![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.hyogoajet.net\/hyogotimes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/My_Darling_Is_a_Foreigner_POSTER.jpg\" "\\"My_Darling_Is_a_Foreigner_POSTER\\"")
<\/a>\u00e3\u0192\u20ac\u00e3\u0192\u00bc\u00e3\u0192\u00aa\u00e3\u0192\u00b3\u00e3\u0081\u00af\u00e5\u00a4\u2013\u00e5\u203a\u00bd\u00e4\u00ba\u00ba<\/p>\nMy Darling is a Foreigner<\/em><\/p>\n I am dating an amazing<\/strong> Japanese woman, and therefore it was only natural that we would eventually watch \u00e3\u0192\u20ac\u00e3\u0192\u00bc\u00e3\u0192\u00aa\u00e3\u0192\u00b3\u00e3\u0081\u00af\u00e5\u00a4\u2013\u00e5\u203a\u00bd\u00e4\u00ba\u00ba (My Darling is a Foreigner<\/em>) together.\u00c2\u00a0 In fact, before the movie even came out on DVD, she started reading the manga it was based on and had me doing the same.\u00c2\u00a0 Although the manga did not manage to hold my interest for very long (I was actually reading a separate series, by the same author, about learning English) the film remained on my radar as \u00e2\u20ac\u0153required viewing.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 I was particularly interested in whether or not the film accurately represented the mixed dating experience.\u00c2\u00a0 Furthermore, having made very poor decisions in the past that lead to a long separation from aforementioned totally awesome<\/strong> girlfriend, I secretly hoped to learn some things that might help prevent any further stupidity on my part.<\/p>\n My Darling is a Foreigner<\/em> (2009) is a romantic comedy directed by Ue Kazuaki, starring Jonathan Sherr as Tony Lazslo and Inoue Mao as Oguri Saori (who are both real people).\u00c2\u00a0 If nothing else, the film proves that the romantic comedy is a universal(ly clich\u00c3\u00a9d) genre; My Darling is a Foreigner <\/em>follows a pattern familiar to anyone that has seen a Hollywood love story.\u00c2\u00a0 The couple meets, falls in love, has a falling out and fixes everything in the last few minutes (thanks to some motherly advice and a mad dash to the airport). \u00c2\u00a0This plot structure is to be expected from virtually every romantic comedy; no points are gained here, but none are lost either.<\/p>\n The director did make some questionable editing decisions, however.\u00c2\u00a0 For example, the film occasionally cuts to amusing reflections from other (real life) mixed couples in order to present additional perspectives on being in a relationship with a non-Japanese.\u00c2\u00a0 Although enlightening and entertaining, the director should have cut one set of these testimonials (or added more).\u00c2\u00a0 The interviews both open and close the film to good effect, yet another is found awkwardly alone in the middle.\u00c2\u00a0 Likewise, there are some short animations, in the style of the original manga, at the beginning of the movie.<\/em> However, these vignettes make their final appearance very early on.\u00c2\u00a0 These asides could have enriched the film if employed throughout; instead they left me with the impression that the structure of My Darling is a Foreigner <\/em>lacked balance.\u00c2\u00a0 Fortunately, these are minor complaints that hardly mar the film.\u00c2\u00a0 Instead, I strongly believe this movie has the potential to improve the status of foreigners in Japanese media for a number of reasons.<\/p>\n First, Jonathan Sherr plays Tony Laszlo very admirably.\u00c2\u00a0 Of particular note is his command of Japanese, which is the most impressive I have ever seen from a foreigner in a Japanese movie.\u00c2\u00a0 There are Americans in My Darling is a Foreigner <\/em>that do<\/em> speak poor Japanese; however, they are meant to be dramatic foils of Tony.\u00c2\u00a0 Therefore, I never felt insulted by them (even after<\/em> I realized they were captioned in katakana <\/em>in the Japanese subtitles) and that is a big step for the Japanese entertainment industry.\u00c2\u00a0 Unlike many films and other media that treat foreigners like \u00e5\u00a4\u2013\u00e4\u00ba\u00ba (the bad kind of foreigner), this film treats them with respect if they rightfully deserve it. \u00c2\u00a0Sherr may not give Oscar-worthy performances scene after scene, but should be lauded nevertheless for his strong acting in a nonnative tongue.\u00c2\u00a0 I hope other directors are watching and learning what we are capable of.<\/p>\n Second, the subtitling left me with the impression that My Darling is a Foreigner<\/em> was something special. \u00c2\u00a0The joke is finally on the Japanese, as they hear the world through Saori (who has been failing English since elementary school).\u00c2\u00a0 The Japanese subtitle track transcribes Tony\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s lines in kanji<\/em>, without a drop of katakana<\/em>. \u00c2\u00a0On the other hand, the subtitling does not even bother captioning any English unless it is crucial to the story.\u00c2\u00a0 Instead, when Saori (and presumably the Japanese audiences as well) are confused, it simply says [English].\u00c2\u00a0 The message is clear; she is lousy at English and Tony is superb at Japanese.\u00c2\u00a0 Saori is the one that should be laughed at from time to time, because Tony is not cannon fodder for jokes.\u00c2\u00a0 This is a small point that most foreign viewers will probably never experience.\u00c2\u00a0 However, Japanese audiences might finally realize that foreigners need not merely serve as running gags in commercials and movies.\u00c2\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n The language issues are minor ones at best, however.\u00c2\u00a0 Tony, in actuality, knows<\/em> a lot of Japanese but does not always understand<\/em> it (the same goes for his grasp on Japanese culture and even women).\u00c2\u00a0 Jonathan Sherr makes big strides as far as a foreigner in popular media is concerned and with luck he will be the exception that becomes the rule.\u00c2\u00a0 The more important aspect of the film, in my opinion, is the morale it teaches; that \u00e2\u20ac\u0153foreigner\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Japanese\u00e2\u20ac\u009d are not useful categorizations for people<\/strong>. \u00c2\u00a0In the midst of her pseudo-breakup with Tony, Saori reflects that for Japanese people, relationships with foreigners might be impossible.\u00c2\u00a0 However, her mother is quick to educate Saori about the difficulties experienced in her own marriage; she and her husband did not always understand each other either.\u00c2\u00a0 In spite of being Japanese, they were just as much strangers as Tony and Saori were.\u00c2\u00a0 \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Japanese\u00e2\u20ac\u009d and \u00e2\u20ac\u0153foreigner\u00e2\u20ac\u009d have no bearing because every person is alike in that they are unique.\u00c2\u00a0 Both Saori and her mother needed to learn that lesson to find true happiness with their partners.\u00c2\u00a0 My Darling is a Foreigner <\/em>asserts that in order to make relationships work, one must look beyond superficial labels like nationality and focus on the person on the inside.\u00c2\u00a0 Are you listening, Japan?<\/p>\n There is something in My Darling is a Foreigner<\/em> for everyone to learn from, including those in Japanese-foreigner relationships, and the average Japanese person (whose opinion of foreigners might be colored by our less-than-respectable appearances in other films and television programs).\u00c2\u00a0 The story here is much like my own; my girlfriend said she found the movie believable because in a way, we had already lived it.\u00c2\u00a0 She liked the message as well: Japanese?\u00c2\u00a0 Foreigner?\u00c2\u00a0 That doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t matter.\u00c2\u00a0 Her last comment was that she hopes there is a \u00e3\u0192\u20ac\u00e3\u0192\u00bc\u00e3\u0192\u00aa\u00e3\u0192\u00b3\u00e3\u0081\u00af\u00e5\u00a4\u2013\u00e5\u203a\u00bd\u00e4\u00ba\u00ba\u00ef\u00bc\u2019 about married life and having children.\u00c2\u00a0 I might be in trouble\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n Thanks for watching!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I am dating an amazing Japanese woman, and therefore it was only natural that we would eventually watch \u00e3\u0192\u20ac\u00e3\u0192\u00bc\u00e3\u0192\u00aa\u00e3\u0192\u00b3\u00e3\u0081\u00af\u00e5\u00a4\u2013\u00e5\u203a\u00bd\u00e4\u00ba\u00ba (My Darling is a Foreigner) together. In fact, before the movie even came out on DVD, she started reading the manga it was based on and had me doing the same…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":441,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false},"categories":[9,95,110],"tags":[123,122],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.hyogoajet.net\/hyogotimes\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/My_Darling_Is_a_Foreigner_POSTER.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hyogoajet.net\/hyogotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hyogoajet.net\/hyogotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hyogoajet.net\/hyogotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyogoajet.net\/hyogotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyogoajet.net\/hyogotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=440"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyogoajet.net\/hyogotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/440\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyogoajet.net\/hyogotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hyogoajet.net\/hyogotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyogoajet.net\/hyogotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hyogoajet.net\/hyogotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}