'Crying Out Love in the Center of the World' is a teen romance released in 2004. A younger Masami Nagasawa, from 'Our Little Sister', plays a girl in love but dying. The first half was charming but the second over-dramatised. Nevertheless, I had a soft spot for it, externally and internally, for the female narrator's beautiful voice, and for my past loves that I painfully learnt to let go.

yes it is good movie for me . what is good for me ? the scene is so "neat " " cool ". Japanese building , school atmosphere , school uniforms ( Americans do not like it ) . good harbour front-side , beautiful port scenery . yes it is cool . ( p.s , sydney harbour port is better cool ,why ? from darling harbour , pot-point , botanical garden , to watson bay coast line course is so cool Australian people do not build bank-walls (?) (not by cement walls , made in ceramic like stone ) . the feel of stone is so antigue Australian have really loved harbor ,natural landscapes. the last scene is very beautiful landscape . the landscape could be Australia ? where ? is it right ? if someone knows it , tell me ? the home of natural beauty is Australia , thank you for reading .

I really did love this movie, but being an Australian, I hope they didn't really think that mound of dirt they were standing on at the end was Uluru.

initially the film title suggested me that it wd be a day to day routine Asian romantic comedy movie & first 15 - 20 minutes of the movie were not able to catch me.however i persisted to continue it and the film began to develop its plot pretty much.the storyline is simple but the way it is narrated and portrayed in the film adds a magnanimous element to the description.the total focus of the movie is uncovering the most powerful human expression - to yearn for love - in a manner quite uncommon to us.with a wish to spend the desired moment with her beloved at a particular spot adds seemingly believable attribute to the film. its not glorified in the way the Hollywood blockies are - titanic, a walk to remember & that-- but simple enough to kindle the spirit of love within your heart.a must watch movie for the serious movie lovers. hats off to the Japanese for giving such a brilliant film. this film continues to be in the all time top 5 romantic movies of mine.

Flashbacks are mainly featured in this film as it's about nostalgia of lost love and memories. Not only we see cassette tapes back in style, there's the sony walkman, the trusty scooter, the loud bang of photo-taking machines and the chunky radio to bring us back to where the very basic of young and blossoming first love feels like. Shikoku is the town where the young couple grew up in and where they spend their adventures of grave digging, exploring islands, and fantasizing about where the center of the world is. As the story unfolds, girl got sick and boy still continued loving her but the girl ended up dying alone due to some (co)incidence. The story is fragmented in the sense that it tries to link up the present and past and at the end of the long film, it's finally connected but the link was too weak to even prove the strength of the scriptwriting. Maybe the novel that it was adapted from would be a better read as I feel that the film tried very hard to evoke the sadness out but considering myself as an easy cry audience, I didn't feel that sad. The overall setting was there but still something was missing to complete the whole picture. Maybe the acting, or the script or it took too long to develop the love between the 2 youngsters until the final link doesn't seem that important after all and the rest just crumbles….that's sad by itself. But still, I like the music, the location shots, the male lead actor (older one), colour treatment, and the concept of talking to each other thru cassette tapes so it's still recommended for Jap lovers and even better if your first love is as romantic and sad as them…..

My Japanese teacher gave me this film out of the blue one day. She often does it, and as I put it in my DVD player i didn't know what it was about. the only thing i knew was its title and this it starred Shibasaki Kou (my favourite since her work in Battle Royale and One Missed Call). My lack of expectations really enhanced the film. I had no idea where it was going, and as such it was all the more shocking to me when it all began to come together. The film is filled to the brim with gripping emotional moments. THe scene on the island, the piano in the gym scene, the wedding photo, the airport and the final scene in Australia (woohoo go Australia *does a little dance*) are all tear inducing (at least for me) I can unabashadly say i wept like a baby for much of this film. And not just little tears, hardcore streaming nose running tears. With the occasional audible sob in it as well. My only gripe is that it was quite long, but u become so engrossed in the story that you don't even realize. The acting is fantastic. THe actors for young Saku and Aki are mind-blowing in their portrayal of the younger lovers. Elder Saku (sadly do not know his name) and Ritsuko (Shibasaki Kou)get less screen time, but in their final moments of the film u get to see both of them and their fantastic skills. Particularly shibasaki. early int he film, she has a moment where she stares for what seems like eternity, and without moving at all begins to cry. It is gut-wrenching film Highly recommended to everyone. EVERYONE.

This is an incredibly love story. At first, i thought it was just gonna be the usually common love story between two students and nothing special. But while i watched it the movie slowly showing its meaning and purpose. I changed my mind and simply love it. Saku as the main character shown as easy going but awkward a student. While Aki as the girl he love is more cheerful and active. The story begin 17 years later when tragedy strikes Aki and Saku couldn't bear it, he couldn't accept the facts and still living in his past, hoping for the impossible future. Saku, goes back home, then try to remember all his past in order to accept it rather than forgetting the past. The story goes back and the tragedy has once again opened an old wound in Saku's heart. The movie last for almost 2 hours, but i was sucked into the story at start and was clued to the screen. While the story unfold on the screen there wasn't one boring moment. This is one of the saddest drama movies i have seen, it's a real tearjerker. It deals with the permanence of love in a most touching and original way. If your looking for a love movie this is an absolutely must see, i highly recommend it.

There's no doubt about it, this one is a tear-jerker, solely designed to push the buttons as hard as it can to affect the audiences emotion. Teenage love, making past wrongs right, the death of a lover, typhoons, it's all here. And what's most amazing is that, for the most part, the movie does it. Always hovering on the edge of cliché, but never tipping over, "Crying Out Love" essentially works. The story is told in two parts, flashing back and forwards often. One involves young Sakutaro who begins a relationship with the cute as a button Aki Hirose at a time in both of their lives when puppy love is turning into something real. The second is Sakutaro about fifteen years later, trying to come to terms with the loss of that relationship which he never quite recovered from. And his new girlfriend, Ritusko has a secret. Without giving away too much, that first story works. And, boy, does it. It is inter-cut beautifully with older Sakutaro remembering and searching for meaning. You know exactly where it's going, but the thrill is in the journey here, and it captures the explosiveness and pain of first love and the same of young loss. The second story, however, falls apart. After the first one ends, some loose ends are left to be connected, and they are, perfunctorily and ham-fistedly. And the actual finale, while far from ruining the film, adds nothing to the emotional power of the majority of the film.

As the title, get this film on DVD its amazingly powerful. what a breath of fresh air, instead of the run of the mill rubbish that comes out from America!! Great acting and story! I cannot speak Japanese but the subtitles do not detract at all from the film. You may need to watch it a couple of times to get the plot line as it goes back and forth. This should of been released in the UK although I looked for it but never found it in shops. I went to Japan on holiday and specifically looked for this DVD based on the cover, when I get an eye for a movie I'm usually right that I would like it.

A beautiful, beautiful movie. Haunting....and got me crying (and I don't cry easily!) It haunted me for days after watching it on cable TV, and even writing this comment made my eyes a little moist. This charming movie is made credible by the performances of the two young actors. I loved them and I loved the movie! What made it even more endearing was that there was no love scenes, no sex, no giggling teenage girls, etc. Nothing like those Hollywood or HK type teen romance. Watch it with an open mind and an open heart, and be prepared to feel... BTW, I just fell in love with the character Aki. If I ever had a love in my teens, it would be her....