If you want to read my review of The Wandering Moon review, read this post. In 流浪の月, a young college student, Saeki Fumi, offers shelter in his home to a 10-year-old girl, Sarasa Kanai. Even traumatized by their pasts, they connect. But, now she is being sought by the police and he is accused of kidnapping.
Saeki Fumi (Tori Matsuzaka) was a 19-year-old college student living alone. He has never received a show of affection from his mother and has a physical condition that prevents him from connecting with people. But, he wasn’t going to leave a soaking wet child out in the rain with nowhere to go.
“Want to come to my place?”
Sarasa Kanai (Suzu Hirose), when she was 10, was orphaned by her father and abandoned by her mother. With that, she ended up going to live with her aunt. But, she ran away from home to not be abused by her cousin anymore.
“Can I stay here forever?”
For 8 weeks Sarasa and Fumi lived very happily. One of Fumi’s traits for not having learned to relate to people is that he didn’t treat Sarasa like a child and she loved having her free spirit encouraged by him. But, things wouldn’t be this simple forever. Fumi was eventually arrested for kidnapping and sent to juvenile centre and Sarasa was left with the certainty that he hated her for ruining his life.
The Wandering Moon: summary
15 years after the mistaken kidnapping case, at the invitation of a co-worker, Sarasa ends up in a very intimate cafe and there was Fumi, preparing and serving. She is relieved to see that he has managed to move on with his life, open his own business and get a girlfriend, Ayumi Tani (Mikako Tabe).
“Very good. I’m so happy for you, Fumi.”
Sarasa can’t help but come back as many times as possible, even if it makes Ryo Nakase (Ryûsei Yokohama), a born controlling boyfriend who thought she should be at home preparing dinner, jealous.
As the case 15 years ago came to light, everyone knew what had happened to Sarasa and Ryo-kun recognized Fumi in the cafe. He took some photos and revived the case on the internet saying that a dangerous criminal was on the loose.
“Are you the one who took pictures of Fumi and uploaded them? Wait. No, right? You have no ideia how hard it was for Fumi during this time! You know what you did to Fumi? He finally found a way to be happy! Why did you destroy it? This is wrong…”
Sarasa and Ryo-kun come to blows and she, a very strong woman, doesn’t let it go and fights back with everything she can. Afterwards, she walked down the street in fear for her life. Until her and Fumi’s paths cross again and he repeats the same careful gesture as before.
“Do you have a place to go? You can stay here.”
Sarasa and Fumi start to be stalked on the internet and in real life. The social stigma strips them of everything they have. But, all Sarasa could remember were the happy and relaxed days she lived with Fumi.
“How can I make up for what I did to you? It’s my fault you got hurt. I ruined your life, Fumi. But, part of me wants to be with you. This is so selfish of me. But, I have to be with you, Fumi.”
Now, all they have is the strength of the unbreakable bond of friendship they created many years ago, and they will fight anything and everything to stay together. Because, only together, they feel free to be who they really are, two broken people wanting to be happy and accepted.
The Wandering Moon reviews: don’t let anyone own you
Ryo-kun is the typical salaryman, coming from a farming family in the countryside. Because he was abandoned by his mother, he hates himself and puts that feeling out in the relationships he has. Always choosing the same type of woman, the ones who seems vulnerable and has nowhere to go.
So he can do whatever he wants. Sarasa, in an effort to overcome the trauma and develop a loving relationship, struggled to believe that Ryo-kun cared for her.
But really, he was just being jealous and controlling. Fortunately, being the strong and resilient woman that she is, Sarasa retaliated against the attacks and no longer subjected herself to an abusive relationship with a temperamental male chauvinist.
Why you should watch The Wandering Moon
I’m not gonna let The Wandering Moon ending explained. But, this Japanese film shows the importance of due process. No matter how repugnant to us the crime may be, all people have the right to an impartial investigation, the right to defend themselves and to receive a fair trial.
Freedom is our greatest asset. Deprivation of liberty is the greatest punishment a person can receive. So, there is no price that can be paid for a person unfairly imprisoned. Life has already been ruined and enormous inconvenience, involving not only the accused, has been caused.
The Wandering Moon trailer
I really feel that you will like this one. So I decided to do this Rurou no Tsuki review. Go ahead, immerse yourself in the story, the environment and the soundtrack.
And come back later to tell me what you think in the comments. This was one of the most intense Japanese movies I’ve seen.
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