User reviews

Leo is an up and coming boxer who is diagnosed with a fatal brain tumour after surprisingly losing a fight. Yuri is a young woman who has been forced into prostitution because her father is indebted to the Yakuza; she has become addicted to drugs and suffers from strange hallucinations of her father. One day she escapes and Leo steps in and knocks out the man chasing her... they are about to have one unforgettable night. A corrupt cop and a member of the Yakuza have hatched a plan to steal a large stash of drugs and pin the blame on Yuri. With the city on the brink of a gang war Leo and Yuri will need to be very lucky to survive the night.

If you are a fan of director Takashi Miike you should enjoy this; it might not be as crazed and disturbingly violent as 'Ichi the Killer' but it is still pretty violent. This violence is mixed in with some fairly incongruous humour. Most of the action takes place over the course of one night and the tension rarely lets up for long. The characters, even the obviously bad people, are fun to watch and often manage to be amusing even while committing acts of violence. The cast is impressive as they bring their over the top characters to life. Overall I really enjoyed this; definitely worth a watch if you are a fan of Miike's work or just enjoy Japanese gangster films.

These comments are based on watching the film in Japanese with English subtitles.

A chance encounter between a young boxer and a prostitute causes an all out gang war and they are both caught right in the middle of it. Takashi Miike anyone?

When one goes to see a Takashi Miike film one expects certain things. It has to be grotesquely violent, slightly tongue in the cheek and an over the top story that that would never work with anyone else at the helm. FIRST LOVE delivers everything and more. In fact it is a surprisingly coherent, thought through and even touching film that works on many levels. It is drama, it is a comedy, it's an action film and it's a thriller, where all elements are a perfect fit.

This is classic Miike with Japanese yakuza and Chinese triad going at each other over nothing. It may be a bizarre and violent affair, but the cut off limbs and heads seem a bit Monty Pythonish, which makes the gore slightly less disturbing.

There's a lot of fun to be had here, this is a sort of film Tarantino would like (he did praise Miike as one of his favourites) and this film is Miike at his best.

With its jazzy upbeat soundtrack and out there action, this is an energised piece of work that has to be seen to be believed.

... it does exactly what is says on the side of the Takashi Miike tin and some.

Takashi Miike's filmography is one of the most impressive out there; he's directed over 100 films, with many of them being cult classics like 'Audition' and 'Ichi the Killer.' He's a filmmaker that's constantly pushing boundaries, exploring new horizons and delivering memorable spectacles that you want to see again and again.

So why does 'First Love,' a film about a boxer and a call girl in the crosshairs of a violent war between Yakuza members and various killers searching for a bag of drugs, feel so average?

Masa Nakamura, a previous Miike collaborator, wrote the admittedly very detailed screenplay for the film and manages to introduce multiple characters and subplots that believably converge into one climactic showdown, yet there are certain characters that are built up to be forces not to reckon with and end up not contributing much to the film, or living up to their "legend." The central relationship between the main characters, Leo and Monica (which turns out to be a moniker), feels underdeveloped and turns out to be not as important as one would expect. Even a reoccurring character she hallucinates from the film doesn't provide much development for her character and ends up being a red herring of sorts. I previously read rave reviews for the film and many critics called the film "hilarious," but there's really only one character who provides some chuckle-worthy lines; everything else feels serious and dark, especially the outlandish shootout in the climax, which could have gone absolutely balls-to-the-wall in its execution, but plays it rather safe.

Visually, the movie looks great. The actors all perform extremely well and I was definitely invested enough to wonder what would happen to each character as the film went along. It's not a bad movie by any means, but from a director who's made some insane movies, I had expected around the same level for this one. It is still worth a watch, but go in expecting "chilled out" Miike.

First Love goes back to Takashi Miike's brutal V-Cinema Yakuza movies between the mid-nineties and the early years of the new millennium. It tells the story of a lonesome boxer who has just learned that he has an incurable brain tumor who meets a drug-addicted prostitute who suffers from hallucinations of her violent father. Over the course of one single night, the two desperate youngsters get caught up in a violent conflict between Chinese and Japanese organized crime clans as well as local police force. The prostitute is suspected of having killed a gang member and stolen a handbag full of drugs. The boxer knocks out a crooked police officer who planned on framing her and is now on the run as well. The relationship between the prostitute and the boxer slowly intensifies but their biggest challenge remains to survive the eventful night.

This movie is a feast for Takashi Miike fans. The characters are diversified, eccentric and unique enough to keep your eyes glued to the screen. The flashy locations are gorgeous to watch. The action scenes are intense and especially the lengthy fight sequences in a warehouse mix gore elements with black slapstick humour in a typically Japanese way. The movie is also filled with tension and this thriller comes around with a few interesting twists and turns. The film also has some strong dramatic elements as it follows two lonesome outsiders who have suffered throughout their lives and are simply looking for peace of mind. The movie's pace is overall frantic and entertaining. The idea to let the film take place over the course of only a few days with the most important events unfolding in one single night, makes First Love a quite dynamic, focused and intense experience.

The film still has a few minor flaws however. The opening quarter is a little bit dragging and slightly overstays its welcome. The story is somewhat predictable if you're familiar with other Yakuza movies. The relationship between the two protagonists never really takes off as they don't have much chemistry. The title First Love is slightly misguiding in that regard and something like Crazy Night would have been more appropriate.

Still, First Love is an entertaining Yakuza movie that goes back to the genre's golden era in the mid-nineties. It features action, drama and thriller elements and is explicitly brutal, darkly humorous and gloomily nihilistic. Mainstream audiences might have trouble digesting this exciting potpourri but genre fans will get exactly what they like.

On the light side of Miike but still with plenty of what you expect from his palette. Camera work and cliches work perfect here supported by a great soundtrack. Kind of modern jazz frenzy beat. Also great to see Shota Sometani in a different roll.

Pretty good to have a taste of Miike.

After a couple of bad movies done in the past years, Miike is back with one of his best movies in a long time.

This was very reminescent of some his previous Yakuza stuff, easily explained by the fact that the script comes from the writer of "Dead or Alive 2", "The Bird People in China" and the "Young Thugs" movies, which also stand as some of my favourites from Miike.

I believe this is a director that, at this point, just enjoying making every movie he gets offered to get his paycheck. However, stuff like "First Love" still remind me of what made me fall in love with him in the first place.

Loved how it took place mostly at night. It reminded me a lot of the Yakuza videogames with all the punching, kicking, street neons and intrigue between rival yakuza gangs. A lot of "who are you?" and "what is happening?" moments added a lot of enjoyment to this very fun script.

I loved the young couple. This is Miike's most romantic movie since "For Love's Sake" and would love to see the continuation of this story in a sequel.

Shota Sometani is good as always and Becky who plays Julie is a lot of fun, which I immediately recognized from watching her in the "Nodame Cantabile" series back in highschool. What a comeback for this actress!

There is a lot of violence, car chases and also a very interesting animated scene. Happy this was my 90th movie from Miike.

Good casting, great cinematography, fitting score and decent directing, but there were obvious plot and technical issues. The 108 run time felt much longer and some scenes were too long and/or unnecessary. The choreography and camera shots were terrible in the action scenes. A good film but could've easily been great.

A young boxer meets a hooker who is paying off her father's debt to the Yakuza. Along the way we meet both Chinese and Japanese gangsters beating and killing each other on a regular basis. The women are as violent as the men. I was worn out after the almost two hour running time of this film. A car flying through the air was just too much for me. The two leads are likeable enough but I cannot recommend this movie.

This is a crazy black comedy. Not seen a Miike movie before but will be on the lookout now! I can't wait for a crappy American remake to show just how good it was.

A fast, funny, zany escapade. Comic book fun. A delightful surprise.

Strongly recommend.

Incredibly directing over 100 films of various shapes and sizes since his first official film went out for public consumption in 1991, famed Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike always provides his viewers with wild, unpredictable and often extremely original offerings (with in most cases additional blood shed and limb lopping) and in keeping up with tradition, black comedy First Love is yet another unique product from a visionary who has refused to ever rest on his laurels.

Showcasing a softer side to his persona and even dialing things back a little bit here and there throughout, First Love is in some ways a different kind of Miike ride as we spend a night with downtrodden up and coming boxer and personality by-passed Leo, who by a chance encounter finds himself involved with the Yakuza owned Monica and on the run from a bunch of Tokyo criminals that are all mixed up in a drug-swindle that sets in motion a group of warring parties all hell-bent on revenge and coming out on top.

Viewers have all certainly seen these type of "one night in the life" of type of films and there are elements of First Love that feel familiar but flying by at a consistent rate and throwing curve-balls at us every chance he gets (nothing can prepare you for visions of Monica's creepy father), there's enough fresh and exiting elements to Miike's vision that it ensures should a viewer fall under its spell, its likely that this odd hybrid of gangster film, romance and thriller will become a new favorite very quickly.

It's not a film that is going to make itself a legacy like some of Miike's most renowned works like 13 Assassins, Ichi the Killer and Audition but Miike fans are going to have a blast watching one of their favorite directors take himself and his audience on a wild Tokyo fueled ride that increasingly ramps up the craziness and zaniness as Leo and Monica get further and further entrenched into a night on the town that features lopped limbs, cartoon segments and fast-paced car chases and offers a more original narrative than countless other Hollywood counterparts and even in its last moments showcases a director with a growing heart and sense of sentimentality as Leo and Monica's journey may even warm hearts in unsuspecting ways.

So while not a fully-fledged instant Miike classic, First Love is a fun, fast-paced and frenetic fusion of violence, love and crazed criminals all set against the ever colorful and energetic backgrounds of one of the most vivid and unique cities in the world.

Final Say -

First Love is a fresh take on a familiar story line and while many of Miike's well-known staples are present, this is a film that feels a little different from what we've come to expect from the much-discussed director and provides a fun night out on the blood-soaked streets of Tokyo.

3 1/2 fortune tellers out of 5.

I expected a lot from the guy who made "Ichi The Killer," but I didn't get what I had expected. The beheading at the beginning gave me high hopes, but the rest of the film just didn't deliver. This feels like something that Bruce Willis has been pumping out as of late or a Jason Statham film (it does seem a tad influenced by Guy Ritchie). Drug deals gone bad, shootouts, and underdeveloped story and characters make, while not bad, but just sub-par filmmaking.

First Love takes too long to actually get going but it's ultimately worth it once it does. A twisted tale of true romance with a colourful cast of characters and brutally cartoonish violence. This is a better Yakuza movie than Takashi Miike's actual Yakuza adaptation, especially when it comes to its tonal balance.

Masataka Kubota and Sakurako Konshi are great leads who are easy to root for however, in a film like this it's the characters who are truly deranged who make the biggest impression. Becky's vengeance obsessed Julie and Jun Murakami's coolest Yakuza ever are the most over the top characters and therefore run away with the whole film.

Director Takashi Miike excels at balancing wildly different tones here. Moving from creepy hallucinations to bloody sword fights and pretty moving emotional beats whilst still finding time for some comedy. His trademark love of shoddy CGI remains intact and he comes up with a very clever way to work around the lack of budget when it comes to a late stage car chase.

I was skeptical going into this film. With a fairly new cast, a main character from the low budget but interesting director Sion Sono in the movie Himizu, I really had not much to anticipate. I was pleasantly surprised. The film has a strong plot that seemingly echoes a lot of the visual aesthetic seen in his film Shinjuku Triad Society but with the theme of comedy. Tied together very well in a strangely intricate plot that sets itself apart from other contemporary Yakuza flics. Shota Sometani was absolutely fantastic and had my in hysterics throughout the movie which is something you should expect. This movie is absolutely hilarious and I hope you'll laugh out loud like I did. I've never seen Miike have long drawn out action sequences with so much dynamism in a modern setting, similar to 13 Assassins which was also a treat. The momentary animated sequence also reminded me of the "Happiness of the Katakuris". Just check out this movie with no real expectation and it will surpass absolutely everything you go in with.

"Hatsukoi" or "First Love", it a visual wonder summing up1990s Japanese cinema! Critics have been up and down about the film. It has stellar performances by Japanese actors with well-done, choreography with stunt work. The production value has always been consistent, visually strong by Miike's direction.

Strong performances by Yakuza characters, the main characters,the lovers shine! The boxer, "Fight" and the call girl, "Yuri". Miike, focuses in-between the violence and humor, the innocence of their instant physical and emotional attraction.

Other reviews seemed to be disappointed that the gore is not the main element in this film. Milkshake evolved to depth of characterization and maybe even "love". Go see Miike, as alternative to Tarantino's recent film, this film makes you gasp,wonder and its slick comedic relief and sarcasm.

If you're a Miike fan you're gonna enjoy this one. If you're not a Miike fan, I'm sorry. The most enjoyable part of this movie is how unbelievably bad the bad guys are at being bad guys. Mix in a few severed limbs, a dirty cop, and a moment of "I don't know how to film this scene so let's just animate it" and you got yourself a popcorn munching good time.

"First Love" seems to be a classic example of a film that attempts to do so much, and in the end does too little. The story centers around a boxer who falls in love with a prostitute, a war between the Chinese and Japanese mafias, a heist gone wrong, and a woman out for revenge. There are sequences that could be taken out of "The Grudge" or "It Follows." There are scenes that feel directly out of a hard-boiled Yakuza action film; some parts even reminded me of "Pulp Fiction." There's a lot going on in "First Love," unfortunately so much that the movie never finds its footing.

Between the love story, the redemption narrative, the mafia drama, the tale of revenge, and the heist gone awry, there are four movies worth of material in this one-hour and forty minute long film. And with a title like "First Love," the romance is remarkably underdeveloped because of how much content this movie tries to deliver on. Because of this, I found it very difficult to relate to any one character or situation - so much was happening at any given time that the movie started to feel very disjoined; there was never an emotional anchor for me that hooked my viewing experience. I found myself getting bored often, not being engaged by the characters, nor by the action. And how could I be absorbed in the action when nothing made me care about the characters?

The movie has a very Tarantino feel to it, as it jumps from character to character as things just go from bad to worse. The heist gone wrong sequences in the beginning were the most entertaining for me; characters have to improvise quickly to get out of or away from bad situations, and as they make increasingly poor choices, the situations become increasingly more absurd and dire - it made for fun viewing, but unfortunately, the movie felt very unenergized.

For a film that has so much happening, it's amazing how lifeless everything feels. There is a lack of music that absolutely doesn't fit the ridiculous tone of the film, making everything feel slower than it should. Even when the movie attempts a late-film editing trick during a car chase, filled with vibrant colors and anime-like visuals, it comes so late in the film and is unprecedented, with nothing like that ever occurring beforehand, that it felt like a lazy way to add some fun - too little, too late.

"First Love" is a swing and a miss from Takashi Miike. It's a good looking film for sure, and I enjoyed its style and experiencing a different culture than my own. However, the lack of energy and character development, and the over abundance of content without an emotional anchor to tie everything together made me disengaged from the story, and not care about its characters.

Stylish, fast-moving, packed with action, this newest film from Takashi Miike is eye candy. It involves call girl and boxer getting involved in a drug deal gone wrong and following escapades over on night. Miike has an obsession with the Yazuka and this is no exception. His film moves like a samurai movie. The discussions and negotiations occur in the first part of the movie; the action dominates the second part. Miike excels in non-linear narrative. For a filmmaker who is typically "out there," this story is surprisingly conventional. This movie is therefore the best introduction for those who are unfamiliar with Miike's film making. There is enough for those who know and are familiar with his movies to be entertained.

I just came to say this after reading reviews claiming this was very violent in the style of takashi miike. But no, not at all. Compared against his standards this was a kindergarden picture. So for anyone being hyped for a big dose of takashi violence, this ain't it. I still enjoyed it though. Give it a try, but i rewatched blade of the immortal and it was more violent than this.

I could tell it was going to be bad pretty early on. the fight scenes ranged from bleh to terrible. couldn't see anything in half of them. some wasn't even shaky cam, it was just a horrible angle or behind someone's back so you couldn't see what was happening. the story was a little too crazy. i did like the main relationship but i couldn't help but feel like i completely wasted my time with this garbage (1 viewing, 5/13/2020)