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RATING:   
SINGAPORE : Don’t be fooled by its title, "10 Promises To My Dog" is not as cheesy a movie as it may seem. While I walked into the cinema with no expectations whatsoever, the film by Japanese director, Katsuhide Motoki, surprised me by proving itself to be a rather simple, yet moving tale of family, loyalty and unadulterated love.
The film begins with a flash-back when 14-year-old Akari, an only child, yearns for a companion since her workaholic father and ailing mother have little time to spend with her. She soon finds solace in a golden retriever puppy, which wanders into her backyard one day.
Before adopting the puppy, young Akari’s mother requires her to make 10 promises to her dog, which she names ‘Socks’, pledging to love and care for her unswervingly. However, as time goes by, Akari (Lena Tanaka) matures into a young lady of aspirations and her interests caused her feelings to slowly shift away from Socks.
The pair who used to be inseparable, drift apart as Akari moves to a larger city in pursuit of her career, leaving Socks behind.
As a series of events occur, Akari is reminded of the promises that she had made to her mother and Socks. By this time however, Socks is no longer a young, energetic puppy and the question lies: is there enough time for Akari to redeem herself and fulfill the lifelong promises that she had made 10 years ago?
This is a movie that will you have laughing and crying from beginning to end. But be warned all you sensitive souls out there, you’ll need plenty of tissues at this movie, as it’s a real tear jerker. As much as I hate to admit it, I have never shed this many tears while watching a movie – ever.
While the story line of "10 Promises To My Dog" is nothing to get particularly excited about, the movie does provide an extremely refreshing take on a somewhat clichéd story. This, I personally feel, could only be pulled off by the Japanese, with all their ‘Kawaii-ness’ fitting perfectly with the saccharine storyline.
"10 Promises To My Dog" is also a real feast for the eyes. Apart from the pleasant looking actors in the movie, audiences are treated to the breathtaking scenery of Japan. Watch Akari grow up as the seasons pass with cherry blossoms aplenty, along with scenic ocean views and beaches.
Definitely a show for animal lovers, the real stars of the movie have to be the dogs which steal the limelight from their human co-stars. Drawing many ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ from the audience, seeing those irresistibly adorable dogs onscreen made me feel like adopting one of my own.
Despite having thoroughly enjoyed myself watching this light-hearted, albeit bitter-sweet film, I could also imagine the smirks from some less sentimental folk who would probably find the movie slow moving and a big waste of time.
However, taking all things into consideration, there is nothing to violently dislike about this extremely family-friendly film.
If I were being nit-picky, I suppose that the one thing I had problems with was the film’s under-developed subplots that were either resolved all too easily or forgotten about as the show went on.
With its recurring themes of love and prioritising family above work, this movie is ultimately a reminder of why dogs are really known as 'Man’s best friend'.
- CNA/os
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