For our daily column dedicated to live action movies, we return to our flagship topic, that of romance. We laser for you the feature film Close to Heaven (Kyô no Kira-kun). A manga by the author Rin MIKIMOTO which is also available from the publisher Pika and which has nine volumes!
The story introduces us to a withdrawn teenager who finds herself facing a young man struggling with imminent death.
Warning, this review contains spoilers from the live action movie and manga. To be read at your own risk.
Close to Heaven
Original title: きょうのキラ君 – Kyô no Kira-kun
Alternate title: Closest Love To Heaven – Today's Kira-kun – Close to Heaven
Gender: Drama – Romance – School
Country: Japan
Release date: February 25, 2017
Director: Yasuhiro KAWAMURA (Princess Jellyfish)
Scriptwriter: Chieko NAKAGAWA (Ani Tomo)
Original manga: Rin MIKIMOTO
Synopsis :
Okamura Ninon is a high school student nicknamed "the bird girl" because of her penchant for birds. The young woman is lonely and has no friends. Kira Yuiji, a classmate, is quite popular. It is also the neighbor of the latter. However, he hides a terrible secret that will completely change their relationship once she finds out. Indeed, Kira has only one year to live and Ninon decides to be the one who will stay by his side until the end.
Main cast:
Marie IITOYO
Ninon Okamura (March) | Taishi NAKAGAWA
Yuiji Kira | Shono HAYAMA
Kazuhiro Yabe | Yuna TAIRA
Mio Yahagi (Honey) |
Kohki OKADA
Yuiji's father (Orphan Black: 7 Genes) | Rieko MIURA
Kanon Okamura | Ken YASUDA
Takahiro Okamura |
Desire to live
Close to Heaven is a story that plunges us into the rather classic daily life of teenagers on the verge of becoming future adults. We find themes and scenes typical of the genre and yet, we always end up getting caught up in the game.
The film makes us live, through two protagonists, a love intrigue that promises to be complicated with the illness of one of them. Ninon, on the other hand, is someone unsociable, self-effacing and considered weird with huge bangs hiding his eyes.
However, we regret that all the originality of the manga is swept away as soon as it enters, namely the presence of Prof, his parakeet. His friend and confidant doesn't matter as much here. It is reduced to a very limited role, which is a shame. Kira, meanwhile, will play on the heartstrings, plunging us into this uncertain future he faces. All the beauty of this romance between high school students will therefore rest on this. Fortunately, Kira and Ninon's relationship does not suffer too much from this lack but it still leaves a bitter taste for those who have read the manga.
A daily life turned upside down
After briefly discussing this film, we now take a closer look at its characters.
First, it is the actress playing Ninon that interests us since it is through her that the story evolves. We liked her character: we found a shy heroine, lacking self-confidence but who ends up making her way. She does not lack character and helps Kira a lot while remaining attentive to her heart. The only shadow in the picture is obviously his parakeet which remains most of the time in his cage …
As for Kira, the character seemed faithful to his 2D counterpart. We find a young man facing death with disgust but who regains confidence thanks to Ninon. The alchemy of the couple is present with moments of doubt, humor and reflection especially with the parents of the heroine. The presence of the group surrounding our two lovebirds is also a good therapy for him.
Ninon's parents bring a certain balance to the film without being too present. Indeed, if at first they push Ninon towards Kira, questions specific to the parents and the future of their daughter will make them think later. This opposition between the two generations is beneficial to the film as well as to the spectators who can easily line up behind two points of view.
Finally, two roles caught our attention although they were secondary. Yabe, Kira's closest friend, has been convincing as a "big brother" to the couple. And Mio, meanwhile, left us somewhat hungry by wanting to play two characters at once: Ninon's rival and Kira's childhood friend. As a result, we are slightly disappointed by this turn of phrase not really logical.
An adaptation for neophytes
The adaptation of the manga Close to Heaven has largely respected the work and tempo of the main plot while making more or less thoughtful changes. The two main actors naturally portray an immature couple facing the threat of an already determined separation.
There is nostalgia, atmosphere and essential elements of the story while living an ordinary but sympathetic daily life. However, the scenario suffers from many shortcuts not always coherent making the story a little messy. Especially Kira's relationship with Mio which is almost undeveloped, we just know the main lines and as a result, it leaves us bitter.
In terms of realization, not much to complain about: the shots are beautiful, the camera centers well on the couple. But, we deplore the absence of the exotic side due to the presence of Prof (the parakeet). However, it is not necessary to know the manga and we would even say that it is better not to have read it to have fun watching this feature film!
The live-action film adaptation of Close to Heaven has a big black spot for those with the manga in mind and who may be disappointed. The story will therefore appeal mainly to an audience loving romantic comedies and not knowing manga!
