The Door into Summer (2021)

Watch for the cat and the humanoid

7 Tips to Find that Door into Summer:
1. Pete the cat is adorable. I want that cat. Scratch that. I NEED that cat.
2. Pete the humanoid is equally adorable. He is more human than the human in this movie.
3. Acting kudos goes to Pete the cat AND the customer service humanoid. They are believable in their characters.
4. Expect some mind-blowing sci-fi movie? Lower it down.
5. Pete the cat is adorable. I just need to say it again.
6. Watch if you need a respite in between or after a heavy gut-wrenching drama/movie.
7. Treat this movie as if you're going to watch a super fluffy romcom/comedy.

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A ‘ Door’ Into The Realm of Disappointment…

Based upon the eponymous novel by Robert A. Heinlein, ‘ The Door Into Summer’ ( alternatively known as ‘ Natsu e no Tobira: Kimi no Iru Mirai e’ or ‘ 夏への扉 キミのいる未来へ’) seemed to initially offer viewers an intriguing premise under the directing reigns of Takahiro Miki and the writing of Kanno Tomoe.

However despite the movie’s impressive plot premise and the casting choice of renowned actor Kento Yamazaki ( ‘ Orange’, ‘ Alice In Borderland’, ‘ Death Note’), ‘ The Door Into Summer’ soon suffered greatly under the aimless direction of plot holes, lacklustre genre exploration, character and plot growth as well as pacing also.

The movie initially focuses upon young scientist Takakura Soichiro ( Kento Yamazaki). Trying to complete the research of his late paternal and mentor figure Matsushita Kazuto ( Hidekazu Mashima) upon plasma research in 1995, Soichiro’s plans are scuppered when he’s betrayed from the shadows and loses control over his research . With no other options, Soichiro is subdued into a cryogenic chamber. Waking up nearly thirty years later in 2025, Soichiro discovers that the world has changed significantly as he desperately tries to find a way back to 1995…

Perhaps one of ‘ The Door Into Summer’’s greatest downfalls and arguable strengths came through its emotive moments. Admittedly it isn’t out of a question for the science-fiction genre to explore and widen the scope of expectations with presenting the emotional conflicts and struggles of humanity. In particular one of the most heartfelt moments of ‘ The Door Into Summer’ came through Soichiro’s relationship initially in 1995 with his adopted feline friend Pete and being able to relate to his cat’s emotional struggles. In the latter-part of the series this relationship was replaced by Soichiro’s android friend PETE ( Fujiki Naohito); one of the few characters who could offer viewers surprising comic relief and emotional complexity at times also .

Nevertheless ‘ The Door Into Summer’ was a storyline that was supposedly focused upon elements of time travel and pseudo-science. However whilst the lingering presence of humanoid robots and time travel are intriguing plot hooks for viewers, Kanno Tomoe’s screenplay greatly struggled under the cataclysmic weight of plot inconsistencies and lacklustre loopholes as well as logic .

One of the major problems of Tomoe’s world-building and “factual “ science came through its lacking and quintessential presence in the main events of the storyline. Perhaps the major source of the problem can be found that ‘ The Door Into Summer’ was heavily dominated by its emotional aspects. However rather than using this as an opportunity to explore characters or even widely offer an edge of complexity towards Soichiro, Kanno Tomoe ladened the narrative in parts upon Soichiro’s insipid, potential romantic relationship with main female lead Matsushita Riko ( Kiyohara Kara).

This was a notable flaw throughout Miki’s movie; there was rarely a sense of plot. Seemingly quintessential characters and events were rarely developed and whilst the movie did attempt to present a gradual “ villain” , ‘ The Door Into Summer’ could often feel aimless and directionless within its messaging and plot development. In particular the ending of the movie notably presented the outcome of the plot’s aimless narrative with an anticlimactic and lacklustre conclusion.

In addition to this there’s also the issue of the lacking opportunities to really flesh-out characters and in particular the main male lead of the series. For a a main character who is supposedly constantly looking towards advancement , Soichiro’s uninspiring and tailored reaction towards the near-future, technology and the world around him felt somewhat regimented rather than befitting for his seeming character archetype.

The acting of the series was admittedly a slight mixed-bag. Kento Yamazaki’s role as Soichiro was admittedly somewhat uninspiring with certain line deliverances feeling enforced. The supporting cast such as Matsuhhita Riko played by Kiyohara Kara and Natsuko as Shiraishi Rin in particular were decent enough with their performances but rarely brought forwards a dynamic charm due to limited screenwriting opportunities. Perhaps one of the few standout performances of ‘ The Door Into Summer’ was Fujiki Naohito as PETE but due to limited dialogue and depth opportunities, Naohito was rarely a wider scope to exploring his onscreen persona with tact.


Perhaps one of the few saving graces of ‘ The Door Into Summer’ under the directing reigns of Takahiro Miki came through the movie’s impressive and glossy CGI, cinematography, slick shots and fuzzy retro and nostalgia shoots also. Although admittedly a somewhat generic approach with certain filming techniques, Miki did help to captivate a certain aesthetic throughout the filming of the series. The OST of the series was slightly dull in comparison to the slick shots of the movies; synchronic in parts, but rarely giving viewers an opportunity to feel the emotional weight and impact of scenes either.

Overall ‘ The Door Into Summer’ is a film which whilst boasting some impressive filming shots, scenery, CGI and some familiar faces, often felt heavily burdened by its writing. The elements of science-fiction present within the narrative of the film are approached tactlessly with aimless plot motivations rarely giving further insight into the growth of characters or tension either. The ending of the series will likely offer viewers with a final admittance of the narrative’s disappointing deliverance despite its unlimited potential.

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Don't get your hopes up and you'll be fine

You know that thing you can't say it's bad but you can't say it's good either? That's exactly what this is.

The problem is mainly the plot. It tries to get sci-fi but if you came for the sci-fi stuff, you'll be disappointed. It's very shallow, as the whole story honestly, cause they tried to squeeze too much in little time. The acting wasn't the best either - the villain was cringey and Yamazaki Kento was a little off.. and that comes from the person who watches ANYTHING because of him (like this exact movie).

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this movie, but if you're a Yamakento (or other cast) fan then it's an ok watch.

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Could have been deeper and more thrilling, still entertaining with interesting concepts showcased

I am generally a sucker for that kind of sci-fi movie set (more or less) in our contemporary world but with futuristic elements making it quite different from our real life. The first part of the picture was quite a wild ride with some interesting conflict: it was a bit too melodramatic but worked quite well overall to set the stakes. In its second part, the story lost a bit its potential as it became too easy for the main lead. Due to the concept itself, there was a lack of suspense and thrills. The ending was good but would have benefited of more fleshed out relationship between some of the characters to be properly rewarding.

The acting was ok overall. I quite enjoyed the performance of Yamazaki Kento who was the central figure and his interactions with the cat were super cute. I also liked Fujiki Naohito: his character was pretty interesting to follow. Unfortunately I found that the rest of the casting was a bit bland for some of the roles and a bit over-the-top for some others. I would have loved to be more transported by the main relationship and would have appreciated more nuances regarding the antagonists.

I found the filmmaking quite good, with a certain poetry for some of the scenes. The various inventions with their related sketches were nicely made and were a crucial addition to the fulfillment of the plot. The OST (with more specifically one key song for the characters) provided a lovely nostalgic vibe to the story.

I would recommend this to people looking for a sci-fi movie. I do not want to give too much away but if you like series like "Fringe" or books like "The Ice People" from Barjavel, you might give it a go (as it plays roughly with some of the same topics but in a more superficial way I would say). I wish it would have been deeper and more angsty but I still had a great time watching this film.

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Quite nice!

Honestly it’s not the best movie that I’ve watched but it was not the worst either. As another review said if you don’t have expectations it won’t disappoint you. I quite liked the ending, it may be predictable but it satisfied me. The movie kept me entertained and i didn’t wander around while watching it so I’m not regretting spending my time on it.
As of the acting for me it was pretty good, can’t say much about it because i enjoyed it. It wasn’t cringey or anything which is a plus.
For the music the ending song was so good that I looked for it and added to my playlist.

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Un film sur le futur

Je donnerai 8 sur 10, et encore je suis trop gentille sur ma note. L'histoire est intéressante, elle parle de robotique, cryogénisation et voyage dans le temps. Mais la lenteur dont elle se déroule est un peu chiante. Sinon, le jeu des acteurs est bon.

J'ai bien aimé le résultat de sa création de robot, son Pete 1 est super. J'ai eu du mal à comprendre l'histoire au début, mais dès qu'il est retourné dans le passé, ça s'est éclairé. C'est un bon film mais je ne le regarderai pas deux fois. Chepa, il manque un truc encore plus passionnant à l'histoire...

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Interesting but felt short of expectations

The premise itself feels interesting and the movie also builds a somewhat strong premise. However the premise of sci-fi soon turns into a romantic ride but doesn't fully commit to either. Overall the story felt kinda cut short due to time restraints, so going for series approach would have been better. Also, the ending, although conclusive, felt kinda abrupt. There are multiple plot holes as well which are nothing groundbreaking but I would have liked for them to be addressed in a proper manner, but once again that can be excused due to the time constraints in a movie.
Acting wise everyone does an okay job nothing extraordinary. Cinematography is excellent, classic japanese style, expressing the mundane-ness of everyday life even while capturing a totally different story.
The music certainly stands out if you are a western classical lover like me. The music direction was on point and so were the compositions. Totally loved it!
All in all if you have 2 hrs to spare, a fan of Kento Yamazaki or just an lover of Japanese cinema, give it a go.

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Great movie for me because I watched it without knowing anything about it

Unlike other reviews, I actually really enjoyed this movie and am very generous when rating it like I am with other films I've watched that I thought were great. I've worked a bit in film production before and it is not easy to come up with a good movie and it takes a ton of work, so I see things from an overall production perpective and maybe a different lens than others but I really enjjoyed the movie. I liked that it was simple to follow and that it wasn't super dramatic. It was straight to the point and covered all the basis before ending it without leaving any holes in the story. Although, I would've loved if they extended the ending to where both the leads meets the lawyer and professor. I would've also loved to see them expand more on the Sci-fi aspect of things but I feel that if it delved too much into it then it would overly complicate it for the layman.

I had to do a bit of math in the end because age gaps between female and male leads always makes me feel uncomfortable especially when it's a minor and an adult plus them being step-siblings (although I don't think the dad's friend officially adopted the male lead and just took him in under his wing). But all in all it worked out in the end as both leads went into cold sleep at the same age and therefore, are the same age once they woke up. It's a small detail but I liked how that was cleverly done. But still a questionable decision since they grew up like siblings.

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Not Good Enough

Japanese Movie '' The Door Into Summer '' is the adaption of the novel by the same title. The story is a sci fi drama about time traveling and family.

And even though the story is interesting, the length of the drama didn't allow it to fully develop. Thus, it felt like watching a sequence of events that followed one another like a highlight read rather than a smooth progress. Also, some themes weren't handled nicely enough.

The cat, on the other hand, was cute. And the performances by every actor and actress of the cast was enjoyable.

So, overall, four out of ten.

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I haven't read the book so I went into it completely blank. And yet, within a rather short time I got what was going to happen. So, if you go into it for suspense or drama, you will be disappointed. But I still liked it well enough. Why?

Because my obsessive, symmetry loving self loved how neatly it all fell into place, all the puzzle pieces. I mean I do wish it went deeper when it comes to the characters and the story - it felt like it barely scratched the surface - but it was, well, neat. I loved that the story was wrapped in a sweet happy ending bow.

Though in this case, I wouldn't have minded a little less happy ending - if Rika had waited and greeted Soichiro as a middle-aged woman, if they had gone down the step-siblings instead of lovers route... That would've been less romantic but more real, at least to me. Oh well.

Overall, a sweet little sci-fi story. I really need to read the book!

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