Ame Agaru - After The Rain

[Guest limubai2000]

I just watched this last night and I really enjoyed it alot despite the few action scenes. The acting was really top notch and the characters were really well thought out.

I really enjoyed the conversations between the major characters, they really had some depth. Not as good as Twilight Samurai but still a great solid film.

[Guest sakura2004]

I rate it highly--a real gem. One of my favorite scenes is near the end, where he leaves his wife resting by the side of the road and enters into the forest. There he performs kata, and when he rejoins his wife, he does so with a clear mind and has left all his troubles behind.

Twilight outshines Ame in terms of acting, production values, realism and drama. Ame on the other hand, while sometimes plagued with less than stellar acting (compared to TS), has a strength in terms of symbolism and subtlty.

[Guest kenichiku]

Different films but I actually like 'Ame Agaru' better than the nostalgic 'Tasogare Seibei' for my tastes.

Perhaps the distance that 'Ame Agaru' holds from its audience while retaining its humanism the way that Kuro-san used to do it struck a chord with me. With this approach, I felt the director was just being faithful by honoring his legacy. All that with the brevity of its message and the canvas of nature lent for a stillness that made for a perfect meditative theatrical experience while not necessarily feeling cheated that you're not allowed to be closer to the characters the way 'Twilight' allowed the viewers to be.

[Guest sakura2004]

But did you like it?

Just kidding. Great perspective on Ame...

Another scene I loved was when the lord was inspecting the ronin's katana. I've never seen on film such descriptions and appreciation of a sword. Unfortunately, exactly what the lord describes does not come through in the subtitles.