Tokyo.sora (2002) User Reviews

Good movie for the patient ones

[sabera_17 · 8/10 · 27 July 2006]

Tokyo Sora, is a very slow movie, that has some pacing problems with the characters, but putting all that aside, and just watching this movie with patience, this movie can be quite compelling and rewarding to the viewers.

Basically there really is no story, it's a character driven movie. There are six woman who are trying to make a living in the City of Tokyo, all six woman get into realistic situations, and interact with the people they know just to make their lives better. We have girl 1, a student who is learning the Japanese language, and is a part time art class model. Girl 2 is a girl who gives out free tissue samples, and is just trying to make a normal living in her apartment. Girl 3 is an art student, who has gotten a boyfriend for the first time, and is struggling in the world of a girl image. Girl 4 is waitress in a coffee shop who enjoys interacting with her boss I'm guessing, and a small little affection for each other is implied. Girl 5 is a late twenties woman, who works at a lingerie bar, but she has a dream of becoming a writer, and is ambitious to make a story that will impress an editor she met during a phone convo about her previous story she wrote. Girl 6 is lonely and very depressed girl who is a hairdresser, and also works at the lingerie bar.

The plot may sound extremely boring, but the director has someway for you to be interested in the interaction and situations these people experience, not only that, you can be compelled by these interaction's, and grow close to the characters.The plot in my opinion is just plain old normal. This movie is like taking videotapes of woman in Tokyo without them knowing, that is how realistic this movie looked, and this kind of style made this movie quite unique. The best thing about this movie was the character interaction, the relationships that were developed for some short time, and broke after a short time, which made you feel like you are actually witnessing all of this. The plot has thing, that can suck you right into the movie, and actually witness all these events taking place close up.

Characters in this movie was the biggest problem. Although they were are all very likable, the pacing for their stories were extremely uneven, which stopped you from learning much about some of them. Girl 6 we never got to know much about her reason of depression, girl 1 and 2 had a lot of screen time in the beginning, but after the halfway mark of this film,they can be extremely forgettable, they dedicated most of the screen time to girl 5, the rewarding thing about that, is that she was a character that you can grow extremely attached to from her happy relationship with the editor, to the trigger of depression for her. girl 3 and 4, they did not even feel like the main woman out of the 6 woman, cause they were so shallow, and they were given the least screen time, especially girl 4. The fact is that the outrageous uneven pacing with the characters, was the small downfall for the movie, but still physically, and mentally the girls are quite likable, even though they did not get much screen time, which is quite amazing I think.

The most amazing thing about this movie was the lack of duologue, I think for me out of every single movie I have seen in my entire life, this movie had the least duologue, lack of duologue made this movie even more realistic. Relationship for these woman did not develop because of some big obstacle they had to go through like other movies portray, but they developed like how you would see in your everyday lives, e.g some guy/girl trying to draw your attention by having similar interests, or another one is just becoming boyfriend, and girlfriend *just like that* with nothing developing for that event. The other amazing thing about this movie was that the movie hardly had background music, out of what I can remember only like 2-3 scenes had music playing.

This movie is extremely slow, but it has all the right reasons to be. Refreshing movie this is, I enjoyed watching this film, even if it was slow, cause at points the director wins you over somehow, but this movie was extremely fresh, and not like your everyday movies you watch, this movie went for realism, and it hit the mark, and made it somewhat compelling and joyful. My only warning is that this movie is only for people that have patience in watching movies, and just want's to go with the flow of the movie, not for people, who are looking for twists, and fast turning points.

My score 4/5 ****

A fascinating, yet oddly subdued and tranquil film...

[jmaruyama · 6/10 · 23 March 2004]

Ishikawa Hiroshi first struck a cord with Japanese audiences with his eye-catching and haunting TV commercials (CM) for such Japanese products as Kirin Lemon. "Tokyo.Sora" is his first foray into theatrical film making and it is like his commercials, quite inventive if not mesmerizing. Those expecting an atypical, Japanese teen melodrama, tear-jerker or slice-of-life travelogue of Tokyo may either be pleasantly surprised or immensely frustrated by Ishikawa's non-conventional and almost subdued style of storytelling. "Tokyo.sora" plays almost like a documentary as it follows the lives of six very "ordinary" Tokyo gals as they each attempt to live their lives in the heart of Tokyo. Their lives are mundane, uneventful and even at times boring but somehow Ishikawa manages to get us interested enough in their individual stories. While we never get to know their names, they represent a unique and interesting cross-section of the young Japanese population – (Girl 1) A Taiwanese student living in Japan trying to master the Japanese language while working part-time as an Art Class model. (Girl 2) A bespectacled 25 year old girl making a living handing out complimentary tissue packets around the streets of Tokyo (Girl 3) A young college student who is just starting to begin a relationship with a fellow classmate, while also trying to come to terms with certain `body image' issues (Girl 4) A young waitress at a coffee shop who is in a one-sided love relationship with her handsome boss (Girl 5) A young aspiring hairdresser who moonlights as a Drinking Companion at a local bar and (Girl 6) a girl in her late 20s who also works as a Drinking Companion but aspires to be novel writer. While these girls never actually meet or become close friends, they cross paths and pass each other along the way, as they each try to battle loneliness under a constant blue/gray Tokyo skyline. Audiences who enjoyed Sofia Coppola's equally subdued `Lost In Translation' may find this film a good companion piece as it covers similar issues of finding one's identity and self. While not as interesting as the enjoyable `Bounce No Ko-Gals' or as outrageous as `Suicide Club', `Tokyo.Sora' is a fascinating (if not somewhat mundane) look at the lives of ordinary girls in Tokyo trying to make a living and deal with issues that are surprisingly universal no matter what city you live in.

In The Skies

[crossbow0106 · 8/10 · 22 September 2009]

This is a slow moving atmospheric film about love and relationships but not the conflicts that arise from them. The film is very subtle in its approach. At times it seems you're watching video wallpaper. The reason I am recommending it is that it has a beauty that I don't see often. The scenes are staged for maximum effect of the young ladies Yuki and Yoko and I found myself trying to anticipate their next movements (if indeed there were any). For anyone who wants a story that is obvious, this is not your film. The film appears to me to be about loneliness. That it is told so subtly is a testament to the director and its main two stars. There are a few moments where the movie particularly excels, such as the scene when Yuki and Yoko go running after drinking beer. Also, although its not a major part of this film, the mostly spare musical score is very effective. The city of Tokyo has a special resonance in parts of this film. What started as a film about young ladies trying to make their way became a film which got you to care about them. So, if you like art films this is particularly good.

Good Film, A Little Slow for Some...

[hall-nathan-d · 7/10 · 7 September 2005]

I bought this as soon as it came out on DVD in Japan; I saw the art done for the feature's posters and so forth and fell in love with the concept. I thought that it would be worth buying just from the presentation.

I would have to agree with the other review of "Tokyo.Sora" that compares it to "Lost in Translation." Everything is subdued, but beautifully melancholy. Yokko Kanno composed the music for movie, and it is full of moving piano pieces that compliment the awe inspiring visuals. That is the one thing about the movie that it perfect, the art of it all; but that simply isn't enough to give it a perfect score.

The movie lacks a personal side, you don't get completely involved with the characters, a major drawback. The film make it seem as though you are an observer to the lives of these women, a bit stalker like really. Some of the characters are developed though, not as much as I would have liked, but more than the rest; such is what occurs with the Yuki saga of the film. The writer (Yokko, which the other reviewer was incorrect on, most have their names given) becomes somewhat obsessed with her co-worker Yuki and eventually they become friends. Yuki kills herself and you don't feel so sad about that as you do with what happens to Yokko. The movie begins to center on her, unintentionally or not, and that seems to be the only character the audience develops a relationship with. I wish that the director had incorporated more involvement with the others, which he tries to do, and some things are very touching, but nothing compared to Yokko's solo run in the morning (which is what makes the movie more worthy than just a rental).

The way the five women interact with each other is very interesting though. I can't stress how ingenious it is, sometimes they cross paths during the most mundane of things; it makes you think about how you may have impacted someones life just by seeing them on the bus ride home.

All and all a good movie. Some viewers might not appreciate it's subtle tones, but if you have a good attention span it's worth watching.

Shots Of The Tokyo Sky Interspersed With What Goes On Below It

[aghaemi · 4/10 · 6 July 2014]

My English teachers at school were insistent that every piece of work must include a heading, introduction, body and conclusion. Any of them would have failed director Hiroshi Ishikawa. If you ask me; however, that rule should be violable and the key questions should be the ability of the film to maintain a cinematic standard and to speak to the viewer at some level. Ishikawa hails from the world of TV advertising, which is odd as everything about Tokyo.Sora (Tokyo Sky) is the polar opposite of any commercial anyone has seen. The director must have had his fill of that world. In contrast, the film is minimalist, beyond downcast, short on mono or dialogue to the point of being a silent movie cross, shot with a plethora of stationary camera techniques and those are often incomplete with the actual action not shown and out of the view. There is a scene where one of the characters deliberately cuts herself, but it remains off-camera and the viewer is treated to the trickling and collecting blood instead. Yes, there are not any major developments, climaxes, explosions or revelations, but would that be a concern? Not in these quarters. The same could be said of another Japanese film, Kamome Shokudo, which was as enjoyable as it was subdued. What would be troublesome is the absence of a beginning or an ending – as much as that might be the point of the film. What also becomes apparent in Tokyo.Sora is the existential care for the "little things in everyday life" and not the big picture.

Tokyo.Sora is the day-to-day story of six girls in that city. One is a Chinese girl learning Japanese and posing as a model at art school. The second is a nerdy girl who aspires to be an actress. She makes money by passing out promotional tissues in the city. The third girl is going to school and wants to enhance her body and become more attractive. Girl number four has a steady job waitressing at a café, but has as much business as she receives reciprocated affection from the bartender-cum-chef. Then there is the girl who wants to be a hairdresser and makes money as a hostess. She is followed by the girl who wants to be a novelist and (remember this is Tokyo) makes money as a hostess. There is an unofficial seventh character who is a cat. Each is lonely and awkward, slow and tedious and so much so that the city's ambient noise takes precedence and wins over their lives nearly every time. Their stories are shown not in overlapping sequences but by mostly jumping from one to the other.

Tokyo.Sora is a story of communication and contact or, in this case, absence thereof and lost opportunities. The Chinese girl not being able to communicate with a man she crushes on is an obvious set-up, but the film throws one such situation after the other at us to the point that the two hostesses work at the same girl's bar and do not even know one another. What these girls are up to in Tokyo is the story, yet it is far from banal. Similar to real-life it is the pandemonium of the ordinary. It depicts empty lives unfulfilled. It shows girls who have not made it and probably never will. It shows that all contact under the sky is desultory and ultimately unfruitful. Why bother when happiness is not a consequence? Isolation is the norm in the city and there is hardly anyone or any prospect to communicate. The film allows a glimmer of hope when one takes a chance and communicates, which leads to the film's rare moment of joy when, as an act of vengeance against everything described thus far, Haruka Igawa (who has a nice role in the other Tokyo So..., namely Tokyo Sonata) and Yuka Itaya cast off their layers to joyfully run in Tokyo. However, before the audience is allowed to raise its hands in triumph and just like the discussion of the menu at the café, the freedom one feels watching the girls run around with wind against their skins ends up in ultimate tragedy.

So here is a conclusion, a comment, learning and some advice. The film's slow crawl to nothingness is faintly made up for with the clever way the women brush against each other. It makes the viewer question who one has come across without knowing it. Machida Ko is a punk writer and somewhat cool in Japan. We also learn that women (and men) love to smoke beyond the average in Tokyo. Most importantly, however, is this: do not watch Tokyo.Sora if you currently suffer from solitude.

Nothing happens

[euroasiangenetic · 1/10 · 5 April 2018]

In the decade of the 2000s, a lot of movies we suffering of the over the top amateurish experiment fever, very few movies manage to get away with it and felt exiting but most of them ended up in the trash can of time waster. Tokyo.Sora is no exception, it's over 2 hours of nothingness, despite great acting, the movie or video is low with director skill and DV camera quality, it feels like a student would have done this and didn't care what he filmed as long as he could make it over two hours plan.

The plot is about six women who live their daily lives in Tokyo, trying to make their dreams come true, but every day is the, the girl who dream of being a painter is going to painting school and has a love interest, a Chinese girl study Japanese and work as a painter model, a business woman is trying start on her own with her boyfriend, and library girl who wants to become an actress and make several failed audition, and two escorts who becomes friends, and that's it.

The plot I just told you sounds interesting, but how the movie is executed is not, it's filmed with a home video camera, one spot, and most of the time, the director film a wall for 5 minutes, yes just a wall for 5 minutes then cut to next scene, and when one scene ends it keep rolling for 5 minutes, it's like the director fell asleep on his own movie, and the sound is obviously filmed live, and poorly edited, because you can hear a bus driving while the scene is indoor, and sometimes you don't hear the dialogs at all, the only one good scene and that's when the two escorts show their daily life but that one is almost end of the movie and the movie is over two hours long.

I can't complain on the acting though, all girls are great and it's amazing that the famous swimsuit model Honjo Manami is in this movie and play an unattractive actress wannabe and that shows what a great actress she is, but she can't help the movie, it was made to literary waste time and I see no point watching it, if I wanna watch daily life people then I prefer a documentary.