| There haven't been many movies that made me say "wow" after watching them. Well, technically I would say that while watching the movie and after a very well executed special effect. In terms of story and concept though, not so much. Enter the Japanese movie "Boku no Kanojo wa Cyborg," more commonly known as "Cyborg She" or "Cyborg Girl" or "My Girlfriend is a Cyborg".
The story revolves around the life of a college student named Jiro (Koide Keisuke) who is visited by a beautiful cyborg from the future (Ayase Haruka). Jiro lives a very boring life before his encounter with her but quickly turns his life upside down after her arrival. After spending more time with the cyborg though, he gradually falls in love.
Among the many things that surprised me with this movie is that it was directed by one my favorite Asian cinema directors, Kwak Jae Yong. I love almost every movie that he has ever directed/written. These movies include my all time favorites, "My Sassy Girl", "The Classic", "Windstruck", and "My Mighty Princess". As a South Korean director, I'm not sure if this is Kwak Jae Yong's first Japanese film project, since he's been involved in other movies outside of South Korea.
Ayase Haruka's performance was quite good as her portrayal of the Cyborg and her alternate self in the future. Although Koide Keisuke's performance was quite good also, I didn't really like how helpless and weak his character was. Though I did notice that most of Kwak Jae Yong's movies are centered around a "tough" girl. There are little other distractions to take you away from the couple's story, so you quickly get attached to them.
Without revealing too much of the plot, I can say that there are many twists in the story. One of the twists was actually slightly revealed in the very beginning, but you will never get it until you reach the end. It is a romantic-comedy, so there are a lot of funny moments as well as serious and romantic scenes. Some might feel that the beginning is a little slow, but I thought it had a pretty good pace. Nothing made it drag on like other stories that focus on one storyline. The ending does make you think a little bit though, but you'll eventually get it and wonder how they could have written such a clever plot.
"Cyborg She" is the first best film I've watched this year and actually prompted me to search for more information on the actors and actresses involved. I even went ahead and purchased the movie poster for it.
For anybody interested in an unconventional love story, I highly recommend "Cyborg She". It's sweet, funny, and fresh. |
