is a 2012 Japanese musical romance film directed by Takashi Miike based on the

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

series '' Ai to Makoto'' by Ikki Kajiwara and Takumi Nagayasu. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival on May 21, 2012, where it was presented out of competition. Previous adaptations of the manga series had been titled ''Love and Truth'' in English but this 2012 film version was alternatively titled ''For Love's Sake'' in English.

Plot

The film begins with a brief animated prologue set in 1961 in which Ai (

Emi Takei is a Japanese actress and model. Biography Takei was born in Nagoya. Aspiring to become a model, she declared to her parents on her entry to junior high school that she would become a model within three years. In 2006, she entered the 11th Japa ...

), the daughter of a well-respected Tokyo family, is skiing down a snowy hill and crashes into young Makoto ( Satoshi Tsumabuki). 11 years later in Tokyo in 1972, Ai is a senior in high school when Makoto shows up and is attacked by a local Tokyo gang of boys. Makoto fights them off single-handed during the film's first musical number, setting the style for the rest of the film. Ai jumps in to stop the fighting and Makoto recognizes her as the one who injured him and gave him a large scar on his forehead as a child. The police arrive and immediately recognize Ai as the daughter of a wealthy family while arresting all of the boys including Makoto, who is to be sent to a reform school. He is moments away from being attacked by a gang upon his arrival when he is informed that the Saotame family has arranged for his release and transfer to the prestigious Aobadai Prep School, where Ai is a popular student at the top of her class in academics and sports. Ai finds herself interested in Makoto and has convinced her family to sponsor him. The film follows the relationship between the delinquent Makoto and the privileged schoolgirl Ai.
Iwashimizu, president of the student council, is in love with Ai. Iwashimizu shows Makoto that Ai has been breaking school rules working part-time dancing at a club and Makoto attempts to blackmail her parents for 1 million yen. They have him expelled from school and sent to Hanazono Trade School to be with his "own kind". Gum-ko and Yuki, a member and leader of a gang of girls at the trade school, become interested in Makoto.

Cast

* Satoshi Tsumabuki as Makoto Taiga *

as Ai Saotome * Takumi Saito as Hiroshi Iwashimizu * Ito Ohno as Yuki Takahara * Masachika Ichimura as Shogo Saotome * Yo Hitoto as Miyako Saotome * Kimiko Yo as Toyo Taiga * Seishiro Kato as Makoto Taiga *

Sakura Andō is a Japanese actress. Career Ando won the award for Best Supporting Actress at the 31st Yokohama Film Festival 2010 for ''Love Exposure'', ''The Wonderful World of Captain Kuhio'' and ''Tsumitoka batsutoka''. She was also nominated for the aw ...

as Gum-ko *

Tsuyoshi Ihara is a Japanese actor, martial artist, and writer of Korean descent. Biography Ihara is a Japanese person of Korean descent, born on November 6, 1963, in Kitakyūshū as Yun Yu-gu (윤유구/尹惟久) and who grew up in Ikuno-ku, Osaka. He is a ...

as Kenta Zaô

Production

Filming took place in the Japanese locations of Odawara,

Shibuya-ku Shibuya (渋谷区 ''Shibuya-ku'') is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. As a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station (southern half) and Shibuya Station. As of April 1, 2 ...

Shinjuku is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative centre, housing the northern half of the busiest railway station in the world (Shinjuku Station) and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration ...

, Tochigi, and Toshima.

Reception

'' The Hollywood Reporter'' gave the film a moderately negative review, calling it overly long and characterizing the choreography and songs as simplistic, though praising the actors. Allan Hunter of

ScreenDaily.com ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involved in the global film business. ...

wrote that "there is only so much fun to be had from watching people being repeatedly whacked over the head or endlessly punched in the face."

References

External links

* {{Takashi Miike 2012 films Films directed by Takashi Miike Films set in 1961 Films set in 1972 Japanese high school films Japanese musical comedy films Japanese romantic musical films Live-action films based on manga 2010s gang films 2010s musical comedy films 2010s romantic musical films 2012 comedy films 2010s Japanese films