The Miracles of the Namiya General Store is the live action of adaption of the popular novel by the same name written by Higashino Keigo(Galileo series, Under The Midnight Sun, Malice). Saito Hiroshi rewrote the original story for film while Hiroki Ryuichi took the director's chair. Hey! Say! Jump! member, Yamada Ryosuke(Assignation Classroom) returns to the big screen for his fifth film with Murakami Nijiro, Kanichiro, veteran actor; Nishida Toshiyuki and many other special guest appearances. The novel has sold over a million copies in Japan and China. This film also was a huge hit in Japan that spawned a Chinese film adaption in China.
Three orphan boys hide in an abandoned general store. They find belongings in the store from long ago but they find that the weirdest occurrence is random letters coming in through the store's mail slot. These letter have dates that are from the distant past and the boys soon realize that they must help each person who sends them a letter with their problem before the night is over. Who are these people? How does the original owner of this store connect to the three boys and the people asking for advice?
This film is suppose to be a mystery but I didn't see a mystery while watching the events unfold. It seemed more like a fantasy drama mixed with time travel and the supernatural …. Well, none actually time travels but they might as well have. Another disappointing fact about this film is that it doesn't focus on just the three characters trying to piece together what's going on. Viewers are bombarded with a whole lot of sub storylines that do fit well into this puzzle piece of a plot. Just that the different character viewpoints become a bit tedious to watch after seeing one after the other. In the middle of seeing other characters, My interest in the actually three main chapters increased because sometimes it felt like they weren't on screen enough. Maybe I might have created a standard for this film without realizing it myself. Damn those fangirl comments online… Anyway, Namiya has no problem delivering a consistent storyline. Sometimes the plot seems so full of humanity to the point that you are forced to relate to at least one of the characters. Even if you haven't exactly experienced what the character has gone through. You will find some aspect of the different character's wows to place yourself in. Believe me when I tell you that there's enough problems to choose from. Then again Namiya can also be a film that confuses the living hell out of the viewer if not taken into the mind with a focused matter. I'll be the first to say that I had to re-watch a couple of scenes to get the true meaning that the script was trying to pointing out. There's honestly too much going on so you can't miss anything and you have to pay attention. The film's overall message is a very good one. pretty bittersweet to the extent that it's enlightening to those watching. I took the message of it's not where you come from, it's where you're going. The past is the past and the future is the future to look forward to. Now, I understand how the hell all them character's relate to each other… or do I?[INSERT ME LAUGHING]
The acting was alright expect for the veteran actors such as Nishida Toshiyuki and Kobayashi Kaoru. Ok! Ok! Ok, The costars like Narumi Riko and Hayashi Kento supported the story well too. All three main male leads are easy on the eyes so they didn't have to work too hard at acting. Most films with Johnny's idols starring in them do well just because of who they are.Yamada has gotten better at acting as shown in some of the more emotional scenes for his character. I could see the hurt in his eyes when he made them become a window to his soul. The real emotion was there so I connected to his performance at these times. Those other actors did about the same amount as Yamada. Their performances were just enough to not be mediocre. Nishida had a stronger presence while acting than most of the cast. His performance leaves a powerful lasting impression during the film.
Namiya General Store was shot by the camera in various angles. Some from far aways so that viewers could see the full image of the scene surrounding the characters. Other times the camera shoots at odd angles for a mystic and mysterious aura. I love how the scenes introducing the three boys was shot. These scenes have so much adventure to them. I also liked the comfy feel of the store no matter what kind of frame it was shot in.
The Miracles of the Namiya General Store isn't easy to digest but if you can get all the components in your head, the ending result is a fulfilling one. I would recommend watching this film at least two times before having a full opinion. So much in there to see, so little time.
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