#244. Ikiru

"Life is brief. Fall in love, maidens,
Before the crimson bloom fades from your lips,
Before the tides of passion cool within you,
For those of you who know no tomorrow."

Believe it or not, Ikiru took me three days to watch. I started watching it on Saturday, but the video I found kept messing up and it took me forever to find one that would actually play all the way through.

Thankfully, though, I did watch all of it, and I'm fairly glad I did. Though a lot of it was hard to relate to through the Japanese language (with English subtitles), I feel like I understood the message of the movie loud and clear. The plot was about a bureaucrat named Kanji Watanabe who spent thirty years of his life doing absolutely nothing at his job. Upon finding out he has stomach cancer, he finally starts living his life.

Though I found it difficult to connect with any of the characters in this movie, I'd say my favorite was Toyo Odagiri, played by Miki Odagiri. She was a female employee who worked with Watanabe, and spent time with him months before his death. I liked her because I thought she was one of the only characters with any personality at all (besides Watanabe), and I felt that she added a lot to the plot.

Overall, I thought Ikiru was touching, yet depressing. A great concept, and a movie thats storyline makes it definitely worth watching. My rating is a 7.9/10.

Characters: 6.8/10

Acting: 6.8/10

Storyline: 7.5/10
Entertainment Value: 6.8/10

Immediate rating: 7/10

Total Score: 34.9/50