This time I will talk about a movie that I watched and loved, so maybe there’ll be a lot of spoilers, i.e. if you hate spoilers and somehow want to watch it yourself, perhaps you want to skip this. I just want to talk about the characters and why I love one but not another, etc. But first of all, the title of the movie is Peach Girl. There are the manga and the anime too but I haven’t read the manga, neither have I watched the anime, so I’ll just write this based on the movie only, the one that I watched and re-watched.
First of all, actually I am not the type who rewatches an anime, movie, or drama unless I have a valid reason such as forgetting some details and somehow wanting to remember them. And even when I decide to rewatch, sometimes I skip the parts that I find uninteresting (I don’t usually skip when it’s my first time watching no matter how boring it is ’cause I don’t want to miss details that might be important or that might foreshadow the next phases of the story). So when I rewatch a movie, sometimes I skip parts that I still remember because, well, I don’t have all the time to watch the same thing. And most importantly, it’s because I crave for something new. New stories, new revelations, new acting, new portrayals, new settings, etc., which is why sometimes I don’t really watch a remake of a drama or a movie when I already watch another version of it, except when it’s my favorite actor, or when I really love the story, or when somehow I accidentally watched the remake version first and somehow am curious about the original version, or watched the original version first and am curious about the remake because it’s my fav actor or such. (Wait, doesn’t it basically mean that I do rewatch movies, dramas, and movies? Haha Well, only in particular instances :p ). And, by the way, this is also why I love One Piece, ’cause everything feels new but still connected.
But, anyway, finally I decided to rewatch Peach Girl. The reason is Inoo Kei, the one that portrayed Okayasu Kairi, the second lead in the story. So, mmm, I actually watched this movie a while ago. At that time I haven’t fallen for Hey! Say! JUMP, so when I fell in love with Kairi, I really loved him for his character, not because he’s portrayed by Inoo Kei, a Hey! Say! JUMP member. But currently in HSJ fandom, we talked about our favorite movie of each or all the members, and somehow, even though I love Chinen Yuri so very very much, I think it’s this movie with Inoo that I love the most. So, again, I decided to rewatch it ’cause I forgot some details (this is so expected of me. I either remember the details and forget the general story or remember the story in general but forget the details. I guess my brain’s capacity is really limited. LoL). And, I wanted to remember these details because the only thing I remember is that I love Kairi/Inoo’s character there. But, well, after rewatching it, I can confirm that my feelings stay the same. It’s the same as they were: I root for Kairi from the very start 👊✊👊❤❤❤ And let me tell you why. ✊
So, well, long story short (major spoilers here), a summary: There are at least four characters: Momo, Sae, Kairi, and Toji. Momo loved Toji, and Toji felt the same, but because of one and another, well actually it’s because the antagonistic Sae, somehow they broke apart. Kairi, who also loved Momo from the start, somehow managed to make Momo fall in love with him. Now you might know why I love Kairi, but I’ll write how I feel about each of the characters anyway 😀
Momo
The main-lead heroine. The girl that basically became the center of the story. I loved her because she’s clear or straightforward with her feelings, with what she loved and wanted from the beginning. When she was in love with Toji, she didn’t use Kairi, the popular guy who confessed that he liked her, just because he was popular or such. She didn’t play with his feelings. She didn’t use him to get attention or to get everyone jealous or such, so for me it’s admirable. And when things happened after she broke up with Toji and somehow things also happened when she was going out with Kairi, she didn’t just go back to Toji when Toji said he missed her. She just knew what she wanted or how she wanted to be loved. And she could say all of that without being dramatic or such. I love her characters, even though at the beginning I thought she was a bit exaggerating. LoL
Sae
The girl villain 😒 No need to explain much actually, she’s just the kind of person that I hate. I know all is fair in love and war, but I guess she’s just too much, if not the worst. But, ok, it’s fictional, and her role is needed for the story. But holy, playing unfairly, being so sly, spreading lies and slanders behind her friend’s back and pretending to be the nicest person in front of them? Jeez, it’s so deplorable. I hate that kind of person. To be honest, even though in general I don’t like villains or bad people, I still have some respect for those villains who “are honest” about their bad sides, like telling the rivals upfront that they’re their rivals without pretending to be their good buddies (except if it’s an action movie or detective or such that needs spies). But, really, I hate the snake-in-the-grass type of people. They are just the worst of the worst. So, yup, I don’t like Sae. Not to mention that she seemed so stupid, letting herself getting deceived so easily like that. Deuh, but, ok, sorry, don’t mean to victim-blame, but if you knew how bad she has been, you’d probably think that she got what she deserved. But, well, if you haven’t watched the movie, you might not understand what I am saying. Haha Sorry 🙏✌🙈
Toji
The main lead. Actually I don’t hate him, like, he’s got a valid reason for doing what he did. But, somehow, I wish he could have done things differently. My major problem with him is when Sae trapped Momo and asked Toji to break up with her. So, Sae, with some help from her friend, trapped Momo and got her unconscious. When Momo was unconscious, she was stripped naked and a photo of her being naked in bed with a guy was captured. Toji knew it all was a trap before Sae showed him the photo. Well, nobody else knew about the photo actually. But Sae used it to blackmail Toji, yes, Toji not Momo. Sae said she’d post and spread the picture (of Momo sleeping naked with a guy) online if Toji didn’t break up with her. Sae forced Toji to go out with her (Sae) instead. Toji, loving Momo so much and not wanting the picture to be spread online because he didn’t want her name to get tarnished or such, had to agree. He thought that even though they knew the truth nobody would believe them ’cause they’ve got no proof. Everyone would believe in the picture more, i.e. that something really happened between Momo and the guy. Hence, he broke up with Momo without Momo knowing actually why. Momo thought that Toji broke up with her because she’s got no proof that nothing actually happened between her and the other guy. I mean… I don’t know. Well, ok, he did all that to protect Momo because he loved her and all that, but couldn’t he be a bit smarter? Like, telling Momo the truth and pretending to date Sae to get a hold of the pic and delete it or record a confession where Sae actually trapped Momo and blackmailed them? Something that easy, couldn’t he have thought of that? Dang. I know it’s fictional, and I shouldn’t get all too worked up. LMAO Still, I just don’t like it. Why should you hurt the person you love when you can just be honest and tell them the truth? And at the end, when things have been clear, he wanted to get back with Momo. Momo has found out about the truth, but she has fallen for Kairi. Man, in normal situation I would have wanted him to try to win her again, but I wanted Momo with Kairi, so I was kinda glad that he decided to let her go. Haha I actually respect him for that, but I guess he’s just too cool-and cold, not really my type.
Kairi
Now we get to talking about my most favorite character here, yay! Kairi is the popular guy at school. Most girls swoon over him. Well, normally I’m not so into popular guys because I think they are too typical if not too exemplary or too perfect, but, I don’t know, Kairi just gives out a different vibe, i.e. popular, staying true to himself with his imperfection, and still able to muster some confidence. Let’s just say that he doesn’t misuse his popularity to harm people or to get what he wants in a bad/unfair way. Like, even when girls gather around him, he doesn’t play with them. He plays along to have fun, yes, but not to the extent where they will get hurt. And he’s true and just. He’s simply…I don’t know what adjective to describe him, but in Indonesian we call it “sportif”, but when I checked “sportive” in English, it has different meaning, so, ugh. Well, at least you know what I mean. Haha (PS: No, it has nothing to do with sport or being sporty).
Anyway, there are a lot of occasions that make me fall in love with this character. First, the reason he fell for Momo was at first actually false. He thought she was the one who gave him CPR (and hence believed it’s their first kiss. LOL) when he was about to drown, when actually it was a male lifeguard. LoL He was so funny ❤❤❤ But even after knowing the truth, he kept loving and caring for Momo. Then, when Toji misunderstood Momo because of Sae’s lies, Kairi actually helped to clear the misunderstanding between them instead of making use of the chance to make Momo fall for him or make him hate Toji. Gosh, such a gentle and gallant man! He simply believed that it wasn’t the right way to win Momo’s heart. And I am so proud of him for not taking the wrong path. Again, all is fair in love and war, but he stays true. He doesn’t build his love based on lies. Well, actually even if he hadn’t cleared the misunderstanding, it’s actually not his fault. It’s all Sae’s doing. But he said that the happiness of someone he loves is more important and that he loves seeing Momo smiling happily, and so he is happy when Momo is happy. Man, I don’t know if such a man exists in this world, but I feel like he’s a true noble.
Also, it turns out that he actually comes from a rich family, but again, he doesn’t miuse his privilege. He still works part time, does, focuses on, and pursues what he loves. Aaaaarrrggghhh, I really love his characters. And even when he’s actually got his own problems, he remains cheerful when needed but he doesn’t hold back from showing his dislike, fury, or disappointment either. Oh yes, he’s expressive, maybe that’s why I love him. He gives me such a happy vibe. You know, the kind of someone that you’re thankful for and kinda want to make happy. But at the same time, it’s also the person that you can trust to make you happy. That’s who Okayasu Kairi is for me 🙂
And, oh, that’s why I’m so happy when Momo finally chose Kairi over Toji. I feel like he really deserves that happiness of being loved and chosen by Momo. I mean, he’s worked hard to cheer for her, even when she previously still loved Toji. I’m truly happy when Momo finally realized that the one who’s always cared for her is actually Kairi, not Toji. Gosh, I’m so blissful. I might be exaggerating this but I guess it’s not without reasons. I mean, mostly other movies will make characters like Momo go back to characters like Toji after they clear the misunderstanding. However, here I am happy that Momo chose the one who always tried his best to understand her. And that person is none other than Kairi: Okayasu Kairi. ❤❤❤
By the way, since usually I only remember the most impressive and meaningful part (in this case Kairi), now that I rewatched the movie, I once again realized (or remembered?) that this movie actually used Charly Rae Japson – Call Me Maybe as the ost. Gosh, such a nostalgia!
But, oh, I think that’s all. If you really read this post till this part without skimming, wow, thank you so much! And I hope you’ll find someone like Kairi 😉
