Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts

Monday, December 7, 2009

Featured Mori Girl: Shizuru Shitonaka in Heavenly Forest

I just watched Heavenly Forest (ただ、君を愛してる ), a film that has received attention from the mori girl community for its protagonist, Shizuru Shitonaka. Aoi Miyazaki (宮崎あおい), who portrays Shizuru in the film, was also voted second on a poll identifying celebrity mori girls.

Heavenly Forest is very much a character-driven film. Its plot, like many films falling under the "pure love" sub-genre, is fairly formulaic. However, it has been well-received by critics and viewers alike thanks to its quirky and well-played lead characters. Aoi Miyazaki carries the movie, makes the eccentric character Shizuru her own and turns Heavenly Forest into a memorable, moving and quite special little film. The film also contains many gorgeous forest scenes that will surely inspire many a mori girl.

Shizuru is an eccentric university student from the French department whose life remains a mystery for much of the film. She is usually seen wearing long-sleeved, patterned tops under loose dresses and tops, matched with pants and booties. Her fringed bob is also a typical mori girl hairstyle.




A large part of the film's charm comes from Shizuru's quirks and the surprising things she says.

 

Shizuru is aware that others may consider her weird, and this resonates with the individualistic values of many mori girls.


Photography is a central motif in the film as it is what strengthens the bond between Shizuru and Makoto Segawa, played by a sweetly awkward Hiroshi Tamaki (玉木宏). The Canon analogue SLRs used by both characters will strike a chord with many mori girls.


One reason this film is so enjoyable is that Aoi Miyazaki is so darn cute.


I didn't have high expectations of the film but ended up finding it quite enchanting in its own way. A great way to spend a quiet night in. If you want to watch Heavenly Forest too, you may want to get it from my affiliate link.


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Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Yu Aoi as Hagumi Hanamoto in Honey and Clover live action movie

Even before the term 'mori girl' was coined, Yu Aoi (a mori girl icon herself) played Hagumi Hanamoto, whose creation by manga artist Chica Umino seems to have foreshadowed the explosion of the mori girl aesthetic.


I read the manga before watching the movie, and I have to say that the casting was fantastic. I thought Hagu would be a difficult character to portray, but Yu Aoi made the role her own. She was every bit as elusive and quietly ethereal as I would imagine Hagu to be in the flesh.

Hagu's wardrobe in the film was delightful as well. Comprised mainly of long dresses worn over brightly coloured tshirts and jeans, the clothing was brightly quirky, yet managed to retain a girlishly bashful feel.
 

This has got to be my favourite dress from the movie. Love the colour combinations and how they styled the same dress a little differently at different parts of the movie.



I wouldn't have thought of pairing a floral sundress with a sporty tshirt like that, but somehow it looks right on Hagu.



Another sporty tshirt-floral dress combo worn over jeans.



This time, Hagu layers a dress over a green tshirt which is in turn layered over a purple long sleeved tshirt. This is something only Yu Aoi could pull off.


One of the floral dresses we saw earlier, this time worn with a red tshirt and pink cardigan.


You can't see it in this picture, but Hagu is actually wearing a below-the-knee dress with black maryjanes. This dress is very Marimekko, don't you think?



Hagu painting cherry blossom trees outside. Notice how even her dress has cherry blossoms all over it!

Few other actresses could have pulled off these clothes. Yu Aoi's natural and thoroughly unpretentious air makes her look at ease in the quirkiest of outfits.

If you want to watch the Honey and Clover live action movie, getting it from my affiliate link would make me really happy!