Modern Love Tokyo is an anthology series set in Tokyo, Japan with each episode portraying a different form of love among individuals. The series is now streaming on Prime Video.
Story
Every episode of Modern Love Tokyo focuses on a different aspect of love and offers up the many ways that love manifests in the world over a myriad of relationships.
Episode 1 is the story of a mother’s love for her child and how she struggles to accept the fact that she can’t always be perfect but she doesn’t have to be to receive the love of her children.
Episode 2 analyses the connection between sex and love and how the dynamics of a couple’s sex life may affect their marriage. Kana learns that there is no concrete answer to all her problems and the idea of what she wants in life gets a lot clearer in her head.
Episode 3 focuses on love amongst the elderly and how there is no age limit to finding love. Two people who crossed paths earlier in life in an unpleasant experience are brought together once again under different circumstances.
Episode 4 talks about depression and how it affects a person and their closest loved ones. Kengo and Mai stick together through this troubling time as Mai doesn’t have much control over the condition and Kengo just does his best to be supportive.
Episode 5 is about a single woman who develops a bond with a stranger who pretends to be someone else. Even after finding out the truth, she continues to spend time with him as they make each other happy.
Episode 6 tells the tale of two people on opposite ends of the globe who connect online and their friendship blossoms into a beautiful relationship filled with love.
Episode 7 is about a young girl who is going through a crisis of confidence when an old song jolts her memory and reminds her of a good period in her high school days. She also remembers some great advice which she adopts, leading to a surprisingly good outcome.
Performances
The entire cast puts in decent performances without truly standing out. Asami Mizukawa gives a nuanced performance as the paranoid Mari. She encapsulates the role of a worried mother perfectly.
Kaho and Ryo Narita are great as a couple navigating the pitfalls of depression as Kaho portrays a person suffering from the condition and Narita plays her sweet, supportive husband.
With such low-stakes stories, the actors aren’t asked to do too much but they still succeed in providing aesthetically pleasing performances.
Positives
Each story of the series focuses on a different interpretation of love and the stories are wonderfully told. By the end of every episode, the audience is left with a warm conclusion.
Japanese animation has a prominent reputation in the world and the decision to have one of the episodes animated in the iconic style is a brilliant creative decision. The episode itself is visually wonderful to watch as well.
There are many subtle story cues littered throughout the series that make it intriguing to watch. The storytelling is much more layered than it first appears.
The beauty of Tokyo is captured perfectly in the entire series. There are many different environments and locations as the audience gets a look at the culture of the city.
Negatives
Some of the episodes have pacing issues and drag a bit despite convenient run times. There is a significant lack of excitement in the series which won’t attract certain audiences.
There are a few egregious green screen moments in episode 6 that feel like a letdown in a good episode and the precedent set in the series up until then.
Verdict
Modern Love Tokyo is a breezy affair and can be finished in no time and leaving the viewers in better spirits by the end. It cannot be considered a critical masterpiece and there are a few yawn-inducing moments but overall, the series keeps in tune with other versions of the series as it offers up an exploration of love.
Modern Love Tokyo
Director: Atsuko Hirayanagi, Ryûichi Hiroki, Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Naoko Ogigami, Nobuhiro Yamashita
Date Created: 2022-10-21 00:00
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