express to the viewer what the character is going through, but the over abundant use just wears out over time. Combine this with a plot that is so thin, you can guess what happens next, and you got yourself a ticket to cinema clichéville.

Speaking of the cliché nature of the film, the film starts out promising enough, but then soon drivels into absurdity. For a film that harps so much on the height difference of its protagonists, it soon drops all that in favor for your standard trivial “boy and girl don’t like each other at first, but then slowly begin to fall for one another” plot. In the end, the movie felt like one long Japanese television drama episode, which isn’t a bad thing, but they could’ve done a lot more.

This is a quirky film, and you will probably have to be in the right mood to watch it. Not a film I would recommend to newcomers, (just stick to reading the manga first, then watch) but it’s a film that should please some fans, but I imagine not all. Not entirely bad, “Love Com” does what it needs to do, and that is provide the laughs, which is one thing it does right.

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