東京タワー ▫️ 2005 ▫️Info

I had never heard of this movie. It’s hard for me to know as an outsider how it was perceived in Japan, but I assume it got some attention thanks to the cast. I haven’t really made up my mind about how I feel about it. It was produced well and the story was compelling but something was strange. Maybe the whole milf vibe threw me off…

So yeah, Junichi and Matsujun are obsessed with married milfs. That’s kind of the whole story I guess. There are some nice aspects in the story about how love is complicated–the women that earn their affections are in terrible relationships and aren’t necessarily shamed or blamed for starting affairs with these young men. At the same time, it still made me a bit uncomfortable. Especially the side story about Matsujun’s character sleeping with his high school classmate’s mom. There was a bit of fetishism creeping in between the lines. Not sure if that’s how the novel comes off since I haven’t read it. Don’t get me wrong, stories about affairs can be very exciting and sometimes emotionally moving. It just felt a bit too milf-y in this one?

The cinematography and atmosphere was great, it’s an example of a well made film that didn’t fully impress me. It was nice to see Jun in something a bit more mature and I have enjoyed Junichi in everything I have seen him in. In the case of Arashi I really like cute flirtatious romance stories, but any time the vibe tries to be sexy I feel strange. Maybe it’s because I have watched content from them since they were like 14 years old…. They are definitely attractive men, but that’s not really the reason I am a fan. I also think Johnny’s doesn’t advertise sex appeal the same way as Hollywood etc. This is actually one aspect I find appealing: their content tends to be wholesome, genuine and often creative or weird (in a good way). Idols can get represented as sex icons in society but Arashi always comes off as grounded and real in comparison to many celebrities. Some people of course rightfully enjoy the half-naked steamy Arashi content, but personally I prefer something less direct. Jun of course did well in the role even if it wasn’t my favorite of his.

I don’t have much else to say. There were a few scenes that really got me, like when they got caught by the husband and also when Junichi’s partner abandons him and he runs off into the city near the end. I also liked the end plot in Jun’s romance where they end up deciding not to be together but also she is kind of thriving. This film definitely gets to the core of how hard it is to be in a normalized cis monogamous relationship and I appreciate that it tried to explore more scandalous things. Like milfs. And also milfs. It was a pretty movie and fine to watch, I just felt kind of meh about it in the end so I’m giving it a lower score overall than the individual aspects.