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Touch |
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Masami Nagasawa and twins Shota and Keita Saito in
Touch.
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Year: |
2005 |
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Director: |
Isshin
Inudo |
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Cast: |
Masami
Nagasawa, Shota Saito, Keita Saito, Nozomi Ando, Jun
Fubuki, Hirotaro Honda, Fumiyo Kohinata, Rikiya Kurokawa,
Koh Takasugi, Shin Takuma, Yu Tokui, Chinatsu Wakatsuki,
Tetsu Watanabe, Hajime Yamazaki |
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The
Skinny: |
The popular manga comes to the silver screen in this
winning film adaptation by director Isshin Inudo. Touch
is both a teen drama and a sports film, but somehow
the movie ends up transcending its more formulaic aspects
to deliver something that is surprisingly more affecting
than one might first expect from such a production.
Although twin siblings Shota and Keita Saito turn in
fine performances, the film's ultimate appeal lies in
the acting chops of its terrific leading lady, Masami
Nagasawa. |
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Review by
Calvin
McMillin: |
Mitsuru Adachi's popular
manga Touch finally gets the big screen treatment
in Isshin Inudo's arresting live action update. Serialized
in the weekly manga magazine Shonen Sunday from
1981 to 1986, the original comic proved so popular that
it was later adapted into a 101-episode long anime series,
three theatrical anime films, two anime specials for
TV, and a live action TV drama special. With all these
adaptations, the story clearly must have something going
for it. And if the cinematic version of Touch
is any indication, there's plenty to enjoy.
Although it condenses
the long-running storyline to a comparatively truncated
116-minute running time, this particular seishun
eiga ("youth film") delivers a cohesive storyline
with surprisingly well-developed characters, all-in-all
making for a thoroughly satisfying trip to the movies.
The film centers on Kazuya and Tatsuya Uesugi, twin
brothers who've been next door neighbors to Minami Asakura
since all of them were little babies. In fact, the three
of them are so close that their parents even built a
playhouse between the two homes so they could hang out
together. Even from an early age, the three pals have
loved baseball, a love that impels the boys to promise
to one day take Minami to the baseball championships
at Koshien Stadium in the Hyogo Prefecture.
The film then picks up
during the trio's high school years, as they have remained
as close as ever, although the brothers have gone their
separate ways when it comes to the subject of baseball.
While the studious Kazuya (Keita Saito) is an all-star
baseball pitcher, the equally talented Tatsuya (Shota
Saito) has evolved into somewhat of a slacker, choosing
to quit the baseball team in order to pursue an interest
in amateur boxing. Although Minami (Masami Nagasawa)
serves as manager for the baseball team, faithful cheering
Kazuya to victory, it's to Tatsuya that her heart truly
belongs. However, over the years, Kazuya has developed
feelings for Minami as well, a fact which inevitably
looks to break up the harmony of their childhood friendship.
As fate would have it,
Minami never gets the chance to choose between the two
brothers thanks to an unexpected tragedy that ends Kazuya's
life. After much consideration, Tatsuya is compelled
to pick up where his brother left off and help lead
the team to the National High School Baseball Tournament
in Koshien, not only to honor both his brother's dream,
but to make good on the promise he made to Minami all
those years ago. However, his decision draws the ire
of his mother as well as Kazuya's mostly skeptical teammates.
It won't be easy to win them over, as Tatsuya's baseball
skills are a little rusty and his crucial relationship
with Minami is at an emotional standstill. By film's
end, it's no longer just a question of whether Tatsuya
can win the big game, but whether he still has a shot
at winning back Minami's heart.
What unfolds isn't exactly
unexpected for anyone who's ever seen a sports movie
in their life, but somehow, the filmmakers are able
to make both the film's outcome and the journey that
preceded it seem fresh and exciting. Shota Saito makes
for a fine everyman hero, and the film surrounds him
with likeable supporting characters who help bring the
story to life, including a secondary love interest for
Tatsuya, a tough-talking boxer buddy from school, Kazuya's
loyal but disapproving catcher, and a rival baseball
player who approaches pitchers as if he's a master swordsman
looking to lock blades with an equally-skilled opponent.
Although it's likely that all these characters had more
depth in the original manga, their very presence in
the narrative is most certainly a welcome one.
But what really elevates the
film beyond the level of mere teen drama or sports flick
is its star actress, Masami Nagasawa. Best known for
her fantastic performance in the hit film Crying
Out Love, In the Center of the World, Nagasawa's
acting here proves to be no less revelatory. In even
the most simplest of glances or gestures, she brings
a youthful energy, endearing sincerity, and naturalistic
charm to her character, making even the most clichéd
of sequences seem somehow fresh, joyful, and remarkably
poignant. Whatever your opinion of baseball, Touch
amounts to a fine sports/teen movie hybrid, perhaps
most notable as a showcase for the undeniable acting
talents of its remarkable leading lady. (Calvin McMillin, 2006) |
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Availability: |
DVD (Hong Kong)
Region 3 NTSC
Kam & Ronson Enterprises, Co., Ltd.
16x9 Anamorphic Widescreen
Japanese and Cantonese Language Tracks
DTS ES / Dolby Digital 5.1 EX / Dolby Digital 2.0
Removable English and Chinese Subtitles
Trailers, TV Spots, and B-Roll Footage |
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