Scanialara You won't be disappointed!

PodBill Just what I expected

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

Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

peter07 I saw this movie right before I sold the DVD. Based on a bestselling Japanese novel, the movie has an interesting premise with a Japanese guy, who excels in art restoration in Florence, and his estranged love, a half-Japanese woman who works at a jewelry store in Milan. The movie goes back and forth with flashbacks as to how the couple met and developed their relationship.The movie was too long at two hours and four minutes, as it could have been done in a shorter period of time, but hey, glacial pace is a trademark of Japanese cinema. The setting in Italy is great and so is seeing scenes of that wonderful country. I would say that is where the good points stop. Much is not explained about the couple's relationship and such, including Aoi's abortion and subsequent breakup. The side stories of Junsei's friends were not needed and looked hokey. And Michael Wong, who played Aoi's new beau, had the acting skills of a tree stump. In conclusion, one reviewer said Asian perceptions of a love story greatly differ from those of the West, and that is true. Perhaps Asians audiences will like this movie more than Western audiences. I for one don't regret seeing it but would I recommend it? Not sure.

unosweetsorrow If you really want to feel the true and eternal love. I cordially recommend this movie. And you can enjoy the beautiful views of 3 cities of Italy,France and Japan. This movie was originated from the novel which has two books written by two authors(one book written by a male writer and the other one written by a female writer) As popular as the novel, this movie was so popular in Japan and recently in Korea. As I said, this movie is really perfect for the people who love Romance genre. And I would like to say that this movie is the top of the Romance genre movies.(But I can't be sure that the people from non-Asian can understand.You know, the ways of thinking of Asian and non-Asian are a little bit different each other)There'll be no regret after you watch it, but a wet handkerchief.

kurai_hisui It was a beautiful film, visually, without a doubt. The choices of setting, camera angles, lighting, are all stunning. The rest of the movie is pretty inconsistent. The plot is interesting, but a bit predictable. Pacing alternates between some brilliantly timed scenes and long, dragging ones. The acting, in particular, feels like two movies got spliced together by accident. The Japanese segments are excellent (with one or two notable exceptions), and Yutaka Takenouchi plays his part perfectly. But I winced whenever someone starting speaking English. Merv (and I think you should lose two stars just for naming a character 'Merv') is like watching a infomercial host doing a bad Bill Clinton impression. He's so lifeless, it's funny. And Kelly Chen pauses so long between English lines, you'd think she was reading them phonetically from a TelePrompTer. And her character, Aoi, seemed particularly under-developed. All that said, it was a nice, and very pretty little romance. Worth renting for a quiet evening, but I wouldn't go searching for it on e-bay or anything.

jooby I bought the Japanese DVD version of this DVD after hearing all the hype about the film in Japan. Well, I was a bit disappointed with the story line. The cinematography is awesome with some of the best shots of Florence that I've ever seen on screen. Leading actor and actresses are quite attractive. And their acting is, in my opinion, slightly better than those seen in soap operas. One terrible acting scene I would like to pick on is the scene where Akagi and Aoi kiss after long separation. It is by far the most fake-looking and artificial kiss scenes I've ever seen. I won't elaborate further to avoid revealing the plot. Also, the English lines delivered by Aoi's boy friend sound really like reading out loud in monotone voice. Terrible acting there. ***Warning***SPOILERS***Also, in my opinion, the movie should have ended when they meet at the top of Duomo and not have to drag on to show more of the same predictable conclusion. ***Warning***SPOILERS*** I would, however, still recommend this film on the cinematography and to the fans of Kelly Chen and Yutaka Takenouchi. They do look good (physically that is, not the acting in particular) in the movie.About the DVD: region 2 DVD (rosso is the one I have) comes in anamorphic wide screen and the transfer is flawless, along with the digital sound tracks.