Love & Pop (1998) Ft. Ashley Briglia

As the sun rises just beyond the skyline of a bustling Japanese metropolis, we find ourselves floating in what seems to be an endless expanse of water. Slight tremors cause our body to gently toss to-and-fro as a brilliant, amber light beams down upon us. Is this life or is this death, or perhaps something in-between?

 

Awaking to the sound of stillness in the air, our hands unfurl the covers and see that the date on the calendar reads: July 17th, 1997. Summer is in full-swing and in this quiet, blue moment of repose, we feel the world can wait just a few moments longer before joining in to see where the sunlight takes us.

 

So begins Hideaki Anno’s 1998 live-action film debut, Love & Pop. The story centers around four Japanese high school girls who partake in a form of compensated dating, otherwise known as enjo kōsai, where older men seek out young women to join them on casual dates or for soliciting prostitution. Shot almost entirely on early, hand-held digital cameras, this film excels in its liberation of standard filmmaking conventions by exploring an unusual day in the life of Hiromi, our protagonist in this story. 

 

By highlighting the dizzying oddities found throughout the day, Hiromi and her friends struggle to make sense of their hopes, dreams, insecurities, and general malaise toward coming of age in a world that can be so merciless one moment, yet tenderly forgiving the next. Thank you to our special guest and friend of the show, Ashley, for joining us on this episode. As always, thank you for listening and we hope you enjoy the discussion.

 

Where to watch:

Unfortunately, this movie isn’t available to stream through normal means at the time of posting.

 

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