Following the growing trend of big screen, TV drama adaptations, Matsuoka Joji's "Tokyo Tower: Okan To Boku To Tokidoki Oton" joins the ranks of such films as "Tokyo Friends: The Movie", "Unfair", "Sukeban Deka", "GTO" and the current Japanese box office smash "Hero". The 11-part Fuji TV series with Hayami Mokomichi and Baishou Mitsuko, who portrayed a grieving son and terminally ill mother was a critical ratings success in early 2007 and moved audiences in Japan, particularly during the emotional finale.
It was thus with much skepticism that I went to go see the movie version of the series. I didn't think the movie would be able to capture the same emotional impact that the drama did in just two hours and a half. Luckily, I was proved wrong and the movie was in some ways, a nice improvement over the series.
Like the movie adaptation of "Densha Otoko", most of the TV cast was replaced with bigger name actors for the big screen version. Pretty boy actor Odagiri Jo (Azumi, Shinobi, Kamen Rider Kuuga) plays the son, Nakagawa Masaya (Ma-Chan), a fledgling illustrator and part-time radio personality who is slowly adjusting to life in the big city of Tokyo after moving there from Kyushu during High school. Legendary character actress Kiki Kirin portrays the kindly and strong willed mother, Nakagawa Eiko, who despite all the setbacks in her life (including her recent diagnosis of terminal cancer) was able to provide for her son.
While the drama series focused much of its story in Tokyo and with Masaya's struggles to care for his ailing mother after she arrives in the city for treatment, the film version explores the family's early life in Kyushu, particularly with the mother's early years. It was nice to see the young and vibrant mother during her years in Kyushu and her relationship with the young Masaya. Uchida Yayako portrays Masaya's mother as a young lady and was quite impressive and likable in her role. The child actors who portrayed Nakagawa Masaya as both a boy and adolescent were also very good in their roles.
Unlike the drama series, Odagiri models his Masaya character after flamboyant author Lily Franky, who wrote the original novel from which the series and movie are based, and portrays him with odd bohemian flair yet thankfully it doesn't get too distracting. Kiki Kirin has always been known for her comedic and somewhat goofy roles but here she is absolutely spot on perfect in her dramatic portrayal. She brings just the right amount of motherly charm necessary without overplaying it. Her gut-wrenching scenes in the hospital as she is undergoing chemotherapy are rough to watch but her scenes with Odagiri are absolutely touching and their final farewell is every bit as tearful and heartbreaking as it was in the TV series.
Another thing that was also interesting to see was the inclusion of Masaya's father portrayed by Kobayashi Kaoru whose character we learned much more about in the movie.
Director Matsuoka Joji and screenwriter Matsuo Suzuki do a superb job at bringing us another interpretation of Lily Franky's story and succeeds at making it different enough from the drama series without changing much around.
With the landmark Tokyo Tower ever present in the background, "Tokyo Tower" is a somber movie that explores life and death and particularly the love shared between a mother and her child. Sometimes the movie was a bit heavy-handed but one of the most touching scenes in the movie involves Masaya reading the letter his mother left for him after her death, thanking him for all he has done. It is quite simple and traditionally Japanese in its execution but it really was effective in showing the loving relationship these two characters shared.
It was thus with much skepticism that I went to go see the movie version of the series. I didn't think the movie would be able to capture the same emotional impact that the drama did in just two hours and a half. Luckily, I was proved wrong and the movie was in some ways, a nice improvement over the series.
Like the movie adaptation of "Densha Otoko", most of the TV cast was replaced with bigger name actors for the big screen version. Pretty boy actor Odagiri Jo (Azumi, Shinobi, Kamen Rider Kuuga) plays the son, Nakagawa Masaya (Ma-Chan), a fledgling illustrator and part-time radio personality who is slowly adjusting to life in the big city of Tokyo after moving there from Kyushu during High school. Legendary character actress Kiki Kirin portrays the kindly and strong willed mother, Nakagawa Eiko, who despite all the setbacks in her life (including her recent diagnosis of terminal cancer) was able to provide for her son.
While the drama series focused much of its story in Tokyo and with Masaya's struggles to care for his ailing mother after she arrives in the city for treatment, the film version explores the family's early life in Kyushu, particularly with the mother's early years. It was nice to see the young and vibrant mother during her years in Kyushu and her relationship with the young Masaya. Uchida Yayako portrays Masaya's mother as a young lady and was quite impressive and likable in her role. The child actors who portrayed Nakagawa Masaya as both a boy and adolescent were also very good in their roles.
Unlike the drama series, Odagiri models his Masaya character after flamboyant author Lily Franky, who wrote the original novel from which the series and movie are based, and portrays him with odd bohemian flair yet thankfully it doesn't get too distracting. Kiki Kirin has always been known for her comedic and somewhat goofy roles but here she is absolutely spot on perfect in her dramatic portrayal. She brings just the right amount of motherly charm necessary without overplaying it. Her gut-wrenching scenes in the hospital as she is undergoing chemotherapy are rough to watch but her scenes with Odagiri are absolutely touching and their final farewell is every bit as tearful and heartbreaking as it was in the TV series.
Another thing that was also interesting to see was the inclusion of Masaya's father portrayed by Kobayashi Kaoru whose character we learned much more about in the movie.
Director Matsuoka Joji and screenwriter Matsuo Suzuki do a superb job at bringing us another interpretation of Lily Franky's story and succeeds at making it different enough from the drama series without changing much around.
With the landmark Tokyo Tower ever present in the background, "Tokyo Tower" is a somber movie that explores life and death and particularly the love shared between a mother and her child. Sometimes the movie was a bit heavy-handed but one of the most touching scenes in the movie involves Masaya reading the letter his mother left for him after her death, thanking him for all he has done. It is quite simple and traditionally Japanese in its execution but it really was effective in showing the loving relationship these two characters shared.