Love Punch! – Movie Review

Madoka is a delinquent student from Benizakura High, also known as Beni. He's fiercely loyal to his group of friends, including his bestie Tsuyuki, Bon, Yamamoto, Negishi, and several others. Those guys are his ride-or-dies. Because Madoka skips class so often, he's forced to repeat a year for poor attendance. His friends love teasing him about spending an extra year in high school while the rest of them are getting ready to graduate.

In the past, Madoka and his friends got into violent fights with a group of delinquents from their rival school, Shiroiwa High, also known as Shiro. Beni and Shiro had a long-standing feud, so the two sides were constantly at each other's throats. Two years ago, their rivalry exploded into a massive fight. Takaaki, one of Shiro's most vicious students, attacked Madoka when he least expected it. Itsuki, Madoka's younger brother, was accidentally injured, even though he was just an innocent bystander. The injury left Itsuki with a slight but noticeable limp. Madoka has carried a lot of guilt because he feels responsible for what happened to his brother.

After the attack, Beni and Shiro agreed to a truce. Both sides promised to stop attacking each other, and the pact has held for the past two years. The rival schools have kept the peace since then. However, everyone suspects the ceasefire won't last once the seniors graduate this year. Tsuyuki is especially worried about leaving Madoka behind because of this. If Beni and Shiro start fighting again, Madoka could easily get dragged back into the feud. By then, most of his friends will have graduated, which means he'll have to face the trouble alone.

One day, Madoka gets an unexpected visitor. He meets Tsuru, one of Shiro's strongest students. Everyone is shocked because Tsuru has crossed into enemy territory and shown up unannounced. However, his visit is personal. Tsuru wants to rent a room from Madoka's family. Madoka's grandmother, Umeko, runs a candy store, and there's a spare room on the second floor. Since Tsuru recently ran away from home, he hopes to move into the vacant space.

Madoka and Umeko agree to let Tsuru move in. Later, Tsuru explains that things at home have gotten really bad. His parents are incredibly strict and barely let him enjoy any freedom. Tsuru wants to move out and live on his own just to get away from them. Seeing this vulnerable side of him makes Madoka feel oddly protective. He never expected to feel sorry for someone from Shiro, especially after what happened to Itsuki. Yet, as the two spend more time together, Madoka starts to feel a strange sense of kinship with Tsuru.

Instead of treating Tsuru like the enemy, Madoka makes an effort to bond with him. They eat meals together. Madoka even invites Tsuru to hang out with his friends. At first, the Beni guys don't trust Tsuru and treat him with suspicion. Somehow, he manages to win them over. Before long, they're surprisingly chill with having a guy from the rival school around. Not everyone is so understanding. Tsuru's friend Honda still holds a grudge against Beni. He doesn't like how close Tsuru has gotten to the rival school, and he questions where Tsuru's loyalties lie.

Love Punch is one of those adaptations that works better when you already know the original story. For the rest of us who haven't read the manga, the opening is confusing. It doesn't introduce the characters properly. It doesn't explain their backstories clearly. Who are these guys? Why do they have beef with each other? The important information only shows up later, making it hard to follow the movie from the start. Since the storytelling is so muddled, I never connect with the two leads. I don't give a damn about them.

Even after I understand the story better, Love Punch is still pretty boring. I'm just not invested in the plot. There's all this nonsense about a bunch of delinquent boys beefing with a rival school. They wanna beat each other up over old grudges or whatever. Guys, is it ever that serious? Do you have to solve every conflict by swinging your fists like cavemen? I'm not rooting for this display of toxic masculinity. Then, the story throws in more nonsense about an evil brother seeking revenge. And why is he so angry? Because his parents didn't love him enough. Oh god. This movie makes me roll my eyes so hard. I can't take any of it seriously.

The romance is like Romeo and Juliet. Instead of rival families, Madoka and Tsuru come from rival schools. These star-crossed teens fall for each other, even though their gangs have an ongoing feud. There's even a scene where Tsuru talks to Madoka through a balcony window, which is a cute little nod to Shakespeare. I actually like the idea of this forbidden romance. It's juicy! The problem is that Love Punch doesn't develop the relationship well enough. When the couple spends time together, their interactions feel too shallow. Unfortunately, I don't sense much of a spark.

Both leads look attractive on camera. Outside of Love Punch, I can appreciate their lethal face cards. Put them in a photoshoot and I'll happily admire the visuals! But acting-wise? Hmm. I'm not convinced. Madoka's actor (Aloha Takamatsu) feels unnatural when he emotes. His expressions are so hilariously exaggerated. Instead of pulling me into the drama, he makes the serious moments unintentionally funny. His co-star (Jyutaro Yamanaka) plays a stoic character, but Tsuru seems too wooden. His face only carries that one brooding expression for the entire movie.

At least Love Punch looks gorgeous. The visuals are warm and polished, bringing the same high production quality I've come to expect from Japanese BL dramas. Even though I don't care about the fight scenes, I still appreciate how much work goes into choreographing them. My favourite part of the cinematography is how aggressively the camera captures every dramatic moment. Intense zoom! Extreme close-up! The camerawork gets up close and personal. Every glance suddenly feels more serious. Every confrontation looks like somebody is about to throw a punch.

There's a huge showdown near the end of Love Punch. Fists are raised! Knives come out! Despite all the action, I'm bored. A bunch of dudes fighting each other isn't my idea of a thrilling climax. Afterward, the couple has their long-awaited romantic moment… And it's over in the blink of an eye. Goddammit. Half the film is devoted to stupid fights, but you couldn't spare a few extra minutes for a decent kissing scene? Overall, I didn't enjoy Love Punch that much. The storytelling is a mess. The romance feels underwhelming. I don't see myself revisiting this movie any time soon.