And, the Baton Was Passed Review (Soshite, Baton wa Watasareta) [2021]

Hello, everyone! It's been a long time since I wrote the last movie review. Today I want to share a quick review of Japanese movie. It's And, the Baton Was Passed. This movie is based on novel "Soshite, Baton wa Watasareta" by Maiko Seo.

I will insert the official Twitter of the movie here, and the AsianWiki link here.

Narrated by Morimiya-san (Kei Tanaka), the story follows 3 females. They are Miitan (Kurumi Inagaki), Yuko Morimiya (Mei Nagano) and Rika (Satomi Ishihara). We watch their stories as the movie goes. Miitan who cries a lot but care towards her friends and people around them, Yuko who always smiles no matter how hard the situation around her, and Rika who seems marrying men for her own happiness. 

Miitan (played by Kurumi Inagaki)

Yuko (played by Mei Nagano) 

Rika (played by Satomi Ishihara)

Morimiya-san (played by Kei Tanaka)

As the story flows, we see these three females' lives and their interaction with other characters. Miitan's mother passed away, and she struggles with it, because she only lives with her father. One day, Rika comes and becomes Miitan's stepmother. Although Rika often seen wearing luxurious clothes and stuffs, she really loves Miitan like her own daughter. Rika thinks about what is the best for Miitan. And then, there is Yuko. She lives with Morimiya-san. Yuko doesn't have a mother. Morimiya-san is not her biological father either. Her mother left her with Morimiya-san when she was younger. Because of this, Yuko and Morimiya-san have a strong bond. They rely on each other. Yuko has considered Morimiya-san as her own father, despite there is no blood relation. Morimiya-san loves Yuko like his own daughter too. Both Morimiya-san and Yuko love cooking. Watching familial relationship in this movie feels so heartwarming.

Miitan and Rika

Yuko and her stepfather, Morimiya-san

Maybe, when we were watching this movie, we would ask "What's the relation between these characters?", especially with Yuko, Miitan and Rika. These characters' lives seem separated and aren't related. You will know, because they actually are related to each other. There's a plot twist, and you will understand why this movie is told that way.

This movie is amazing. It's a masterpiece! I love all aspects of this movie. This movie is more about familial relationship. What is the meaning of a family? Is family only about people who are blood related to you? Family means more than that. This movie conveys that meaning clearly and beautifully. It makes us think about familial relationship. It has many lessons too, like don't think bad of someone's intention and action, because maybe they did it for the better, or the lesson that we must appreciate our family, because they all we've got. 

There's romance too, but it is like a sub-plot. We see the romance through Yuko's relationship with her school friend, Kento Hayase (played by Kenshi Okada, or Koshi Mizukami). I love these two. I think they are a great pairing.

Koshi Mizukami as Kento Hayase

These two are cute together🥰

I love all of the casts too; they've done a great job portraying their roles. I'm familiar with Satomi Ishihara (I'm a big fan of her), Kei Tanaka, Mei Nagano and Koshi Mizukami, but the rest of the casts are great as well.

Overall, I really love this movie. It's more than 2 hours long, but it won't feel that long, because I enjoy this movie so much. It makes my heart feel warm, makes me filled with joy seeing the characters growth and feeling their happiness. Also, we will see the meaning of 'baton' in the title😉 if you're looking for a happy, lighthearted, heartwarming movie, I think you'll enjoy this one. It's 5/5🌟

More pictures, hehe. See you on the next post!💗

 

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