Heaven's Bookstore (Hong Kong Version) VCD

Heaven's Bookstore opens with Kenta (Tetsuji Tamayama), a failing classical pianist, being brought to heaven by Yamaki (Yoshio Harada) to work in a bookstore where books are read to customers out loud. Apparently, each person has a 100-year lifespan, and if a person dies before he/she reaches 100 years old, the rest of his/her years are spent in heaven waiting for reincarnation. However, Kenta isn't dead, he's just there as a part-time worker for some unknown reason (which is only slightly hinted at towards the end). One day, Shoko (Yuko Takeuchi) goes to the bookstore and Kenta immediately recognizes her as the pianist who inspired him to play the piano as a child and begins to befriend her. Inspired by his passion, Shoko begins to teach him how to master the craft of piano playing (although Shoko, deaf in one ear, cannot play the piano herself). In return, Kenta helps her write the unfinished piano piece she never finished after her death.

Meanwhile, Shoko's niece Kanako (in a Love Letter-style twist, she's also played by Yuko Takeuchi) tries to revive the town fireworks show for the first time in over 12 years. The star of the show would be the Wabi, a type of Japanese firework also known as the "Loving Fireworks" that made the shows legendary in their day. But she has to first convince the talented fireworks craftsman Takimoto (Teruyuki Kagawa), the only man in the region who can make Wabi, to come out of retirement. But to do that, he must first conquer the guilt he feels for his involvement in the accident that left Shoko deaf in one ear 13 years previously.

Director Tetsuo Shinohara combines the two simple stories by not concentrating on any intricate plotting or the logistics of heaven (apparently, Japanese is the official language of heaven and it looks conspicuously like Hokkaido in springtime). Instead, he focuses his time on his characters and their individual dilemmas. Heaven's Bookstore doesn't strive to resolve all the questions one would have about life and death, but rather to present a cast of characters that tries to leave their past behind. While not all the characters are equally compelling, Shinohara does make sure the audience cares about them enough that the touching moments of the film work. However, the pleasantness of the proceedings means the film never manages to elevate itself beyond light entertainment to a work that would stir philosophical discussions.

Sporting a handful of supporting characters, the performances are surprisingly mixed. Despite Kenta's journey to learn the true art of piano playing, Tetsuji Tamayama fails to step up as the leading man by looking lost instead of inspired, and Teruyuki Kagawa overplays his tormented Takimoto in the emotional scenes, making him seem more crazed than regretful. On the other hand, Yuko Takeuchi convincingly plays the two central characters with class, creating two distinct personalities and goals – one trying to move on from the past, and the other trying to revive it. Takeuchi's ability to convey the various emotions of the two characters makes this a true star performance. While Heaven's Bookstore features some beautiful people, nice scenery, and emotional moments that might even induce a tear or two, it's definitely not a romance at heart. A few of the major characters do long for romantic love, but love in Heaven's Bookstore is really about love for family, for life, for nostalgia, and even for piano playing. That is perhaps the best thing about Heaven's Bookstore; Shinohara didn't need to give the film unrealistic romantic moments (especially where any romance between Shoko and the elderly Kenta would seem creepy, rather than touching.) and keeps the characters true to their nature. While the film's failure to turn the heaven idea into something beyond a simple gimmick will probably draw some criticism, those looking for a sweet and simple film for a weekend afternoon will find the simplicity of the plot works just fine.

By Kevin Ma