Product Details

• Actors: Kazuki Kitamura, Keiko Oginome, Naoto Takenaka, Yasufumi Hayashi, Jiro Sato
• Directors: Masahiro Kobayashi
• Producers: Yukari Hatano, Naoki Kaneko
• Subtitles: English, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese
• Region: Region 3 (Read more about DVD formats.)
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Universe Laser & Video Co., Limited
• Run Time: 104 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000YIBR8W
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #375,427 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

The excellent camera work & style of "Amazing Story" (English title) makes this film an aesthetic pleasure. It is not only a quiet film about desire and loneliness for the typical art-house audience. But the tension created by crisp pictures of the snow-covered landscape and the clearcut Japanese architecture in a small village where nothing happens is broken by small comic-reliefs, nearly slap-stick interludes, about which all the people in the Hamburg audience could laugh by heart. It is not so much the story-outline which was interesting to me: A young man discovers the long lost love of his life in a small town and kidnaps her to free her from her gambling husband and to start a romance. This sounds rather queer. But it is how the story is revealed which makes the film so charming. Many films of this style often create curiosity by showing us main characters we cannot understand psychologically. We definitely cannot understand the young man who kidnaps the woman. But the film goes beyond this strangeness. The more we get to know these people, the more we understand their behaviour. The woman clearly says to her kidnapper "You are crazy. You're insane." Yet she gives herself away to him - if only for a short, rather dreamlike, time in her life. And for a very short, rather dreamlike, time in our lives -at the cinema - we can get an insight into their hearts

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In your face, Rob Marshall!, October 2, 2008

By 

Alluvial (Massachusetts, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Perfect Education 5 Amazing Story (DVD)

The production staff of Memoirs of a Geisha claimed that they used Chinese actresses for the leads because there were no suitable Japanese women for the roles.

This movie is unique in that it was almost entirely produced by women. The music, the cinematography, the direction, the acting -- all women. It's an in-your-face, straight up live action rendition of a manga by the same name.

Anna Tsuchiya shines as Kiyoha, and the movie beautifully blends traditional Japanese imagery, architecture, and fashion with modern colors and patterns. They accentuate the exotic and intriguing nature of the old pleasure quarters of Edo Era Japan.

It is both a wonderful cultural glimpse at Japan and eye candy at the same time. A treat, to be sure!

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Anna Tsuchiya is a Goddess in a fish bowl, November 16, 2007

By 

Ren (Blast) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Perfect Education 5 Amazing Story (DVD)

I'm a huge fan of Anna Tsuchiya. After watching Kamikaze Girls long time ago, I was hooked on this beautiful woman. She's young, talented, and very sexy in every sense of the word. Her music is incredible and moves my soul. However, after Kamikaze Girls, I got ahold of her music career(and lots of it) with many singles and albums. It then hit me, "I want more of her acting!" I already had Kamikaze Girls, plus the anna3 DVD which is basically a look at Anna the person. I looked up one of her recent titles called Sakuran. After buying it and watching it, I realized that Anna has scored once again.

Sakuran is a world full of beauty, but dirty on the inside. It takes place in a courtesan district of Yoshiwara, during the Edo period. Colors are vivid in this movie, to reflect on the story. Vibrant colors to express the passion and sexuality of the women, which works VERY well. As you know, Anna fits well in this movie because of it's sexuality. She's full of sex appeal, and plays a very striking character named Kiyoha.

She begins as a rebellious and rude little girl, growing up in the middle of this passionate enviornment. Hating it at first, she hopes to escape from it all. Eventually, to prove herself she grows to become a sassy and gorgeous courtesan herself! BTW, she's 17 by this time and boy she's the best looking 17 year old anyone has ever seen ^_^

To not spoil much, pretty soon she starts to go through love and the never ending battle to be free. Goldfish are symbolic throughout the whole movie, and always used as a transition. As long as these concubines(the goldfish) remain inside the district(bowl) they will remain beautiful forever. But outside of it, they will perish.

This movie is modern, beautiful, easy on the eyes, passionate, and very stimulating. Anna Tsuchiya carried the film big time, and it's definately for Anna fans. The Goldfish are adorible too BTW ^o^I'm a sucker for fantails.If you loved Kamikaze Girls, you'll adore Sakuran. It's a complex story, in a sleezy world.

Note: Sakuran is also a manga! Watch out for that too!