Akko-Chan The Movie – Review

Atsuko Kagami (played by Yoshida as a ten-year-old and Ayase as an adult) is a little girl full of big dreams. She has great plans for when she finally becomes a grown-up, including the type of exciting career and super-cool boyfriend she`ll have. One fateful night, she`s given the gift of a magical compact that will transform her into anything she wants – as long as she keeps its powers a secret. Somehow, she blunders her way into a temp job in a famous cosmetics company, where she works with dedicated scientist-executive Naoto Hayase (Okada) just as the firm is facing a corporate buy-out. Can Akko-Chan help save the day?

To be honest, the film isn`t particularly good. The plot strains credibility – even for a story that springs from the pages of a manga – and it`s far too slight to support the movie`s two-hour running time and numerous false endings. On occasion, Ayase`s relentless adorability grates rather than amuses, and the special effects leave much to be desired.

But, somewhere along the way, Akko-Chan wears the viewer down. It`s hard to get too angry at a film that`s this sweet and inoffensive – it would be like kicking a puppy in the face. In fact, the film actually steers away from being an exercise in complete wish fulfilment, instead ensuring that its naÃ