Matt Cooper Films

The Miracles of the Namiya General Store (2017) by Ryuichi Hiroki

Based on a best-selling novel by mystery author Keigo Higashino, “The Miracles of the Namiya General Store” tells the story of a group of people connected by an orphanage and a peculiar store that allows messages to be sent through time. The film begins with three young men, Shota (Nijiro Murakami), Kohei (Kanichiro), and Atsuya (Ryosuke Yamada), on the run after committing a burglary. They hide out in the titular store, now abandoned, hoping that at sunrise they will be able to disappear into the crowds of commuters. While waiting, a letter drops through a slot in the shutters, apparently from 32 years prior in 1980. The trio discover that the previous owner, Mr. Namiya (Toshiyuki Nishida), had answered queries from residents and they decide to post a reply in the milk box outside, as he used to do. Miraculously their message is recieved in 1980 and they begin a correspondance with a young musician (Kento Hayashi) in the past. They later help out another young woman who is worrying about her finances. Meanwhile, in the past, Mr. Namiya is able to receive letters from the future, offering him a chance to appreciate the effect he has had on the community.

Directed by Ryuichi Hiroki with a screenplay by Hiroshi Saito, “The Miracles of the Namiya General Store” is a charming drama about connection and helping your fellow individuals. It has several tropes of the traditional tear-jerker: orphaned children, a sacrifice to save others, cancer, suicide attempts, and redemption. The characters are interesting, but due to the abundance of plots it can be hard to sympathise with any one in particular, with the various sorrowful tales becoming overwhelming. The ensemble cast, which also includes Machiko Ono, Riko Narumi, and Rio Yamashita, do a great job and all of the plots do tie together at the end. It is interesting to see the three different time periods of the film, the late 60s, 1980, and 2012 and they do a good job with the changing fashions and sets. There are moments where the film’s pacing does drag, such as a lengthy sequence of a song performance that, while central to the plot, could have been cut down significantly. The footage of the singer Seri (Mugi Kadowaki), dancing on a beach during this musical interlude, suggests even the filmmakers were unsure how to fill the time.

While it is melodramatic, the film executes the drama with panache, and there are sure to be at least a couple of the stories that resonate with you. Whether it is Mr. Namiya’s dedication to providing top-class advice even in difficult situations, the plight of the orphanage, Seri’s attempts to repay the debt owed to her by the man who sacrificed himself to save her brother, or a young high-schooler whose parentage drives her to depression. The film has a strong message of believing in hope even in the most seemingly hopeless situations and also about the importance of helping others and the impact our lives have on one another. It doesn’t pay to think to closely about the mechanics of how the letters are transported through time, or the various paradoxes this would create, but it is a fun conceit to drive the drama between the interconnected characters. Worth a watch for fans of emotionally charged human drama.

Matt Cooper Films

Erased (2016) by Yuichiro Hirakawa

Satoru (Tatsuya Fujiwara) has the ability to travel back in time to prevent disasters happening. Unable to control this, he must look for anything out of place in order to stop the impending tragedies. He finds himself transported back in time 18 years, to his primary school in Hokkaido, before one of his classmates Kayo (Rio Suzuki) was murdered. The young Satoru (Tsubasa Nakagawa), investigates clues and tries to work out what happened, not only to prevent Kayo’s death, but also to prevent his mother’s death in the present after she is targetted by the same killer. He is helped by his classmates in the past and his pizzeria co-worker Airi (Kasumi Arimura) in the present.

Based on the manga series by Kei Sanbe, with a script by Noriko Goto, “Erased” is a fantastical time-travel film with a dark central tragedy. The whimsical tone of much of the drama is in stark contrast to the paedophilia and murder that lie at the heart of the mystery. For the most part the film manages to pull off these disparate tones, but the final moments leave an uncomfortable feeling as it attempts to affix a hopeful, if bittersweet, ending onto a desperately bleak situation involving multiple murders and child abuse. The time-travel mechanism that drives the narrative goes unexplained, simply being something that Satoru has from the beginning. This is a minor problem as the mystery is compelling and well-crafted, giving us plenty of time to enjoy the characters and excellent performances. Fujiwara Tatsuya and Kasumi Arimura are fun as the co-workers, and Tsubasa Nakagawa, who plays young Satoru with the wisdom of his older self does an incredible job at making this believable.

The film’s idea that someone could travel back in time to right a historic wrong is alluring and Satoru’s mission manages to maintain the tension throughout. It is interesting to see a child tackling this dangerous and difficult criminal case, albeit one who is inhabited by the wit and wisdom of his older self. The film also has a strong message about it being the responsibility of everyone, no matter how seemingly powerless, to prevent these tragedies from happening. Forgoing the usual grimy basements and dark lurking figures, the film highlights the sad reality that these crimes often happen in broad daylight. We see an attempted kidnapping from a playground, where the bright, colourful surrounds masks the dark reality going on just out of sight. “Erased” is a unique take on the amateur detective, managing to balance the investigation with time-travel and mystery.

Matt Cooper Films

Thermae Romae (2012) by Hideki Takeuchi

In ancient Rome, architect Lucius (Hiroshi Abe) is struggling to come up with new ideas for the design of bathhouses. While bathing he is mysteriously transported to a modern Japanese bathhouse and on his return is able to implement the various discoveries he made, believing them to be the work of a bizarre, as-yet-undiscovered ‘flat-faced’ tribe. Through repeated trips through time Lucius becomes a celebrated bathhouse designer, gaining the attention of the Emperor Hadrian (Masachika Ichimura) who tasks him with making an Imperial baths to rival anything seen before. Lucius’s journeys to the future coincide with the presence of manga artist Mami (Aya Ueto), who begins studying ancient Roman history and Latin in order to understand the peculiar visitor.

Based on a manga by Mari Yamazaki and directed by Hideki Takeuchi, “Thermae Romae” is a fantastical comedy, celebrating the Japanese love of onsen and bathhouse culture. The first half of the film moves at a brisk pace, with fish-out-of-water humour as Lucius attempts to understand where he is and why the strange people he meets have so many novel inventions in their baths. These early scenes are the most enjoyable, with great comedic acting from Abe and Ueto. There is a thin plot in the second half, involving the succession to the Roman Imperial Throne, and Lucius and Mami’s relationship. The film does slow down, but still has plenty of jokes, largely involving the old group of men who frequent Mami’s mother’s rural bathhouse. The Ancient Rome sets are impressive, giving a sense of scale and grandeur, and providing an amusing comparison to the more quotidian Japanese scenes. The film’s score features classical music and opera, again adding to the sense of a historical epic juxtaposed with contemporary farce.

An ode to relaxation, “Thermae Romae” is an enjoyable drama with a fun cast who do a great job with the material, capturing the surprise and disbelief at their situations. The film’s focus on bathing creates a calming atmosphere and despite the occasional drama the film remains enjoyably inoffensive. There is relatively little in terms of character development, but the film does attempt to deliver a message around the power of humanity for creativity and invention, and the importance of co-operation. An enterataining story with broad appeal.

Matt Cooper Films

Before the Coffee Gets Cold (2018) by Ayuko Tsukahara

A cafe that allows its customers to travel back in time is an enticing prospect and the conceit at the centre of this human drama based on the best-selling book by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. Kazu (Kasumi Arimura) works at the Funiculi Funicula cafe in Tokyo with her uncle, Nagare (Motoki Fukami). The cafe’s secret is that customers who sit in a specific chair and have a coffee made by Kazu are able to travel back in time. However, there are rules to observe: the customer cannot leave the cafe; they can only meet people who have visited the shop themselves; whatever happens in the past cannot change the present; and, most importantly, they must return before their coffee gets cold. The seat is usually occupied by Kazu’s mother, a ghost who broke the final rule and became trapped there. Throughout the story we see various individuals use the seat: Fumiko (Haru) who missed her chance to share her feelings with the man she loves; Fusaki (Yutaka Matsushige), whose wife Kotake (Hiroko Yakushimaru) has dementia; and Hirai (Yo Yoshida), who wants to see her sister again before she died.

“Before the Cofee Gets Cold”, directed by Ayuko Tsukahara, is a slick adaptation of Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s novel, largely sticking to the stories contatined in the first book in the series. The film diverges from the book by having some scenes take place outside the cafe, which helps the world feel more expansive, but detracts from the novelty of the book in its spatially restricted setting. The film is well-shot and the creative depiction of people travelling back in time, sinking through a flooded room, is something that could only be captured on film. Masaru Yokoyama’s score of soft piano and ethereal elements perfectly complements the emotional story. The script by screenwriter Satoko Okudera does a great job balancing comedy and tragedy; with several heartbreaking moments, and the large cast are believable in their distinctive roles. The ending is unecessarily heavy-handed, with characters explaining what it is they learnt from their experience, rather than letting the film speak for itself; but fans of the book will no doubt enjoy seeing it brought to the screen.

As with the book, the time-travel element is secondary to the human drama that it facilitates. The film repeatedly tells us that you cannot change the past, but the future is still unwritten. It is a powerful message and allows us to put things in perspective, to not dwell on things that cannot be altered, but instead focus on what is to come. We see characters dealing with past regrets, mourning lost loved ones or missed opportunities. Unlike many movies with time-travel, the film really delves into the psychology of memory and what the past means to us as well as how it shapes our future. While melodramatic at times, the film provides us with several thought-provoking scenarios to consider the next time we are enjoying a hot coffee.

Matt Cooper Films

Summer Time Machine Blues (2005) by Katsuyuki Motohiro

During a sweltering summer heatwave, members of a high-school science-fiction club find themselves in a pinch when they break the remote for the air-conditioning in their clubhouse. An unlikely hero arrives in the form of Tamura, a time-traveller from the future, whose time-machine may offer a solution to their problems. The group begin experimenting, zipping back and forward through time to attempt to fix the broken air-conditioning remote. However, they soon realise that their tampering with time may have unintended consequences.

“Summer Time Machine Blues” is a feel-good summer comedy that manages to spin a wild tale from a very simple premise. It takes a little time to get going with the opening sequence, showing the members of the club playing baseball and at the local baths, providing an introduction to the characters. However, once the time-machine appears the pace picks up, with trips back into the first scenes making great use of the concept and low-budget, largely showing things from different angles or how seemingly innocuous events were caused by their time-travelling. Largely set around the clubhouse, the film manages to tie things together in a satisfactory way, explaining even the most minor details as due to their actions. The older cast seem out-of-place playing the childish students and the comedy is often rather forced, but the energetic plot and the way the film weaves together the narrative with characters in different time periods makes for an enjoyable watch. There is fun to be had in noticing details from earlier reoccuring in later scenes and realising the connections between their actions and consequences.

Time-travel always provides an interesting element to a film, with its related possibilities and paradoxes. The creators of “Summer Time Machine Blues”, clearly have a love for the genre and fit in many of these familiar ideas (the film includes “Back to the Future” showing at a local cinema). By taking such a ridiculous reason for travelling back, to fix the air-con remote, the film punctures the often pretentious nature of such narratives, with ideas of fate and free will seeming somewhat grandiose when set aside such an everyday concern. The story has a lighthearted feel that doesn’t concern itself overly with thematic depth or even character development; but works well as a summer farce.