kenleewrites in 日本

I attended the premiere of “ダーリンは外国人 – My Darling is a Foreigner” last night. Woo hoo! My first movie premiere in Japan!

I was really looking forward to meeting 井上真央! ^^.

The story -

Illustrator Saori dreams of being a manga artist. Tony is an American who’s come to Japan after becoming enamored with the Japanese language.

Pure chance brings the two together, and romance is in the air. But… it’s not long before Tony’s quirky questions begins to confound Saori. ‘Why do you say “Do this and od that” and not “Do that and do this”?’ Is he like this because he’s a foreigner? Or because he’s a language geek? Will their relationship survive?

This heart-warming love story is a must-see for those whose darling is foreign, for those whose darling isn’t, and for those still seeking a darling of their own.

The story is based on the lives of the author Saori Oguri and her white husband Tony Laszlo.

I have to admit, I didn’t know of the manga until after I found out about the movie. Picked up the manga at the local bookstore and found it to be pretty hilarious.

The movie falls a little short though, not mentioning the Japanese-husband-foreign-wife combination… Still, I see no reason why you and your Japanese husband can’t enjoy the movie. ^^.

Saori is extremely observant. Noticing the little things. Little things that shock me. Most of which, I could also relate to. ^^. Shocked when I heard Mao-chan vocalizing some of the same phrases I hear when we’re arguing in a heated discussion.

I wonder. Do international couples argue the same way too?!

At the end of the movie, the stars finally made their entrance.

From my seat somewhere in the middle, I saw Inoue Mao, Jonathan Sherr, Saori, Tony and the film’s director. There was a short Q and A session and 真央ちゃんは本当にカワイイですね。いつか本人とあいたいです！

I thought Jonathan did a pretty good job as Tony too. They really did look alike together up there on the stage.

Saori (the real one) was saying that the movie got 1 part wrong though. It was him who was after her and not vice versa. ^^.

The original manga is in Japanese, but they have started selling the a version in both English and Japanese. I couldn’t find it online yet, but check your local bookstore.

The movie will open in cinemas Japan-wide on April 10th.

Oh yeah, one more thing – a real treat for the non-Japanese speaking folks.

It was the first Japanese movie I’ve seen in a Japanese cinema with English subtitles!

So kudos to My Darling is a foreigner.

This particular version with English subtitles will only be shown in 2 cinemas nationwide from April 10th till the 16th at Toho Cinemas Roppongi Hills (Tokyo) and Umeda (Osaka).

If your other half doesn’t speak Japanese, it’s a great opportunity to enjoy a Japanese movie in the cinema together.

Here’s a trailer to whet your appetite.

I really enjoyed the movie. I laughed, I nearly shed a tear… yeah, tell me about it. I have become somewhat of a softie. At times, I thought I was looking at us in the mirror. ^^.

度肝抜かれました！