Japanese Romantic Cinema: Shojo Manga Style ~ Part 1

Most of the Japanese films (and TV series) are mainly manga adaptations. We all agree that live action adaptations can make you either jump from excitement or cringe from disappointment. In this article, I will try to assemble shojo manga adaptations to live action films. I know this sounds weird (Hey Cheer, what are you doing with Shojo manga?), but it’s actually an interesting field for Japanese cinema especially since Japan’s production committees don’t seem to care about making romantic films anymore.

Shojo manga are usually idealized romantic stories directed for teenagers, but it’s not a general rule. Recently, shojo manga adaptations noticed a significant increase because they usually pay well in the box office and they appeal to the international audience. The typical setting is commonly in high school while the acting level is frequently average if not bad. However, the production value is always high enough to keep you entertained.

Since this is dedicated to shojo cinema, I will exclude dramas. Here’s the first part of Shojo manga turned to films.

Lovely Complex

Directed by Ishikawa Kitaji

Original Manga by Nakahara Aya

Main leads: Koike Teppei and Fujisawa Ema

Despite its non-successful reception, Lovely Complex must be one of the first Shojo manga adapted to a film. Ever since then, the number of similar adaptations noticed a significant growth. The manga was already turned to an anime beforehand (which usually puts the live action into a tight spot due to unconscious expectations). The original manga’s fans didn’t actually appreciate how the real production was handled. It not only felt rushed but many essential plot elements were excluded from the film which made it too cheesy. Let’s not forget the debatable acting. The bottom line is: this is an example of how not to adapt a shojo manga. One word to its favour though; You can't hear that amazing Osaka dialect when reading the manga, that's for sure.

Trailer:

Kimi ni Todoke

Directed by Kumazawa Naoto

Original Manga by Shiina Karuho

Main leads: Tabe Mikako and Miura Haruma

Kimi ni Todoke comes from a pretty successful manga that was already adapted into a two-season anime. Therefore, the live action adaptation held the heavy burden of expectations. Fortunately, the film turned out well enough to be considered one of the better adapted Shojo manga to date. The story isn’t original by any means, but the focus on innocent love between two shy high school students fuelled a very promising plot. The abnormal female lead was a nice plus. Despite its short duration, the film managed to highlight the cute “platonic” moments between the leads which resulted to its wide success.

Trailer:

Bokura ga Ita

Directed by Miki Takahiru

Original Manga by Obata Yuki

Main leads: Ikuta Toma and Yoshitaka Yuriko

Considering the manga’s length; the film was released in two parts: Bokura ga Ita Zenpen and Bokura ga Ita Kohen. In previous adaptations, the number of volumes didn’t matter. They always tried to make the packed events fit into two hours running time. Bokura ga Ita tried a different approach which carefully considers the story’s lengthy developments. That can be considered a partial success in itself. Other than that, the film was one of the most faithful adaptations. Even the actors’ performances were believable despite some age problems. The film wasn’t a fluffy high school romance compared to most shojo manga adaptations. Just like Kimi ni Todoke, this was Slice of Life oriented only heavier.

Trailer:

High School Debut

Directed by Hanabusa Tsutomu

Original Manga by Kawahara Kazune

Main leads: Mizobata Junpei and Ito Ono

High School Debut is a fluffy cute high school romance. Nothing deep or special was going on here; it’s the famous makeover story that’s been chewed over and over again.  As an adaptation, it would be unfair to consider it a significant success. For starters, the female lead was so horrible, so amateurish that you can’t stand the sight of her on screen even Junpei wasn’t that convincing either. That’s unavoidable because horrible acting has been one of the most serious downsides of adapting a manga. No wonder anime work better in that regard. From non-manga adaptation side, it's entertaining enough if you’re into sugar romance.

Trailer:

Paradise Kiss

Directed by Shinjo Takehiko

Original Manga by Yazawa Ai

Main leads: Kitagawa Keiko and Mukai Osamu

Two opinions go around this film: Those who disliked the manga and/or the anime ending and those who consider it unforgivable to change Yazawa’s judgment and view for a fitting ending. Since we’re discussing manga adaptations; let’s be fair here: this wasn’t faithful enough. Although it’s not right to change the story’s outcome just to please the audience; it’s still the producer and screenwriter’s freedom to make their picture the way they want. So at the end of the day, both of the opinions above are accurate. The film itself was well-handled without the unrealistic events that most manga adaptations suffer from.

Trailer:

More film adaptations will be featured in the second part. Until next time!