Things I Watched: The Cherry Orchard - No Good Images of this Movie Exist

Cherry blossoms have a special place in Japanese culture. Known for their distinctive rose-petals, they're used as a symbol to reflect the passage of time. They bloom in Spring and last for roughly two weeks before they start to fall. This is about the same time as the annual school year begins in Japan, which is why they've become synonymous with the transition into adulthood.

The Cherry Orchard is a film based on a manga called Sakura no Sono. It concerns a group of schoolgirls who put on a performance of Anton Chekhov's play. This is an part of an annual school tradition that stretches back yonks. Unfortunately this year things are thrown into jeopardy because of the mischievous actions of one of the girls who's been caught smoking in a local restaurant. Uh-oh.

The film deals with a lot coming-of-age themes. It boasts instances of LGBT+ qualities which I find interesting as Japanese cinema rarely does. These are detailed best in a lovely scene towards the end where two girls take photos with each other just before the start of the first performance. Its director, Shun Nakahara, was previously a specialist in eroge films, which is irrelevant for the most part but might explain why the film seems to be absolutely and utterly love with its own characters.

All in all, it's a nice film. You can watch it on YouTube.

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