More so than the mystery of where Huang Yu-Xuan (Ko Chia-Yen) and Wang Quan-Sheng (Hsu Kuang-Han) have gone—where their spirits have bounded off too, whom takes the place of which body and how they return—is the mystery of how Someday or One Day, an adaptation of the hit Taiwanese television drama, went so terribly south. Primary director of the original Tien Jen Huang returns here to create a baffling story of dualities reflected against identical-looking dualities, an improbable mess that only rides so far on cute delicacy before the tape unwinds entirely.
At first, things seem steady, though speedy. A wistful camera wanders over pristine decorative interiors like a gift shop, so much of the plot to come only teased through low-budget VFX snapshots. Quan-Sheng and Yu-Xuan, having met-cute at record pace, are two entities who spend most of their time longingly sighing and staring out into the distance, their vague young adult concerns very present, though indecipherable. Teens at odds with their singularity, so commonplace in the drama of modern Chinese media, cannot just be scanned for relatability – something needs to be presented to the viewer, clearly.
And so enters the plot of Someday or One Day – shocked from the sudden death of Quan-Sheng, Yu-Hsuan spends her years daydreaming away from society, stuck in her own head, before waking up years later in the body of a mutual friend Chen Yun-Ru (also Ko playing a double role) years prior before her love’s demise. Yun-Ru finds herself in the most complicated role perceivable, forced to convince her friends from their past of their oncoming danger, barely able to articulate the hell she’s been pacing through ever since.
To Ko and Hsu’s credit, nothing about their performances here drag, the success of their well-established chemistry is the only real ingredient to make the movie’s breakthrough romantic first kiss come close to operating. Quan-Sheng and Yu-Xuan relate through their favorite couple song, lifted from the TV series; they incur the abusive collateral of time spent together equal to time spent apart. If everything seems trivially, tonally normal in their lives, maybe it’s because it should be, for the most part.
The most interesting thing at play with Someday, as with a lot of Chinese rom-coms in this vein, is the relationship of everyday individuals to their romantic fate: if it’s coincidence that brought us together, is it coincidence that is keeping us together? Altogether, not a bad question that “Someday asks directly at least once. Huang even guides us to a different existential question: are dreams the barrier to our happiness? The normalcy of a relationship growing into, outward and apart can and has been subject to a more inspective eye than this hundreds of times, on better and easier to ascertain platforms.
The original TV series, spanning 13 episodes that dive deeper into the sinister mystery behind Quan-Sheng and Yu-Xuan’s body bouncing history and conundrum, gained acclaim for its nourishing continuum, a collective audience experience that intertwines pop tendencies and true-hearted romance. How this film adaptation, branded neither specifically as a sequel nor a creative reboot, functions parallel to that is beyond comprehension.
Seen at AMC Atlantic Times Square 14, Monterey Park
Princess Mononoke is a classic. It is Miyazaki’s return to the more political realms of Nausicaa and Laputa – films which promote awareness of global issues such as discrimination, global warming, and war. Plus, the animation is beautifully created and the storyline is an adventure epic. For more, follow 
Spirited Away is Miyazaki’s most celebrated work, and rightly so. The film follows a young girl who gets lost in a spirit world which she has to navigate to save her parents. I am in awe of how Miyazaki dreamed up everything in this film, it is the one of the most magical films you could watch.
Oh yes! Pom Poko! This entry from Isao Takahata is framed as a sort of documentary. It follows some shape-shifting raccoons who rise up against the growing industrialisation/expansion of Tokyo to protect their habitat. One of the comedic highlights is seeing these raccoons parachute using their scrotum (don’t worry it’s completely PG). Pom Poko promotes awareness of industrialisation with this hilarious comedy.
Yes, Studio Ghibli rounds out my top 5. Howl’s Moving Castle is one of Miyazaki’s most recent films and one of his most imaginative. Moving castles, talking fire, and a jumping scarecrow are three things you’ll find in this movie. Another brilliant example of Miyazaki’s celebrated career, this one also serves as an allegory for war.
Isao Takahata’s animation of the bombing of Japan during World War Two is heart wrenching. There are some pretty sad moments in a number of Pixar films, but nothing on this level. This will hit you on another emotional level. In addition, learn about life in Japan during World War Two and how terrible war is!
You thought Inception was original? Well you obviously didn’t see Paprika when it came out in 2006. Paprika is set in a future where patients can use devices to start lucidly dreaming. The problem is that some people are hacking into other people’s dreams. Not great if these skills fall in the wrong hands…
This is the perfect film to watch for the little ones. My Neighbour Totoro is very peaceful and calm – there are no chases or conflict like some of the other Miyazaki films. However, in true Miyazaki fashion there is his trademark fantasy. And of course, there is Totoro! (a great addition to all the Disney merchandise).
Set in a dystopian future where society is crumbling, Akira is the anime equivalent of The Matrix. Pay attention to the superbly animated setting of ‘Neo-Tokyo,’ a city which resembles a mix of Bladerunner’s Los Angeles and Tron. 
Rounding out the top 10 is another entry from Isao Takahata. The star of this film is the hilarious skits of a family living in Tokyo. The snippets reminded me of things my family would do. The bare-bones animation adds to the simplicity of the film. It’s an ode to the regular family.
Japanese cinema is truly one of the world’s best. Japan is one of the largest producers of movies and a producer that has always produced excellent films from Kurosawa to Miyazaki. Chances are, your favorite film-makers, are either influenced by Japanese film-makers, or they are Japanese.
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