JFF Theater: THE 100th LOVE WITH YOU: A Bittersweet, Time-Bending Symphony of Love

The 100th Love with You follows Riku, a young man who possesses the extraordinary ability to travel through time using a magical vinyl record. When his girlfriend Aoi dies in a tragic traffic accident, Riku does not hesitate to rewind time repeatedly to save her life. Yet, despite his relentless efforts, the young woman’s tragic fate appears to be written in stone, forcing him into an endless cycle of desperate attempts to alter the inevitable.

Under the careful direction of Sho Tsukikawa, the screenplay of this story reveals itself to be far more complex and intricate than it initially appears. Tsukikawa masterfully balances a sweet exterior of a teenage romance packed with some excellent songs—bolstered by the fact that the female lead, Miwa, is a popular real-life Japanese singer—with a much deeper layer. Beneath the vibrant pop aesthetics, the film opens up an emotional, profound reflection on love and how fleeting life can be when destiny has already stamped it with an expiration date.

By successfully breaking away from standard genre clichés and conventionalisms, Tsukikawa’s direction delivers a beautiful, bittersweet narrative about the critical importance of living in the moment, appreciating the present, and accepting reality as the only true path toward healing and moving forward. The lead couple, portrayed by Miwa and Kentaro Sakaguchi, completely commands the screen with their palpable, magnetic chemistry. Furthermore, the tracks played throughout the runtime inject a burst of freshness and hope into the narrative. Ultimately, this highly original and deeply moving story lingers with you long after the final credits roll—a rare and commendable feat in modern cinema.