As an American who likes Japanese cinema, as well as Koreeda films (Nobody Knows is one of the five best films I have ever seen, and I liked Like Father, Like Son), this film was a huge disappointment, and honestly, I have very few positive things to say about it. The main problem, as also noted by another IMDb reviewer, is that the film takes a very, very long time to set up the plot of the kids going to see the bullet trains intersect, and then when it goes into motion, everything feels super-rushed. At more than 2 hours in length, the pacing was completely off. This film could easily have had a half hour chopped off and it wouldn't have mattered.
This Japanese coming-of-age film reminded me a lot of Rob Reiner's Stand By Me. But with the exception of the film's climax, there was very little to it.
This Japanese coming-of-age film reminded me a lot of Rob Reiner's Stand By Me. But with the exception of the film's climax, there was very little to it.