Cyborg She (2008) User Reviews

A wonderful robotic romance...

[paul_haakonsen · 7/10 · 15 March 2012]

This movie was actually somewhat of a surprise. I had bought it from Amazon without actually knowing what it was all about. It had gotten fairly good reviews on Amazon, plus it was an Asian movie, so I decided to give it a go.

And now having seen it, I must say that "Cyborg She" was actually a really nice movie. It is a very interesting romantic movie of sorts, because it is not your average romance movie. You have Jiro who falls in love with a cyborg that he himself built in the future and sent back to himself in the past. Confusing? Well, a bit odd, but it made for a really nice story actually. And it worked out quite well. I especially liked the way the movie ended, because it rounded up so many questions that you were stuck with in the first part of the movie.

The cast in "Cyborg She" was actually quite good. Haruka Ayase (playing the cyborg) and Keisuke Koide (playing Jiro) had really good chemistry on the screen. And I must admit that I was really taken in by Haruka Ayase's performance as the cyborg, and they had really managed to present her in a way that made her look sort of artificial.

Not sure if this was based on an anime or manga, or not, but it sure had the feel like you were watching a live-action manga movie. Thumbs up on that.

"Cyborg She" is one of the more interesting Asian movies I have seen in awhile, because it is somewhat beyond the stereotypical stuff that you see in Asian movies. This oddly romantic story will capture your heart and take you along on a very well-told journey. The movie offers everything from love and laughs to thrills and action.

If you are a fan of Asian cinema, then you definitely should check out "Cyborg She".

A sci-fi, romantic comedy that is sweet and engaging...

[jmaruyama · 7/10 · 22 June 2008]

What if James Cameron's "Terminator" were a love story? Sounds ludicrous but that's exactly what Jae-Young Kwak's "Cyborg She" is - a love story between a high-tech cyborg from the future (Hayase Haruka) and her inventor boyfriend Kitamura Jiro (Koide Kesuke). In the year 2070, a kindly, frail and physically handicapped Jiro had built a female cyborg (in a homage to "Terminator" the cyborg is a "Cyberdyne Model 103") as a personal aide to assist him in his daily life. Equipped with a time travel device, Jiro sends the cyborg into the past in an attempt to prevent the incident that crippled him (in 2007 a mentally unstable office worker shots him in a restaurant shootout). The cyborg meets up with the younger Jiro and successfully saves him from being shot by the gunman.

As Jiro and the Cyborg slowly start to form a relationship, the cyborg becomes a bit of a celebrity as she uses her high tech powers to perform a number of heroic deeds (she saves a girl from being hit by a car; she stops a hostage taker from killing one of his victims; saves people from a fire) as well as gets into a bit of innocent mischief (she takes clothes without paying; does the "robot" in a disco).

Jiro and the Cyborg's happy life however comes to an abrupt end as a massive earthquake hits Tokyo, effectively destroying the capital. While the Cyborg does her best to save Jiro, she unfortunately suffers serious damage during the quake and now Jiro must try and save her.

"Cyborg She" is directed by Korean director Kwak Jae-Young who many may recognize from his popular 2001 hit "My Sassy Girl". Kwak's inventive humor and storytelling is again much in evidence here and he delivers quite a satisfying and entertaining movie. While some of the comedy may border on the silly, I found myself laughing at some of the visual gags. The film borrows liberally from other sci-fi films notably "Terminator" and "A.I.: Artificial Intelligence" but crafts an interesting time-jumping, century-spanning love story that is quite effective and endearing.

The VFX/SFX work was surprisingly very good and top notch especially with the climactic destruction of Tokyo as well as some of the Cyborg's robotic effects.

Some of the story's loopy continuity and "Back To The Future" styled time- travel concepts are a bit hard to follow at times but Kwak does make it work in the end and does pull some inventive story twists.

Hayase Haruka (Memories of Matsuko) is alluring and cute in her role as the future Cyborg. She makes for a likable if but somewhat stiff heroine. Koide Kesuke's (Pacchigi!, Koizora, Kisaragi) is also likable as Jiro (in a "Otaku"/anime geek sort of way). Their love story begins in typical awkward fashion but soon develops into a sweet romance thanks to their nice and controlled performances.

Kiritani Kenta (Crows Zeo, 69 Sixty Nine) does a lot of scene stealing as Jiro's goofy college friend. His scene where he gets the Cyborg drunk is fun to watch. The always funny Takanaka Naoto (Swing Girls, Water Boys) also makes a hilarious cameo as one of Jiro's wacky and high-strung college professors.

"Cyborg She" is an enjoyable sci-fi fantasy that will have audiences hooked from the start and invested in the romance between the attractive leads. While some may find the story a bit melodramatic and the humor a tad forced, I liked the film a lot.

Note: There was some initial confusion regarding whether "Cyborg She" was in some way a remake or re-interpretation of Chan-wook Park's 2006 "I'm A Cyborg But That's OK". While both films do share more than a few similarities and themes, they are two completely different films and are not connected in any way. Although I am still of the opinion that Kwak was influenced by Park's film, no official connection exists as far as I've been able to gather.

One of the Best Romantic Time Travel movie of all times

[ebiros2 · 8/10 · 15 February 2013]

This is the fourth movie by director Jay-yong Kwak that has "Kanokyo (her)" as part of the title. He deserves credit for going out of his native Korea to make this movie. He's also the author of this story.

Jiro - a not so savvy college student, one day sees a beautiful girl at a department store. He later celebrates his birthday alone at a restaurant. The girl he saw at the department store shows up, and says it's her birthday as well. She insists on paying the tab, but she actually has no money. Jiro doesn't know about this until, the manager of the restaurant comes chasing after them. From that point on, the girl starts saying things that doesn't make sense to Jiro, but he finds that she is following him around from that day on.

Many people have complained about the difficulty in understanding this story. Especially the fact that there're two identical looking "she", one that's a flesh and blood girl (Haruka Ayase) that gets memory transplanted from the robot "she" that she auctioned off for 6.2 billion. And another "she" that's a robot made by Jiro (Keisuke Koide) in his later life that he sends back in time to save his life and that of others. The real life "she"'s name is not mentioned, or why she looks exactly like the robot Jiro made is explained. The matter further gets confusing because the first "she" that Jiro encounters is the flesh and blood "she" but she already has the memory of the robot from the memory transfer. The real life "she" also appears after the robot is destroyed, and becomes Jiro's wife.

Now, if that's not confusing, I don't know what is. It's almost impossible to take it all in on the first viewing.

But what's outstanding, is how director Kwak put life into the character of robot "she", and all the situation she goes through with Jiro. Although the story is about a robot, there is no more heart warming relationship than the ones these two creates.

Koreans have one of the highest average IQ in the world (according to world statistics). I can believe that. There's something outstandingly refined about this movie. I can't quite put my fingers on it, but it's futuristic, and human at the same time.

A great science fiction love comedy/drama that's worthy of becoming a classic.

Excellent!

[dan-of-old · 22 September 2011]

OK, it was a bit long but necessary to maintain continuity. I was totally surprised by the storyline. The 'robot' was HOT but he never got to first base. This was a tad bit unrealistic but then, it was a comedy. I may return to this movie again.

There were nice touches of him visiting his hometown back-in-the-day. It seemed to me that him & her were invisible until the little girl spoke to them directly. The cat disappearing from his apartment just before the big quake was another nice touch. The scenes of the destruction of Tokyo were excellent and detailed. Kind of prophetic speaking in terms of the events of 2011.

The ending, repeating the beginning, was necessary to give significance to what might have been forgotten. Certain new details were given when it was seen through her eyes.

Kwak Treading Water

[gorgonite · 7/10 · 10 March 2009]

Cyborg She is a J-movie directed by Jae-young Kwak. Not knowing much about it beforehand, I was not surprised to find that it contains a blend of romantic comedy and sci-fi with a twizzle or two at the end! To anyone new to his films I would recommend seeking out My Sassy Girl.

The film portrays the relationship between a young gormless man and a hot young cyborg. Whilst watching it I was occasionally reminded of several other films.

Pros - A pleasant way to spend 2 hours

Cons - Nothing new

Overall - Compared with Kwak's high standards this is Average

How Well Do You Tolerate Movie With Slow Pace?

[Mr_Sensitive · 6/10 · 4 December 2008]

I do not know about other people but I went to see this movie because it was directed form the same guy that made My Sassy Girl, Classic and Daisy. This guy really does have a good record of making romantic movie in different situation. He has his own style of making romantic movie and this is another of his hearth warming, cliché, intrigue and tear jerking movie.

The stories about the lonely college student about to find his love that turn out to be the cyborg from the future send to protect him for the unknown reason. Though the story isn’t that original but hardly any movie does nowadays so it doesn’t quite really bother me, anyway it has been execute pretty well though slow from time to time and drag on and never end like AI: Artificial Intelligence. And in the end it got a too wrap up ending (at least for me).

There are quite a few scenes that will managed to delivered what it suppose to bring and in the end (if you don’t felt bore by it first) it will be pretty much a heart touching story that really intrigue you.

The casting, well I think it was pretty darn good, after all it seem to consist of only two main character and a few more that add little to the story. They do pretty much have a pretty great chemistry even though one of them is a robot.

Overall I do pretty much like it though I felt it was overlong for it also got a very slow pace, but I do pretty much expected from this guy flick. So it was alright by my standard. In the end I didn’t felt riff-off so that is a good thing, though I highly doubt I will watch it again soon.

Recommendation: I went to see it on big screen, but I highly recommend you rent DVD.

Reason To Watch: Touching, Cyborg is Hot!! Reason Not To: Slow Pace, Too Wrap Up Ending (Though I Understand Why).

Rating: 6.5/10 (Grade: C+)

A Nutshell Review: Cyborg She

[DICK STEEL · 10/10 · 4 September 2008]

Sometimes the greatest love stories aren't the ones that end happily ever after, but the realization that it's all a matter of the quality moments spent between the lovers. You can call me a sentimental sap, but Cyborg She does meet every single one of my expectation of what makes a palatable romantic movie, never mind sometimes dwelling on the clichéd moments, especially when the leads share great chemistry, and this being a science-fiction piece to boot too! Jiro Kitamura (Keisuke Koide) is a loner who celebrates his birthday with nobody except himself, going to the mall and picking out his own gift, before ending up at the same old restaurant for a plate of spaghetti. It's a routine year after year, but in 2007, he chanced upon a girl (Haruka Ayase) whom he witnessed to have shoplifted from the departmental store, and from then they spend the most amazing evening together. Yes, it's reminiscence of Serendipity, done in the style of Kwak Jae-young, whom we know better as the writer-director of the Korean hit My Sassy Girl.

Fast forward to a year later, Jiro meets the girl again, but this time discovers she's a cyborg sent from the future. I guess to most guys, this seemed like a dream come true when a girl, no matter if she's a fully functional cyborg, happened to just drop into your lap again. It's R2D2 with boobs, sent to him in Terminator fashion (Sorry, with clothes on too), which means of course that she has a higher calling and purpose to be with him, for reasons best I not reveal here, but for you to find out for yourself.

Being an advance being, in between getting to learn how to be a human, protecting Jiro from harm and being romanced, she's also like a superhero, and Cyborg She never looked a minute out of place if positioned side by side with this year's Hollywood superhero blockbusters. Boasting excellent special effects, I thought this movie gave another Japanese Film (don't click on this link if you choose not to know) a run for its money with its rendition of the event being a more realistic one.

It has plenty of charming moments within that makes it a perfect date movie, and the great chemistry between the leads is what made this work. Keisuke Koide looked like the helpless puppy that he is, flitting from moment to moment trying to figure out what his cyborg's true calling is, while succumbing unsuccessfully to temptation of trying to get fresh with her. Haruka Ayase on the other hand had her work cut out for her in being an emotionless robot programmed to smile, and had moments which mirrored Uma Thurman from My Super Ex-Girlfriend. Together they share some light hearted moments in a fine balance with the dramatic ones. And as we all know, we usually appreciate things a lot more the minute we lost them, and for a romantic movie, this usually is the case to reinforce certain emotions the characters have for each other.

Running slightly more than 2 hours, it never for a minute felt longer than its welcome on screen, though I had to admit that amongst its multiple endings, I thought that it could have ended at any point, and still would have made it a bittersweet movie to have experienced. I've no qualms about the ending it decided upon too, but meanwhile for those whose hearts would feel heavy at the slightest touch of sentimentalism, you'd better pack your tissues with you.

I'll admit it, this is a movie which I enjoyed thoroughly, even though as you know with any movie dealing with time travel, that'll be that bit of a paradox involved, and here it came in large doses. I'll advise you to accept the timeline presented for what it is, because that's the only way, linearly, in order to enjoy any movie that has this element. Highly recommended stuff since it's been some time I saw a romantic movie (and a science fiction one!) that just worked. I'll stick my neck out to say it'll likely be featured in my top 10 list of films for this year and I'll put money aside for the DVD as well.

For those who want to watch it on the big screen, well it's been playing at the cinemas for some time now, so you'd better quickly make some time for it.

Another month, another Korean directed human / cyborg rom-com.

[eatfirst · 6/10 · 14 September 2012]

Jiro is just your standard issue shy and nerdy student until, one lonely birthday, a kick-ass robot chick from the future drops in and turns his life upside down. Director Jae-young Kwak, who had already scored a massive hit with the more conventional romance "My Sassy Girl", here directs in Japanese in a wholly more ambitious project, but still feels at his most comfortable when on familiar ground. Keisuke Koide as the gobsmacked Jiro is initially a tad irritating with his dumbstruck jaw- on-the-floor performance, but gradually settles into a likable and more rounded character. While Haruka Ayase as the beautiful machine from the future is not half as bad-ass as her Terminator-homaging introduction would like us to believe, and is all the more charming for it.

For most of its running time, Cyborg Girl (aka: Cyborg She) is sweet and gently amusing as this odd couple figure out their relationship and get involved in a bunch of life-saving scrapes, before proceedings climax quite unexpectedly in a massive set-piece with surprising emotional punch. Had things been tidied up around this point I would have nothing by praise for this unconventional but sweetly satisfying genre hybrid. However at around the ninety minute mark, Jae-young suddenly remembers he's also making a science-fiction, and we get a largely superfluous extended denouement involving A.I. style departures to new time zones, additional secondary characters and time-looping repeated scenes. It all goes on a bit and makes little sense, but fortunately doesn't completely undo the goodwill generated earlier. Nonetheless a tighter edit would have probably earned it an extra star or two.

a Beautiful movie and Very Underrated, i just had to write a quick opinion

[g-md · 9/10 · 10 November 2010]

This is one of the best movies i have ever seen and believe me i have seen a lot.

I have seen almost all movies in the top 250 on IMDb and much more, this movie is so underrated here, but it is near perfect.

The only reason i can think of why people would rate this movie low is maybe because they don't like science fiction or don't like stories with far fetched technology, or maybe some special effects that aren't top notch like most movies today but other than that i cant come up with a reason.

This is a beautiful masterpiece, a great storyline that is truly unique.

I have never encountered this story in anything i ever watched, the budget may not be as high as most Hollywood movies but that is not important to me.

This is a truly unique and beautiful movie, you can just feel that the creators have put their heart in it, and to me that is the most important factor.

It is officially FIRST movie i ever shed a tear with, i didn't even cry with The Green Mile.

I came here to rate the movie a 9 (wich i hardly do) and found out how terribly underrated it is so i just had to write a quick opinion.

Sorry, this may not be very helpful for getting an idea of what the movie is about but you can find that elsewhere.

I just wanted to write my feelings about this amazing movie, i think anyone should at least give it a try.

The only reason why im not giving it a 10 is because of 1 or 2 very minor things that could have been done better or could have been left out, but it is so minor that it almost doesn't matter.

9/10

Somewhere betwixt Pygmalion and Pinnochio? is this title...

[smashayre · 7/10 · 29 December 2008]

In the original Pygmalion (not My Fair Lady) a guy who was tired of real women tried to create his own. But ultimately wasn't satisfied with her because she was not living and breathing. So he left her and went to a festival then came back and at some point some how she was more so real to him. In Pinnochio, Gepetto built a boy puppet because he wanted a son. But was not happy because he was not initially a real boy who could feel emotions. Eventually following a tragedy he became real. This movie has a lot in common with these two stories premise wise if not at the very least structure wise.

I have to agree with the first guy who reviewed this movie. This movie is slow paced a bit and near the end I found myself skipping ahead just to get to the end which is actually the beginning. Overall it is a very heart felt movie. But with that being said? It appeals more to the heart than to the brain. You know how most time travel movies always have some plot holes in the logic or motivation of the characters? There are some plot holes here as well.

The real spoilers/plot holes begin here. I mean for one the very reason why he built the Cyborg girl was to avert being shot up by the gunman. After she had dealt with the gunman shouldn't she have ceased to exist? I mean where's his motivation to build said Cyborg girl if he's no longer shot up by the gunman? Also he mentioned that the way he was able to build her was because he won the lotto that night. Really? what lotto in fact I don't recall him ever buying a ticket for said lotto let alone do I recall him building her so she could still exist in this alternate time-line.

Unless it happened 65 years into the future a future which since modern science has rejected the prospect of an alternate dimension is completely unfeasible. Since his body would be no longer riddled with bullets or anywhere near the state it was in when he built her to begin with.

Again this is movie is built on more of an emotional appeal not so much logic do they do throw some in there. The logic is not where it shines. I do believe that if anyone will ever build a time machine that the Chinese will do it first if not another portion of Asian community. So no I don't think its too far-fetched for such a girl to exist. The thing she does with her eyes is a bit creepy though hard to believe they had her do that.

Also in the dance sequence when she was trying to dance robotic? They should have hired a real pop and locker to do the robotic dancing cause she was too fluid with her movements she needed to be more stiff and precise not fluid especially in the arms.

Nerdy romantic fantasy

[countvasquez · 5/10 · 19 August 2012]

This is a kind of "blockbuster" romance movie, totally aimed at today's younger audience: so on the positive side this movie isn't bad, the negative: it isn't very good either - or, more correctly, it doesn't surprise.

A kind of nerdy guy without friends (nevertheless good-looking and sympathetic) who lives in Tokyo in a picturesque penthouse who works at a burger-hut and studies physics. So yeah, even if he also has no problem to dance with girls and buy his girlfriend lots of clothing he is lonely.

In comes better-looking girl no. 1 who falls for him immediately. Quite logical, if you don't try to figure out, who was the first girl anyway...

Consequently he falls for her (who wouldn't) but she leaves to the future after an evening of fun.

In comes girl no. 2, which his future self constructed to protect him and some people and needs emotional advice (yeah, right!).

So she does save a kid, a school class and some young football-players. Including a kind of time-travel with lonesome boy to his youth (grandma & cat). After that Tokyo gets destroyed (it's a Japanese flick after all!). Cyborg saves boy but gets destroyed in the process.

Yawn.

Lucky him, girl no. 1 from future no. 2 appears and - after getting mind-blasted with memories of cyborg - they live happily ever after (she seems to be a rich gal, too, how convenient).

Some Terminator scenes and too much kids - I think for the girls out there to much action stuff (how romantic can a cyborg be?), for the boys: to few (and she doesn't undress either).

So, watchable but not very imaginative. The relationship part is very underdeveloped, a love story between an emotionless cyborg and a human could be interesting, or if cyborg can feel emotions is it programmed all the way? And would that be "real"? There is much potential which gets neglected for boring child-saving activities and "fun" scenes.

Technically the movie is OK, but I think there is too much people throwing for a weepy.

Questions: Why does girl no. 1 eat tons of stuff? Why eat cyborg tons of stuff? And the final question: why did cyborg bring cat from childhood to lonely boy witch gets killed immediately in the earthquake?!

I feel this movie, I can feel this movie!

[ethSin · 9/10 · 20 February 2009]

I don't care what anyone says, I absolutely loved this film. The villains in this movie were really stupid, and the story is really far-fetched, but I was able to tolerate it since it IS a sci-fi romantic comedy.

From the drama series I've seen, Ayase Haruka had always been a horrible actress. However, I've always felt the worst actors/actresses perform extremely well in emotionless roles, and this was not an exception. Not only that, she was fantastic when she finally showed emotion in the human role. Casting was perfect since she also has that strikingly cool looks in addition to her beauty. Koide Keisuke, as usual, did a very fine job, and cameos by various established film and drama supporting actors were very funny as well.

The direction for this movie was fantastic. Although I have to admit the future scenes were really cheesy, the special effects in general were fun to watch, and the whole film was nicely paced. One event led to another, spontaneous plot devices, I laughed and I cried.

This movie is directed by the same director as "My Sassy Girl". I enjoy Korean romantic comedies, and this movie actually have actors I'm familiar with, so it was a blast for me. Although there were some serious flaws in story and time travel paradox, I really connected with the two main characters, and there were so many memorable scenes thanks to the wonderful direction. I especially liked the repetition of the first scenes from Ayase Haruka's point of view. The "days with her" sequence with HI-FI CAMP's "KIZUNA" was one of the best insert song sequence I have ever encountered.

I guess there's a reason Bruce Lee robot was introduced in the end... "Don't think, just feel!" This movie is like Doraemon and Nobita, except Doraemon is also Shizuka-chan. Give it a try with an open mind.

Simple Time travelling romantic movie

[cool_andhot · 6/10 · 15 March 2020]

Very sweet fantasy movie with some time travelling. I would have rated 7 but it was too long and could have edited short.

Good Enough

[PennyReviews · 4/10 · 26 September 2019]

" Cyborg She " had potential. However, the story was not well presented.

The story line didn't move as smoothly as it should. They did explain things in the end, but till then, the story was a bit confusing. The action scenes were good though. And they handled the whole chatastrophy scenes quite well, with excellent CGI. The performances, in addition, were really good from everyone in the cast, but especially from the leading lady.

So, four out of ten, because the story could have been better.

A Cute Little Rom-Com Sci-Fi

[Uriah43 · 6/10 · 17 August 2014]

"Jiro Kitamura" (Keisuke Koide) is a lonely young man who has nobody to celebrate his birthday with him. That night while buying a present for himself he sees a beautiful young woman (played by Haruka Ayase) in the process of shoplifting some clothes in the department store and he watches with fascination as she leaves in a totally nonchalant manner. Their eyes meet and she smiles at him. Not long afterward he goes to a restaurant to celebrate his birthday and while he is eating she comes in and sits down next to him. What then transpires is a whirlwind evening that he remembers until his next birthday a year later. Now, rather than reveal what happens next and risk spoiling the movie for those who haven't seen it I will just say that this was a cute little "rom-com" sci-fi which one might enjoy watching with somebody special. Having said that I should probably also mention that this movie was filmed in Japanese and used English subtitles. Additionally, there were a couple of scenes which were a little slow and drawn out. Even so, I thought that both Keisuke Koide and Haruka Ayase played their parts real well and for what it's worth I rate this movie as slightly above average.

An excellent, excellent movie

[allhailjamie · 10/10 · 4 May 2012]

I share the same sentiments as a previous reviewer (Paul Haakonsen).

I put this movie on during a boring evening and very soon got into it, then got really into it. At first I was expecting just a simple comedy where a guy meets a beautiful girl and she turns out to be a cyborg (spoiler police: that's not a spoiler because its the title of the movie!), but it's much, much more than that.

This one is going onto my favourites list, and I'll definitely be seeing it again. Actually, I would watch it again now but I don't want to ruin the feeling I had - and which you'll have - after you watch it for the first time.

You will remember it long after you've finished watching it. An excellent, excellent movie.

Possible Weak Spoiler Warning for the next paragraph...

This movie contains the most beautiful sequence I've ever seen in all the many hundreds of movies I've watched to date... when the main character goes to his home town, that whole sequence, and the soundtrack to it, was incredible.

Fun and enjoyable

[ramkoil · 10/10 · 26 October 2016]

I watched this movie a week ago. I found the movie easy to follow and refreshingly clean and heartfelt. It shows that you don't need to have sex to be intimate and romantic. In fact it adds to the feeling. Unlike Hollywood movies that the beautiful girl has to undress and have a sex scene here we have a truly beautiful actress in an amazing romantic film and I don't remember a single kiss. Profound human emotions does not need physical expression. This has been lost in Hollywood moves for decades. In response to a reviewer who said the move is not good enough because she did not undress and not enough action. Please go back to your dumbed down Hollywood films made for lower IQ audience. This is a true romance not in the league of Ready for love but fun and enjoyable.

Dumb. Cheeseballs. Blatant rip off of Terminator.

[pinokiyo · 3/10 · 7 March 2017]

Seriously? Couldn't they have been a little more creative? The time travel/effect is exactly the same as The Terminator. They even use the same situation from the ending of Terminator 2, where Arnold has to break part of his body and dragging himself to the ground. Except, this is way cheesier and ridiculous scenario where it suddenly turns into a disaster film. It's more like they wanted to try to be like epic Hollywood production but it doesn't come close at all.

Pretty sure this film is made for teenage girls and boys/anime otakus and that's where all the positive ratings are coming from. No full grown adult would find this film romantic or amazing.

Then again, I don't think this film is right for little kids either because there's a scene where some fat terrorist just starts shooting a rifle at a restaurant and then he starts chugging down gasoline and ends up lighting up on fire.

Cheesy effects and super cheesy story.

The ending is super ridiculous.

If they didn't have uplifting vibe and eyecandy from Haruka Ayase in this film, of course she's cute, I would have given a lower score.

This flick has just about everything a good movie can have

[paul-ayres-60784 · 10/10 · 18 March 2018]

I've watched this movie so many times and I still enjoy it immensely. It is the only film that I can think of that covers pretty much all genres. Mostly it is a romance but also a sci-fi, mystery, comedy, tragedy, horror, thriller with plenty of twists that you don't see coming. The acting is superb from both of the lead stars and Ayasa Haruka is so adorable. Tears of laughter and sadness will flow from most viewers whilst watching this story. The directing is spot on and the story will keep your attention from start to finish. I would be surprised if many people could guess the ending as the final twist is really one of those WOW moments. Japanese movie makers are very good at stirring emotions and surprising audiences with twist. This epic movie is no exception.

My rating 10/10! One of only 2 films I rate so highly.

New Rule: Most Japanese comedy characters must be idiots or jerks

[claudg1950 · 5/10 · 1 January 2023]

The title says all. The young man behaves like an idiot; his college friend is a jerk; his teacher is another idiot; the owner of the restaurant and the police officers are utterly dumb. The cyborg girl behaves like a spoiled brat, grown in the jungle.

Ok. This is what Japanese comedy writers believe is funny?

In addition: the cyborg girl is gorgeous, but the boy never tries to convince her of having sex (which would be reasonable and romantic, anyway)?

Perhaps actors were under the impression that this was a mute film, so they have to exaggerate gestures and grimaces. They move like Japanese costumed superheroes battling a Godzilla type monster. They give the term expressionism a new height.

Not funny for anybody over 5 years of age.

I can't believe it!

[ltilander · 10/10 · 30 May 2020]

Someone wrote a perfect science fiction story and made a movie of it in 2008 and it took 12 years to find me. I wish someone would do the same with Robert A. Heinlein's better stories. The world needs this. Thank you.

A Love Time Can't Stop

[Aeromaxx777 · 10/10 · 23 January 2011]

My rating is not really a 10; it is actually 9.2. And I would agree if people say this movie is underrated. This is definitely one of the greatest tearjerkers from Japan. I cried out loud for over 15 minutes when I watched this movie. And I just can't say anything bad about it except it never showed what happened to Jirou Kitamura after the future girl came back for him. But the story was unlike what I have seen before. And for a comedy, the climax was actually kind of sad. That makes any fan of romance shed a tear.

The story tells about how the movie's resident geek, Jirou Kitamura found love in 2 girls(one is a cyborg) in 2 separate occasions. Which only emphasizes his average Joe persona in the film in the fact that he falls for a future girl who has quite an appetite for food, shoplifts and quite unused to everything, and to a heroic cyborg who is at the least, ROUGH ON HIM! But that says something; "In a relationship, it is not about finding the perfect partner in life, it's about finding the perfect kind of love that you can share with each other".

Just to back it up, Jirou's love for the future girl led him to spent all his money and time to create the cyborg girl. And eventually changing history that drives the future girl's heart to return to Jirou. The kind of love Jirou and the future girl share for each other was so strong, time can't keep them apart. I wonder if there would be an American version someday. Either way, this movie is great as it is. Keisuke's character, Jirou could very well be at the top 5 in my long list of "Greatest Lovers in Movie History". Why? When he had not created his cyborg girl yet, he ended up disabled in a wheelchair. But because he loved the future girl so much, he waited 65 years in order to see her again(in a sense). And because he did, his younger self lived his life happily and without regret.

This movie created a question for the public: "How long can a love that was created over a short period of time last?. And the movie had an answer for it: "FOREVER".

Actually better than last three Terminator flicks

[romeogbrl · 8/10 · 13 October 2016]

I was really blown away by this film. I was expecting an average, run of the mill romantic drama but boy, I was wrong. "Cyborg Girl" is one of the best above average rom-coms I had the privilege to watch.

The strength of the movie lies in its director's ability to tell a story and convey emotions through these two great actors. The nerd, Jiro is very likable, who kind of reminds me of quite a few protagonists from several anime movies/shows. The cyborg character oozes with sex appeal (the TX from Terminator 3 is not even this sexy)and shares great chemistry with Jiro.

All I can say is, I truly had great fun watching this film. I though agree with another reviewer that it could have made the "robotic dance sequence" better and more convincing by hiring a professional break-dancer. This is a heartwarming film that will capture your imagination and make you shed a tear. That's something you won't find in a lot of movies today.

A humanoid cyborg who finally can feeling a human heart (Spoiler alerts!!)

[joshpandi-01511 · 9/10 · 12 October 2015]

Accidentally watch this movie just when I get stuck at home last weekend (7 years after this movie come out). Watch this movie from internet and fortunately I feel my old dream suddenly came back from this movie (I was thinking if someday a female human/android/cyborg girl from the future come to me and be my partner or even spouse and mating).

It was a great and lovable film. I watch it over 2 times to understand the ending and damn, how sad/hurt to know if someone from the future is already love us, even we already 126 years older than her time/era and we already dead.

It really the most hard feeling at the ending especially when the cyborg/future girl said at the ending scene "Honestly, I come from the future, 100 years from now with time machine, surprise?...It's good now, and at the time I must go slowly, go slowly back in time when he (Jiro) already passed away (and gone from her time/era)". Damn it's so hard to feel in that condition. I really mean it, as a man I said it so sad/hurt.

Even the alternate ending when the cyborg or future girl comeback again after the actual cyborg girl destroyed after the earthquake, it really give the conclusion : real love is limitless, never ends and transcends the past, the present, and the future. And it will make another alternate ending then.. Hope but not expected if the director will continue this Cyborg She/Cyborg Girl/My Girlfriend is a Cyborg movie to part 2 because the fate is change again, then I definitely will watch the sequel and hopefully still with the same actor and actress.

As a normal human who need someone to love, this movie very touch the heart and the actors/actress very well done play the characters. The storyline so beautiful and memorable and also unique. Include the beautiful song and melody of music inspires more deeply about this film.

I put my hats off to the actress (Haruka Ayase) and actor (Keisuke Koide).

Recommended to watch. for me the score is 9/10

A Romantic Robotic Comedy with a Massive Heart

[totalovrdose · 10/10 · 17 March 2015]

Similar to The Fountain, Cyborg She, otherwise referred to as Cyborg Girl, or My Girlfriend Is A Cyborg, is a feature set over more than one time period, and shows how the smallest event can lead to the biggest catastrophes - and the best love stories.

Based upon the Park Chan-wook film, I'm A Cyborg But That's Okay, writer/director Kwak Jae-yong (My Sassy Girl) makes a feature that is similar to Windstruck, which occasionally bore resemblance to the aforementioned film he is most known for directing. Rather than conceiving a feature about a young woman who thinks she's a cyborg, Haruka Ayase portrays a woman who actually IS a cyborg.

Unlike films that secretly borrow concepts from other movies in the hopes that no one will notice, Cyborg She deliberately steals ideas from films like Terminator and Time Cop to create a story that not only makes a mockery of American classics (the Terminator references include the blue time bubble and a man hiding a weapon beneath his trench-coat), but creates a powerfully heartfelt romantic comedy in the process.

Jiro Kitamura (Keisuke Koide) is a geek, who knows as much about women as I do. Despite been close friends with a fellow college student (Kenta Kiritani), Jiro spends much of his life alone, his own birthday reflecting his life's unflinching loneliness. That is, until he meets a young, beautiful, sassy, intelligent, humorous young woman (Ayase), and though they spend only one night together, she leaves an impression on him that he can never forget.

So, you can imagine the shock he receives exactly one year later when the woman he has been unable to stop thinking about returns - only this time, she isn't entirely human. Discovering the origins of the woman he begins living with, Jiro finds himself falling in love with his robotic house-mate. The question remains: if a human can learn to fall in love with another, can the same be said for a cyborg?

Ms. Ayase is brilliant in her role as the cyborg, her stiff movements, general ignorance regarding society and facial expressions, developing a character who truly is a machine, yet at the same time is capable of showing enough emotion to notify the audience of the humanity she may hold within. Mr. Koide is as equally impressive as the lovesick Jiro, the lustfully passionate feelings he exhibits towards his cyborg companion, alongside his angst at being unable to have a typical relationship with her, being adeptly conveyed.

Upon discovering the woman of his dreams is not only a cyborg, but is from the future, Jiro says something akin to 'fair enough'. Not bothering to focus on the strangeness of these circumstances, the film is able to quickly move forward, uninhibited by irrelevant questions, however, those of you, who, after viewing the trailer believe the film will be a collection of action scenarios, think again. Much of the film works perfectly as a character drama, and on every other occasion, offers the audience side-splitting hilarity in the form of uniquely entertaining humor.

The effects that accompany a number of the scenes are superbly delivered, and though they are not always the same caliber offered by Hollywood, they are fabulous all the same, and effectively bring more depth to the feature. A moment when the cyborg begins to illicit sparks after taking a swig of alcohol helps establish how she is presently inebriated, while another moment when the world around Jiro becomes hazy, is representative of him leaving contemporary society behind by entering a portal through time.

Although much of the film is in chronological order, the feature doesn't entirely conform to this rule, the past and future of the characters being provided considerable depth, that assists us in understanding the present. This is accentuated by the score and chosen songs, which compliment much of the film, and assist the audience in comprehending the mood during every crucial moment.

Cyborg She's conclusion moreover may leave audiences questioning the ending's authenticity, and though there are several possible interpretations that can be exhibited by Jae-yong's decisions, the film loses none of its influence. The intensity of the emotions steadily rise until the film's inescapable climax, and upon the credits making their way across the screen, its doubtful a single iris will remain dry. With this in mind, be sure you go into this film with a box of tissues.

Despite there been moments in the film that don't entirely make sense, Cyborg She is one of those rare features that reminds us the best films, seldom have to.