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Apr 7, 2009 11:21 AM
#1

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Jun 2008
8100
Man I fell in love with it! At first it was a little bit of a downer seeing Hiromi go through so much turmoil. But I think overall it turned out great, and really left me with a happy feeling!
Nov 12, 2009 6:45 PM
#2

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Jun 2007
2253
I loved it. I was thinking of typing a review for it but, due to the review rating bug pissing me off more and more and you already having a review up I agree with up, I decided against it. Instead, I made a recc and left it at that.

I thought the film flowed well, from scene to scene.

When I watched 'Whisper of the Heart', the aimless first 40 minutes bored me. When I watched 'Only Yesterday', the lack of connection between most of the flashbacks and the present of its story made it hard to stay 100% interested.

In the case of JCH, however, I was hooked. I really cared for Hiromi, her gradual development and the time spent on showing how she tried to put a brave face on her loneliness made me like her early on. My eyes even became watery a few times - a sign of excellent characterization.

Overall, it's a top film, and it's shocking only 200 or so people have rated it, despite it having a R1 release.
Dec 16, 2010 12:06 AM
#3

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Feb 2010
514
"Wonderful."

The story was predictable and animation wasn't Ghibli-budget, but the film was an emotional ride. Agreed on the fine characterization. I also liked the author's cute sense of humor (recall the marriage scene). If you like Ghibli, you'll love JCH. It's an absolute gem.
Jun 28, 2013 5:49 PM
#4

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Jan 2009
81
I read that for a g-rated movie this tackled quite a few grownup issues - I didn't expect an extremely well-crafted and heartfelt family drama. every situation rings true. i really enjoyed this. what a lovely surprise.
Nov 23, 2014 7:57 PM
#5

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Oct 2013
1071
I just watched it tonight and was captivated. Great story.
Apr 2, 2015 10:45 PM
#6

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Dec 2012
16125
This was certainly an interesting choice. I picked it up because I saw it was an early work by director Sato Junichi (responsible for Tamayura and Aria series). Junkers was quite the character and along with Hiromi's playful antics he helped make for some hilarious and heartwarming moments. Every time that big fat cat came around I was like "Ohhh man watch out."

I really enjoyed the sense of realism that came with the characters. This movie is a simple story of a girl who just wants her family to stay together and portrays it in a really grounded manner. Junkers really lived up to the title "man's best friend" as he was the one that she could constantly rely on when her back was against a wall. I also like how it handled Hiromi's crush on Keisuke, always keeping it lighthearted and fantasy-esque without ever turning it into the focus of the plot. It was what one would expect from a little girl's first love.

The only thing I wish they had done differently is the resolution of the parents' feud. Although the lack of communication was no doubt the main problem, it also felt like their prioritization of work over spending time with her was the real dividing force in that household. I wish that had been addressed and perhaps shown the parents try to find positions in their work that would allow more quality family bonding time.

Otherwise this turned out to be a pleasant treat for something I picked up on the spot on a whim. I even like how they end the movie, with the bittersweet trade off of Junkers sacrificing his ability to speak to keep Hiromi's family together. Had to say him using the men's room at the end was a hoot. He's still got it!

I'd say a 7/10, nice to see that Sato had that healing touch even 20+ years ago.
Apr 6, 2015 12:49 PM
#7

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Jul 2010
2403
Weirdly how I couldn't stop thinking about "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" while watching Junkers. Like how if a person was given the chance to change the world around them, would that person change anything? If so, what things or events needs to be changed? Couldn't stop thinking about it after reading the synopsis! Also with how the power can only do so much and with the power having a
too just further reinforced the connection.

Hiromi and Junker's characterization was quite good. Hiromi always saying "yes" in that tone gave a good idea of what type of person she was. It was realistic how when Hiromi's mom mentioned the idea of divorce, Hiromi wasn't all that impacted by it as she believed that it probably wouldn't happen, like how it only happens in the movies and such.

How each and her every action slowly grew on the amount of consequences it has. Starting with the first wish, and how she handled it with a second wish which she put a rather large effort herself to solve the problem. Slowly but surely starting to become more honest about her feelings as she gets cornered by her surroundings, the "now or never" moments were splendidly done. Junker's being of like a guardian angel to always give Hiromi the necessary push for her to go forward. How the power of Junkers is from from being the centre, but more like a star that guided Hiromi and that every was left for Hiromi to grasp the changes herself. How each wish was like a trial that increased in its base difficulty, but also how the trials are easier as Hiromi grows.

Anyways, this really was a heartwarming one to see that the family was back together again. Her parents blaming the other for not playing his/her proper role and coming to realize that he/she himself/herself also failed to see what was best.

Junkers losing his ability to speak, but again, it was nice to see Junkers using the washroom like that.

With that, this was quite the enjoyable movie. Simple designs and what not, but a highly enjoyable one with lots of touching scenes as Hiromi learns more and more about the family near her. Junichi as a director did a great job, gotta love him!

That song as she flew with Junkers was amazing!
Aug 20, 2015 10:24 AM
#8

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Oct 2012
1001
junkers and hiromi are such an adorable duo. very sweet film.

Feb 27, 2016 7:39 PM
#9

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Feb 2010
490
It was pretty cute. I loved the ending. The start was good but the middle I actually thought it had some boring moments. But overall I thought it was a sweet film and the ending made me cry! Sweet film.
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May 2, 2016 1:05 AM

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Mar 2016
157
I liked the start of it, and was happy with the events till the third miracle. I really liked the mature nature of the material. The way they were handling divorce felt very real and the other aspects also. I didn't mind the talking dog part either it didn't feel like it got in the way.

The miracles felt fake like her dream which I thought was fine, even Junkers denied having a part in it. When it turned out he was magical I guess I felt like the show let itself go for me.

The conclusion just didn't feel very strong. A dream making them stay together? It would have been better if they just handled the divorce in a more respectful way for their daughter keeping her properly in mind. Rather than letting a magical dream and their daughters feelings rule if they stay together or not.

I don't know, I feel like I would rather Junker still be able to talk at the end too. It was too obvious that he would either disappear or lose his magical voice if he did three wishes so it took me out of it at the end.

So it's a fine movie, I just don't care for the last third of it really.
May 3, 2016 12:23 AM

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Dec 2015
6478
It was a touching story of an "abandoned"girl. The design and the fantasy element helped to make it look realistic. But I feel like the resolution came out of nowhere and was thrown to my face: since when is divorce the child's final decision?! The movie first appeared as a growing-up tale but at the end let the heroin be an egoistic child who had the final words over her parents.

Enjoyment: 5/5
Score: 7/10

Nonchalance said:
I feel like I would rather Junker still be able to talk at the end too. It was too obvious that he would either disappear or lose his magical voice if he did three wishes so it took me out of it at the end.

Humanize her dog to this extent was a way for Hiromi to cope with her loneliness. Investing it with magic powers was to deal with her recent hardships.
It's hard to find a reason for her to maintain this belief once she's comfortable in her life.


@hysterical_ I see. I should'nt have taken it as litterally as that. ^^"
Rei_IIIOct 6, 2017 9:52 AM
May 3, 2016 12:34 AM

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Mar 2016
157
Rei366 said:

Nonchalance said:
I feel like I would rather Junker still be able to talk at the end too. It was too obvious that he would either disappear or lose his magical voice if he did three wishes so it took me out of it at the end.

Humanize her dog to this extent was a way for Hiromi to cope with her loneliness. Investing it with magic powers was to deal with her recent hardships.
It's hard to find a reason for her to maintain this belief once she's comfortable in her life

I understand the idea, I just don't think they did a good job picking which it was. Even ending on the noted idea that she still doesn't know if her dog could ever actually talk.

My feeling stems from the fact that they didn't pick a narrative and stick to it, going back and forth with the possibility.

It would have felt stronger if the final wish didn't pointedly cross the line, or that if it did they would have been more open about it instead of ambiguous.

Edit: A word
Nonchalance_May 3, 2016 3:19 AM
Aug 23, 2018 3:47 PM
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Jul 2018
564084
Despite there wasn't any outstanding camera angle nor relied with any stunning visual but still it sure delivered the emotional moment well enough (but not always perfect and can be different for different people) and the story handled mature way imo. Every character felt real and the music and song was really touching one. All in all this movie was more like edutainment for me and also indeed very sweet and memorable film..

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