Comedy, and outright silliness, can be an effective way to communicate something very simply. And silliness is certainly the approach Shunsuke Shinada takes for his, dare I say, quirky comedy about, well, you know what.
Aoko (Fumi Nikaido) is a young woman working as a staff writer at a magazine. She has an older boyfriend who has a young daughter and life seems to be going along nicely...for most of the month, that is. But once every month, at key moments, she is joined by a giant, furry, pink, heart-shaped manifestation of her menstrual cycle. Leaning on her, putting her off, getting in her way, it leaves her struggling to focus and impacts on her work and relationships.
She is not the only one. Riho (Sairi Ito) works as a cleaner at Aoko's office, while living a double life as a blogger. But, fearful of being exposed, living in her bedroom at her parents', her monthly visitor is more a source of comfort and support: a friend to talk to. Indeed, Aoko too finds herself leaning on her giant burden, seeing that others cope in different ways and welcome it with pride. In the end, it proves to be the source of her forging a bond with her boyfriend's daughter.
It's not uncommon in Japanese cinema for an imaginary character to be brought to life as a kawaii mascot met with a fair degree of normality. A manga adaptation - what isn't?! - this makes no effort to hide its origins. And, indeed, it is the film's strongest element. At surface level, this is a fairly bland romance, with a younger woman trying to play the role of step-mother; and a nice guy trying to bring a recluse out of her shell.
Having the furry friend serves as a good visual way of showing the impact it can have on a life, making the two leads awkward, shy-away from opportunities and have their lives made difficult. Aoko lets it get the better of her, resulting in her life-size visitor, compared to others who can hide there's away in their handbag and carry on with little fuss.
But Little Miss Period is not alone: the male characters in the film have to live with Little Virgin Boy and a large, spontaneous erection of a sex drive entering the room without invitation. The latter perhaps serves as the comic highlight of the film, spouting sexual phrases in a deep, booming voice repeatedly, and will not be stopped.
Novelty aside, Shinada is just about able to get enough out of the story and its characters to make this into a passable film. As stated, the storyline is a fairly bland, mainstream one that has been done before; and the characters can become caricatures. But with enough comedy on offer and the metaphor also working to make any man feel sympathy (and not just with regard to spontaneous erections), sitting through its short run time doesn't feel uncomfortable, like a, well...
politic1983.home.blog
Aoko (Fumi Nikaido) is a young woman working as a staff writer at a magazine. She has an older boyfriend who has a young daughter and life seems to be going along nicely...for most of the month, that is. But once every month, at key moments, she is joined by a giant, furry, pink, heart-shaped manifestation of her menstrual cycle. Leaning on her, putting her off, getting in her way, it leaves her struggling to focus and impacts on her work and relationships.
She is not the only one. Riho (Sairi Ito) works as a cleaner at Aoko's office, while living a double life as a blogger. But, fearful of being exposed, living in her bedroom at her parents', her monthly visitor is more a source of comfort and support: a friend to talk to. Indeed, Aoko too finds herself leaning on her giant burden, seeing that others cope in different ways and welcome it with pride. In the end, it proves to be the source of her forging a bond with her boyfriend's daughter.
It's not uncommon in Japanese cinema for an imaginary character to be brought to life as a kawaii mascot met with a fair degree of normality. A manga adaptation - what isn't?! - this makes no effort to hide its origins. And, indeed, it is the film's strongest element. At surface level, this is a fairly bland romance, with a younger woman trying to play the role of step-mother; and a nice guy trying to bring a recluse out of her shell.
Having the furry friend serves as a good visual way of showing the impact it can have on a life, making the two leads awkward, shy-away from opportunities and have their lives made difficult. Aoko lets it get the better of her, resulting in her life-size visitor, compared to others who can hide there's away in their handbag and carry on with little fuss.
But Little Miss Period is not alone: the male characters in the film have to live with Little Virgin Boy and a large, spontaneous erection of a sex drive entering the room without invitation. The latter perhaps serves as the comic highlight of the film, spouting sexual phrases in a deep, booming voice repeatedly, and will not be stopped.
Novelty aside, Shinada is just about able to get enough out of the story and its characters to make this into a passable film. As stated, the storyline is a fairly bland, mainstream one that has been done before; and the characters can become caricatures. But with enough comedy on offer and the metaphor also working to make any man feel sympathy (and not just with regard to spontaneous erections), sitting through its short run time doesn't feel uncomfortable, like a, well...
politic1983.home.blog
