Movie Review: Taiyou no Uta

Taiyou no uta, simple yet beautiful story.This film tells the story of Kaoru Amane, a 16 year old girl who was diagnosed with a rare skin condition called, Xeroderma Pigmentosum. Kaoru is not allowed to be exposed to sunlight because it can be fatal to her. She lives an opposite lifestyle. She sleeps during the day and is active at night. Every night, she sings and plays her guitar in front of a train station.  

One day, she spots a high school boy standing next to a surfboard. He is Koji Fujishiro. Koji and his friends go to the ocean every morning to surf. He usually drops by in the bus stop near Kaoru's house to get a drink from the vendo. Since then, Kaoru watches him from the window before going to sleep.

There is this funny scene where she runs after him to introduce herself. 

"I'm Amane Kaoru. I'm sixteen, living with my parents. My hobby is music. I have a bit of quick-tempered personality. I don't have a boyfriend. I've always been looking at you.I don't have a boyfriend."

And she goes on telling him her favorites and reiterates she doesn't have a boyfriend. Haha, she scared him of course! Good thing her cousin comes in to stop her.

We must understand, the last time she talked to a guy was during grade school. Since she has only been staying at home most of her life, Kaoru is still unfamiliar with things outside, including the proper way  to approach a guy.





Though it starts with a cute, sweet and funny atmosphere, it eventually leads us to more serious scenes. Things start to get solemn when Kaoru almost exposed herself to sunlight. She realizes she can never live a normal life. As her disease progresses her fingers also start to get numb, preventing her to play the guitar. She almost quit singing but Koji never leaves her side. He encourages her to go on and pursue her dream.

I like the music, also the writing, but the pacing is a bit slow. The film is dragging at some parts. In the drama version, they have more twists and turns so we're not stuck at the same scene for a long time. It's equally as good as the drama version though. If you want to see better singing and good acting watch this film, and if you want better acting and good singing, try the drama version.   

Rating: 8/10

Here's where you can watch the full movie: 

http://www.epdrama.com/midnight-sun/taiyou-no-uta-aka-midnight-sun-movie/