Drowning Love

2016 1h 51m JA

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 89

RomanceDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Natsume Mochizuki works as a teen model in Tokyo, but she learns that she has to move to her father's hometown of Ukigumo. She is in a desperate situation because she can't do the things she wants to do in Ukigumo. One day, she meets Koichiro Hasegawa. He is the successor of the Hasegawa family. His family is wealthy and is respected in the area. Natsume Mochizuki and Koichiro Hasegawa become attracted to each other, but something changes their fate.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Masaki Suda
Koichiro Hasegawa
Nana Komatsu
Natsume Mochizuki
Daiki Shigeoka
Katsutoshi Otomo
Mone Kamishiraishi
Kana Matsunaga
Ryohei Shima
Shogo Hirono
Yoichiro Saito
Naoki
Gôichi Mine
Takumi Hasume
Ayumu Ito
Ryuta

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Yuki Yamato
Writers: Yuki Yamato, Kishū Izuchi
Languages: Japanese
Countries: Japan

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 10 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Yuki Yamato, shot by Takahide Shibanushi. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Hidekazu Sakamoto. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kenichi Hirai shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Masaki Suda and Nana Komatsu and Daiki Shigeoka carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt5108912 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 89 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Yuki Yamato directs. Takahide Shibanushi behind the camera. Hidekazu Sakamoto scores. Kenichi Hirai cuts. Produced in Japan. Dialogue in Japanese.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 10 years ago.
2Directed by Yuki Yamato, shot by Takahide Shibanushi. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Hidekazu Sakamoto. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Kenichi Hirai shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Masaki Suda and Nana Komatsu and Daiki Shigeoka carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt5108912 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 89 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
8Classified under 9 themes, including "japan", "based on manga", "model", "love story".

The technical file

Cinematography: Takahide Shibanushi
Original score: Hidekazu Sakamoto
Editing: Kenichi Hirai
Production design: Keiko Mitsumatsu
Costume design: Daisuke Iga
Runtime: 111 min · 1h 51m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: JA
IMDB: Drowning Love (2016)

Also by

Yuki Yamato

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Community reviews

What people are saying

sitenoise2017-09-01
A story we've seen from Japan a thousand times: Pretty girl transfer student from Tokyo to Hicksville falls for the brooding bad boy in class. It treats this middle school romance as if it's a little more mature than it is. What sets it apart are some of the directorial choices in editing and sound. There are some over-the-top drama moments that would kill the film if they weren't normalized by the weirdness of the overall. Almost every scene in the film is accompanied by a different piece of music. Some good, some not so good, but they all act strongly, not in the background, in shaping the emotion of the scene. And the director uses the emotion, or intensity, of the music to shape her film editing. It's not subtle, and I don't think I've seen anything like it before--at least to the extent that the whole film follows this pattern, scene after scene. Drowning Love doesn't seem to care much about being a film as much as being a Live Action adaptation of a manga (which I haven't read). The director (I learned after the fact and it made perfect sense) is a 20-something young woman. It's like "Hey! One of us actually did this instead of some pervy old man!" and may explain some of the music video/video game aspects of the presentation. There's one big problem with it. Well, two. The first is: it doesn't really make sense. The second is: it starts off as a typical teen romance (shojo, I think they're called), then an attempted/aborted rape happens which kicks up the intensity--until it gets lost. And that's the problem. This middle school girl almost gets raped, and two minutes later in the film it's forgotten or downplayed by everyone until the end where it's brought back up for the finale. There's also a "sensitive boy" friend who gets tossed off the film after doing his little duty. The adults in the film are just place holders who look out of place in the film--basically the way they must look to most middle school kids. Kudos for that. Nana Komatsu of World of Kanako fame stars. She's got a certain set of chops. A fancy boy-idol, who dyed his hair blond for the role, plays broody boy. They have chemistry, and I enjoyed Nana's complexity in dealing with broody boy. He treats her like a dog and she's determined to get to a place where he will be a whimpering puppy. And tells him as much. I enjoy the way the Japanese use middle school students to act out a Doomed Lovers play. You look at the players--they're young, there's no sex. They seem innocent, but are given dialog that betrays a wisdom and experience beyond their years. Not recommending it to anyone who isn't already interested in these kinds of movies. But this one is a little different and could offer something of interest because of the out-of-the-box way it's constructed. I think the ending is supposed to be big and meaningful but it didn't make any sense to me. It's not a film that meanders around and then offers an emotional payoff at the end. It just spirals off.
Alunauwie2025-09-15
★ 8/10
Drowning Love, adapted from George Asakura’s manga, explores an intense and mature love story between two teenagers, brought to life through strong performances, especially by Nana Komatsu. While emotionally captivating, the film feels tonally mismatched with its characters’ young ages and includes some implausible plot points. Despite minor flaws, the story offers a powerful message about love, protection, and the strength it takes to let go. Read the full review here: (Indonesian version : alunauwie.com)

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