Love HurtsGirls are made of sugar and spice and all things nice, but of course there are those laced with wasabi that will hit you when you least expect it to. Based on the novel by Eimi Yamada, Sugar & Spice is not your conventional romantic drama, not that it's because it's not the usual boy-meets-girl-they-hook-up-boy-loses-girl-boy-tries-to-win-girl-back kind of movie, but because it takes a long hard look at a certain condition, and that's the rebound.
And perhaps many would have disliked the movie because it touches that raw nerve, either you're the perpetrator, or the victim of. There are limited amount of fan favourite saccharine sweet moments, and instead, lessons dished out were plentiful, which does get try as it tends to nag. Obviously, the movie is hinging on the star appeal of the teenage lovers, Shiro (Yuya Yagira, who won a Best Actor award from Cannes with his portrayal in Nobody Knows), and hot model-actress-musician Erika Sawajiri as Noriko, and therefore perhaps paid little attention to the pacing, which turned out to be erratic, and treading on the route to arthouse styled contemplation, longing and scenes of regret.
Shiro is a student at the crossroads of his life - whether to enroll in cram school to prepare for higher education, or to follow a small step towards his dream of working with cars. He opts for the latter, and finds himself as a pump attendant at a gas station. Noriko becomes the new apprentice at the station, and needless to say, Shiro gets smitten by the newcomer. But the catch here is that this is Shiro's first stab at a relationship, and while he is brought up to be nice, girls hate wimps, don't they? And Noriko's no angel either, having just been out of a rocky relationship with a relatively richer guy, and now having to be stuck with Shiro. Every step of the way, you wonder if she's on the rebound, and just grabbing at whoever is conveniently available at the time. Indecisiveness abound, but more often than not, cold hard logic prevails and it boils down to practicality, and materialism.
The story finds itself spending quality time with an examination of first love, and the pain that it usually brings, especially when one finds oneself drawing the stick with the shorter end. It's heartbreaking, but the story encourages one to learn from mistakes, and to move on, though it presented this thought quite clumsily. The scene stealer here belongs to Mari Natsuki as the free loving, hippy grandma of Shiro, who drives a hot rod of a vehicle and has a toy boy to boot (for a 70 year old!). She dispenses advice to both parties, and drawing on her past experiences to do so, teaching her grandson to know when to be a gentleman, and when the time's come to be tough.
It serves as a reminder to all those out there who still nurses a broken heart, to cherish those (previous) memories, but not to ditch the forest for the tree. While the proceedings seem more bleak throughout, the light at the end of the tunnel provided much needed hope to lift the movie from its dark tones. And the soundtrack just puts a smile to my face too. Here are two of the best featured:
Calling all the stars to fall
And catch the silver sunlight in your hands
Come for me and set me free
Lift me up and take me where I stand
She believes in everything
And everyone and you and yours and mine
I've waited for a thousand years
For you to come and blow me out my mind
Hey, Lyla!
The stars are about to fall
So what d'you say, Lyla?
The world around us makes me feel so small, Lyla!
If you can't hear me call then I can't say, Lyla!
Heaven'll help you catch me if I fall lyla!
She's the queen of all I've seen
And every song and city far and near
Heaven help my mademoiselle,
She rings the bell for all the world to hear
Hey, Lyla!
The stars are about to fall
So what d'you say, Lyla?
The world around us makes me feel so small, Lyla!
If you can't hear me call then I can't say, Lyla!
Heaven'll help you catch me if I fall lyla!
Hey, Lyla!
looking from a window above, it's like a story of love
can you hear me
came back only yesterday
i'm moving further away
want you near me
all i needed was the love you gave
all i needed for another day
and all i ever knew
only you
sometimes when i think of her name when it's only a game
and i need you
listen to the words that you say it's getting harder to stay
when i see you
all i needed was the love you gave
all i needed for another day
and all i ever knew
only you
this is going to take a long time and i wonder what's mine
can't take no more
wonder if you'll understand it's just the touch of your hand
behind a closed door
all i needed was the love you gave
all i needed for another day
and all i ever knew
only you
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