My Rainy Days Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.0
Overall		4.0

My Rainy Days Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov April 21, 2011

Japanese director Yuri Kanchiku's "Tenshi no koi" a.k.a "My Rainy Days" (2009) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors CN Entertainment. The only supplemental feature on the disc is the film's original theatrical trailer. In Japanese, with optional English and Traditional Chinese subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Rio

The main protagonist in Japanese director Yuri Kanchiku’s My Rainy Days is a very young girl named Rio (Nozomi Sasaki), who does not mind going out with older men – as long as they pay her. Her best client, Pappi, has given her a chic studio somewhere in downtown Tokyo and a black credit to shop as much as she wants. Most of the time Rio looks happy.

Rio’s best friends (Mitsuki Oishi, Hikaru Yamamoto, Saki Kagami) are also in the business. They also have clients who like to treat them well, though none of them are as generous as Pappi. Each night the girls meet in a cozy café, have a quick drink and then go to work. They don’t mind doing what they do – the job is easy and pays well.

One day, Rio picks up a set of photos that do not belong to her. The envelope has her last name, Ozawa, but the photos belong to Kouki (Shousuke Tanihara, Memories of Matsuko), a thirty-something university professor. They arrange to meet in front of the studio that mixed their names to exchange their photos. It rains when they arrive, which is why Rio gets under Kouki’s umbrella.

Fastforward. Rio falls madly in love with Kouki. Convinced that he is the man she must spend the rest of her life with, she parts ways with Pappi and informs her pimp that she has retired. Rio’s best friends are shocked by her decision. Her real-life lover (Araki Nanaki), a young girl who has been sexually abused by her stepfather, even threatens to end her life.

Meanwhile, Rio attempts to get closer to Kouki, but he politely rejects her. However, he does agree to help Rio with her studies, and if she gets a perfect score on her upcoming test, have dinner with her. The two begin spending plenty of time together. Then, one day Kouki collapses.

My Rainy Days is a delightful little film that tackles a number of serious issues but never switches into a preachy mode. The does not go into the opposite direction either as Rio’s profession and lifestyle are never glamorized.

The film overflows with joy and sadness. When Rio encounters Kouki, she rediscovers what it means to be young and alive. Prior to their meeting at the photo studio, she is a suave manipulator who lives to make money. She has everything young girls dream about but feels old and tired. Her life is a never-ending string of quick dates with men interested only in her body.

Kouki inspires Rio. When she is around him the world looks different. Naturally, she begins to appreciate the simple things in life that make it worth living. Kouki, who has little time left to live (revealed why very early into the film), also begins to reevaluate everything that he has been through.

My Rainy Days isn’t marred by the myriad of overused clichés and stereotypes that typically pop up in similarly themed Hollywood films. Rio and her girlfriends are definitely real people with real problems who live in the real world.

First-time director Kanchiku’s style is surprisingly precise and concise, never overpowering, never overindulging. Emi Onodera’s editing is also competent.

Note: In 2009, My Rainy Days was screened at the Tokyo International Film Festival. Last year, the film was also screened at the Shanghai International Film Festival.

My Rainy Days Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Yuri Kanchiku's My Rainy Days arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors CN Entertainment.

The film's warm and natural colors are well reproduced -- there is a delicate balance between the variety of blues, greens, browns, grays, and blacks. Fine object detail is pleasing, though some of the close-ups convey an extremely light layer of noise. Contrast levels are consistent. Edge-enhancement does not plague the transfer; neither does macroblocking. I also did not see any traces of excessive noise reduction. During Rio and Kouki's trip to the countryside, however, I noticed some mild aliasing. There are no serious stability issues. Blown though a digital projector, the transfer conveys wonderful depth and very pleasing tightness. Lastly, I did not see any large damage marks, cuts, stains, or debris to report in this review. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

My Rainy Days Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: Japanese Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Japanese Dolby Digital 5.1. For the record, CN Entertainment have provided optional English and Traditional Chinese subtitles for the main feature.

My Rainy Days has a wonderful soundtrack - a mix of J-pop and various lounge tunes. Fortunately, the Japanese Dolby TrueHD 5.1 track treats it quite well, giving the entire film quite a boost. The shopping scenes and the finale are very effective. The bass and rear-channels are not overly active but definitely intelligently used. The dialog is crisp, clean, stable, and exceptionally easy to follow. The English translation is good, but I did notice a couple of syntax errors popping up here and there.

My Rainy Days Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - the original theatrical trailer for My Rainy Days. In Japanese, with imposed Traditional Chinese subtitles. (2 min, 480/60i).

My Rainy Days Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It has been raining for nearly two days in my home city and I felt that Yuri Kanchiku's My Rainy Days might be the right film to see. It definitely was, though I must admit that I really did not expect it to be so engaging, so serious. Indeed, a very refreshing film. The Blu-ray disc herein reviewed, courtesy of Hong Kong-based distributors CN Entertainment, looks and sounds very good. However, if you reside in a Region-B territory, keep in mind that it is Region-A "locked". RECOMMENDED.