Well, it’s quirk galore today. We’re going for a second helping of the odd with a Japanese comedy. Okey, it’s a bit of a high school drama, but there’s no way you’re not laughing at this one. It’s not laughing out-loud hilarious, it’s just quirky and snappy enough that you can’t help but smile. That being said, I haven’t read the manga from Yuki Ando, so this one is only a review from the point of view of the movie itself.
Almost a Miracle is directed by Yuya Ishii who wrote it with Sho Kataoka. Hajime Machida (Kanata Hosoda) is a weird one. This high schooler dedicates his life to helping others often at the expense of his own. One day he meets Nana Inohara (Nagisa Sekimizu), a jaded outsider who pushes everyone away. Inohara can’t make sense of Machida’s mission to help everyone that he feels needs it. Machida is completely unaware how he affects people around him.
This kind of character causes two reactions, you’re either laughing at his misfortune or you’re admiring his commitment. In the best case scenario, you’ll start with the first and end with the second one. There’s no doubt that Machida cannot possibly keep this up and yet he manages again and again. Eventually he’s going to get burned, but that doesn’t him to deter his resolve. Inohara is puzzled, intrigued and without admitting it to herself, a little attracted to Machida. The word you’re looking for is “tsundere”.
Recommended for a dose of quirky comedic fun and even some hope. The movie is not perfect. The ending goes head over heels over-the-top in a way that could only happen in TV, if you believe Sakae (Atsuko Maeda, playing the girl with the sarcastic commentary). Then again, after everything that Machida has sacrificed for other people, it might have been what was needed. I’d prefer a more subtle ending, although I still count the strange one as satisfying.
That will do for now.
Never Think Impossible 