Live
action films. The devil, as far as most anime fans are concerned. (Some of us…unfortunately…seem
to tolerate them. Even going as far as to see Ghost in the Shell (2017).) The idea that someone will desecrate
the works you love, or at least profane the purity of anime as a whole. Many
recall that Avatar: The Last Airbender
atrocity and know that it could happen to them or the animes with their loved
ones. These films tend to be panned because they only marginally feature the
same plot points, yet somehow manage to be lazy.
Not One Week Friends (2017) – it has standards unlike a GitS (2017)!! (That’s not to say I was not apprehensive in the slightest. Not to mention, I haven't seen GitS anyways.) Towards the end, there was a memorable scene that encapsulated the work. A montage, interspersed with a series of drawings on a book being flipped through, masterfully reminded the audience of what had happened, while setting the stage for what would happen in the film’s conclusion. As the makeshift flipbook progresses, we see an evolution of the main two characters Yuki Hase and Kaori Fujimiya. Through this scene, the viewer saw the physical representation of the power of memory, especially when regained; such an action sets up Yuki well when he chases down Kaori, the friend seemingly lost to the power of time, through another dramatic montage. Shots of her face, and from behind. With quick pacing. But then the film pauses suddenly, letting the scene catch up to its momentum; the previously manic cutting slows down, and Kaori calls out to Yuki, having remembered what had happened. Here, she affirms that power of memory.
Because of Kaori’s medical condition, she can only remember one week at a time. (To keep this relatively spoiler free, I will just say that her ‘anterograde amnesia’ stems from an accident she suffered.) As a result, Yuki keeps asking her to become his friend. In this ending scene, Kaori remembers Yuki’s actions, and this time she asks him to be her friend in a simple but powerful gesture. (Of course, he consents.) Arguably, the film’s themes rest on this single moment, and it pulls it off convincingly.
One Week Friends is neither a perfect nor completely faithful adaptation – but what matters is that it made an effort to carve out its own unique space. This space had some major flaws. Covering the several volumes of the manga in one film – where the anime only covered around half the length – may not have been the best decision. Much of the film maintains a sense of rushing, which creates a more manic feel. However, there were times that could likely have been cut, such as a subplot involving Yuki being in a manga club. Saki, a cheerful girl introduced a few episodes into the anime, is now a childhood friend of Yuki, where she used to be a new friend of Kaori’s. (Shogo, Yuki’s rather lazy and sleepy friend, is still more or less the same, thankfully.) Another flaw that one could have anticipated anyways is how the film tries to use similar dialogue to the anime but falls flat because of the medium difference.
Not One Week Friends (2017) – it has standards unlike a GitS (2017)!! (That’s not to say I was not apprehensive in the slightest. Not to mention, I haven't seen GitS anyways.) Towards the end, there was a memorable scene that encapsulated the work. A montage, interspersed with a series of drawings on a book being flipped through, masterfully reminded the audience of what had happened, while setting the stage for what would happen in the film’s conclusion. As the makeshift flipbook progresses, we see an evolution of the main two characters Yuki Hase and Kaori Fujimiya. Through this scene, the viewer saw the physical representation of the power of memory, especially when regained; such an action sets up Yuki well when he chases down Kaori, the friend seemingly lost to the power of time, through another dramatic montage. Shots of her face, and from behind. With quick pacing. But then the film pauses suddenly, letting the scene catch up to its momentum; the previously manic cutting slows down, and Kaori calls out to Yuki, having remembered what had happened. Here, she affirms that power of memory.
Because of Kaori’s medical condition, she can only remember one week at a time. (To keep this relatively spoiler free, I will just say that her ‘anterograde amnesia’ stems from an accident she suffered.) As a result, Yuki keeps asking her to become his friend. In this ending scene, Kaori remembers Yuki’s actions, and this time she asks him to be her friend in a simple but powerful gesture. (Of course, he consents.) Arguably, the film’s themes rest on this single moment, and it pulls it off convincingly.
One Week Friends is neither a perfect nor completely faithful adaptation – but what matters is that it made an effort to carve out its own unique space. This space had some major flaws. Covering the several volumes of the manga in one film – where the anime only covered around half the length – may not have been the best decision. Much of the film maintains a sense of rushing, which creates a more manic feel. However, there were times that could likely have been cut, such as a subplot involving Yuki being in a manga club. Saki, a cheerful girl introduced a few episodes into the anime, is now a childhood friend of Yuki, where she used to be a new friend of Kaori’s. (Shogo, Yuki’s rather lazy and sleepy friend, is still more or less the same, thankfully.) Another flaw that one could have anticipated anyways is how the film tries to use similar dialogue to the anime but falls flat because of the medium difference.
In
spite of this rushing and covering too much information, there is a clear sense
of heart to this work that echoes the original manga and the anime adaptation.
The main theme of this work, mainly the power of memory, is powerfully upheld
(albeit clumsily).
It is no easy task to follow the excellent acting, animation, and directing found in Brain Base’s 2014 adaptation of One Week Friends. This live action version suffered from uneven scriptwriting and acting that cannot be explained simply from the original work itself. Despite these rough patches, the film had unexpected delights in its craft, especially the excellent use of set design and cinematography to make every scene feel unique. Unusual camera angles ran amok, but they were put to great use.
Most live actions, at least based on this conjecture I’m tossing out there, just tell without showing. But this work supplements long stories with visual representations of what happened, without hitting you on the head with exposition. For instance, when describing Kaori’s medical condition, we see an image of her being placed in a MRI machine, allowing us to connect more deeply. It applies a similar approach to a traumatic experience for Kaori – using extensive blurring on a set dominated by bright blue street lights, we get an intense visual for what she feels. This is complemented by her falling onto her hands and knees and clutching her head.
There was a clear best part of the film, even beyond the excellent visual presentation. One character had marvelous stage presence, beyond that which I would expect from most films, let alone a live action adaptation of a manga. This character was Saki, who in some ways felt straight from the anime. Those familiar with Fate/Apocrypha’s very adorable Servant Astolfo would be pleased to know that the anime iteration of Saki is played by the same voice actress (Rumi Ookubo). But the live action iteration is played by Haori Takahashi (who is apparently not well known enough to have a Wikipedia page), who marvelously recreated Saki in 3D space. Haori’s performance was able to effectively express a variety of emotions from sorrow (when she defends Kaori from criticism) to the chipper tone (most of the film) one would expect from the character.
It is no easy task to follow the excellent acting, animation, and directing found in Brain Base’s 2014 adaptation of One Week Friends. This live action version suffered from uneven scriptwriting and acting that cannot be explained simply from the original work itself. Despite these rough patches, the film had unexpected delights in its craft, especially the excellent use of set design and cinematography to make every scene feel unique. Unusual camera angles ran amok, but they were put to great use.
Most live actions, at least based on this conjecture I’m tossing out there, just tell without showing. But this work supplements long stories with visual representations of what happened, without hitting you on the head with exposition. For instance, when describing Kaori’s medical condition, we see an image of her being placed in a MRI machine, allowing us to connect more deeply. It applies a similar approach to a traumatic experience for Kaori – using extensive blurring on a set dominated by bright blue street lights, we get an intense visual for what she feels. This is complemented by her falling onto her hands and knees and clutching her head.
There was a clear best part of the film, even beyond the excellent visual presentation. One character had marvelous stage presence, beyond that which I would expect from most films, let alone a live action adaptation of a manga. This character was Saki, who in some ways felt straight from the anime. Those familiar with Fate/Apocrypha’s very adorable Servant Astolfo would be pleased to know that the anime iteration of Saki is played by the same voice actress (Rumi Ookubo). But the live action iteration is played by Haori Takahashi (who is apparently not well known enough to have a Wikipedia page), who marvelously recreated Saki in 3D space. Haori’s performance was able to effectively express a variety of emotions from sorrow (when she defends Kaori from criticism) to the chipper tone (most of the film) one would expect from the character.
Introducing
Saki as a childhood friend made me raise my eyebrows. But this decision proved
to be brilliant as it led to her being introduced early on – it sets her up as
an important character. Early in the film, she criticizes Yuki’s bedhead and
sprays his hair, establishing her image firmly. In another scene, she helps
Yuki pick out a notebook, emphasizing that it should have a tora (tiger) design. Pointing to a
specific scene or technique used by Saki’s actress would be hard for me –
because all of it was a consistent delight.
By now, you are probably thinking “Yes, so a live action could be good. But I’m an anime purist! Harumph.” The talented, albeit seemingly uneven, director at the helm of this project certainly played a role in making it shine. The script itself stumbled – even in factoring the manga’s own bizarre decisions in the latter half – but made an earnest, charming effort to make a standalone film. But…as much as I say it is good, my heart will not move on….To me, love is the 2014 anime adaptation, so watch that instead.
Script: 6.5/10
Acting: 6/10
Cinematography/Pacing/Design: 9/10
Music: 7/10
“Heart”: 7.5/10
Total: 68/100
By now, you are probably thinking “Yes, so a live action could be good. But I’m an anime purist! Harumph.” The talented, albeit seemingly uneven, director at the helm of this project certainly played a role in making it shine. The script itself stumbled – even in factoring the manga’s own bizarre decisions in the latter half – but made an earnest, charming effort to make a standalone film. But…as much as I say it is good, my heart will not move on….To me, love is the 2014 anime adaptation, so watch that instead.
Script: 6.5/10
Acting: 6/10
Cinematography/Pacing/Design: 9/10
Music: 7/10
“Heart”: 7.5/10
Total: 68/100
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