2001 after-school special from Japan that took less than two hours to tell the story of a high-school girl who is bullied by classmates (one of whom used to be her best friend), so she continues day after day to try and open a locked door to the roof, where she, of course, intends to jump to her death.
Meantime, she bumps into a bike thief and fellow classmate: Oguri Shun's Kishida Takumi.
The bullies blame her for the recent thefts and kick her ass for it, but then she stumbles upon Takumi in the act, and a strange but predictable friendship develops.
He knows how to pick a lock, so naturally, she enlists his aid in getting that stupid door opened.
At the same time, we are introduced to a new teacher who walks with the use of a cane, and for a majority of this movie, we are led to think she was another victim of pre-pubescent violence on the part of more asinine delinquents with nothing better to do with their time than to terrorize, belittle, poke fun at, and harass someone because ... well, I don't know why quite frankly, other than they seem to think there is something 'cool' about it when reality would dictate otherwise.
He won't help her open the lock since he's got a good idea about why it is she's so desperate to get the door open, but he does take the time to show her how to use the spokes of an umbrella as a pick.
He also ends up getting caught red-handed trying to steal the bike of one of the male bullies and ends up getting his ass kicked.
She comes along and helps him with his injuries, and they spend some time alone on the baseball field talking about her reasons for wanting to end it all.
Then, we find out the truth about the new teacher who walks with a limp.
The lock is suddenly opened, and the girl steps out, onto a pigeon-poop laden blacktop, where she slowly makes her way to the edge of the rooftop.
YEAH, RIGHT!
It was way before this part in the 'message' movie that I had rolled my eyes, groaned with disgust, and hemmed my way through on account of our charismatic Shun-kun.
Reality is, no matter how often you tell someone they're an idiot, they're bound to think otherwise - and that goes for all idiots, including the ones who want to end it all on school grounds as a way of, oh, I don't know, ... wanting to 'show them all' or something?
Give me a frickin' break.
Like they who have persecuted you all this time are actually going to finally care?
I give them a full week to totally forget your lame ass before moving on.
I also care less what the Japanese have to say about it: there is nothing more cowardly in this world than suicide, and to make it look honorable (outside the battle field) or even glamorous is the height of ignorance, plain & simple.
Bullies suck and deserve the electric chair, I agree.
People who are too timid and afraid of their own, stupid shadow need the help of someone stronger than they are in order to overcome their difficulties, of course!
Asshole educators who turn a blind eye to the problem deserve to be fired and then shunned by society on the same level as a pedophile.
In America, we load our daddy's magnum, stuff it in our backpack, and go on a rampage in the lunchroom.
In Asia, I guess we toss our lame ass off the roof of the school with the mistaken belief that we'll return as a ghost to haunt the perpetrators of the crime.
No such luck in either case, I'm afraid.
They're both horribly wrong, and the bottom line is there is no adult guidance to make everyone understand the error of their ways.
Bullies are made, by the way, and by the parents who bred them.
This is a rant, and I shouldn't go there ... but, this movie evoked a lot more than just anger - it brought back horrid memories of days I'd much, rather forget.
Watch it for a young, curly-hair Oguri Shun at least. :-)
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