A textbook on romantic relationships Yoon Jin-ho is a South Korean exchange student who comes to Japan. The girl is very open and responsive, however, from the first frames we are given to understand that she has some secret. Jin-ho immediately draws attention to the modest and unsociable Kaede, with whom he certainly decides to make friends. What connects two absolute opposites? This question is intriguing, but soon drowns in the streams of other intrigue. Under pressure from the assertive Jin-ho, Kaede admits that she has long been secretly in love with a classmate, but can not confess her feelings to him. Yusuke is an equally unsociable student obsessed with Rocky and Twitter. In the mind of Jin-ho ripens a cunning plan how to add a little romance in the relationship between lovers, and at the same time make them confess, finally, to each other.
It might seem like Jinx is an eccentric sitcom. Time after time, there are attempts to bring Kaede and Yusuke together, which constantly end in collapse for whatever reason. Then Yoon Jin-ho meets with each of them alone and teaches the cunning wisdom of love relationships, the blessing of scenes from the most romantic melodramas come to help them. In the film, there are many direct references to “The Diary of Memory”, “Love Actually”, “The Eternal Sunshine of the Pure Mind”, “When Harry Met Sally” and “Edward Scissorhands”. On the one hand, this technique enhances the comedic and dramatic effect of the picture, on the other hand, the film loses a sense of originality and intrigue. Sometimes you predict which step will follow and what will come out of it, not to mention the denouement itself.
It struck me that the creators of Jinx themselves did not position it with a comedic component, and closer to the middle of the film it becomes clear why. The moments that spark a genuine smile are increasingly interrupted by Jin-ho’s sudden sadness, and the story of her personal love experiences is becoming clearer. Chemin was well able to convey the character of his character. At the same time, the game of Kurumi Shimizu (the image of Yamaguchi Kaede) and Kento Yamazaki (the modest boyfriend of Nomura Yusuke) was more boring and monotonous. Perhaps this is due to the characters of their heroes - locked in their shells and despair. However, their subsequent sudden rebirth was not believed at all. Something similar to Kento Yamazaki has already had to play before, I mean the role of Kakeru in the teenage melodrama “Lighthouse” (2011), a picture similar to “Jinx” in its mood. However, the actor with great potential is revealed in completely different roles - whether it is a proud and self-confident Nishiki ("Love for beginners"), Shusei ("Bedroom Neighbors") or Keta ("Wolf and Black Prince"); or assertive and purposeful Yuki Jose ("One Week Friends"). Nevertheless, the professional growth of the actor is noticeable in almost every film.
I was surprised by the almost complete absence of Hayato Matsuzaka’s line in the film. The exact opposite of his friend Kaede is that he falls in love with a Korean student and takes the first step, but then disappears from view. One gets the impression that the authors simply forget about the existence of this character, which, although it appears then, but actually passes by. There could be another intriguing romantic line.
Another notable point is that director Naoto Kumazawa is good at noting the differences between Koreans and Japanese, both in everyday trivia and in life philosophy itself. It was primarily a contrast between classical Japanese modesty and self-sacrifice and the Korean passion for romantic love. In the film, there is an invisible border between the worldview of Koreans and Japanese, and the viewer has the opportunity to look in one direction or another. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish where Korean humor and melodrama intersect with Japanese relationship shyness and enthusiasm. The director and the screenwriter so combined and confused that it turned out quite interesting and exciting movie. True, it is designed primarily for the youth audience, since there are many very naive and uneven moments in it, which just corresponds to their worldview.
Filming began in mid-February 2013 and ended in mid-March 2013. The film crew visited Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture and South Korea.
7 out of 10