Love Song – Movie Review & Film Summary

Six years ago, Sota was a university student with a massive crush on Kai, his musician friend. Kai loved singing and playing the guitar. He even wrote his own songs and shared them with Sota. One of them was a beautiful love song that he never finished. The two guys were close, and Sota harboured a secret crush. Then one day, Kai just disappeared. There were rumours that he might have gotten a girl pregnant or moved overseas. All Sota has left now is that unfinished song, which he still listens to.

Now, Sota is a researcher who works in product development. His company gives him a new assignment and wants him to relocate to Thailand for a while. He's supposed to help the R&D division create a new line of men's grooming products. Sota doesn't want to go. He's scared of travelling and almost turns down the opportunity, until a friend reminds him that Kai is living in Thailand. Suddenly, the move doesn't sound so bad. Hoping for a reunion with his former crush, Sota agrees to relocate after all.

Sota heads to Thailand with Jin, an older and more experienced colleague. The two of them end up living together as roommates. Despite his impressive business reputation, Jin turns out to have a surprisingly goofy side. He has no problems getting along with Sota. They meet Luke, an interpreter who speaks both Japanese and Thai. He helps them communicate with Smile and the rest of the R&D team. As they settle in, Sota, Jin, Smile, and the others get to work designing the new products together.

Not long after arriving in Thailand, Sota runs into Kai. It has been six years since they last spoke. Kai is now working as a photographer, but he still performs as the lead singer of his band. Sota is happy just to see him again. They catch up and exchange contact info. Still, Sota can't ignore the big question. Why did Kai suddenly disappear? Yet, Kai seems evasive and refuses to give a clear answer…

Love Song has a fun origin story. This Japanese movie is filmed in Thailand, making it an interesting collaboration between the two countries. The cast includes actors from both Japan and Thailand. Even the leads have unique cultural backgrounds in real life. This diversity gives Love Song an edge over your average BL film. For the same reason why fusion food is popular, we're curious whether this crossover creates unexpected sparks. There's potential for an iconic Japanese-Thai romance. Kinda like Bomi and Huwei! 🥹

Unfortunately, Love Song suffers from poor writing. Look, the storyline here isn't complicated. Sota and Kai haven't seen each other in years, so they need to rebuild their bond. That's it! That's the movie! We wanna watch them figure out their feelings and navigate the awkward tension. Instead, the film wastes so much time with scenes that don't matter. It focuses on random side characters who add nothing to the plot. I don't care about these people! You have 2 hours to tell your story. Not 12 episodes where you can meander around and explore every little subplot. Pay attention to the romance! Show us the couple!

The scenes where the leads hang out? Yeah, those are great. Sota just arrived in Thailand, so Kai plays tour guide and shows him around the city. They're bonding over street food… They're soaking in the culture… The issue? There aren't enough of these relationship moments. In the movie's first half, you can count Sota & Kai's interactions on one hand. Instead, the story gets distracted by the coworkers or that random rival. Please. Refocus. Kai is the love interest. Let's find a way to bring him into Sota's daily routines. We wanna see the couple together as much as possible.

Sota has a crush on Kai. Great! Now tell me why. What's so special about this man? The movie acts like "they used to be friends" is enough to carry the entire romance. It's not. Show me why this crush exists beyond "well, Kai wrote a song…" Besides a few vague flashbacks, we're missing so much of the couple's history together. How am I supposed to root for them? Kai's character is also shrouded in mystery. The only thing I know about him is that he plays music. Can the story tell us more about this guy? When he has so little personality, it's hard to care about his romance.

Sota's actor (Win Morisaki) is pretty cute! Those bright eyes? That sweet smile? Yeah, I see the appeal. He's charming enough to make you wanna root for his character. During a few emotional moments, his performance isn't totally convincing. Overall, he still does a decent job. His co-star (Koji Mukai) plays Kai. He seems cool and mysterious, but I never really warmed up to him. On the visual side, the movie looks lovely. The production values are solid. And I'll give them credit for mixing Thai culture with Japanese characters, which gives the film a unique identity.

Near the end, Love Song finally tells us why Kai disappeared years ago. The big reveal! The reason is pretty sad, but it needs more follow-up. I'm begging for one good scene where Kai and Sota talk out their issues. Let's communicate and have an adult conversation instead of staring longingly at each other! But the movie just gives us a generic happy ending without addressing their tension. The finale proves what I suspected all along. This story has no depth. Overall, Love Song is a disappointment. Despite the cool Japanese-Thai collaboration, the romance is a huge flop.