Hot Road (film)

Hot Road (ホットロード,Hotto rôdo) is a 2014 Japanese romance film directed by Takahiro Miki from a screenplay by Tomoko Yoshida, based on Taku Tsumugi's shōjo manga of the same title, which was serialized from 1986 to 1987. It stars Rena Nōnen and Hiroomi Tosaka, with Ryōhei Suzuki, Rina Ōta, Yukiyoshi Ozawa, and Yoshino Kimura in supporting roles. The story is of a romance between a troubled girl played by Rena Nōnen, who received no love from her remarrying mother, and a Bōsōzoku's future leader played by Hiroomi Tosaka.[1][3] The theme song of the film is Yutaka Ozaki's "Oh My Little Girl".[4][5]

Hot Road
Poster
ホットロード
Directed byTakahiro Miki
Written byTaku Tsumugi
Screenplay byTomoko Yoshida
Based onHot Road by Taku Tsumugi
Produced by
  • Shigeaki Yoshida
  • Naoto Fujimura
Starring
CinematographyKosuke Yamada
Edited byNaoya Bando
Music bymio-sotido
Production
company
Distributed byShochiku
Release date
  • August 16, 2014 (2014-08-16)
Running time
119 minutes[1]
CountryJapan
LanguageJapanese
Box office¥2.52 billion[2]

Released on August 16, 2014, Hot Road received a lot of attention as the first film since Rena Nōnen earned her fame through Amachan in 2013 and Sandaime J Soul Brothers, the dance and vocal group in which Hiroomi Tosaka served as one of the vocalists, released 2014's hit single "R.Y.U.S.E.I." that soared the group to success.[2][6] It was well received by the public, grossing 2.52 billion yen in total,[2] while Rena Nōnen and Hiroomi Tosaka also won a few "Best New Comer Award" with it.[7]

Plot

Kazuki Miyaichi, a 14-year-old girl who lives with her mother in a house that has not a single photo of her late father. She is heartbroken because she is not the child she hoped herself to be.

One day her best friend, who was also having trouble fitting in at school, invited her to join her and have fun with those Bōsōzoku boys at night.

At night in Shonan, Kazuki meets Hiroshi Haruyama, a member of Bōsōzoku gang "Nights".

At first, they dislike and hurt each other, but Kazuki finds herself in a world where Haruyama is a part of, as they both feel a sense of isolation. Despite her mixed feeling of comfort and confusion at the same time, she is rapidly drawn to Haruyama. Meanwhile, Haruyama is also attracted to Kazuki's innocence, but when he becomes the leader of the Nights...He gets caught up in a war with a rival team.[8]

Cast
  • Rena Nōnen as Kazuki Miyaichi, a troubled 14-year-old-girl who is lonely and sad. She lives with her mother after his father died when she was two years old. She rebelled against her mother after she found out that her mother has continued to date Suzuki. Feeling unloved by her mother and fearing that she was not wanted by anyone, she turned to delinquency.[5][8]
  • Hiroomi Tosaka as Hiroshi Haruyama, a 16-year-old member of Bōsōzoku gang "Nights". His mother divorced his father and remarried, and he did not get along with his father, so he left home to live on his own. Instead of going to high school, he works part-time at a gas station to make a living. He rides a Honda CBR400F with a Moriwaki Foresight assembly tube and BEET tail cowl. A CBR400F modified to the same specifications is known as the "Haruyama Spec". He hopes to be the leader of "Nights" one day.[8]
  • Yoshino Kimura as Kazuki's mother.After her husband's death, she raised Kazuki by herself. Unable to be with Suzuki, the man she had been in love with since high school, she married Kazuki's father. She is still in love with Suzuki.
  • Yukiyoshi Ozawa as Suzuki, the man who is divorcing his wife to marry Kazuki's mother. He is very rich.
  • Ryōhei Suzuki as Tōru Tamami, the leader of "Nights". He is considering retiring from the gang and names Haruyama as his successor so that he can marry his girlfriend Hiroko.
  • Rina Ōta as Hiroko, Tōru's girlfriend and she cares for Eri when she was in Yokoyama. When she first joined the "Nights", she was rough and careless, but after she met Tōru, she became more gentle.
  • Haruka as Eri, a friend of Kazuki. She transferred from Yokohama to Kazuki's school, and the two girls soon became friends. She introduced Kazuki to those boys of "Nights".

Motoki Ochiai appears as Richard, Yūki Yamada appears as Kinpa, both of them are friends of Haruyama and members of "Nights". As for the members of Bakutō, the rival gang of "Nights" , SWAY portrays Leader Akane, Yuya Endo portrays NO.2 Nagayama. Machiko Washio plays teacher Oba-sama. Toru Nomaguchi plays a doctor.Gō Rijū plays teacher Takatsu. Haruyama's mother is portrayed by Miyuki Matsuda.

Production

Though manga Hot Road has been a hit in the 80s, Taku Tsumugi refused to make a feature film version of Hot Road many times because she thought everyone were entitled to have their own version of Hot Road in mind, and no one else could touch it. She finally gave the project of a live-action film of Hot Road a go after more than 25 years, when she knew Rena Nōnen from the 2012 film Karasu no Oyayubi, and trusted her with the role of the heroine of the story, which was even before Rena Nōnen won her fame with TV drama Amachan.[9][10] She also chose Hiroomi Tosaka to play the hero Hiroshi Haruyama, stating that they are the only two people in the world who can bring Kazuki and Haruyama to life, as she saw Kazuki and Haruyama in Rena Nōnen and Hiroomi Tosaka, when she had thought that she would never be able to meet anyone like Kazuki and Haruyama for years.[11][12][13] Being the vocalist of dance and vocal group Sandaime J Soul Brothers, this was the first acting try for Tosaka. At first, he hesitated to take the role, afraid that being an actor would have a bad impact on his role as a vocalist for the group, but he was encouraged by Takahiro, who is also a vocalist and has acted in TV dramas. At last, he decided to take this new challenge of acting and make it the next step for him to improve himself.[14][15]

To prepare the film, Taku Tsumugi supervised the script of herself,[11] and Rena Nōnen dyed her hair brown for the first time in her life to portrayed Kazuki.[16] To rebuild the world of the 1980s, Art director Hidefumi Hanatani got his inspiration from the original manga and put things that were popular in 1980s in the home Kazuki lived.[17] He also use the less possibility of ornament to present the "inorganic" home where Kazuki lived with her mother. The production team also rebuilt the motorcycles Haruyma rode, Honda CBR400F and CB400F, the way they were in the 1980s with the help of motorcycle shop "Uematsu".[18]

Hot road began shooting in November 2013 and finishing shooting in December.[16] It was mainly shot in the area around Enoshima, mainly Kamakura and Fujisawa, Kanagawa.[19][20] Though the winter on Enoshima was cold, actors had to put on clothes for summer and eat ice cream to finish those scenes that happened in summer.[21]

Release

The film had its premiere at Shinjuku Piccadilly Cinema in Tokyo on July 13, 2014,[22] and opened in Japan on August 16 of the same year on 302 screens around Japan.[23][24]

Marketing

Hot Road was announced on October 17, 2013, as the next production for Rena Nōnen when she became a national hit with TV drama Amachan. On October 29, it was announced that Hiroomi Tosaka would play the hero of this love story.[25] On March 18, 2014, an event reporting the production of the film was held, and Rena Nōnen, Hiroomi Tosaka attended the event with director Takahiro Miki. It was announced at the event that the theme song of the film would be Yutaka Ozaki's "Oh My Little Girl".[26] The full cast of the film was announced on May 13, 2014.[27] On May 26, the poster of the film was released,[28] and the first trailer of the film was released on May 30.[29] The film had its premiere on July 13, 2014, with Rena Nōnen, Hiroomi Tosaka, Ryōhei Suzuki, Rina Ōta, Motoki Ochiai attending. A blue carpet event was held alongside the premiere on Shinjuku Ohdoori.[30] It was also the 21st birthday of Rena Nōnen, so Yoshino Kimura appeared as a cake as a surprise, who played Rena Nōnen's mother in the film.[22][31] On August 6, A premiere event for students was held in Nakamura junior & senior girls' high school in Kōtō, Tokyo.[32] On October 11, 2014, a promotional video with Yutaka Ozaki's "I LOVE YOU" as its soundtrack was released, when the song was announced to be the image song of Hot Road.[33][34] On August 16, Main cast of the film attend a stage greetings event in Tokyo, and with 216 cinemas around Japan, live screening the event, about 15 thousand people watch the stage greetings event.[23]

Reception

Box office

The film was number-two on its opening weekend, behind Stand By Me Doraemon, with ¥389 million in Japan.[35] It earned a total of ¥2.47 billion (US$22.9 million) at the Japanese box office, becoming the 9th highest-grossing Japanese film released that year in the country and the 15th highest-grossing film of the year in the country.[36][37]

Critical reception

The film had generally positive reviews, with Japanese critic Kiichiro Yanagishita describing it as a poem of Rena Nōnen.[38] Critic Yumi Eguchi also praised the film for being able to present those mixed feelings of the characters even without dialogues.[39]

References
  1. allcinema, 映画 ホットロード (2014)について 映画データベース – allcinema (in Japanese), retrieved 2020-11-21
  2. "能年玲奈、主演作に明暗 『海月姫』と『ホットロード』の違いとは？". ORICON NEWS. Retrieved 2020-11-21.
  3. "能年玲奈主演の映画『ホットロード』、春山役は三代目J Soul Brothersの登坂広臣". CINRA.NET (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-11-21.
  4. "ホットロード : 作品情報". 映画.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-12-01.
  5. "Live-Action Hot Road Film's Trailer Streamed". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
  6. "能年玲奈、純愛映画に挑戦…伝説的少女漫画「ホットロード」実写映画化". cinemacafe.net (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-11-21.
  7. "能年玲奈、三代目JSB登坂広臣とW受賞に歓喜 「ホットロード」コンビが新人賞＜第38回日本アカデミー賞＞ – モデルプレス". モデルプレス – ライフスタイル・ファッションエンタメニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-11-21.
  8. "作品情報 | ホットロード". hotroad-movie.jp. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
  9. "能年玲奈に記者あきれる？ 芸能界"ここだけの話" 〈週刊朝日〉". AERA dot. (アエラドット) (in Japanese). 2013-12-20. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  10. "能年玲奈がヤンキー！「あまちゃん」の次は映画「ホットロード」主演：芸能：スポーツ報知". 2013-10-20. Archived from the original on 2013-10-20. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  11. "能年玲奈の相手役は「三代目JSB」ボーカル登坂広臣に！ 映画『ホットロード』". cinemacafe.net (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  12. "能年玲奈主演の映画『ホットロード』、春山役は三代目J Soul Brothersの登坂広臣". CINRA.NET (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  13. Inc, Natasha. "「ホットロード」春山役は三代目J Soul Brothers登坂広臣". コミックナタリー (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-12-28. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  14. "登坂広臣、役者をやるべきか悩んでいた 背中を押したTAKAHIROの存在｜シネマトゥデイ". シネマトゥデイ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  15. "登坂広臣：「ホットロード」春山洋志役で映画初出演「能年さんに多くのものを引き出してもらった」". MANTANWEB（まんたんウェブ） (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  16. "能年玲奈、『ホットロード』で人生初の茶髪に！｜シネマトゥデイ". シネマトゥデイ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  17. "CINEmadori シネマドリ|80年代の空気をおしゃれに取り入れた部屋". CINEmadori シネマドリ (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  18. "映画『ホットロード』春山が乗るプレミアムバイク「ヨンフォア」を完全再現！". ライブドアニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  19. "『ホットロード』 江の島舞台の話題作始動 「ロケ地めぐり」連動企画も | 藤沢". タウンニュース (in Japanese). 2014-07-25. Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  20. "「映画『ホットロード』のロケ地 江の島に行こう！」キャンぺーン開催！" (PDF). Retrieved 2020-12-27.
  21. "能年玲奈、真冬の『ホットロード』撮影を述懐 夏シーンで「アイスを食べ過ぎた」". cinemacafe.net (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-01-02.
  22. "能年玲奈、21歳のバースデーを『ホットロード』チームでお祝い！「興奮しています！」と大喜び ｜最新の映画ニュースならMOVIE WALKER PRESS". MOVIE WALKER PRESS (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  23. "能年玲奈「ホットロード」初日挨拶で母に感謝 登坂広臣は三木監督からダメ出し : 映画ニュース". 映画.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  24. "能年玲奈「ホットロード」初日挨拶で母に感謝 登坂広臣は三木監督からダメ出し". Ameba News [アメーバニュース] (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-01-02.
  25. Inc, Natasha. "「ホットロード」春山役は三代目J Soul Brothers登坂広臣". コミックナタリー (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-12-30. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  26. "「ホットロード」主題歌は尾崎豊「OH MY LITTLE GIRL」 能年玲奈「とても嬉しい」 : 映画ニュース". 映画.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  27. "「ホットロード」Nightsリーダー・トオル役は鈴木亮平 恋人の宏子は太田莉菜に : 映画ニュース". 映画.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  28. "能年玲奈＆登坂広臣「ホットロード」 純愛を表現した新ポスター完成 : 映画ニュース". 映画.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  29. Inc, Natasha. "「ホットロード」和希のママやトオルも登場の予告編公開". コミックナタリー (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-12-30. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  30. "能年玲奈＆登坂広臣ら新宿大通り練り歩きで3000人熱狂 : 映画ニュース". 映画.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  31. "じぇじぇじぇ!? 能年玲奈、誕生日サプライズで"ママ"木村佳乃来場で喜び！". cinemacafe.net (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  32. "能年玲奈＆登坂広臣の"サプライズ"ホームルームに女子中高生熱狂！". cinemacafe.net (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  33. "【特別映像】能年玲奈＆登坂広臣の純愛を尾崎豊「I LOVE YOU」が紡ぐ『ホットロード』". cinemacafe.net (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  34. "「ホットロード」イメージソングに尾崎豊の名曲「I LOVE YOU」 : 映画ニュース". 映画.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  35. Kevin Ma (2014-08-19). "Doraemon takes second weekend in Japan". Film Business Asia. Retrieved 2014-08-23.
  36. "２０１４年 （平成２６年） 全国映画概況" (PDF). eiren.org (in Japanese). Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, Inc. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  37. "Japan Yearly Box Office 2014". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  38. "『ホットロード』 すべてが内面の中で一体化してゆく・・・そんなポエムがこの映画のすべて (柳下毅一郎) -2,951文字-". 柳下毅一郎の皆殺し映画通信 (in Japanese). Retrieved 2021-01-02.
  39. "『ホットロード』". 映画レビュー. Retrieved 2021-01-02.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.