Reviewed by nikkareyes
on 28/06/2016 09:43

A comedic-fantasy film that has a serious message to tell. This is how I perceive this Imaoka masterpiece made more visually engaging with the genius work  of renowned cinematographer Christopher Doyle who's known for Days of Being Wild and other Wong Kar Wai movies. The film centers on the kappa and human woman love story cum love triangle (Asuka is engaged to her boss) but  sadly there's no happy ending for the two. The Imaoka brand of storytelling is very imminent, him being known to depict characters trapped in a rut, this very much is evident in the characters of Asuka and the kappa Aoki, secretly longing for something that they just can't have, in this case, their deep and passionate love for each other, which, although given fruition by that final love scene dissolves just as quickly into a cloud of smoke, just as Aoki did. Erotic, in fact, highly erotic but the underlying message of love, devotion and even hope will move viewers. This is a must-watch!