Love Triangles and Kabedon: The Recipe for a Japanese High School Romance Movie

| Others | Posted by Sharuru on Jun.05.2017

The Transfer Student

Orange (2015)

Good-looking boys don’t just appear out of nowhere. They transfer from a town far away and land in the classroom of the female protagonist who, unlike her squealing classmates, is oblivious to the charm of this attractive new classmate until he sits in the conveniently empty seat next to her. This new student is instantly popular, but he doesn’t notice it either.

School Field Trip

Strobe Edge (2015)

All right! The semester’s just started and it’s…time for a trip? The students get ready to go on the yearly school trip, and the protagonist finds herself in the same group as her brewing love interest. The overnight excursion is a hotbed of youthful shenanigans—the teachers know to stay out of their students’ way so they can freely wander a place they’ve never been to and canoodle at their own free will.

Unrequited Love

Blue Spring Ride (2014)

Happily-ever-after doesn’t come easily. As obvious as it is to us viewers, it will take a long time before two main characters realize their feelings for each other (in most cases, the length of the entire movie). Whether it’s another girl or an irrational fear of the opposite gender, unrequited love is a classic stumbling block in a typical high school romance.

The Makeover

Love for Beginners (2012)

Our heroine finally decides she needs to the next step, and goes for a groundbreaking makeover. She takes off her glasses, shakes out her Showa-era pigtails and instantly transforms from plain girl to shining beauty. Usually, the effect is only complete with soft bokeh surrounding her and the male protagonist having a revelation of how cute she is.

Princess-style Carrying

Close Range Love (2014)

Something has to provoke the hero’s protective instincts, so the girl trips and falls. It’s a perfect opportunity to show his masculine appeal, so he sweeps her up and carries her like a princess to the nearest infirmary. The whole time she’s protesting, but she secretly enjoys it.

Love Triangle

Heroine Disqualified (2015)

Just when the male protagonist starts to develop feelings for the heroine…of course someone else has to come into the picture and thus starts the frustrating but thrilling love triangle. A charming new rival swoops in to mend the girl’s heart, and the first boy begins to question his feelings. The heroine suddenly finds herself conflicted with the obligation to choose between two handsome boys.

Kabedon

L-DK (2014)

The one move that sends girls swooning—the kabedon. Long popularized as a flirtatious trope in anime and manga, it causes just as much a stir on the big screen. If there’s one thing the female protagonist needed for her heart to be swayed by the boy, it’s getting abruptly cornered into the wall. It’s an exciting act of romance when he leans in close with all the authoritativeness of an adolescent in love.

An Unavoidable Tragedy

Sky of Love (2007)

It’s taken two hours of heart-pounding moments and teenage angst for the leads to get together; now everyone can finally be happy! That is, until we find out the secret one of the protagonists have been keeping the entire movie. They’re dying, and this was their last chance at experiencing love. Cue anger, tears and the final promise to love each other forever.

Childhood friends, school festivals, confessions at Christmas—there are so many other themes and motifs that make up a Japanese high school movie. All of it sums up to a sometimes fluffy, sometimes bittersweet retelling of school life and youth. What other typical scenes can you think of?

No one movie is exactly the same, but now you might start noticing patterns in these high school movies. There are go-to formulas, and it doesn’t seem like the audience will stop enjoying them anytime soon. As long as romance is delivered, the job is done.