Matsumoto Seicho Special: Yubi (2006)(Japanese)

Starring Goto Maki from Morning Musume and Mari Hoshino

Genre: Thriller, Mystery

Finding an English link to this was difficult! I’m not sure if I can find the download file for it. Link

The story takes place where Fukue Yumiko (Goto Maki), formerly a struggling performer, is now a world famous actress. However she encounters someone from her past. Suzuki Kaori (Mari Hoshino) who had showed Yumiko kindness by giving the struggling Yumiko a free bowl of Ramen. However, when approaching Yumiko again, Yumiko seems to have changed and brushed Kaori off as a forgotten memory. However, Kaori is now an investigative reporter. While on a different case, searching for a neighborhood dog killer, she accidentally catches Yumiko and points to her as being the dog killer. Thus begins digging into Yumikos past. Examining how she got to where she is now, and why she has changed so dramatically.

A lot of it is saved for the spoilers, but to be quite honest I hated the other women in this movie. The only attractive one was Yumiko and Kaori. And Kaori was straight. OK YES THAT WAS KIND OF A SPOILER. BUT THATS ONLY TO PROTECT YOU. DON’T GET YOUR HOPES UP.

There wasn’t really a lot of lesbian action itself. Like most movies, it is way more focused on the storyline. That’s great but, still the other women were….pretty ugly tbh. I’ve seen some of their pics for other movies, and they aren’t that bad. But one was either super old, or one had the weirdest haircut I’ve ever seen. And also pretty old.

Plot was OK. It’s way more about Yumiko’s character rather than plot though so. Plot didn’t really go anywhere.

Yuri Rating: 6/10

Overall Rating: 4/10

MAJOR SPOILERS PAST THIS POINT

Yes, this happens

The story itself is interesting. It turns out that Goto Maki’s character is not actually a lesbian. You question this from time to time and wonder if maybe she was actually in love. I have come to the conclusion that she doesn’t, and that her character may have been written as a sociopath or psychopath on purpose.

It was interesting to observe a character that is driven only by fame and success, and will do anything to get there. Including ruining someones’ career, or possibly murdering them….

So I hated both women she manipulated during this. The first one was SO freakin old, it was just impossible for me to like her, not to mention incredibly desperate. The second one, also desperate. I couldn’t stand either of them. But i had to LOL when the bartender of the lesbian bar looked so similar to the old one.

The prettiest ones are really Goto Maki and the reporter. Who also isn’t a lesbian. But just like Yumiko, Kaori is also willing to do anything.

As for the murdering, it is actually really strange. It’s intricate, but in a weird way. If you actually used pantyhose to strangle someone to death, I’m not sure if that would actually work….and killing the dog was….the strangest thing ever. To kill a dog because it “saw” you?? I mean, they do realize dogs can’t talk, right?

Right?

But I guess the dog kind of symbolized Yumiko’s extreme guilt since she got such a guilty feeling just from looking into those eyes.

As for the ending, it sucked. I was hoping for Yumiko to end up killing Kaori. And she ALMOST did. But it turns out she’s not as much of a psychopath as I thought she would be =/

As for Yuri, it’s pretty heavy actually. Most of it is implication, but there is one scene where Goto Maki actually has to start kissing body parts. So….there’s that. The fact that it was mostly out of manipulation and desperation rather than real feelings made me dock major points (especially since she ends up married to a dude anyways). But it was still there so, I’ll give them that.

Yuri Rating: 6/10

Overall Rating: 4/10