Close Range Love (近キョリ恋愛, Kin Kyori Ren'ai) 2014

(source)

Close Range Love (近キョリ恋愛, Kin Kyori Ren'ai) is a 2014 Japanese romance film directed by Naoto Kumazawa and an adaptation of the manga series of the same name.

This is a poster for Close Range Love (film). The poster art copyright is believed to belong to the distributor of the film, the publisher of the film or the graphic artist.

近キョリ恋愛 (Kinkyori Renai)

Directed by Naoto Kumazawa

Written by Yukiko Manabe

Based on Kin Kyori Renai

by Rin Mikimoto

•  Yamashita Tomohisa (Yamapi)as  Sakurai Haruka
•  Komatsu Nana as Kururugi Yuni
•  Mizukawa Asami as  Takizawa Mirei
•  Kotaki Nozomu as  Matoba Ryu
•  Yamamoto Mizuki as  Nanami Kikuko
• Arai Hirofumi as Kazuma Akechi
•  Sano Kazuma as  Sato Saki
• Furuhata Seika  as Yoshida Mei 

Wow!  I never expected that I would love this movie, but I do.  I'm just so iffy with a lot of parts.  

I had no problem watching MY LECTURER, MY HUSBAND and PERFECT AND CASUAL, but when this movie was suggested to me, and I saw that Yuni was in Highschool, I almost did not watch it.  It took months before I finally "gave in", so-to-speak, and I'm so happy that I did.

The story between Haruka and Yuni is so beautiful, but of course, if the "rumors" were proven true, it would be the end of his career, and her dreams would be harder to reach.

Yuni excels in everything except in English, and that's where her Sensei, Sakurai Haruka enters her heart.  He offers to give her FREE after school classes.  She hates it at first, but later, she could not live without those lessons even when she gets bullied by the girls who like Sakurai Sensei.  They think she is just pretending to be poor in English so that she could spend more time with him.

I have not read the Manga series yet, so based on what I have observed from the start of the movie, it's the teacher who falls for her first(it's so obvious---he offered free lessons to get close to her--wishing she was doing it (get bad grades)"on purpose" to get his attention because she's a genius... He uses reverse psychology---so I told myself maybe I should watch episode 12 of the prequel, so I did, at the very least, to learn if I am correct---his body language showed he was really interested in her in a more than a teacher/student way. After watching the prequel(no eng sub---I know Nihongo, but I could still be lost in translation, but one thing's for sure, the Cat Barrette(猫のバレッタ) brought them together) could I say that I was I right?...I could be... basing on the actions alone, Yuni was attracted first, but he was very intrigued with her. Hmm...I think they were sort of attracted at the same time. Yuni pulled her ear while he was staring at her.  The way he asked for her name was... ;-) 

Basing on the scenes of this movie, I am GUESSING that, at the very least, when he asked her to have those free lessons, he was already into her.  He wouldn't prepare those lessons with care(man, the materials he prepared were so easy to understand like a scrapbook---or cliff notes...they were made with l-o-v-e) if he didn't.  Even if she kind of likes him, the like turns into hate when he offers her those lessons, but something happened along the way... then little by little she falls for him too.  OK, OK, I will read the Manga Series asap!

There were scenes where I was so worried about the two of them, but there were pretty exciting scenes too.  I am glad he is not the predator type, and that his love for Yuni is pure .

I know not everyone saw their chemistry, but I did...It felt real for me,  plus I love the beach scenes, especially the one with the sunset towards the end.  Most of the viewers love the "kiss under the table" scene.  I honestly almost had a heart attack because I thought the higher ups would see or the other students would notice.  Someone noticed it, but...

I don't think I need to say anything more, but  I would probably watch this again one day(Shh...actually I already did).  

Viki

Free (sub)

THE PREQUEL(They say if you watch the prequel first, you wouldn't want to watch the movie...Yuni will appear on the 12th episode when Haruka is already an adult---played by the same actors---so please watch the movie first)

Some of the viewers questions plus my guesses:
1. Did Yuni have a big allowance in the States?  Most probably.  Scholars get extra allowances at times...or maybe her looking at her cousin before she showed him the blue sunset could be a clue(well, I am just guessing);2. Their tutoring sessions and their love story was almost a year long, but how come Yuni's hair never grew that long?  I guess the answer there is that cutting hair in the US of A could be more expensive, and she was saving her allowance for her to go back to Japan for a few days;3. Really? Sakurai Sensei?  You did not know she has big dreams? She gets a 100 in almost every class, except yours! Yes, you love her, but she's young, and you did the selfish thing of asking her to marry you...when you learned about her dreams of going to the US of A to learn from Prof. Mendel, you hurt her so she could spread her wings, but when she comes back to show you the BLUE SUNSET, you ask her to marry you again, but at least you had the decency to say that she didn't have to leave school(the movie made it look like the US of A was just a few miles away).  Thankfully, the kissing while the sun was setting did the trick.

Please read this review for it makes a lot of sense:

ABOUT: 近キョリ恋愛 (CLOSE RANGE LOVE)

APRIL 25, 2015 MINIPIPAMI

Japanese Honorifics
I am reading the Manga series now.  Her name is Uni, she's sixteen, and Sakurai Sensei flirted with her first.  Oh my goodness. I wanna kick him.  I have no problem with age gap romances, but she's in High School...OK, he's not a predator, but...Uni is actually not amused by his behavior that is so unbecoming for a teacher. She thinks he's the worst kind of a guy...but then there is battle with sense and sensibility inside Uni's intelligent brain.  His...well, I couldn't call it coaxing because there's nothing gentle about him claiming that Uni is failing on purpose because she's attracted to him.  Uni slaps him, and here, the slap was the cause of the after school sessions.  It was the punishment for the slap. After several lessons, he actually kisses her tauntingly after giving the wrong translation for the word kitten. Argh.  I really want to kick this teacher!   One thing's for sure.  The prequel (episode 12) is wrong. The unconventional teacher taunts her first, then there's a battle inside of her. The movie made Sakurai Sensei more lovable.  The only thing they did not take away from the Manga is his smoking.  In the Manga series, he's an asshole, but she thinks he's the most beautiful creature in the world.  Oh, and may I add, the kiss under the table made more sense after reading this? The thing she wrote was an explanation of something they talked about in the car. OK, I will just read the whole thing first for this is SUPPOSED to be one of the best Manga series ever.
OK, I'm done now.  I've read better.
I think I like the movie better.  Well, that's just me.  Yes, the development of their "love" was too quick, at least in the Manga series the love progressed after several sessions.  The first kiss the knocked her down happened during one of those many sessions.  Imagine, he laughed.  He kind of had a redeeming factor when he lent her his winter scarf and got sick because of it, et cetera, but he is still an asshole.   In the movie, I reiterate, at least he is more lovable, and it's easier to understand how the students have crushes on him, but...
Enough said.
Tootles!