Eternal First Love (2010)

Also known as: Koi suru naporitan
Country: Japan
Format: movie
Genre: romance, life&death, drama
Cast: Aibu Saki, Maki Daisuke, Tsukamoto Takashi, Ichikawa Tomohiro, Ichikawa Kamejiro, Tsubasa Makoto, Kitaoji Kinya,  
Synopsis: Takeshi is an Italian chef who has been best friends with Ruri since elementary school. Despite the fact that they have feelings for each other, they have never crossed the friendship line. On Ruri's engagement night she calls Takeshi to ask for his final thoughts, but Takeshi hears the message too late. He runs to Ruri just to find out that Ruri has accept the proposal. At the same moment a fateful accident happens which takes away Takeshi's life, but fate gives him another chance giving Takeshi's soul his killer Makihara Yuki's body. 
Rating: 3/5
Well, I watched it being influenced by my twin-sister. She madly wanted to see it, but in the end the movie turned out be something she was not expecting. As she said: "Come on! Tsukamoto Takashi and Aibu Saki playing best friends in love - you have to see that!".
In some way it reminded me "Proposal Daisakusen" (and "Operation proposal") as Takeshi finds that he must say something to Ruri just after she has announced that she might be accepting Mizusawa's proposal, but the end is definitely not comparable with them.

Ruri is actually similar too Rei/Yi Seul as deep in her heart she knows her true feelings, but after thinking that he won't feel anything more than just friendship she gives up and decides to turn to another man. Not that she would be some lady with a bad reputation, but she is just trying to get over her painful first love. I feel a bit sorry for her, because it all happens so fast and there are questions without an answer in her head that she cannot figure out. Aibu Saki is very beautiful in this role. She even has some Italian lines in her script, but I leave the rating if she is good at it or not to Italian speakers. 
At the same time, Ruri's actions are the things that make Takeshi think that she is the one who only

wants to be friends - she is telling him all her relationship worries. Takeshi seems to me to be a big softie who cannot be honest with himself or Ruri. He cares about her and is always there for her, but he is too afraid to even try. I know that once you have crossed the friendship-line it is difficult to go back, but I think that taking action is better than regretting for both of them. After he dies his soul travels into Yuki's body.
Yuki was a mysterious character who after getting a new soul made a complete change. Movie does not tell much about Yuki's past, only some little details. I find real Yuki to be a real music-genius but his fate is too sad.

Takeshi in Yuki's body must suffer from different things - he must live as Yuki, but he only remembers some things about Takeshi's life. Of course to the whole world Takeshi is dead and Ruri's grief is indescribable, not to mention when Take-yuki (did not know the other way to name him) starts to appear in her everyday life.  Take-yuki only decided to try to live as he used to be - as Takeshi, in Takeshi restaurant - who would not be hurt by the fact that your first love killer is trying to take over his old life? It is complicated, but actually Take-Yuki is not doing it for bad - he just wants to fulfill promises and knot the untied threads. It is like giving a proper end to all unfinished things. He keeps reliving memories of both man. He also helps Yuki's nephew find his road in life. Toshifumi is one really important character, because he is the first to believe that Take-Yuki has Takeshi's soul and he decides to help him in every possible way.
No matter how you look at this it is a very painful movie. My sister thought it would be sweet love story of friends who end up as their hearts really feel, but just watch it and for the whole time you will be crying or be a bit depressed. The lives of are sad and unfair. The whole movie leaves your heart aching. It is a perfect movie when you have a broken heart and want a reason to cry as much as you can, but if you are searching for movie to just fill your time then it is not worth traumatizing yourself with such a sad movie.

SPOILER-review: I kinda did not like the ending. Takeshi still was not able to be honest with Ruri. On the other hand, he saved Ruri from bigger regret and grief by not confessing his true feelings. The end was too unfair that both Takeshi and Yuki died, but well Ruri was able to move on with her life. And all this gave me mixed feelings - maybe they did not love each other so much, we all experience one first love, but not all of us will have a happy ending. I just feel that it is unfair to have an end like that. I would never want to die with not saying my real thoughts out.