Tenshi no Koi
Encyclopedia
is a 2009 Japanese
romance drama film based on the popular cell phone novel of the same name. Director Yuri Kanchiku made his directorial debut in this film. Japanese model Nozomi Sasaki stars in her first lead role in a film, as a seventeen-year-old high school student. The film tells the story of a manipulative schoolgirl who mends her ways when she falls for an older professor.
Tenshi no Koi debuted in a special screening at the 22nd Tokyo International Film Festival
. It was subsequently released in Japanese cinemas on 7 November 2009. The film grossed a total of US$1,090,202 in four different countries, and it received generally positive reviews from critics.
" and extortion.
One day Rio's photographs get mixed up at the store with those of another person of last name Ozawa. She then meets 35 year old college professor Kouki Ozawa, and falls in love for the first time. Rio feels confused by her emotions. She changes from a confident, mature person, to something more like a typical schoolgirl with a huge crush. She follows Kouki around, asks him to tutor her, and wants to date him. Although Kouki becomes interested in Rio, there is a reason he doesn't pursue the relationship. However, Rio is very insistent and starts changing her whole world for the better in order to be with him.
Suddenly Kouki disappears without saying goodbye, and Rio is crushed. Her friends, with the help of Kouki's relative, find him working at another school. Rio then finds out that he is dying of brain cancer, which is why he wanted to keep his distance, in order to avoid breaking her heart. She convinces him to get a risky operation, even if it means he cannot remember her, so that they can have more time together. In the end, he survives the operation, and they get together again, though it isn't clear if he remembers her.
. In her first lead role in a film, Sasaki was cast in the role of Rio, a seventeen-year old high school student, while Tanihara would be her co-star, playing Rio's 35 year-old professor Kouki. Tanihara had previously starred in films like the 2009 Nodame Cantabile: The Movie, and the film adaptation of the manga
Love Com (2006). Filming was done at a university in Yokohama
.
on 17 October 2010. There, the film was showcased as one of the festival's special film screenings. It was subsequently released in Japanese cinemas on 7 November 2011. Some theater's banned the original film poster because it showed the lead actress bare-backed from the waist up. Another poster was released that showed both leads about to kiss.
Tenshi no Koi made its first overseas screening in Singapore
. There, Tenshi no Koi was released under the English name of My Rainy Days on 8 April 2010 by distributor Cathay-keris Films. In Hong Kong
, the film was released under its Chinese name of "出租天使" (pinyin
:chūzū tiānshǐ) on 29 July 2010.
Maggie Lee of The Hollywood Reporter
said that the film's "love relationship draws on the stuff of Korean TV soaps" but added that it "avoids conventional tearjerking pitfalls with some unexpected narrative turns.". She also praised actress Nozomi Sasaki, saying that her acting value as brings "charismatic, slightly unreachable presence" to the film. She also praised the director's handling of the film, which she says showcases "pubescent sexuality and the mind-sets and mannerisms of the new generation without being patronizing or judgmental.".
garnered the highest overseas gross, with the film becoming the sixth highest grossing there during its debut week, earning 650,000 yuan
. The film grossed a total of US$180,516 over the three weekends it was shown in Hong Kong. It also grossed a total of $36,410 and $2,598 in Singapore
and Taiwan
box offices respectively. In total, it earned US$1,090,202 world-wide.
Cinema of Japan
The has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world – as of 2009 the fourth largest by number of feature films produced. Movies have been produced in Japan since 1897, when the first foreign cameramen arrived...
romance drama film based on the popular cell phone novel of the same name. Director Yuri Kanchiku made his directorial debut in this film. Japanese model Nozomi Sasaki stars in her first lead role in a film, as a seventeen-year-old high school student. The film tells the story of a manipulative schoolgirl who mends her ways when she falls for an older professor.
Tenshi no Koi debuted in a special screening at the 22nd Tokyo International Film Festival
Tokyo International Film Festival
Tokyo International Film Festival is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biannually from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter...
. It was subsequently released in Japanese cinemas on 7 November 2009. The film grossed a total of US$1,090,202 in four different countries, and it received generally positive reviews from critics.
Plot
Seventeen year old high school student Rio Ozawa is always the center of attention due to her beauty. Yet Rio has never cared about anyone but herself due to her traumatic past. Her friends exist only so she can use them for her gains. Rio is only interested in money. She is involved in "compensated datingEnjo kosai
means "compensated dating" and is a practice which originated in Japan where older men give money and/or luxury gifts to attractive women for their companionship and, possibly, for sexual favors. The female participants range from primarily school-aged girls to housewives. A common misconception is...
" and extortion.
One day Rio's photographs get mixed up at the store with those of another person of last name Ozawa. She then meets 35 year old college professor Kouki Ozawa, and falls in love for the first time. Rio feels confused by her emotions. She changes from a confident, mature person, to something more like a typical schoolgirl with a huge crush. She follows Kouki around, asks him to tutor her, and wants to date him. Although Kouki becomes interested in Rio, there is a reason he doesn't pursue the relationship. However, Rio is very insistent and starts changing her whole world for the better in order to be with him.
Suddenly Kouki disappears without saying goodbye, and Rio is crushed. Her friends, with the help of Kouki's relative, find him working at another school. Rio then finds out that he is dying of brain cancer, which is why he wanted to keep his distance, in order to avoid breaking her heart. She convinces him to get a risky operation, even if it means he cannot remember her, so that they can have more time together. In the end, he survives the operation, and they get together again, though it isn't clear if he remembers her.
Cast
- Nozomi Sasaki as Rio Ozawa
- Shosuke TaniharaShosuke Taniharais a Japanese actor probably best known outside of Japan for his portrayal of Riki Fudoh in Fudoh: The New Generation.Tanihara hosts Tokyo Twenty-Four Living Supported by FLET’S Hikari, a podcast produced by TOKYO FM...
as Kouki Ozawa - Hikaru YamamotoHikaru Yamamotois a Japanese actress from Osaka Prefecture. After winning the Amuse Ohimesama Audition, she was signed onto the Amuse, Inc. talent agency. She starred as the female lead in Kamen Rider W in 2009-2010.-Television:-Film:-External links:* *...
as Tomoko - Mitsuki Oishi as Maki
- Araki Nanaki as Miho
- Saki KagamiSaki Kagami, born on February 26, 1985 is a Japanese actress. Her acting career began in early 2001, when she was cast for the lead role in the movie Platonic Sex among 12,083 applicants. Now she is probably best known for roles in various TV Dramas and tokusatsu shows such as Ultraseven X and Kamen Rider...
as Naoko - Motoki Fukami as Yuuji
- Wakana Sakai as Kaori Ozawa
- Mitsuru Fukikoshi as Masao
- Mayumi WakamuraMayumi WakamuraMayumi Wakamura is a Japanese actress. She decide to be an actress at age sixteen when she saw a stage show which was made by a famous professional actor's stage production. Later she joined his stage production to be an actress...
as Ayako Ozawa - Kanji TsudaKanji Tsudais a Japanese actor.He played Katsuya Tokunaga in the Japanese film The Grudge. He is married and has one child. He is managed by La Sette talent agency....
as Kazuki
Production
The cell phone novel Tenshi no Koi, which revolves around the topic of female high school students, had 13 million readers in Japan as of July 2009. On 19 July 2009 it was announced to the media that the novel would have a film adaptation and that the main cast members would be popular model Nozomi Sasaki and professional actor Shosuke TaniharaShosuke Tanihara
is a Japanese actor probably best known outside of Japan for his portrayal of Riki Fudoh in Fudoh: The New Generation.Tanihara hosts Tokyo Twenty-Four Living Supported by FLET’S Hikari, a podcast produced by TOKYO FM...
. In her first lead role in a film, Sasaki was cast in the role of Rio, a seventeen-year old high school student, while Tanihara would be her co-star, playing Rio's 35 year-old professor Kouki. Tanihara had previously starred in films like the 2009 Nodame Cantabile: The Movie, and the film adaptation of the manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
Love Com (2006). Filming was done at a university in Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
.
Soundtrack
The music in the film Tenshi no Koi was done by indigo blue and Zentaro Watanabe.Release
Tenshi no Koi made its debut at the 22nd Tokyo International Film FestivalTokyo International Film Festival
Tokyo International Film Festival is a film festival established in 1985. The event was held biannually from 1985 to 1991 and annually thereafter...
on 17 October 2010. There, the film was showcased as one of the festival's special film screenings. It was subsequently released in Japanese cinemas on 7 November 2011. Some theater's banned the original film poster because it showed the lead actress bare-backed from the waist up. Another poster was released that showed both leads about to kiss.
Tenshi no Koi made its first overseas screening in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. There, Tenshi no Koi was released under the English name of My Rainy Days on 8 April 2010 by distributor Cathay-keris Films. In Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, the film was released under its Chinese name of "出租天使" (pinyin
Pinyin
Pinyin is the official system to transcribe Chinese characters into the Roman alphabet in China, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. It is also often used to teach Mandarin Chinese and spell Chinese names in foreign publications and used as an input method to enter Chinese characters into...
:chūzū tiānshǐ) on 29 July 2010.
Critical reception
The film received good reviews, particularly for its photography and acting of the lead characters. The Nihon Review said that Tenshi no Koi breathed "some fresh air and shining a ray of light into the dull, stale (cellphone novel) genre", and gave the film a rating of 7/10. It added that "although My Rainy Days (the English name of this film) does well in avoiding the melodrama pitfall, it couldn’t avoid other traps" since "Rape and suicide are trite plot devices" that "don't even seem necessary to be included in the story for any reason." It ended the review by praising the film, saying that it "is able to stand out from other sappy Japanese drama movies for its multiple character dimensions and good chemistry."Maggie Lee of The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
said that the film's "love relationship draws on the stuff of Korean TV soaps" but added that it "avoids conventional tearjerking pitfalls with some unexpected narrative turns.". She also praised actress Nozomi Sasaki, saying that her acting value as brings "charismatic, slightly unreachable presence" to the film. She also praised the director's handling of the film, which she says showcases "pubescent sexuality and the mind-sets and mannerisms of the new generation without being patronizing or judgmental.".
Box office
Tenshi no Koi debuted at the 10th position in the Japanese box office on the weekend of 7–8 November 2011, grossing a total of $329,536. It remained in the Japanese box office for one more week, earning it a total gross of $868,360 in Japan. Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
garnered the highest overseas gross, with the film becoming the sixth highest grossing there during its debut week, earning 650,000 yuan
Yuan
Yuan may refer to:* Chinese yuan, the basic unit of currency in China** Renminbi, the current currency used in the People's Republic of China, whose basic unit is Yuan...
. The film grossed a total of US$180,516 over the three weekends it was shown in Hong Kong. It also grossed a total of $36,410 and $2,598 in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
box offices respectively. In total, it earned US$1,090,202 world-wide.
External links
- Tenshi no Koi at the Japanese Film Database