The “obsession” with the 80's never actually ceased in the 21st century, and Japan could not be an exception, with “Initiation Love” being a testament to the fact. The script is based on the homonymous novel by Kurumi Inui, although Yukihiko Tsutsumi took some liberties with the original.
The film is portrayed in the classic music format of an “A-B sided cassette tape”, with the story completely changing setting and style half through the movie.
“Initiation Love” is part of The Japan Foundation Touring Film Programme
Suzuki is a university student in Shizuoka, who is the personification of the “loser”. He is fat, kind of ugly, dresses like a nerd, has almost no friends, and cannot even think about a girlfriend. His luck, however, changes, when he agrees to accompany some of his fellow students in a party, where he is actually just invited in order to even the number with the girls coming. During the meeting, he finds himself attracted to Mayu who, surprisingly, takes interest in him too. The two of them start dating and their relationship flourishes as time passes.
In the second part, Suzuki's company has transferred him to Tokyo, and the two retain a long-distance relationship, that demands a lot of him, since he has to drive once a week back in order to meet with Mayu. Furthermore, a very beautiful girl at the office, Miyako, seems to like him, as he is currently thin and quite attractive.
Tsutsumi directs a delightful romantic comedy, which unfolds much like a manga, particularly due to the characters in the protagonist roles. The 80's setting, with the aloofness associated with the decade (at least as it seems now), also moves in the same, kind of comic direction. In that last aspect, Tsutsumi has done a great job in the depiction of the era, with the clothes, the music, the cars, the entertainment, and most of all, the smoking.
At the same time, and through the rather colorful cinematography of Satoru Karasawa and Gabriele Roberto's music, the film implements aesthetics that reminded me much of “Amélie”, in another aspect that stresses the entertainment the movie provides.
Through all the above, Tsutsumi takes a thorough look at the difficulties relationships present, with the sad truth eventually coming to the fore.
Kanro Morita as the “nerd” Suzuki embodies the manga style previously mentioned, with both his appearance and way of acting. The “cool” Suzuki of the b-side is a much more serious character, as the film becomes more of a drama than a comedy. Atsuko Maeda as Mayu is great as the innocent-looking, but quite manipulative Mayu, while Fumino Kimura as Miyako has a role very close to that of a femme fatale, although her feelings for Suzuki make her appear different.
“Initiation Love” is a very easy film to watch through its combination or romance, comedy and the 80's, which all fans of the genre and the decade will enjoy.
And now that you have read all that, you can actually delete them because the ending completely blows everything apart, including the concept of the title, in a “trick” that I found ingenious, but also quite annoying.
