This must be one of the strangest films I've ever seen but for once it was strange in a good way, and every odd thing about it only served to make it even more hilarious. With its Japanese-style cheesy cuteness and surreal randomness, it made a story which is actually just about lots of people dying, into a real feel-good film. It is a unique film, not just because it combines so many different genres of film (comedy, horror, romance, musical and animation, to name but a few!), but because it is uniquely Japanese and couldn't have been made in any other country. Hollywood could try and remake this but they would have to give up pretty quickly because it is simply impossible for something like this to come from anywhere but Japan.
However, it is quite different to other Japanese films I have seen. Although people die it isn't graphic or disgusting, and although people do fall in love at first sight it seems like a parody of the other Japanese movies and cartoons where this happens rather unrealistically often. The film has several great characters, my favourites being the little girl, Yurie, the grandad and the son, who reacted to every disaster by seeming to re-enact Michael Jackson's Earth Song video! I didn't dislike any of the characters, which is rare for me, especially in comedy films where I usually find at least someone to moan about not being funny.
The beginning of the film (see the picture above, also an example of the clay animation which appears sporadically) may confuse those of you who know what the film is about before seeing it, because it doesn't seem to have anything to do with the main plot, but it is quite hilarious nonetheless - what other film could start with the words "My uvula!"? In case you, like me, didn't know, that is the mucusy set of muscles that hang at the back of your throat, and in this case (I'm not sure if it's all) it's heart-shaped, and the first minute or so of the film is spent watching a young woman's uvula be pulled out and eaten by a strange little creature who then sadly gets eaten. And if that kind of unprecented strangeness appeals to you, then you will love Happiness of the Katakuris!
