I haven't had this much fun watching a movie since I saw MY NEIGHBORS THE YAMADAS. Like the Yamadas, this family has its own... eccentricities... Unlike the Yamadas, several family members here are involved in the manga business. Being an Osamu Tezuka fan (ASTRO BOY, BUDDHA, BLACK JACK, etc.), any "behind-the-scenes" stories featuring manga or the creation thereof are fascinating to me. (Unlike American comic books, which have been around only a century or so, Japanese "ga" have been around literally for ages...) The day-to-day joys and sorrows of this family are whimsical and poignant and- at one point- downright heartrending. Not too far removed from Real Life. The closing montage is breathtaking (it reminded me of an interview I once saw with the composer Kitaro- who did the music for THE SILK ROAD- who, when asked wherefrom came his inspiration, led the interviewer to a swing erected atop a mountain where he could sit and watch the sun set: his reply was simply to point to the setting sun). THE TASTE OF TEA is a most beautiful movie. See it and see for yourself.
Review of The Taste of Tea
