Sorry, this movie sucks

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Beautiful, poetic, ethereal. I started watching this late one night, and called it quits in the middle (from fatigue, not boredom), and the main character appeared in my dream. Get this, when I awoke early the following morning, I immediately returned to complete the film, went back to sleep after, and dreamed about the main character again. This would usually happen if I had left the film on and dozed off, but that was not the case. It was off. The beauty of the experience of watching this film was soo great that it permeated my dreams. And that's all I have to say about this gem.

I've got mixed feelings about this one. Although it was beautiful, for a story as a whole it wasn't much. The plot dragged through the two films in snail pace, with the story being revealed too slowly. There is some depth in it, with the girl finally revealing us that her mother left her five years ago. And there is more to it, if the film had made a better presentation of the girl's relationship with her mother. Also, it would have been good if the movie focused a little on the reasons why she left the city to come back to her farm house, or why she left the farm house in the first place. But maybe the second film gives a clearer view on the matter. Other than that, the film focuses on the connection between nature, agriculture and cooking. The sceneries are beautiful, as well as the cinematography regarding the cooking process. I guess you can say that the performance of the leading lady was good, though she didn't have much to work with. So, 5 out of 10.

Beautiful girl eating beautifully in a beautiful environment, isn't that pleasant? Indeed. My first impression about this movie is that this one is really pleasing to the eye. Its always been interesting to watch or read about rural Japan. To know how neat and peaceful it can be, sure is amazing for me. Furthermore, the movie provides more details about living in it. All the cooking and planting tips are neatly shown, but then the dramas get a bit sloppy. There are some wasteful scenes that bother.The story is very interesting but we can easily lose our grip to it by the long shown details of the processes of the main character's daily life. The movie provides lots of details yet lacking the essential others, like heartwarming social life of rural area (its shown, but lacking and not well-drawn).I don't usually bothered by the acting but I really was in this one. All the cooking are amazing, but they don't look that exciting. Food featured movies usually gives us the sensation of cooking excitement. But I think the actress failed by only giving the charm of her beauty and putting the beauty of cooking aside. Her expression also doesn't tell so much about how good her cooking is. I know that the main character having a rough and tough life, but since the movie focused on food making, I think it should detail the joy of it more.Anyway, the movie is good or I'd rather say it is 'fresh' and I'll recommend people to watch it. Especially for those Hashimoto Ai's fans, this movie will certainly be a delight, haha. I really looking forward for the Winter/Spring and I hope it could answer all my questions for this one. P.S. If you are looking for other movies featuring rural Japan, here are some that I remember: A Gentle Breeze in the Village(2006), Wood Job!(2014), and 700 Days of Battle: Us vs The Police(2008).

This is a rather odd review I'm writing. I rate this 9/10, which means I absolutely will be watching it again; but I'm not sure I can recommend it to a general audience, particularly a Western, city- centric audience.There is very little by way of a "story" here. What there is instead, is recipes, and tips for growing tomatoes and mustard spinach, and how ducks are used to keep rice paddies healthy, and absolutely breathtaking scenery, and more recipes, and reflections on the life-force of plants, and how to cook akebi properly, and more breathtaking scenery from rural Japan, and occasional hints of a romantic link to a local young man or some familial difficulty, and tips for making jam, ...and more recipes.If you have wondered about the feasibility of living a more nearly self-sufficient life in a rural area, or are curious about such a life in northern Japan, you may find this worthwhile, perhaps even entrancing, possibly even downright mesmerizing. The latter describes my response fairly well.Anyone who thinks rural areas mean bugs and heat and dirty water and no cellphone service, you have just wasted 22 seconds reading this review and certainly will not want to watch even the trailer for this film.