2023 was a banner year for Snow Man’s Ren Meguro. Hot off the heels of the incredibly popular, and critically acclaimed silent, he and the rest of the group enjoyed immense success with the release of their third studio album i DO ME followed by a sold-out dome tour across Japan, and he started in the epic fantasy/romance As Long As We Both Shall Live.

In an alternative version of the 19th-century Meiji Restoration era in which spirits and magic are real. Meguro stars as Kudo, a general who protects the people from the Grotesqueries, dark and dangerous creatures who feed off the soul and (basically) turn people into zombies. 

Miyo Saimori (Mio Imada) is the eldest daughter of the Saimori family, who is known for her spiritual abilities, but there’s nothing special about Miyo. So, she’s forced to live as a servant to her stepmother and stepsister Kaya ( Akari Takaishi) whose stuck-up attitude and cruel heart make her even more grotesque than the Grotesqueries.

There’s a rumor that Kudo is nothing but cruel, and has had several brides-to-be who have fled from his home in tears. Miyo’s wicked stepmother believes he’s the perfect man to pawn the worthless child off to. But, once she arrives at his home, she finds that he’s nothing like she expected. What’s more, neither is she. A rare and incredibly coveted power, with the guidance of Kudo, Miyo learns the meaning of love and self-reliance.

Based on the manga/anime My Happy Marriage, the film is good, but it doesn’t have the breadth of story that the source material does. The absence of certain characters and plot points is sorely missed, but Meguro and Imada are brilliant and have beautiful chemistry. My deepest sadness about the film is that what should have been a plumb role for Naniwa Danshi’s Ryusei Onishi in Takaihito, the second son of the Emperor, was not as juicy as it could’ve been. In the manga and anime Takaihito is so flamboyant, I was very excited. Onishi did great with what he was given, but he’s capable of so much more.

I did like the effects. The Tattoos that appears while Megruo was spell casting were interesting. Though it’s not exactly what I wanted, I did enjoy it.

7/10

More film/drama reviews soon so…

Stay Tuned!