RUNWAY BEAT (Ranwei bito) (2011)

Genre: Drama
Director: Kentaro Otani
Cast: Koji Seto, Nanami Sakuraba, Mirei Kiritani, IMALU, Kei Tanaka
Runtime: 2 hrs 6 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Encore Films & GVP
Official Website: http://www.encorefilms.com/runwaybeat

Opening Day: 23 February 2012

Synopsis: Adapted from the best-selling teen novel by Maha Harada, Runway Beat earned widespread support among high school teens and working adults alike for its inspirational message of hope and promise, playing on that perennial desire by all people to employ fashion as a catalyst for personal transformation, and by extension, lighting the path toward self-improvement and high self-esteem.

Movie Review:

Runway Beat is intended to be an inspirational story targeted at the youths. It revolves around a bunch of high school students, whose lives were changed by a transfer student named Beat (Koji Seto). Unlike many other teen dramas which strictly built the narrative on the romance element, i.e. puppy love, this movie also shed insights on friendship, family and a more niche interest, fashion.

The movie is directed by Kentaro Otani, who also directed other teen drama movies Nana, Nana 2 and Rough, which also focused on niche interests, namely rock music and sports. Needless to say, with such an experienced director on board, the movie has accurately and sufficiently depicted the reality of the fashion industry and the commercial world. The movie has also placed incredible efforts on its fashion elements, from the clothes and designs, up to the final runway show. There is nothing shabby with regards to this, owing to the Japanese’s incredible diligence towards details!

Like many other teen dramas of the like, Runway Beat also has a dazzling ensemble of young and good looking actors and actresses. It consists of Koji Seto from idol group D☆DATE as fashion forward and gifted Beat, Nanami Sakuraba as the love struck May, model Mirei Kirtani as the self-conceited teen model Miki and Kei Tanaka as Hikikomori (i.e. socially withdrawn youth) Wanda. They are charming and pleasant to look at, but the level of acting remains at eye candy. Out of all of them, Kei is possibly the most outstanding one, who has given depth to the character Wanda despite having a relatively plain storyline.

Focusing back on the story, the narrative has a huge focus on Beat, and is told in a third person’s point of view, May. Beat is portrayed as a youthful designer who takes after his father’s talent. In order to stay close to his hospitalized childhood friend (and perhaps also his love interest), he decides to move in with his father. With this decision, he not only brought about positive energy through fashion to his new classmates at school, fashion also became the point of connection between him and his father which eventually brought about a heart-warming reconciliation.

However, the characterizations were rather weak. Perhaps it is because the characters are taken from the novel, hence they fail to take on a real form and do not have any ‘meat’. The value of this story as a novel is undeniable, but when made into a film, it basically becomes a mishmash of everything, without much depth and impression.

Another tragic of the movie is the inadequate use of music. If used appropriately, cinematic music could be used to accentuate the mood and to lead the viewers. However, this was clearly lacking for most parts. The only one that was used perfectly utilized was towards the end, when the movie’s theme song by FUNKY MONKEY BABYS was finally introduced.

Up till its end, there isn’t any real climax that was incredibly moving. The story could be inspiring to some people, especially youths who are into fashion, but it could barely sustain the interest of average viewers. If you preference a family ride over a roller coaster ride, this movie will probably suit your taste.

Movie Rating: 

(The set-up of the story is clichéd, but it is spiced up with the elaborate fashion element)

Review by Tho Shu Ling