It’s 1958 Japan, and there’s so much happening. Long gone are the days of turmoil, as the war ends and the economy is rapidly recovering. Televisions are making an appearance alongside the construction of the iconic Tokyo tower. The narrative takes place in the Yuhi town where Mutsuko Hoshino, a rural schoolgirl, resides. Overwhelmed with the excitement of starting her apprenticeship at Suzuki Auto, she is taken aback when she finds out that she will be working at a rather shabby auto repair shop which is owned by a rather short tempered Norifumi, an auto mechanic who is also a family man. In the same neighborhood, Ryunosuke Chagawa resides.
His life isn’t perfect either. A washed up writer who owns a small shop is struggling to make ends meet, Ryunosuke hasn’t had much luck. However, things start to take a more positive direction when he decides to go to a newly opened sake bar one night, where he meets the charming Hiromi Ishizaki. Hiromi simultaneously runs the bar and takes care of an abandoned child named Junnosuke Furuyuki who she met while running the bar. She seeks assistance from Ryunosuke and during their interaction, Ryunosuke was drunk, and ended up agreeing to take guardianship of the child, it was a strange situation for both of them.
‘Always: Sunset on Third Street’ self aggrandizes as a fiction that covers Japanese economic recovery in a sepia, post World War II setting where technology rules the land. The piece does focus on the rise of Tokyo Tower, but what it fails to do is delve into the complexities of post war nationalistic sentiments that tend to be curt. The movie, however, shines the most in the fiction it covers, ranging from tackling loss and pain in addition to layering it with love and hope which explodes into a wonderful array of diverse emotions. Takashi Yamazaki does justice to the piece by intertwining dark humor with the story, and making it manga styled. Rather than being subjective, the dialogue exchanges are rather funny, and make the average viewer enjoy the film. The movie also does justice to dramatic and emotional sections by focusing on those who suffer and better themselves in order to give comfort and support to others.
Overall, the film’s treatment of character relations might be one of the strongest points of the element of realism If the international relations were on the second place, then the character relations probably would take the first one. Hiren, who is a fisherman, loses Kanya, one of the lead characters He is Ehe1, while other characters are rational and focus on other matters. Also, the film provides a good insight into the perception along with working remembrance of the perception that was and still is alive until modernity.
Western images of working class people are rather pessimistic, but the Tokyo’s setting presents the state as a developing one. Takashi Yamazaki renders real features of the Tokyo even with clever stylistic direction, helping the audience identify with the protagonists of the story when this urban area is presented because, to him, Tokyo is much more than calm, orderly sections and busy streets with uniform faceless architecture. What also appears to be irreverent is the portrayal of Yuhi district around the Tokyo spaces; it resembles Watanabe. A household television in a neighborhood setting is viewed as a luxurious resort, and as excitement builds, watching old matches warms up the expectations for new ones, this might just be the best example of pathetic spectacle to look for.
Movie enthusiasts are definitely going to love the Easter eggs scattered in “Always: Sunset on Third Street”. It is evident that Takashi Yamazaki is a fan of Hollywood and Steven Spielberg as well. There are also references to the works of great Japanese Directors Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu. Another of Yamazaki’s great directors, Kurosawa wrote ‘Dodes’ka-den’, which also depicts a lower segment of society in Tokyo. The accent on television and even one of the character’s sweater worn by a character in the movie is a subtle tribute to Ozu’s comic movie ‘Good Morning’.
Several key roles and comic supporting characters also provide the amusing character traits which allow these performers to play off each other beautifully. As Mutsuko Hoshino, a rural girl who is adjusting back to city life after developing high hopes, Maki Horikita convincingly makes the transition to urban living believable. Kenta Suga is full of youthful innocence and cheek as Junnosuke Furuyuki although he has to grapple with some weighty material. A comic figure is brought to life by Shinichi Tsutsumi, who portrays Norifumi Suzuki, in a funny way.
Nonetheless, he also understands when to scale back for scenes that depict his scenes with his wife Tomoe and then his child Ippei, who are played by Hiroko Yakushimaru and Kazuki Koshimizu. The character of Ryunosuke Chagawa is a display of a typical useless loser at the beginning but later on begins to show how human he is when he works hard to bond with Junnosuke, which Hidetaka Yoshioka portrays as a large part about him. Koyuki excels in her performance as Hiromi Ishizaki, a woman highly respected in the community for her physical beauty but who also has fantastic compassion, and the evolution of a sort of family setting between Koyuki, Yoshioka and Suga is very beautiful. A lot of the people living in Yuhi, who are draped across the towns, are pictured by Tomokazu Miura and Masako Motai and are also quite memorable.
The efforts of Takashi Yamazaki, Shirogumi and Robot Communications come forth impressively in ‘Always: Sunset on Third Street.’ The aesthetic appeal of the movie is sharp, with vibrant colors, elaborate set pieces that accurately reflect the contained period alongside with the subtle elements such as the wardrobe. Their scope of Improvement the CGI, was a far better depiction than the 3D images shown in Yamazaki’s previous two movies. In comparison to the CGI quality, Kozo Shibasaki’s cinematography gives a respectably Calm ambiance while the graphics seem to steal the show. Naoko Sato overdid himself with the astounding matching between the music and the context without going overboard, the same is reflected for the song “Always” by D-51. Overall the sound approach of the film skillful presents it as warm and comforting.
Always: Sunset on Third Street defines a true political satire, portraying the growing economy in Japan post World War 2 while simultaneously providing a compelling character arc. Surprisingly for a political satire, it is highly entertaining, funny and heart warming alongside delivering the message. The vibrant visuals and stylized approach offers something new while still garnering a broader base of audience. The film is a solid narrative driven piece with stunning visuals and characters, injecting a fresh perspective to the market.
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