You guys. I was not prepared for how much this movie is lingering with me, long after the ending credits have stopped rolling. 🥲

I mean, the minute I watched Show’s trailer (which I’ve included at the end of this review), I knew that I wanted to watch it.

Not only do I have a bit of an unreasonable affection for Greg Hsu because of his wonderful outing in Someday Or One Day (review here!), the trailer made this whole movie look so poignant and thoughtful and good.

Even so, I was not ready for how my mind continues to swirl with thoughts and reflections, after finishing my watch, so much so that I feel like I need to write this review, because my gut tells me that I’ll be unable to focus on anything else, until I put my thoughts about this one, into words. 🥲

WHAT IT’S ABOUT

When Jimmy (Greg Hsu) finds himself hitting rock-bottom in terms of his career, he finds himself inspired to visit Japan, in search of not just meaning, but also, the memories of his first love, Ami (Kaya Kiyohara), with whom he’d spent one fateful and memorable summer, 18 years ago, when he’d been 18 years old.

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS / THE VIEWING LENS

Here are a few things that I think would be helpful to keep in mind, to maximize your enjoyment of your watch:

1. This movie leans bittersweet

This movie is billed as bittersweet, but I’m repeating that here, just in case you’re coming across this show for the first time and haven’t seen that billing.

Don’t let that put you off, though; I found this story to be meaningful and worthwhile, despite its poignant leanings and the heart-pinching moments along the way.

2. There are two languages at play

Perhaps this goes without saying, since Jimmy is Taiwanese and Ami is Japanese, but there are two languages at play in our story, and the subtitles do not differentiate between them, ie, the subs don’t tell you that you’re listening to Mandarin or Japanese.

If your ear is familiar with either or both languages, this shouldn’t pose any issues for you, but if both languages are unfamiliar to you, you might lose some of the nuances.

[MINOR SPOILER]

In which case, perhaps it’s just better that I let you know upfront, that as Jimmy and Ami grow closer, their individual grasp of the other’s native language, becomes noticeably better.

[END MINOR SPOILER]

STUFF I LIKED

It’s beautifully filmed

One of the things that really jumps out at me, is how beautifully this show is filmed.

There are some shows where everything is beautifully filmed, and is prettified with filters and such, so much so that the end result looks quite magical and unreal; you know what I’m talking about, right?

This is not that.

Show has a way of making everything look very beautiful, but also, very real, at the same time.

It doesn’t feel like special lighting or filters have been employed; there’s a dullness to the lighting that, to my eyes, makes everything look matter-of-fact – like yes, we just found it this way, and we’re just capturing the scene for you, the way we found it.

I thought that worked really well to make this story world look beautiful, yet feel real and accessible.

The storytelling approach

I really appreciate the storytelling approach that our writers chose, in weaving this tale.

Specifically, I like that the way the flashbacks are woven into the present timeline, feels organic.

Sometimes, a flashback is triggered by something that Jimmy sees, which sparks a specific memory, but mostly, the flashbacks unfold because Jimmy’s telling his story to someone, as he encounters new friends on his journey.

I liked that, and felt that it worked to make the two timelines come together in a very natural way that was easy to follow as well.

Greg Hsu as Jimmy

As you guys know, I came for Greg Hsu – and he did not disappoint.

I thought he brought Jimmy to life really, really well, and I was especially impressed with the very different energy and aura he gives to the Jimmy of each timeline.

In the present timeline, Jimmy is 36, and in a very wistful, thoughtful sort of space, and sometimes, he even shows lashings of jadedness.

But in the past timeline, Jimmy is 18, and full of a chaotic, youthful energy that radiates hope and optimism; he’s literally an empty canvas that’s ready and willing to be filled, and I loved that about him.

Given that I was completely taken with Greg Hsu’s outing in Someday Or One Day, where he also played younger and older (and really well, in my opinion 🤩), this feels like a really nice substantiation of his abilities and talent. 🥲

In short, I thought he was excellent in this.

Kaya Kiyohara as Ami

This was my introduction to Kaya Kiyohara, and I found her very well-cast for the role of Ami.

I watched this movie with my sister when she’d come home for a visit, and we’d both felt that she was very likable, in that instantly endearing sort of way.

My sister also pointed out that she’s got a believable “cool girl” vibe about her, in that she doesn’t have the same kind of cutesy appeal that many Japanese girls have.

I felt that that meshed really well with the role of Ami, since the very fact that Ami’s backpacking on her own through Taiwan, made her a “cool girl.” 😉

Jimmy and Ami

I thought Jimmy and Ami were super cute together, honestly.

His obvious instant crush is the most endearing thing, and Ami’s gentle-yet-open spirit, coupled with her general cheerfulness and good nature, helped me to understand Jimmy’s crush.

I really had no trouble understanding why Jimmy would fall for her so quickly, and why his feelings for her would grow so strong. 🥲

Importantly, this was helpful in terms of anchoring Jimmy’s journey in the present.

Like, ah, this really was a very special relationship in a very special time; it’s no wonder he’s still thinking of her, 18 years later – that kind of thing.

I have many more thoughts about this relationship, which I’ll talk about in the next section.

THOUGHTS ON THE STORY & ENDING [SPOILERS]

Here’s where I wonder if I’ll be able to actually put my thoughts into words, to share what I feel is the beauty of this show.

To be honest, while watching this, I was picking up on various little hints that Show was giving us, that perhaps Ami had been sick while in Taiwan, and that perhaps she might not have survived that illness.

Like the way she looked genuinely sad after the “Love Letter” movie that they watched together; the way she’d wished that her travels would never end; the way she’d told Jimmy over the phone, that she was about to leave for a trip, to the other side of the world.

Plus, I did think that she’d looked rather pale, towards the end of her stay in Taiwan, which also made me wonder about the state of her health.

So it wasn’t a twist, as much as a confirmation, when we get to the final stretch of the movie, and Jimmy is invited to show Ami his face – at her altar.

For me, the real twist, was the fact that Jimmy had actually known about her passing, while on this trip.

That put a whole new spin – like, a whole new layer of meaning – on everything, from the fact that it had been his grief that had crippled him and made him unable to function properly at work, to the way he’d wistfully contemplated his surroundings, and thought upon his memories with Ami, during this trip.

The thing that really sticks in my mind, through all of this, is the idea of the “love letter,” which was sparked by the fact that that’s the title of the movie that they’d watched together.

That planted the idea of “love letter” in my head, and it occurs to me that their entire relationship works out to be an exchange of love letters.

The booklet of art that she left behind, had been her love letter to him; that was the first time she’d put her feelings for him into words, telling him that she missed him.

(And it really was so sweetly poignant, to hear Ami’s mom say that Ami had always said that she needed to hang in there, because her shy boyfriend, who’s four years younger, was waiting for her in Taiwan.

Augh. That was so precious, that Jimmy got to hear that, because he’d always believed what Ami had said instead, that her boyfriend was four years older than her.

Now he finally knows, that the imaginary boyfriend had just been Ami’s way of keeping Jimmy at a distance, because she likely didn’t have the confidence that she would survive her illness. 💔

And also, it was so heartachey, truly, to see everything from Ami’s perspective, finally. 😭)

On Jimmy’s part, it’s true that he writes her a love letter in response, but beyond that, I feel like his entire journey, where he traveled Japan, and kept an open mind about where the journey would take him, was a love letter to Ami.

He’d embraced her wisdom and her principles on that journey, and honored her, with his thoughts and actions, and that feels like such a meaningful love letter, to me.

And then, at the end, in the way that he puts a close to that chapter of his youth, but still looks ahead to the future with Ami’s wisdom and principles still functioning as his guiding lights, it also feels like part of Jimmy’s on-going love letter to Ami.

That he will keep traveling, while remembering that the end goal isn’t the most important thing.

Doesn’t it feel like he’ll be traveling, for the both of them? And that, in his shoes, Ami’s wish, that her travels would never end, would actually come true? 🥲

What a meaningful, touching way for Jimmy to keep Ami as part of himself, and how profound, to know that Ami’s conclusions about life, in the face of death, are now the guiding lights in Jimmy’s life.

Just, so poignant, yet so peaceful, lovely and life-affirming, at the same time. ❤️

THE FINAL VERDICT:

Wistful, heartachey and beautiful.

FINAL GRADE: A-

TRAILER:

MV:

WHERE TO WATCH:

Show is available on Netflix.

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