International Film Series: モテキ ('Love Strikes!')

Location

Joan B. Kroc Institute of Peace & Justice, Room 219

Free

This evening's film is subtitled in English. Hitoshi Ohne's romantic comedy, based on a hugely popular manga and TV series, became a massive hit in Japan and was selected for the Top Films of 2011 by The Japan Times, Kinema Jumpo and Eiga Geijutsu. For her performance as Miyuki, Masami Nagasawa took home the 2012 Japanese Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Love Strikes! is the hopelessly endearing tale of Yukiyo Fujimoto, a diffident, nowhere guy who suddenly becomes the ultimate hot chick magnet. He lands a job at a webzine devoted to pop culture, but his forced celibacy is the butt of all his colleagues' jokes. Yukiyo gives full vent to his self-pity via Twitter feed, and hooks up with a fellow user who seems to share his tastes in pop subculture. They arrange to meet but instead, shockingly cute Miyuki shows up. Then, as Yukiyo's "moteki"-- a Japanese slang term referring to a period of unexplained romantic popularity with the opposite sex--begins to hit full swing, Miyuki might not be as unattainable as he thought. He meets and makes quick progress with the reserved Rumiko; ditzy bar hostess Ai; and feisty coworker Motoko.

Watch the trailer.