Recall (2018)

Disclaimer: I have never watched Soratobu Taiya so this review is based purely on the movie with no comparsions to the jdrama TV series.

Overall: With a promising cast of successful actors, the movie wanted to deliver but the lackluster plot line made this movie fall short. For a similar plotline, look at Hanzawa Naoki also based on a work by Ikeido Jun. Dramas based on Ikeido Jun's novels are everywhere; Professor Takeshi Usami from Chuo University writes "The protagonists in Ikeido’s novels do not simply draw viewer sympathy, but also elicit a deep satisfaction by doing what everyday employees cannot—and this in turn makes these characters the target of powerful admiration as well." Akamatsu's written character is strongly the reason to watch this movie.

Story: The main controversial point of this movie is the plot. The underdog Akamatsu (Nagase Tomoya) struggles against a large corporate enemy as a hero of justice. The plot was very predictable and many times I wondered why this movie extended it. I admit that the movie was inspirational and kept a nice pace about ordinary daily life (a plot that J-dramas do best). The fact that a normal salaryman can change a company, especially when lives and safety are at stake is what propels the movie to be worth watching.

Acting/Cast: The most screentime goes to Akamatsu (Nagase Tomoya) so I'm surprised Izaki (Takahashi Issei) is even mentioned in the summary. Nagase Tomoya is underrated and I'm glad to see him refreshed in this movie. Sawada (Dean Fujioka)'s acting has come a long way and I'm glad he is still improving. Takahashi Issei is fabulous as always and makes his whistleblower character very likeable.

Music: The OST is fine, but music is not the central focus of this movie.

Rewatch Value: Lots of pretty men in this movie, but the plot leaves much to be desired.

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